Suspect In Williamson County Robberies Has Long Rap Sheet

CENTRAL TEXAS — A man recently arrested for a series of burglaries at businesses throughout Austin, Round Rock and elsewhere in Williamson County has a prior murder conviction from 2002, according to a report.

KVUE reported that Donovan Smith 46, has a long criminal history in Texas dating to 1991 for crimes ranging from burglarizing habitations and criminal trespassing to possession of marijuana. In a Feb. 28, 2014, press release, officials said Smith was sentenced to 10 years in prison for possessing stolen firearms in Seattle, the news station reported.

Just weeks after being released from a New Mexico prison for a second-degree murder conviction, he committed the burglaries in Texas, according to the press release.

The news station reported that Smith was convicted for being a co-defendant in the 2002 murder of a 21-year-old woman in New Mexico, according to the press released. Smith allegedly assisted in the murder by fleeing the state with the firearm used to shoot the woman and for attempting to get rid of the gun, according to the report.

From June 2 through June 9, Austin police responded to a hair lounge, a nail salon and a fitness center for reports that a rock had been thrown through the storefronts' glass doors as part of the break-ins, KVUE reported. The suspect captured on the businesses' surveillance systems appeared to be the same person, according to the account.

The APD then began tracking an alleged burglar who focused on stealing from salons and clothing cleaners in the Austin area, according to the affidavit. Austin police said the burglaries took place throughout Austin, Round Rock and Williamson County.

>>> Read the full story at KVUE