A man wanted for the murder of Ashley Nance-Karl in Troy was taken into custody in Belton after an eight-hour search through dense brush that began when he allegedly opened fire on officers trying to close in on him. Police say 38-year-old Johnathan Allen Nance-Karl was captured around 7:40 p.m. on October 8, 2026, following a manhunt that pulled in state, county, and multiple municipal agencies.
According to KCEN-TV, officers had first responded to a report of an unresponsive person on Tower Street in Troy on October 8, 2026, before identifying Nance-Karl as the primary suspect in the killing. Investigators then located him in Belton after a Flock Safety license plate reader camera flagged a vehicle linked to the Troy shooting, setting off a multi-agency search across Bell County, the station reports.
Responding agencies reportedly included Belton Police, the Bell County Sheriff's Office, Killeen Police, Temple Police, Texas Game Wardens, and the Texas Department of Public Safety, per the same account. Officers who approached Nance-Karl were met with gunfire before he fled into thick woods.
Eight Hours in Dense Brush Near FM 93
The search stretched through dense brush near FM 93 and East 6th Avenue in Belton for roughly eight hours before Nance-Karl was finally taken into custody that evening, the station's report states. Belton Police Chief Larry Berg said officers used helicopters, drones, and ground units to contain the suspect in thick vegetation despite high heat, per the same account.
A helicopter spotted someone during the search, and officers moved into position.
Murder and Assault Charges Filed
The Bell County District Attorney's Office accepted charges against Nance-Karl including one count of murder and five felony counts of aggravated assault against a public servant, the station notes. Those assault charges stem from gunfire directed at three Belton police officers and two Bell County sheriff's deputies during the pursuit, according to the same report.
A Bell County judge set Nance-Karl's bond at $3 million after he was booked into the Bell County Jail, as reported in a Facebook video by Baylee Bates. The booking followed shortly after the manhunt concluded the evening of October 8, 2026.
School Community Mourns Former Staffer
Friends supported Ashley Nance-Karl's children after her death.
DPS Aviation Assets Expand Across Central Texas
The Belton search relied on the kind of airborne support that has become a growing part of Texas DPS operations statewide. The agency's Aircraft Operations Division operates a fleet of 28 aircraft out of 13 duty stations across Texas, including 18 helicopters primarily configured as Airbus AS350 and H125 models, according to Vertical Mag. The division maintains roughly 110 personnel, including about 50 pilots and tactical flight officers who provide air surveillance to local agencies, the outlet reports.
In May 2026, DPS acquired a new Bell 407 helicopter stationed in Austin to support Central Texas law enforcement, with plans to equip it with thermal imaging, augmented reality mapping, and live video downlink technology by late 2026, according to Texas Border Business. The outlet notes the purchase marked DPS's first acquisition of that airframe model since the 1980s. Alongside its manned aircraft, DPS also operates one of the largest law enforcement drone programs in the country, with over 400 certified drone pilots and nearly 350 unmanned aerial systems, per Vertical Mag.
