Abigail ‘Abby’ Catt: ABC ’20/20′ Updates Case Of Daughter Who Helped Father And Brother, Scott And Hayden, In Texas Bank Robberies
Abigail “Abby” Catt, the daughter who was arrested for helping her father and brother rob banks in Texas and Oregon, is telling her story once again on tonight edition of ABC’s20/20, according to Broadway World.
Over a year ago, 20/20 covered the case, however, the series provides an update in the story since Abby has regained her freedom. In tonight’s episode, you’ll hear Abigail Catt discuss the changes that she has made and how she is slowly putting her life back together. She’ll also talk about her current relationship with her father and brother, Scott and Hayden.
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The case of the bank-robbing family made headlines in November 2012, when law enforcement investigators say they got a tip leading to the arrest of 50-year-old Scott Catt and his son and daughter Hayden, 20, and Abby, 18. Detectives had tried to figure out who was committing the robberies while using disguises. Thankfully, a video surveillance tape led to their arrests at an apartment complex located in the 300 block of Dominion in Katy, Texas. The tip came about after Crime Stoppers increased the reward to $25,000.
ABC 20/20 will point out that people who knew Abby Catt and her family say that at one time the family lived in a beautiful four-bedroom home and had good jobs. In the community, they were considered exemplary people. Both Abby and her brother, Hayden, were good students and highly athletic, just like their parents. In his younger years, Scott Catt was an outstanding football player, while his wife, high school sweetheart Beth Catt, was a talented swimmer. But life for the family took a drastic turn once Beth Catt died at the age of 32 from cancer of the breast. The children were ages 4 and 2 at the time of their mother’s death. Despite the tragedy, the family grew even closer. Hayden and Abigail had a very close relationship as children and as teens, often considering each other as best friends. They both had a deep love and tremendous loyalty to their father Scott, who, by all accounts, was a good father to them.
At some point that changed, since investigators say that it was Scott Hayden who asked his children to help him rob banks. Hayden was recruited first, then Abby. It was something that the kids felt they had to do for their father. Authorities say Scott was the ringleader, his assistant was Hayden, and Abby had the task of driving the getaway car. Together, Hayden and Scott would enter the banks dressed in orange vests, where they would demand money, often stuffing it in garbage bags. Their disguises ranged from painters masks to fake mustaches, according to KATU News.
In the upcoming episode of ABC 20/20, viewers will learn that while Hayden Catt and his father, Scott Catt, are serving time in prison, Sheriff Troy Nehls allowed Abby to stay in the county jail, where he made sure she finished her high school equivalency diploma. He made the decision so that she could have some chance of having a stable life once she was finally free. Below, Nehls comments on his line of thinking in an interview with 20/20.
“I just feel that she’s more of a victim in this. So my goal is to try to educate her, get her where she could get her GED and try to teach her some type of a skill set here so when she gets out she can lead a productive life.”
After the former bank robber’s release, she went to live with Susie Gregory, a woman she met while she volunteered at the jail, according to KTRK-TV. After learning her story, Susie Gregory felt deep compassion for her and believed that Abby Catt was not entirely at fault.
To hear Abby Catt and Susie Gregory in their own words, watch ABC 20/20 at tonight at 10 p.m. ET. For extra reading, check out our other ABC 20/20 articles on O.J. Simpson and the case of the $3 million jewel thieves.
[Image via 20/20 Facebook]
