Tuesday afternoon 221st District Court Judge Lisa Michalk sentenced Edward Brightmon, 20, of 5638 Selinsky in Houston to thirty years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for his role in a string of robberies in October of 2013. Brightmon, who had a lengthy juvenile record and was also charged in Harris County on an assault causing bodily injury in April 2012 will spend a minimum of fifteen-years behind bars. Since there was a finding of a deadly weapon the charge was enhanced to aggravated robbery. Rob Freyer with the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office was the lead prosecutor on the case. He stated that Harris County also has four robbery cases pending against Brightmon and the two who assisted him.
On the night of October 10, 2013 the trio robbed a disabled Purple Heart Vietnam Veteran who was wounded three times while in the service. That robbery happened at 8:30 p.m.in the Hobby Airport area The three then drove the Veteran truck to an apartment complex nearby .
At that apartment they dumped the truck and approached Crystal Griffin just before 9 p.m. who was returning from a shopping trip. The three assaulted and robbed her, her car was also stolen in the incident. During the night the three moved north and at 1 a.m. they robbed a pharmacist on Northborough in the Greenspoint area . They continued north and at 1:30 a.m. robbed a man and his wife exiting their vehicle on Paramata Drive in the FM 1960 and Interstate 45 area.
From there they moved up to The Woodlands, still driving the stolen car.
At about 150 am Doug Donnenfield was sitting in his vehicle at the 24 Hour Fitness Center at Six Pines and Lake Woodlands in The Woodlands. He was waiting for a news talk show to end so he could go in and work out. A red car pulled in next to him and within moments two gun muzzles were in his face as a Black male punched him in the neck. The two suspects reached across him and took his cell phone and billfold. They then began screaming at him, saying, “where’s the money”. Both then jumped in the red car and fled the scene.
Donnenfield looked hard at the license number then yelled for help from two men leaving the club. He borrowed a cell phone and dialed 911.
Montgomery County Dispatchers immediately broadcast the license number on what was thought to be a red Dodge. A unit on Interstate 45 who had been watching traffic spotted the vehicle and followed it. When the vehicle crossed FM 2920 it started to speed up and a pursuit was initiated. Montgomery County Deputies chased the vehicle at speeds of up to 115mph south on I-45 to Loop 610. They then traveled east on 610 to Interstate 10 where the suspects turned westbound and continued to US 59. They then went south on 59 to the Gulf Freeway and started south to Scott Street. It was there that the Houston Police Helicopter who had just joined the chase spotted them throw a gun out on the freeway.
The vehicle exited Scott and ran to McGowan where it crashed out and the suspects fled on foot. Both were taken into custody within fifteen minutes. A third suspect was also arrested after it was determined he was the driver of the car and the two other suspects. A Houston Police Sergeant then returned to the Gulf Freeway where he found the gun with a round still in the chamber.
Donnenfield had already had a near death experience over twelve years ago when he suffered a massive heart attack as he jumped into a pool. He was recovered from the pool and transported to the hospital after Paramedics revived him from total cardiac arrest. After the incident that morning his wife has banned him from using the gym at night.
The Crystal Griffin, who was carjacked appeared in court today, and facing Brightmon told him how hard he had made it on her, unable to sleep, not wanting to go out at night and having to replace her stolen crashed car. Brighton just looked at her and seemed unmoved.
The cases in the other two involved in the robbery spree are pending.
Freyer let it be known that Montgomery County is not playing around when it comes to criminal activity and will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.
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