Keller man arrested for robbery

Police say suspect struck same bank 10 years ago

Published Sunday, May 4, 2008

By Brandon Evans

If at first you don't succeed, try again.

Stephen Clinton Ward, 50, of Keller was arrested Thursday afternoon in Fort Worth on charges of robbing the Wells Fargo Bank in Rhome on Wednesday. He was arrested by Texas Rangers and Wise County Sheriff's investigators.

Officers said that Ward has previously robbed the same bank in June of 1998 for which he went to prison. He was released in 2006 or 2007. Ward stayed true to his modus operandi the second time around.

At 9 a.m. Wednesday, Ward walked into the bank, handed the teller a note and walked out with an undisclosed amount of money. No weapon was brandished in the robbery.

Using footage from the bank's cameras, the FBI and Texas Rangers identified the suspect the same day.

The Rhome Police Department also assisted the Rangers and the FBI in the investigation.

As of Thursday morning, investigators located and confiscated the black pickup truck used by Ward in the robbery. It was discovered in the Newark area. However, the search for Ward continued.

"There is an active manhunt going on," said Texas Ranger Jim Holland on Thursday morning.

But by late Thursday afternoon, investigators tracked down Ward at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth. He was apparently visiting a patient there.

"We just used good, ol' fashion police work to locate the suspect," said Wise County Sheriff David Walker.

Ward is being held in Wise County Jail on a single charge of robbery. His bond is set at $1 million.

Ward was arrested for robbing this same bank, then known as Continental State Bank, in the same manner about 10 years ago. In 1998 however, he called in a fake bomb threat at Boyd High School to distract sheriff's deputies before executing the robbery.

This is the third time this bank location has been robbed in the past 10 years and the second time in four years someone has robbed the Wells Fargo Bank.

The bank was last robbed in December 2004 by Raymond Brown, 42, of Weatherford. Brown robbed the bank the same way Ward did it. Brown handed the teller a note at 9 a.m., left with the cash and fled the scene in a pickup.

Walker said the bank's location on the highway makes it a prime target for bandits.