HOUSTON – A 79-year-old woman is trying to make ends meet after a man snatched more than $1,000 right out of her hands. It happened as the woman sat in the passenger seat of a vehicle parked outside a gas station in the 7100 block of Scott.
Surveillance video from the gas station shows the suspect standing just steps away from a gold sedan. He was there for a while before he moved in and grabbed the cash out of the woman's hands.
"After that happened, I had to take my heart pill. I just got so nervous," said the victim, who asked that we not use her name.
The victim said she was counting the cash for her sister, who had just cashed her Social Security check that morning. The money was supposed to go toward bills.
"I had to take my bill money and pay her bills. Now I'm scrapping trying to pay my bills. It's hard. Each one of us only has one income," said the victim.
After reviewing the surveillance video and interviewing witnesses, Houston police arrested Troy Leblanc, 20. According to court documents, Leblanc lives only two streets away from the gas station. While he is facing a felony charge, the victim says he'll also have to answer to God.
"I wouldn't do a dog like that. I really wouldn't. I always learned if I want something to work for it, not to take it from an innocent person," said the woman.
Leblanc is facing a felony charge of theft from an elderly person. His bond is set at $70,000.