KATY, TX (Covering Katy News) – A fugitive who is considered violent and dangerous is behind bars at the Fort Bend County Jail after being arrested at the Best Western Inn on Katy Mills Boulevard near Katy Mills mall.
Nelson Perez, 58, is accused of a noon-hour armed robbery of a LoanMax Title Loans store in Salem, New Hampshire. It happened on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023. Perez robbed the business at gunpoint and tied up the two clerks. Following extradition, he will face kidnapping and robbery with firearm charges in New Hampshire.
According to Wesley Wittig of the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office, the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force located Perez in Katy. The U.S. Marshals Service leads the task force.
It's believed that Perez was passing through Katy and had no plans to stay in the community.
"He was fleeing the New England area due to the high likelihood of other significant charges from other New England agencies," Capt. Jason Smith of the Salem Police Department told Covering Katy News. Smith says the investigation shows that Perez is dangerous and may have harmed more people.
"This arrest in Katy, Texas, undoubtedly spared other people from becoming victimized by Perez's ongoing actions," Smith said.
Surveillance video of the Salem hold-up shows a man wearing a black COVID-19 mask, a black Boston Bruins baseball cap, and glasses.
Salem PD
Surveillance video of the Loan Max armed robbery.
LoanMax offers cash loans in 20 minutes or less using a person's car title as collateral, making it an attractive target for robbery because it has cash on hand.
Following the crime, witnesses saw the suspect walking toward Methuen, Massachusetts, near Salem. A police dog tracked his scent along a popular hike-and-bike trail connecting the two communities. Perez is a resident of Methuen.
The Salem Police, Massachusetts State Police, the Essex, Massachusetts Police, and the U.S. Marshals Service all worked on the case. The investigation is active and ongoing.
It is not clear if Perez will fight extradition. Smith said if he does, it could delay his return to New Hampshire by a month or more.