Texas Fugitive Turned Over to Federal Authorities

GULFPORT, MISS. (AP) – Texas fugitive Steven Ray Milam is now in the hands of federal authorities. Milam appeared in federal court Thursday in Gulfport to face 11 counts of bank robbery. The 44-year-old Milam, of Tyler, Texas, was denied bond by U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert H. Walker. Each bank robbery charge carries a penalty of up to 25 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Afterward, Milam was turned over to U.S. Marshals to await extradition back to Richardson, Texas. Authorities would not disclose where he was being held. Milam was arrested Tuesday after Jackson County Sheriff Mike Byrd shot out a tire on his vehicle during a westbound, high-speed chase on Interstate 10. Milam was wanted in Texas for shooting at officers during a New Year’s Eve robbery of a Richardson bank.

Richardson authorities say a bank employee’s quick thinking led to the eventual downfall of the “handsome guy” bandit suspect. According to KETK, police reports show that the gun-wielding robber was herding employees into the vault of a Richardson bank this past Saturday. A worker managed to hit a panic alarm before entering that vault.