SAN ANTONIO – The U.S. Marshals Service announced the arrests of two men in South Carolina who are connected to an alleged aggravated robbery case in Bulverde, Texas.
Federal agents said they took Darwin Omar Lopez-Villeda and Alexis De Jesus Velasquez-Lanza into custody Wednesday morning at a job site in Piedmont, South Carolina.
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Both Lopez-Villeda and Velasquez-Lanza, along with multiple other suspects, are accused of being armed when they allegedly forced their way into a Bulverde home on Jan. 8 with four people inside.
Authorities said three of the four victims were tied up in the home by the suspects, who demanded money and silver from them. The suspects are also accused of striking two of those victims in the head. According to federal agents, the fourth victim was able to escape the home and call 911.
Bulverde police charged Lopez-Villeda and Velasquez-Lanza on three counts: aggravated robbery, aggravated kidnapping with a deadly weapon and engaging in organized crime with a weapon. Agents said both men were also wanted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on warrants for “being in the country illegally.”
U.S. Marshals agents in Texas reached out to U.S. Marshals agents in South Carolina on March 3 with an assistance request. The agency believed Lopez-Villeda and Velasquez-Lanza fled the Lone Star State and moved to South Carolina.
According to the agency, U.S. Marshals agents in South Carolina conducted surveillance and identified Lopez-Villeda walking onto a Piedmont job site. Agents also believed Velasquez-Lanza worked on the same job site.
At approximately 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, multiple law enforcement agencies descended on the location and took Lopez-Villeda and Velasquez-Lanza into custody without incident.
The U.S. Marshals Service said it also received assistance in their arrests from the Anderson County (South Carolina) Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations and ICE.
“An individual’s violation of personal safety and security in their home will be responded to swiftly and decisively,” former Bexar County sheriff and current U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Texas Susan Pamerleau said. “These offenders who are illegally present in the United States thought they could evade justice by fleeing to South Carolina. Their successful arrests highlight the U.S. Marshals’ commitment to carry out the President’s directive for the Department of Justice law enforcement components to collaborate with the Department of Homeland Security in conducting investigations and arresting persons illegally present in the U.S.”
KSAT reached out to the Bulverde Police Department and the Comal County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday for a comment on the arrests.
Bulverde Police Department Chief Gary Haecker declined to comment to KSAT. The Comal County Sheriff’s Office has not responded to KSAT’s request.
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