On July 23 just after 1am, authorities say two suspects accosted a male victim in the 3100 block of Coveview in Galveston and threatened him with a gun. The victim was bound with duct tape and forced into his car. The suspects drove the bound victim to the beach where they dumped him in the sand dunes They then drove off with his car.
Seven hours later, shortly after the Dickinson branch of the Texas First Bank opened at 8am, police say two male suspects entered the bank and robbed the tellers at gunpoint. The suspects were described as young, possible in their mid to late 20s, and dark skinned. The suspects were wearing masks and were armed with handguns. They fled the bank in a newer model Toyota.
The Toyota was later recovered on Oleander just west of Highway 3, less than one mile from the bank. According to authorities, the car was the vehicle that had been taken from the victim earlier in Galveston. The Galveston Police Department dive team was deployed to assist in searching for evidence in a small bayou near this sight, and located a handgun believed to be used during the crimes. An undetermined amount of cash was taken from the bank. No physical injuries were reported.
On August 8 at around 4:45pm, the Texas City Police Department responded to a robbery at the Check N Go located at 3523 Palmer Highway. Employees reported that either a light-skinned black or Hispanic male entered the check cashing business and produced a handgun. The suspect robbed the two cashiers at gunpoint and then fled through the back door.
On August 23 at about 2pm, a single male suspect walked into Check N Go at 194 S Gulf Freeway in League City. He pointed a handgun at a clerk and then walked behind the counter while demanding money from the safe. The victim was able to flee the store and the suspect was left without access to safe. The suspect fled, possibly in a brown 4-door Buick passenger car.
Galveston police say they received a Crime Stoppers tip after flyers were distributed warning the residents in the area of the abduction sight. They say the information received indicated that the two suspects who had committed the robbery of the Texas First Bank in Dickinson were Noah Lee Nava, 20, and Jonthon Ray Price, 21, both of LaMarque.
Authorities say their investigation revealed that the bank teller, Jeremy Lloyd Winston, 22, of Texas City, had been in communication with Nava both before and after the robbery.
When confronted, police say Winston admitted that he knew who the robbers were and that he had received money taken in the robbery.
Further investigation revealed that Nava and Price had robbed the victim in Galveston and taken his car, according to police. Authorities say Nava has been identified as the gunman in both of the Check N Go robberies, with Price as his driver.
All three suspects have been taken into custody.
Nava and Price were charged with four counts of aggravated robbery and one count of aggravated kidnapping with a $200,000 bond on each charge. Winston was charged with one count of aggravated robbery with a $200,000 bond.
