As part of a plea agreement with the Brazos County district attorney’s office, 48 year old Henry Franklin was sentenced to nine and a half years for the felony crimes that all took place in 2021.
According to the DA’s news release, Franklin wrote letters and made calls while he was in jail to a woman telling her to engage in prostitution so that she could earn money for him to be released on bond.
Online records show this will be Franklin’s second trip to prison. He pleaded guilty to a robbery that took place in 2006 and was sentenced to eight years.
News release from the Brazos County district attorney’s office:
With the help of three of our local law enforcement agencies, the District Attorney’s Office was able to obtain a 9 1/2 year sentence against Henry Franklin for Burglary of a Building, Promotion of Prostitution, and Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon.
The Bryan Police Department thoroughly investigated a report of a burglary at a local car wash that occurred on September 3, 2021. Through their hard work they obtained surveillance video that captured the burglary as it took place. Detectives matched Franklin’s vehicle to the suspect vehicle shown in the surveillance footage and located a witness that purchased machinery from Henry Franklin around the time of the burglary. That equipment was positively identified by the owner of the carwash and was promptly returned.
On November 18, 2021, the College Station Police Department began investigating Franklin after his former roommate reported that Franklin had cut him with a knife during a verbal argument. The victim originally was hesitant to cooperate with law enforcement but eventually provided valuable information including threatening text messages that Franklin continued to send after the offense. Investigators continued working on the case and located a witness who the defendant had given the knife to after the crime. Police also discovered written text messages from the defendant admitting to assault.
While incarcerated in the Brazos County on these charges, Sheriff’s Deputies learned Franklin had written letters instructing the victim, a young woman that had been in a dating relationship with Franklin, to engage in prostitution. The letters explained that the victim should be able to make a certain amount of money by specific times of the day, and that money would be given to the defendant to bond him out of
jail. Deputies discovered jail phone calls in which the defendant admitted to committing the offense.
This conviction would not have been possible without excellent work from our local law enforcement agencies.
Assistant district attorney Tonika Davis issued the following statement: “This defendant tried to avoid the consequences of his actions by using violence and manipulation against his victims. But the work of all of our law enforcement agencies made it possible to hold him accountable and see that justice was served.”