A man accused of shooting at Texarkana, Texas, police after robbing a local bank earlier this month has been indicted by a federal grand jury.
Dixon Kelley III, 43, was arrested the morning of April 6 after a car chase through Texarkana, Texas, ended when his black Dodge Charger became stuck in the mud at the dead end of County Road 2301 in Bowie County near the Red River, according to earlier reports. Instead of immediately surrendering to pursuing officers, Kelley allegedly fired shots from the orange pistol he is accused of using to rob a Bank of the Ozarks branch in the 2600 block of Richmond Road not long before.
A federal grand jury in the Texarkana Division of the Eastern District of Texas handed down a two-count indictment Wednesday accusing Kelley of armed bank robbery and carrying a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. The indictment seeks Kelley's forfeiture of the $5,246 in U.S. currency seized from him at the time of his arrest which he stole from the bank as well as forfeiture of a Lorcin 9mm semi-automatic pistol.
A Texarkana, Texas, police officer responding to the bank robbery call shortly after 9 a.m. April 6 spotted a car matching a witness description and confirmed the license plate matched that of the suspect. After getting out of the mired Charger, Kelley allegedly fired two shots, one of which struck a patrol car, before dropping the orange handgun and running across a field.
If convicted of armed bank robbery, Kelley faces up to 25 years in federal prison, a fine up to $250,000, or both. The punishment range for using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence is more complicated. If found guilty of carrying a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, Kelley faces five years to life in federal prison, a fine up to $250,000, or both.
If found guilty of brandishing a firearm, the minimum punishment increases to seven years and if found to have discharged a firearm, as Kelley allegedly did, the minimum punishment increases to 10 years in federal prison. Any sentence assessed on the firearm charge must be served consecutively to any term ordered for the underlying crime.
According to bankruptcy records, Dixon and his wife filed for Chapter 13 relief in 2015. Chapter 13 bankruptcy, often referred to as a wage earner's plan, allows individuals with regular income to repay debt. Among the secured debts listed in Kelley's bankruptcy is an outstanding loan on a 2008 Dodge Charger. The bankruptcy was discharged in 2016 because Kelley failed to make regular payments to the trustee as agreed.
Dixon is scheduled to appear May 2 for arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Caroline Craven in Texarkana's downtown federal building.