A local bank robbery suspect is in custody, thanks to a 17-year-old waitress who recognized the suspect’s vehicle from surveillance footage used in the news story a day earlier. The Amegy Bank on Commerce Drive in Porter was robbed around 9:40 a.m. Friday, by a white man in a ball cap with a rag partially covering his face. Although witnesses said the man arrived at the bank on a bicycle, video from surrounding businesses appeared to show he left the area in a dark colored Ford Explorer. Still photos of the SUV were sent to area news media and after the teen and her mom, a Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputy had discussed the robbery. Saturday morning she was online searching for another local story and saw the photo of the truck. Somehow, she remembered the vehicle well enough to recognize it.
Carl Skero, who owns Skero’s BBQ on the US 59 northbound service road, said he and his teen employee were talking when she looked over at the Valero store next door and saw the Explorer backing into a parking place at the side of the building. She pointed out the truck to her boss and then pulled up the story on her phone and showed him the photo with the robbery story. The distinctive pattern of faded paint on the hood looked like a match to him as well including the tape on the rear window. The teen then called her MCSO deputy mom, but had a little more difficulty convincing her she spotted the suspect’s vehicle. The male got out of the vehicle and went inside the Valero.
Skero said the first deputy arrived and called for backup. The deputies went into the store and located the man playing a game machine. They emerged with the suspect in handcuffs.
Arrested is Tarrell Nowlin. Nowlin was celebrating his 46th birthday today but will finish the celebration in the Montgomery County Jail.
This is the second time this year he has been arrested. On January 24, 2017 a concerned citizen notified Constable Hayden advising she believed a car was being chopped up. Pct. 4 deputies responded to the 22700 block of Cox. St in New Caney, TX to investigate. As they were approaching the address a vehicle left. Deputies were able to stop the vehicle and made contact with the driver, identified as Nowlin, Tarrell 4/22/71 from New Caney, TX. Nowlin lead deputies back to the house and explained a friend gave him the 2005 Chevy Tahoe a few days ago. Nowlin was currently cutting the car into pieces so that he could scrap it. Deputies were able to locate the VIN number from the cut up car, and found it was stolen out of the jurisdiction of the Harris County Pct. 4 Constable’s Office on 1/16/17. Montgomery County Auto-theft was contacted and arrived on scene to assist with the investigation. Nowlin was placed in custody for theft, a state jail felony as well as possession of methamphetamine (which deputies located in Nowlin’s vehicle), also a state jail felony.