The Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office released a video on Tuesday showing a highly publicized incident in which two female McDonald’s restaurant employees are alleged to have assaulted a male customer.
Chief Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Deputy Craig Brady took the unusual step of releasing video evidence in the case in order to counter what he has said are false allegations about both the case and the handling of it by sheriff’s investigators.
The incident occurred on July 13, when Richmond resident Raymond Smith, 20, sat down at a table in a McDonald’s at 1125 Crabb River Road near Greatwood. He complained to deputies that two 18-year-old women working at the restaurant bit and groped him, then got into his car and stole music CDs and a small amount of cash and coins.
Brady said Tuesday that Smith’s mother, Barbara Jones of Richmond, called KTRK-TV 13 the night after the incident occurred, to bring the matter to the public’s attention.
Brady said a televised report on the incident “made it sound like we refused” to investigate Smith’s complaint as a sexual assault. Statements made later by Jones and community activist Quanell X, who spoke on the family’s behalf at a press conference outside the McDonald’s, indicated the sheriff’s office wasn’t seriously investigating the matter.
Refuting those statements at a press conference at the sheriff’s office Tuesday morning, Brady held aloft a stack of 15 statements detectives had obtained during their investigation.
Brady said the restaurant incident had been more thoroughly investigated than any misdemeanor case he can recollect. He also said that after compiling witness interviews, audio and video evidence, investigators concluded the incident did not meet the legal definition of a sexual assault.
At Tuesday’s press conference, sheriff’s officials played part of the July 13 video from a McDonald’s security camera. Released in a prioprietary format, the video could not immediately be converted for display on FortBendNow’s web site.
It appeared to show Smith and the two female restaurant employees, eating and talking together in a booth at first. Smith has his back to the camera, and the two women were sitting together across the table from him.
After several minutes, one of the employees got into the booth on Smith’s side of the table and slid close to him. After another minute or two, she appeared to reach behind him and rub or grab the back of his neck.
The other woman walked around to the booth behind Smith, leaned over and wrapped her arms around his torso, possibly grabbing or tickling him. The three appeared to tussle for about 30 seconds. Then two customers entered the room, and the two women let go of Smith.
Brady read from one account of the incident, by what he said was the only eye-witness to it, apparently another McDonald’s employee.
The witness said it appeared Smith and the two women knew each other, and were laughing together in the booth.
“And then I saw he’s like ‘why are you biting me?’ He goes something like ‘you zoo animals,’ or something,” the witness said at one point in her statement. “I still thought they knew him, so I didn’t pay much attention to that. And then he was like ‘get off me,’ and they were all laughing.”
It was unclear from the video, which had no sound, exactly what transpired during the incident.
Brady said Smith’s mother believes the video supports her son’s account of events. But, he added, “in my opinion it backs up the version of the incident” that witnesses and the women involved described.
The investigative report has been presented to Fort Bend County District Attorney John Healey’s office, Brady said, where a determination will be made whether to pursue charges.
Brady said he’d intended to release part of the statements the two accused women made to detectives, along with audio automatically recorded by deputies on the scene during the incident. But Healey requested that information not be made public.
The two women, who have not been identified, were scheduled to come to the sheriff’s office today to take polygraph tests, Brady said. Last week, the McDonald’s francise holder of the Crabb River Road restaurant said the two no longer are employed there.
The’truth’ definitely has a vendetta against the Sheriff.
Thei is for Mr. The truth:
First of all I can tell you are certainly not familiar with the facts in this investigation. Secondly, I think you are trying to use a personal mishap in your life to attempt to discredit the Sheriff’s Office.
I also wonder if you ever thought: It sure says alot of a Chief Deputy to be as knowledgable and thorough in the facts of this case.
I am sure that the Chief Deputy could have just said,..”No comment”, then you would have said “Oh, it’s a cover up!”
………….HOWEVER………
You (the public) begged, screamed and shouted for the truth and when Chief Brady laid it all out for you and told you the facts,………….WELL,………
You can’t take it, you don’t like it simply because you don’t agree with what “YOU THINK!”
Chief Brady has facts………..you have he said/ she said fifth hand rumor gossip information!….. and I say
That is a fact!
Hawkeye,
Not that it’s of any importance to the story, but for the sake of geographic accuracy, the Crabb River Road restaurant is about four good penny pinches away from the entrance to Greatwood. The postal address may say Richmond, but Richmond’s city limits are about 12 miles west of that McDondald’s.
Please post here if you want to run for sheriff….I really don’t care if your first name is Donald and your last name is Duck….it would be an improvement of what we have in office now dumb and dumber!!!!!
One more thing…Chief Deputy Brady, did it make you feel better to release this video of the VICTIM!!!!!!! Can you sleep at night? What’s next, are you going to release other horrible crimes on kids, old people, etc? It is apparent, that you have no PROFESSIONALISM and NO MORALS!!!!!
Since you showed up in your suit today for the Press Conference, tomorrow wear your Deputy Pooper Scooper outfit!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chief Brady this only made you look worse than you did before and I thought it couldn’t get any worse. You kept the information close to you that would reveal the deputies’ comments that night!!!!! Now you are trying to blame DA Healy….when are you going to stop blaming people.
This video clearly proves the young man was telling the truth!!!!!!! And for you to go on the news and say you did say things when you said them on TV. What is wrong with you? Are you just that stupid? Who wants a stupid sheriff? DON’T even think about running for that office. When that chump that’s in the office finally retires, the voters WILL not vote for chumpett..
No one has said this before, but you interfered with an ongoing investigation by your OWN detectives!!!!!!! The public needs to know that!!!!!!!!!
You have stink all over yourself!!!!!!!!!
Hey Mr. santhony,
I think you may be the one that is blind. I think that a media station, channel 13 reported false information and actually grossly misquoted the Chief, Mr. Brady. I also think that this incorrect story continued building being exaggerated to the degree that it made the headlines. The mother actually contacted Quanelle ten to give his opinion.
I think what we have here, is a Chief, that got tired of his office being falsely accused when in fact his investigators did an exceptional job in conducting the investigation.
I think what you wanted Mr. Aanthony is for everyone to just sit back and allow the false accusations and bad publicity to continue toward the office of Mr. Brady.
However, I think what you got, is a very strong Chief that stood up and said, No, you are not attacking my investigators or the integrity of his office, if you want the truth here it is. If you misquote me or my office I will not lay down and take it.
On another note, I must add It sure seems that Chief, Mr. Brady was well prepared and backed up everything he said with valid facts.
I like that in a fella!
I’d like to know where QX is now. Seems he is quick to be seen in the media crying injustice but gets lost once he is shown to be a fool.
Previous article had a response that stated the McDonalds wasn’t in Richmond. The official address is listed as: McDonald’s Restaurant
1125 Crabb River Road Richmond, TX
Most assuredly I do not work for Brady and I am in no way a part of the law enforcement industry. I am, however, a law abiding citizen who is deeply concerned about our failing and growing law enforcement system.
“Voting” for a sheriff, judge, DA, constable, etc. is a horrendously bad idea. It means that these “elected officials” are always running for office through “using” cases to manipulate the public. In truth, they are often prostitutes for those that got them elected or “selected” – contracted by an HOA, or they get reelected by being the best lynch-mob leader in town.
Who cares, really, until you need justice!
All this proves is that the sheriffs office is willing to compromise professionalism and the victims rights to make itself look good. Just more PR spin from the communications office at the direction of Brady IMO.
Will they start releasing photos and videos of victims in the Wal Mart shopping center next or how about female rape victims? Not a very good example.
Too bad a few are too blind to see. The post above looks like it came straight from the boss or the comm. office. When they want to build a case, they will build it whichever way defends their position. Sloppy work leads to this type of cover-ups.
All Sheriffs are not alike. Imagine how destructive Troy Nehls would have been in a similar situation? It matters a great deal who our sheriff is.
I applaud the author or reporter of this report. The facts were well stated and accuarately stated.
Thank you Chief Brady for taking the “unusual step” to provide the FACTS to everyone. It is a shame that false accusations, hype and chaos is planted in the minds of the public to “Sell” any kind of story. It also is shameful that this is done at the expense of Law Enforcement.
Once again, I am grateful that Chief Brady took the unusual steps to set the records straight. It definately shows that a thorough investigation was conducted on the behalf of the victim and Chief Brady reported the “true facts gathered by a team of investigators.” Chief Brady reminds me of the old days when a man stood up, spoke the truth and stood behind the truth. It reflects a man’s character.
Now that all this time and money was spent on this crime of the century maybe the investigators can get back to investigating other crimes, “Or” until other incidents are reported in the media without first taking the time to VALIDATE the story.
Why do they think they need to jump thru hoops for QX??