Congressman Bill Flores on WTAW

College Station police posted on its Facebook page, the 12th arrest since January 2019 of a 23 year old College Station man on multiple charges. Kaden Luna was wanted on a warrant for not paying almost $8,000 dollars in fines and court costs after admitting to stealing a gun six years ago. He is also accused of committing on the same day in October 2024, two family violence assaults with prior convictions. One of the assaults involved bodily injury and the other involved strangulation. The CSPD Facebook post also says a search of an apartment led to Luna’s arrest on a charge of possessing up to five pounds of marijuana. CSPD did not disclose the specific amount. As of March 12, Luna remains held without bond for not paying the fines and court costs. Bonds in the October 2024 assaults and marijuana possession cases totals $155,000 dollars. A Brazos County sheriff’s arrest report says it took several jail officers to restrain an inmate who is listed in online records at four feet four and 80 pounds. That is after the inmate head butted an officer in the head. The detention officer was taken to a hospital for treatment of a head injury. The inmate, 17 year old Matthew Narro of Bryan, has been held since December 2024 on a charge of possessing a controlled substance. With the new charge of assaulting a public servant, Narro remains held as of March 12 in lieu of bonds totaling $23,000 dollars. College Station police gets involved in the repossession of a car. A CSPD arrest report says the owner of the repossessed car was charged with a felony crime of hindering a secured creditor by preventing the repossession, and a misdemeanor criminal mischief charge for causing an estimated $400 dollars damage to the tow truck’s hydraulic lift arm. The arrest report says the tow truck driver had the paperwork to take the car. The CSPD officer arrived to find the car was lifted off the ground with the former owner inside and the tow truck driver in his vehicle. The tow truck driver said the lift arm was damaged when the former owner spun the tires as the car was on the lift. 22 year old Isaiah Hurd of College Station is out of jail after posting bonds totaling $7,000 dollars.        

The week after Brazos County commissioners approved spending almost $13,000 dollars on computer software to remove information from last November’s election ballots and cast vote records, two of the citizens asking for those records challenged the purchase. Cynde Wiley quoted state law, the state constitution, and case law where she believes that there are public interests which outweighs an individual’s right have their election ballot kept secret. Wiley said “Redacting information from the public is not the solution. You are denying the public the ability to audit as is legally required by federal and state law. No county should allow the elections department to be the only ones to audit themselves. Does the IRS allow one to audit themselves?” Cathie Viens described the software purchase as “frivolous”, adding she did not think the commission knew what information will be redacted. Viens then said “So let me tell you (commissioners). The voters registered voting precinct, the precinct location where the vote took place, the signature of the election judge, and the ballot number. Tell me, which of those pieces personally identifies your ballot?” There was no response to the citizen comments by commissioners or county staff. Click below to hear comments from the March 11, 2025 Brazos County commission meeting:   Original story, March 10, 2025: Brazos County residents who have requested copies of 100,000 pages of records from the November 2024 election will not have to spend as much money to get that information. That’s because county commissioners agree to buy software to remove names of 92,000 voters. Commissioners were told the price for the public to get that information using the software will be around $40 dollars. If elections office workers had to manually remove the names, several citizens requesting that information were looking at a “very conservative” cost of $750 dollars. The commission’s general counsel, Bruce Erratt, says the removal of the names and other information is required by the attorney general’s and the secretary of state’s offices. Elections administrator Trudy Hancock said citizens requested cast vote records, or CVR’s, which reflect the selections a voter made on their ballot. The software purchase, costing $12,875 dollars, will allow the public to have access to CVR’s and ballots within 60 days. Click HERE to read and download the Brazos County document justifying the purchase of the software. Click HERE to read and download the document received by Brazos County from the company selling the software. Click HERE to read and download the amended contract for Brazos County to purchase the additional software. Click below to hear comments from the March 4, 2025 Brazos County commission meeting. Listen to “Brazos County commissioners buy software to remove information from 100,000 pages of records from the November 2024 election” on Spreaker.

Brazos County commissioners approve a burn ban at Tuesday’s meeting (March 11). The 30 day ban can be cancelled early if it rains. County judge Duane Peters noted “a lot of times that happens, if we pass one (burn ban) we get the rain in the next day or two, so it would be a good thing.” The commission’s unanimous vote follows a report from emergency management coordinator Jason Ware that the drought index is on the high side in the north and east portions of the county. Ware also said two of the four county’s rural fire chiefs asked for the ban, one supports it, and one asked to continue monitoring conditions. Commissioners were also told there were no wildfires in Brazos County the prior seven days, something Ware attributed to last week’s request to not do outdoor burning. The burn ban applies in Brazos County outside of city limits. Click HERE to read and download the burn ban approved at the March 11, 2025 Brazos County commission meeting. Click below to hear comments from the March 11, 2025 Brazos County commission meeting. Listen to “Burn ban returns to Brazos County” on Spreaker.