WATSON

A man who robbed several credit unions last year in Texas, including one in Tyler, was found guilty in federal court.

A jury on Thursday found Wayne Alan Watson guilty of three counts of armed bank robbery, the verdict coming after a three-day trial in the Eastern District of Texas, according to a news release from the court.

Watson was found guilty of robbing City Credit Union in Gainesville on Oct. 16, Altra Federal Credit Union in Tyler on Dec. 1 and Texoma Educators Federal Credit Union in Denison on Dec. 19, according to the court.

The court said Watson displayed a gun and by force, violence and intimidation robbed employees of the credit unions of currency.

Additional robberies in Austin and Wichita Falls in January led to Watson being identified as the serial robber, according to the news release.

A search warrant was executed at Watson’s residence in Fort Worth on Feb. 13.

Authorities were able to locate a 2015 Volkswagen Jetta and several clothing articles used in two of the robberies, according to the news release.

Watson was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 14 and charged with the federal violations in the Eastern District of Texas.

He faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for each charge at sentencing, according to the court. Watson will be scheduled for a sentencing hearing after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.

This case was investigated by the FBI, the Texas Department of Public Safety-Texas Rangers Division, Gainesville Police Department, Tyler Police Department, Denison Police Department, Austin Police Department and the Wichita Falls Police Department.

Watson was in the custody of the U.S. Marshal Service and was held in the Fannin County Jail.