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New Photos, New Details In The Case Of Chad Jeter, Accused Of Bank Robbery And Attempted Murder

Authorities are continuing to piece together the plans and actions of Chad Floyd Jeter, 30, the man accused of robbing an Atmore bank and making threats against military bases.

New details have emerged about the case as authorities continue their investigation and begin to piece together Jeter’s actions between 3:30 Tuesday afternoon and early Thursday morning. Federal officials are also attempting to determine if Jeter intended to attack American military bases as he reportedly threatened to do.

Here’s what we know so far about Jeter’s actions, based upon law enforcement reports from Atmore to Escambia and Levy counties in Florida:

At 3:32 Tuesday afternoon, Jeter turned off South Main Street in Atmore into the side parking lot of the First National Bank & Trust.  He drove his white GMC pickup truck through the outside of the bank’s drive thru (pictured), headed toward the back parking lot of the bank. Surveillance camera footage shows a white camper shell on the back of the vehicle with a portrait of a saluting soldier painted on the side along with two faded reproductions of the same figure.

Jeter parked his truck, presumably in the back parking lot of the bank. He then entered the bank, dressed in a dark colored trench coat, a hat with a sports team logo and was armed with a .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle. Within seconds, he is seen on the surveillance tape tossing a U.S. Army backpack onto a teller window.

Jeter  stands at the teller window (pictured left), wearing dark sunglasses and holding the rifle pointed at the floor in his right hand. He reportedly threatened a teller with the rifle during the crime. There were no injuries in the bank.

He then exits the bank into the back parking lot. He is seen headed south out of the back parking lot, headed south on Pensacola Avenue. The tailgate of his truck says “Steel City” in orange and red lettering.

Atmore Police arrive at the bank within moments after Jeter drives away. They begin a search for the truck and begin gathering information about the crime. Escambia County (Ala.) Sherrif’s deputies respond to Atmore. Across the state line in Florida, an Escambia County deputy responds to Highway 97 just south of Atmore to watch for the truck. Other deputies head toward the area, including an Escambia County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Department investigator who begins searching for the truck around Bratt. Authorities do not know Jeter’s indentity at this point, but the investigator told NorthEscambia.com at the time that he had a hunch that whoever the robber might be, he just might head toward Bratt. The investigator would, at least hours later, turn out to be very correct.

Meanwhile, Alabama officials locate a vehicle similar to the description. The vehicle is stopped near the county line between Escambia and Baldwin counties. The white male in the truck is transported to the back parking lot of the FNB&T. Authorities stand the potential suspect (pictured left), both with and without a ball cap that he is wearing, outside the employee entrance of the bank as employees inside take a look to see if he is the suspect. He is not, and the man is released by authorities.

Within about two hours of the robbery, Alabama officials identify the suspect as Jeter.  Police are notified to be on the lookout for him around the South, and his driver’s license photo is distributed to the media.

Officials search his trailer on Highway 31 near Canoe. Inside, they find troubling evidence that Jeter may be planning to attack a military base. He said in letters and notes that he is being watched by helicopters that circle his home. Police find maps with the locations of several military bases circled, including Pensacola NAS, Eglin Air Force Base, Whiting Field and Alabama’s Ft. Rucker. The notes indicate that he plans to kill military personnel and police. Military bases are alerted to the possible threat.

Jeter’s whereabouts for the next several hours are unknown. By midnight Tuesday, he is known to have been on Pine Barren Road south of Highway 4. The McDavid Station of Escambia Fire Rescue is dispatched to a seemingly normal brush fire on a secluded section of Pine Barren Road near Breastworks Road (pictured left) at 12:10 a.m. The Florida Division of Forestry is called to assist. They use a bulldozer to create a line around the fire in the woods about 1:30 Wednesday morning.

Later in the morning Wednesday, authorities discover a burned out camper shell in the woods on Pine Barren Road. The outline of saluting soldiers is still recognizable on the camper shell, and the “Steel City” tailgate is located. Now authorities are searching for a rather ordinary looking white GMC pickup truck.

Escambia County deputies receive a tip Wednesday morning that Jeter’s truck was seen at a mobile home at 3740 Highway 168 near Wiggins Road. Multiple law enforcement agencies respond. Jeter and his truck are not found at the residence, but a meth lab is discovered. Read that story here.

While on routine patrol at 4:15 Eastern time Thursday morning, an Inglis (Fla.) Police Department officer, Tim Swigget, locates a blue GMC pickup trucked parked backed into a wooded area near a Yankeetown, Florida, neighborhood. Inside the vehicle that is nearly 400 miles from Atmore, he finds Jeter sleeping.

“The officer approached the subject and initiated the investigation and it was determined that the subject was Chad Floyd Jeter from  Atmore, Alabama,” said Lt. Scott Finnen with the Levy County Sheriff’s Office. Then Swiggett determined Jeter’s identity and that he was wanted in connection with the Tuesday robbery of the First National Bank & Trust in Atmore. Jeter then assaulted the officer and managed to cut the officer in neck before running into the woods,” Finnen said.  Swiggett was injured when Jeter threw a Ninja star at his neck. Bleeding profusely, he radios for help.

The  Levy County Sheriff’s Office, Inglis Police Department, Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, a Cross City Correctional K-9 team, the U.S. Coast Guard and emergency personnel respond to the scene. Swigget was transported to Seven Rivers Hospital with minor injuries where he was later treated and released. Police officers begin their search for Jeter, who has fled into a wooded, swampy area. He is located by the K-9 unit and taken into custody. He is then transported to the Levy County Jail and booked for the attempted murder of the police officer.

Photos from the scene appear to show that the truck was once white but had been spray painted blue. Jeter’s truck was towed from the scene to a police impound lot and not thoroughly searched, according to Finnen. He said a search warrant would be obtained before a complete search of the truck (pictured left). Alabama authorities said an undetermined amount of cash and a .22 automatic rifle were found in the truck Thursday morning, a fact that Finnen denied.

Military police have become involved in the investigation and are working to determine what Jeter’s interest in the military might be, and if his threats against the military were ever credible. Authorities would not immediately confirm if Jeter had ever served in the military, but deputies did say Jeter would remain in the Levy County Jail without bond until the investigation was complete.  It was not clear if he would face the attempted murder charges in Florida or be extradited back to Alabama to face the federal bank robbery charges first.

NorthEscambia.com will continue to follow this developing story, posting the latest details as they become available.

Pictured top:  Chad Floyd Jeter’s truck as it was found early Thursday morning. It appears that the white truck was spray painted blue. Pictured top inset: Jeter in the back of a police cruiser early Thursday morning near Yankeetown, Florida. He had just been arrested in marshy, wooded area after a manhunt that started after he allegedly attempted to murder a police officer. Submitted and NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click any photo on this page to enlarge.