Man who brutally beat, kicked victim in Lufkin convenience store - KTRE.com | Lufkin and Nacogdoches, Texas

A Lufkin man agreed to a plea bargain deal of 20 years in prison for a brutal robbery at a convenience store on Aug. 5 in which he beat, kicked, and stomped another man unconscious and stole $35 from him.

Todd Dillon with the Angelina County District Attorney’s Office said that Andrea Franks-Vanzandt appeared in Judge Bob Inselmann’s 217th Judicial District Court Monday morning and pleaded guilty aggravated robbery and an unrelated felony charge.

As part of the plea deal, Franks agreed to a 20-year prison sentence for the aggravated robbery charge and an eight-year sentence for the other charge. He will serve the prison terms concurrently, or at the same time.

According to Jessica Pebsworth, a spokeswoman for the Lufkin Police Department, the victim in the case requested that the LPD release the surveillance video footage in the hope that it will inspire people to be more aware of their surroundings at all times.

Pebsworth said Richard "Ricky" Archer’s wife was waiting for him as he walked inside to pay for their gas at the Lucky’s convenience store near the intersection of Lotus Lane and the loop at about 12:40 p.m.  on Aug. 5. They had planned to head out of town to see a Houston Astros game.

Archer, the victim in the case, told Pebsworth that when Franks-Vanzandt grabbed the $35 he had just pulled from his wallet, he looked up, expecting to see a friend playing a joke on him.

“Instead, he was met a barrage of punches, kicks, and stomps that left him lying on the floor, in and out of consciousness,” Pebsworth said.

According to a previous East Texas News story, no words were exchanged between the two men, and they did not know each other.

Franks-Vanzandt then fled the store on foot and was arrested by Officer Dalton Estes roughly 10 minutes later outside Pioneer Crossing Apartments. He had walked to the store from the apartment complex before the incident occurred.

"My wife will disagree, but I'm glad it was me," Archer said. "If it hadn't, I think something really bad was about to happen to those store clerks." 

Archer was flown to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston with serious injuries to his head, face, and eyes.

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