Bay area man gets 70 years for robbing and pistol-whipping former boss

GALVESTON, TX — A Bay Area resident recently received a combined sentence of 70 years for two counts of aggravated robbery. Miguel Angel Saenz, 33, of Dickinson, pleaded guilty on June 7, 2016 to the charges in Galveston County’s 405th District Court and let Judge Michelle Slaughter set his punishment.

Judge Slaughter hit Saenz with a 40 year prison sentence and a 30 year prison sentence for his actions during a home invasion in September 2014, according to statement from the Galveston County District Attorney’s office.

On Sept. 29, 2014, Saenz convinced his former boss Joe Jenkins to invite him over to his house in Dickinson, a town about 30 miles south of Houston, to hang out.

When Saenz showed up, he found out that Jenkins had invited another one of his friends — Sebastian Lee — over to chill as well.

After kicking it outside of Jenkins’ place for a little while, the trio decided to take the party inside. Saenz told Jenkins and Lee that was he going to hang outside by himself for a minute, in reality he was calling up his partner.

When Saenz’s unidentified homeboy showed up, the two of them bum rushed Jenkins’ door with their pistols out. Saenz told Jenkins that the robbery “had been a long time coming,” according to court records Saenz used to work for Jenkins until Jenkins fired him.

Getting fired kind of stuck in Saenz’s craw so he decided to rob his former boss in retaliation.

While Saenz and his homeboy duct-taped Jenkins and Lee to a couple of chairs, Saenz told Lee that he was “just in the wrong place at the wrong time,” according to court records. Saenz and his homeboy then started pistol-whipping Jenkins and Lee.

Over the next few hours, Saenz and his homeboy beat the crap out of Jenkins and demanded the combination to Jenkins’ safe. When Saenz couldn’t the safe open he got pissed and started beating Jenkins harder.

Saenz and his homeboy repeatedly threatened to kill Jenkins and Lee; they waved their guns in Jenkins’ face and put a plastic bag over Lee’s head. At one point Jenkins was able to get free, but Saenz and his homeboy jumped on Jenkins and stopped him from getting away.

They duct-taped Jenkins hands and feet again, and then hog-tied him with the cord from a vacuum cleaner, according to the Galveston County District Attorney’s statement.

After Saenz was able to get the safe open, he and his homeboy cleaned it out and then took any money and jewelry Jenkins and Lee had with them. Saenz and the unknown homeboy drove off in Jenkins’ car.

After Saenz and his homeboy left, Jenkins and Lee were able to get free and go to a neighbor’s house for help.
Jenkins was diagnosed with multiple injuries because of the beating, including: cheekbone fractures, a broken nose and ruptured kidneys.

Saenz split Dickinson and the whole Galveston Bay area after beating Jenkins, Saenz was so gone that for a while none of the local cops had any idea where to find him.

It wasn’t until he was stopped for a traffic violation by local law enforcement up around Huntsville — a town about 70 miles north of Houston—that Saenz was taken into custody. Turned out that Saenz had been living in the Huntsville area under an assumed name.

Saenz faced from five to 99 years or life imprisonment for each of the attacks and robberies, Jenkins and Lee. Judge Slaughter gave Saenz 40 years for the robbery and beating of Jenkins and 30 years for the robbery and beating of Lee.

Saenz will have to do at least 20 years before he is eligible for parole, according to the Galveston County District Attorney’s office.

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alex.wukman@patch.com