A 58-year-old man was sentenced Thursday to more than 11 years in prison for his role in a September armed robberyat a central Lubbock bank.
Otis Roy Williams, who has been held at the Lubbock County Detention Center since Oct. 1, appeared before U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix for a sentencing hearing.
Williams faced seven years to life in prison after pleading guilty in April to counts of aggravated bank robbery and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Hendrix sentenced Williams to 51 months in prison for the robbery charge and 84 months for the weapons charge and ordered them to run consecutively for a total of 135 months.
Williams' punishment in his related state felony charges will also run consecutively with
his federal sentence.
He will also have to pay $2,938 in restitution, which will go to the bank.
He is one of two people arrested and charged in connection with the robbery.
Tawain Tamesh Spence, 44, pleaded guilty in May to aggravated bank robbery and is set to appear before Hendrix for a sentencing hearing on Sept. 17.
He faces up to 25 years in prison.
Investigating an armed bank robbery in Lubbock
The men's charges stem from a Lubbock police investigation that began after patrol officers responded about noon Tuesday, Sept. 30 to a 911 call about an armed robbery at the Happy State Bank in the 4400 block of 19th Street.
The robber fled the scene before officers arrived and investigators obtained video from the bank's security cameras that captured the robbery, according to an arrest warrant.
The video showed a man wearing a black beanie hat, sunglasses, white or light-colored long-sleeve shirt, a neck gaiter dark pants, and white shoes, enter the bank and walk to a teller.
As the robber approached, he could be seen drawing a handgun from the front of his waistband with his left hand and produced a white plastic bag from behind him with his right hand.
The robber then placed the gun and the bag on the counter and ordered the teller to place money in the bag. The robber's finger was on the trigger of the weapon, which was aimed at the teller.
The teller complied and opened her cash drawer to put money in the bag and the robber could be seen leaving the bank heading north along Quaker Avenue.
No physical injuries were reported.
As detectives investigated the case, police officials released images of the robber to the public along with a plea for help identifying him.
Tips from Crime Line came in identifying Williams as the robber. Investigators determined he resembled the robber after comparing previous booking photos to the images from the bank's security camera video.
Williams' known acquaintance directed investigators to the Red Roof Inn in the 6600 block of I-27, where they found and arrested him on unrelated warrants.
During an interview with investigators, Williams reportedly admitted to robbing the bank and provided information that only the robber would have known, the warrant states.
Investigators also learned that Williams arrived at the bank in a 2022 Ford Edge driven by 45-year old Tawain Tamesh Spence, who also took a portion of the money from the robbery, according to court documents.
License plate reader records indicated the Ford Edge traveled around the area of the bank.
Investigators found Spence, who investigators also believed gave Williams the gun used in the robbery and still had the weapon, driving a gray Mazda CX-5.
Officers arrested Spence for outstanding warrants and a search of the vehicle yielded a red and black semi-automatic handgun under the driver's seat. Officers also found multiple bags of methamphetamine next to the weapon.
During his interview with investigators, Spence initially denied any involvement in the robbery, saying he didn't know Williams and that he bought the weapon found in the vehicle after the robbery.
However, Spence ultimately admitted that on the day of the robbery, he fetched Williams from the motel. He said Williams told him he had a "play," street slang for a crime for profit, and that he needed a gun.
Spence, who said he didn't know that Williams "play" involved robbing a bank, told investigators he handed Williams the gun - the same one found in his vehicle - and dropped him off near two apartments close to the bank.
He said Williams returned, gave him $200 and he dropped him off at a convenience store.
However, Spence's phone records showed he knew more about the robbery than he let on.
Investigators found text messages that showed Williams expressed frustration at failed bank robbery attempts.
"I need to plan it out a little better," Williams texted Spence on Sept. 13. "I'll try to shoot you like a hundred (Cash App) a little later Bro... Have a few plays going."
About two weeks later, Williams texted about another plan to rob a bank but the "timing was off." Instead, Williams planned to rob the bank the next day because "It will be less (traffic) and more money in there!"
Location data from Spence's phone also showed that 11 days before the robbery he was at Happy State Bank for nine minutes, indicating he likely planned the robbery with Williams.
Gabriel Monte is the criminal justice reporter for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal in Texas. Have a news tip for him? Email him at gmonte@lubbockonline.com.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Lubbock Happy State Bank robber sentenced in federal court
