HOUSTON – In January, a KPRC reporter, the one writing this article, was robbed at gunpoint while covering a story on Houston’s west side.
It’s not especially remarkable to be robbed at gunpoint.
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I was relieved of my wallet, phone and jacket. I thought it was odd to steal my jacket, but apparently he needed a jacket.
I wasn’t hurt, and while I think of the incident on occasion, I am fine.
Over my 20 years of reporting, I have covered hundreds of aggravated robberies, most of them much more dramatic than my own experience.
The question is, why am I telling the story now, more than eight months later?
The short answer is because I was assigned to do it today.
You see, the original assignment, a feature about a strange abandoned church near the Westpark Tollway and Eldridge Parkway, wasn’t slated to be a TV story, it was scheduled to be an online story.
Such assignments are rare, so rare in my case, I had not had a similar assignment until today, and it was decided I should tell the story of what happened the last time.
I believe the man who robbed me is in the car that passes me for a fleeting moment in this video at about 8 minutes in. I make reference to the vehicle’s passengers, “It looks like they’re up to no good.”
Exploring The Palace ofThe Golden Orbs...
Posted by KPRC2 Joel Eisenbaum on Monday, January 9, 2017
I have seen a lot of people up to no good; the difference is I usually have an extra set of eyes with me.
On this occasion, I should have taken action after my observation. I did not.
So, shortly after I finished this meandering walk around the Palace of the Golden Orbs, I was robbed on the backside of the building.
I am typically very vigilant of my surroundings, but this guy got the drop on me, no doubt.
I detail how the crime went down here.
The Houston Police Department arrested a 21-year-old Houston man for the crime. He was found to be in possession of at least one of my belongings, according to a detective.
The suspect has been charged with aggravated robbery and is currently free on $30,000 bond while awaiting trial.
I will update the status of the case on occasion on my Facebook Page.
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