ABILENE, Texas – John Sneed has been arrested for allegedly stealing credit cards from multiple hotels across Abilene and using them to make unauthorized purchases.
The investigation began on January 13, 2024, when a guest at the Residence Inn on Musgrave Boulevard discovered unauthorized charges totaling $615 on her bank card, which she had left in her hotel room. Security footage revealed a suspect reaching over the front desk and taking the hotel’s master key card.
Following this, several guests reported missing items from their rooms. Surveillance videos from a local Walmart captured Sneed using stolen cards to make purchases. The next day, police responded to a report of stolen credit cards and cash at the Hampton Inn on West Lake Road, where a guest’s room had been broken into. One stolen card was used for $504 in Walmart charges.
Officers identified three suspects attempting to access storage closets and housekeeping carts at several hotels, none of whom were registered guests. Surveillance footage confirmed Sneed as a primary suspect. Additionally, the general manager of TownePlace Suites by Marriott reported suspicious attempts to enter guest rooms.
Authorities also learned Sneed had outstanding warrants in Montgomery and Ector Counties related to similar offenses involving hotel room break-ins and stolen bank cards.
Sneed was booked into Taylor County Jail on charges including burglary of habitation, theft, and credit/debit card abuse, with a total bond set at $60,000.
