Burnet man indicted on attempted capital murder of peace officer charges
A Burnet County grand jury indicted James Vance on two counts of attempted capital murder of a peace officer and two counts of aggravated assault against a public servant. Burnet County Jail photo
A Burnet man faces life in prison after a Burnet County grand jury on June 7 indicted him on two counts of attempted capital murder of a peace officer and two counts of aggravated assault against a public servant.
James Vance, 40, is currently in the Burnet County Jail on a string of charges stemming from a March 2022 incident in which he is accused of holding three people at gunpoint and then firing on two sheriff’s deputies when they attempted to arrest him.
In May, a grand jury indicted him on two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in relation to the March incident.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit and Burnet County district attorney’s office media release issued in March, Vance held three people at gunpoint at two different locations on two different days, March 24 and March 25. All of the victims escaped unharmed. At about 6:30 p.m. March 26, deputies responded to the Deer Springs area west of Burnet after it was reported that Vance was pointing a firearm at people.
When deputies arrived, they set up at the intersection of Texas 29 and Deer Springs Drive and waited for additional units. According to a Sheriff’s Office media release sent after the incident, the two deputies spotted Vance’s vehicle approaching. The vehicle retreated after the driver saw the deputies.
The deputies began giving commands to Vance, who, according to the district attorney’s office, opened fired on the two law enforcement officers with a semi-automatic rifle. The deputies returned fire.
Vance fled into a nearby wooded area. Neither deputy was injured in the exchange of gunfire.
More law enforcement arrived, and Vance was later found at a nearby home. He was taken into custody without incident.
According to the June 7 grand jury indictment, Vance fired at the two deputies “with the specific intent of capital murder.”
Vance is currently being held in the Burnet County Jail in lieu of more than $2 million in bonds.