Man Arrested For Robbing Claremore Teenager On His Birthday

The Rogers County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man on complaints of first degree robbery and assault with intent to kill after deputies said he robbed a teenager on his birthday.

Rogers County deputies arrested Brandon Browning after they said he pointed a BB gun at the teen, took his car, then parked it in Vinita and got a ride to Miami. That’s where deputies arrested him, with help from several other agencies.

“It was my birthday. I was trying to make it a good day, so I stayed positive about everything,” Alex Simon said.

Simon spent his 19th birthday on Wednesday working his job at KFC in Claremore. As he was trying to get the keys out of his locked van, deputies said Browning came up to Simon and offered to help. Browning got the keys out, then asked Simon for a ride.

“He did a deed for me, so I was gonna do a deed for him,” Simon said.

The two got in the van and headed north. Simon said Browning seemed friendly, and was not aggressive, until they stopped near 435 Road and 4160 Road, about six miles north of Claremore.

“He had me pull into a driveway and then pulled out a gun and aimed it at me and said, ‘Get out.’ Give him my phone and get out and start walking,” Simon said.

“By the grace of God he wasn’t injured or run over,” Rogers County Sheriff Scott Walton said.

Out in the rural area Simon spotted a woman walking her dogs, who helped him call 911.

Even after everything he went through Simon said he’s able to forgive Browning.

“Sometimes when people are in rough situations, they get crazy and might have been just what was wrong with him,” he said.

Walton said Browning has also pleaded guilty to unrelated federal drug charges.