'Career Criminal' Gets 18 Years In Prison For Robbery Attempt

A Spring Valley man described by Rockland County District Attorney Thomas P. Zugibe as a career criminal has been sentenced to 18 years to life in state prison for a 2010 robbery attempt in Hillcrest.

Edward Brims, 54, of 244 N. Main St., was convicted by a Rockland County jury in New City after hearing evidence of evidence against him that include DNA discovered on a mask left at the crime scene and from a gun found after a police chase.

Brims was found guilty on Jan. 27 of two counts of Attempted Robbery in the First Degree, class ”C” Felonies; one count of Attempted Robbery in the Second Degree, a class “D” Felony; one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class “C” Felony; and, one count of Assault in the Second Degree, a class “D” Felony.

Zugibe said that on Oct. 12, 2010, at about 7 p.m., Brims - wearing a mask - entered “Guzzles,” a convenience store on North Main Street in Hillcrest and tried to rob the owner at gunpoint. When the store owner heard a “click,” he believed he was being shot and rushed at the defendant.

Brims struck the victim several times with the gun, causing minor injuries.

Zugibe said that during the struggle, the victim was able to remove the Brim’s mask. A forensic examination revealed Brims’ DNA on the mask.

Police on Dec. 16, 2010, attempted to arrest Brims during a traffic stop on North Main Street in Spring Valley. However, Brims led police on a high-speed chase that went for two miles and ended in a crash when Brims hit a patch of ice on Decatur Avenue in Spring Valley.

Zugibe said a search of the chase route uncovered a loaded Ruger 9mm handgun, which police suspected was tossed from the vehicle during the pursuit. The handgun matched the description of the weapon used in the attempted robbery of “Guzzles.”

Forensic tests of the gun later revealed Brims’ DNA on the trigger, Zugibe said.

Brims was sentenced by Judge William A. Kelly. Brims acted as his own lawyer for his trial.