In response to several inquiries from readers who speculated about the whereabouts of Kingwood's infamous "Queens of Armed Robbery," the Observer located the teenage offenders.
In a nationwide publicized case, the four former Kingwood High School students - Krystal Maddox, Katie Marie Dunn, Malissa Chalerm Warzeka, and Michelle Renee Morneau - were arrested and charged with armed robbery earlier this year.
During the course of a little more than a month, from May 30 to July 9, 1999, the teenagers allegedly held several convenience store employees in Harris and Montgomery Counties at gun point and plundered cash registers on five occasions. The girls reportedly spent the stolen money on drugs and body-piercings.
The teenagers were subsequently found guilty of the armed robberies and sentenced to varying prison or probation terms according to their individual degrees of involvement in the crimes.
Krystal Maddox was 16 at the time of the robberies and the youngest of the group, but nevertheless tried as an adult.
Maddox, who was dubbed the ringleader of the operation because she reportedly supplied the hooded sweat shirts and the weapons used in the robberies, is currently serving part of her seven-and-a-half-years sentence in Dallas County Jail.
Although sentenced to spend this time in a Texas Department of Corrections facility (i.e. state prison) in the Dallas area, Maddox elected to stay in county jail to await her appeal.
According to Terence Windham, prosecutor in the case, offenders who are sentenced to less than ten years in prison may apply to remain in county jail while their appeal is pending.
Maddox's attorney Scot Courtney stated that a writ of habeas corpus is currently pending in the Dallas Court of Appeals.
Maddox's lawyers asked that their client, who would be eligible for parole in 2003, be released on bond in the meantime. According to Courtney, a decision in the matter can be expected within the next two weeks.
Katie Marie Dunn, 18, is currently serving her seven year sentence in Harris County Jail.
Dunn's attorney, Patrick Hubbard, stated that his client is awaiting her transfer to a state facility. She will serve at least half of her sentence before she will be eligible for parole.
Dunn was charged and convicted of two counts of armed robbery.
Malissa "Lisa" Chalerm Warzeka, 18, was also convicted of two counts of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon and sentenced to seven years in a TDC facility. She is currently serving her sentence at the Lucile Plane State Jail in Dayton. Warzeka will be eligible for parole in February of 2003.
The oldest of the "robbery queens," Michelle Renee Morneau, received probation for her role in the robberies. As a probation requirement, the now 19-year-old recently completed a 110-day program at the Harris County Boot Camp in Atascocita.
Windham stated that Morneau was always quiet and remorseful. He hopes that she will be accepted back into the community.
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