TYLER, Texas - Two brothers are standing trial for a series of violent takeover-style armed robberies that hit as many as 15 Texas CUs and banks for as much as $250,000.
Authorities are focusing on five of the robberies believed committed by Derrick Van Hodges, 34, and his half-brother, Paul Edward Thomas, 40, known as the "takeover bandits" for the methods used. The charges include heists at: Kelly Tyler FCU, two Bank of America branches, Austin Bank, and Citizens National Bank. They are also believed responsible for the 2005 armed robbery at EastTexas Professional CU. Hodges was arrested on state charges for the Henderson robbery after a glove left behind at the bank led investigators to the suspect through DNA. Thomas was arrested by federal authorities on Oct. 11, 2007, after a search of three of his storage units led authorities to alleged evidence from the heists.(c) 2008 The Credit Union Journal and SourceMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved.http://www.cujournal.com/ http://www.sourcemedia.com/
