A man whose alleged attempt to rob a local garden store at gunpoint was foiled by employees is now facing a charge of attempted escape.
Staff at the Bowie County jail annex received information July 30 that Brandon Lee Staggs, 26, was chipping a hole in the wall in the jail's shower area in hopes of finding a way out of confinement, according to a probable-cause affidavit.
Jail staff were able to find the portion of damaged wall.
Staggs declined to be interviewed about his alleged plan, but investigators with the Bowie County Sheriff's Office believe he intended to escape his captors.
This is not the first time Staggs' alleged criminal intentions have fallen flat.
Staggs is charged with aggravated robbery for allegedly trying to hold up Ellis Pottery on Summerhill Road in Texarkana, Texas, last November. Staggs allegedly tried to rob the store with a shotgun shortly after its 8 p.m. closing while his girlfriend and co-defendant, Toni Works, waited for him in a car nearby, according to a probable-cause affidavit.
Staggs allegedly smelled of alcohol when Texarkana, Texas, police officers arrived at Ellis Pottery. Two store employees had been sitting in the manager's office when Staggs, armed with a shotgun, reportedly walked through an unlocked rear dock entry. The employees tried to lock themselves into the office area, but Staggs allegedly used the shotgun's stock to compromise the door.
While Staggs aimed the shotgun at his face, one of the men gave Staggs several dollars and offered to get him more from a safe at the front of the store, according to the affadavit. One employee, who has a concealed-carry handgun license, managed to get his weapon before Staggs entered the office but did not have time to load it, according to the affadavit.
While Staggs was briefly distracted, employees allegedly grabbed the shotgun and wrestled with Staggs. Two rounds were discharged from the employee's handgun during the scuffle, but none of the men were struck. When police arrived, one store employee opened a door for the officers while the other continued to struggle with Staggs, according to the affadavit.
The officers were able to quickly take Staggs into custody and arrested Works in her car a short time later outside the store. Works is currently free on a personal recognizance bond. Staggs' bond is set at $100,000 in the robbery case and $100,000 on the attempted-escape charge.
According to the probable-cause affidavit in Staggs' escape case, he turned down an offer for 40 years in the aggravated robbery case from Assistant District Attorney Katie Carter five days before his arrest in the alleged escape attempt.
Staggs is represented by Texarkana lawyer Josh Potter, and Works is represented by Texarkana lawyer Eric Marks. Both defendants are scheduled for jury selection Oct. 15 in the robbery case before 5th District Judge Bill Miller at the Bowie County courthouse in New Boston, Texas.
Aggravated robbery is punishable by five to 99 years or life in prison. Escape is punishable by six months to two years in a Texas state jail.