Man jailed for 20 years after ‘bank jugging’ robbery at gunpoint in north Austin
AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man who followed a woman after she withdrew $800 from a bank and robbed her at gunpoint in north Austin has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
The Travis County District Attorney’s Office say Devin Anderson was convicted of bank jugging, which they describe as a resurgent crime trend.
Bank jugging involves suspects watching people carry bags or envelopes filled with money from a bank, and then robbing them.
Authorities said Anderson was involved in a string of these offenses.
On April 20 2018, Anderson followed the victim from a bank at Capital Plaza to a restaurant at the Linc shopping center in north Austin, where she works.
After she parked her car, the woman was approached by Anderson, she said. He was carrying a handgun and demanded that she gave him the bag of cash.
During a trial at the 167th District Court in Travis County, jurors were told that Anderson had an ankle monitor at the time of the robbery. GPS data placed him at the bank and near the location of the robbery, while a Facebook post two hours later also implicated Anderson.
He was found guilty on Nov. 20. He also pled guilty to a similar robbery, also in April 2018, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
“We are happy to see that this man was held responsible for his conduct and hope that his sentence serves a warning to others who engage in this sort of criminal activity,” Assistant District Attorney Joshua Somers said.