CHAPPELL HILL MAN SENTENCED TO 40 YEARS FOR BRYAN ROBBERY

  

A Washington County man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison after being convicted for Aggravated Robbery in Bryan.

52-year-old Steven Goodson of Chappell Hill was found guilty by a Brazos County jury last week in connection to an armed robbery in September 2018 at the Valero store on Earl Rudder Freeway.

According to the Brazos County District Attorney’s Office, the clerk at the store told police that Goodson put a gun in her back and demanded money.  The clerk slipped a GPS tracking device in with the money being stolen, which allowed officers to locate Goodson and his vehicle at a nearby intersection.

Following a brief pursuit, Goodson abandoned his vehicle and hid in a wooded area, prompting a manhunt involving the Bryan and College Station Police Departments and the Texas Department of Public Safety.  A DPS helicopter found Goodson hiding in a residential yard, and after a foot chase, he was ultimately taken into custody. 

A search of Goodson’s vehicle led to officers finding a skeleton mask, plaid jacket and loaded .45 caliber firearm that investigators say were used during the robbery. 

During the trial, jurors listened to the victim, store management and several Bryan police officers about the surveillance footage, the arrest of Goodson and the evidence collected.  They also learned of previous charges that resulted in prison time for Goodson, including Burglary of a Building in 1993 and Aggravated Robbery in 2010. 

Brazos County Assistant District Attorneys Brian Baker and Jordan Jordan said, “When a person is willing to threaten the life of another human being over money, they must go to prison.  The jury reinforced that our community will respond when a defendant devalues life and places us all in danger.”