Update: Ohio University officials reported Friday morning they believe Billy Caudill is no longer near OU's campus.
Athens law-enforcement officials believe a man on the run after a bank robbery Wednesday might have put about 60 miles between himself and the scene of the crime after they received a report that he was spotted near Ohio University’s campus.
And they believe he might be armed.
The Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office issued an arrest warrant Wednesday for Billy J. Caudill, 43, in connection with a robbery at a Peoples Bank in Carroll, Ohio.
Authorities identified Caudill as a suspect after viewing surveillance photos at the bank. The robbery took place at about 10 a.m., but the amount of money taken is unknown, according to The Lancaster Eagle-Gazette.
If caught, Caudill will face a charge of robbery, a second-degree felony, according to Fairfield County Municipal Court.
The maximum sentence for a second-degree felony is eight years in prison and a $15,000 fine, according to the Ohio Revised Code.
OU warned students of the fugitive’s possible location, near the intersection of Union and Shafer streets, about 6:50 p.m. Thursday via the university’s emergency-notification system.
The alert had at least one student who lives near the location worried.
“It made me not want to go out walking anywhere,” said Chelsea Mangia, a senior studying community health who lives in University Commons. “I was glad to get (the alert), glad to know what was going on.”
At press time, OU Police officials were unsure what kind of weapon Caudill might have been carrying, but were told he might be armed.
Caudill has 28 additional charges listed on the Fairfield County docket stemming from incidents dating back to 2003 — including receiving stolen property, possession of drug paraphernalia, domestic violence, theft of a motor vehicle, and breaking and entering. Seven of those charges were dismissed in court.
The most recent case against him was from 2007, when he was charged with three counts of breaking and entering, a fifth-degree misdemeanor; five counts of grand theft of a motor vehicle, a fourth-degree felony; and safecracking, a fourth-degree felony. An official plea has not been entered for this case, according to court documents.
Caudill is 5 feet 7 inches and weighs 195 pounds. He has hazel eyes and is believed to be clean-shaven and bald, according to an OU emergency notification.
Katie Hendershot, a freshman studying journalism, was walking to Pruitt Field when her phone lit up with the emergency notification. When she noticed the missed call, she arranged for a ride back to campus and had no plans to go out again.
Although the alert was close to home, businesses along Union Street were not particularly worried about the situation. Of the six restaurants and bars called, only W.g. Grinders planned to close about 30 minutes early because of the possible threat.
Throughout the night, OU sent several more notifications alerting students that extra officers had been called and that there was no need to lock themselves in their houses.
Athens Police had not sent out a news release regarding the situation at press time and were unable to provide information.
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