SAN ANTONIO – The owner of a now-defunct San Antonio window company has been indicted on felony theft charges. Investigators said he accepted deposits from customers then shuttered the business without paying them back.
James Hunter Townsend, 39, was taken into custody Tuesday on third-degree felony charges of theft between $30,000 and $150,000 and theft from the elderly between $2,500 and $30,000.
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The arrest comes two months after Townsend was indicted by a Bexar County grand jury while he was already on probation in a separate 2023 felony theft case, records show.
Townsend also faces a repeat offender enhancement allegation, which could increase his potential sentence in this case.
KSAT Investigates first exposed Townsend in 2022. More than 20 customers in San Antonio and surrounding communities told KSAT he took payments from them for window replacement jobs and then abruptly closed down his business.
Townsend told KSAT via text message that summer he left town due to threats made against him and his family following his decision to close down the Republic of Texas Window Company.
A flurry of criminal complaints were filed by customers against Townsend with law enforcement agencies and the Texas Attorney General’s Office beginning in May 2022, records show.
Townsend was indicted for felony theft in November 2023. Court records show he pleaded no contest in May 2024.
As part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, Townsend was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to make more than $11,000 in restitution payments.
Townsend is scheduled to make a court appearance in his new case June 8 in Bexar County’s 437th Criminal District Court.
Townsend’s defense attorney did not respond to a phone call seeking comment Friday.
KSAT Investigates has also previously reported on Townsend’s criminal history in Texas, including felony convictions for forgery, property theft and family violence.
Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page.
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