TAB 2022 Reporter: Chelsea Reber

Bryan City Council Grants Homeowners Appeal To Block Construction Of A Convenience Store

Residents of a west Bryan neighborhood are successful in their appeal to the Bryan city council to keep a convenience store from being built off of Harvey Mitchell Parkway between Highway 21 and Sandy Point Road. A unanimous council vote at the end of a 90 minute discussion during Tuesday’s meeting (September 10) denied a conditional use permit that the planning and zoning commission approved in August on a 5-3 vote. The council agreed with 13 residents of the Pleasant Hill subdivision who said that the location of the c-store, which would be accessible only from Smith Lake Boulevard, would create more neighborhood traffic by motorists going through as a shortcut to Lake Bryan. Mayor Bobby Gutierrez and councilman Jared Salvato told the residents to expect the c-store to be built at the north edge of the subdivision along Sandy Point Road. The council was told that homes have been built at 600 of the 1,800 lots at Pleasant Hill. Click HERE to read and download presentation materials from Pleasant Hill residents, provided by the city of Bryan. Click HERE to read and download background information from the city of Bryan. Click HERE to read and download the city of Bryan staff report. Click below to hear a montage of comments from the September 10, 2024 Bryan city council meeting. Listen to “Bryan city council grants homeowners appeal to block construction of a convenience store” on Spreaker.

Bryan Man Admits Before A Jury Trial Starts To Assaulting An Ex-Girlfriend And Threatening Her With A Gun

A Bryan man admits to assaulting an ex-girlfriend and threatening her with a gun. A news release from the Brazos County district attorney’s office says 37 year old Eric Carroll was sentenced to 40 years for breaking into the victim’s home, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. The news release also said Carroll fired his gun twice and Carroll attempted to get witnesses to testify they heard fireworks instead of gunfire. Carroll has been in jail since March 2023 on the charges from the November 2022 incident and a parole violation. Prosecutors told WTAW News that they and Carroll reached a plea agreement Monday (September 10) after a trial jury was selected. Carroll will go to prison for a second time. That follows a 20 year sentence in 2008 for burglary of a habitation. News release from the Brazos County district attorney’s office: On Tuesday, September 10, 2024, Eric Carroll pled guilty to Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon and Burglary of a Habitation and was sentenced to 40 years in prison. On November 14, 2022, Bryan Police were dispatched to the victim’s home following a 911 call where the victim reported that Eric Carroll, her ex-boyfriend, was pointing a gun at her and had fired twice. Several other neighbors also called 911 to report gunshots. Upon arrival, officers discovered that the defendant had been at the home hours earlier and assaulted the victim. Officers found a .380 caliber casing near the area where the shooting occurred. Inside the home, officers found blood and broken glass. The defendant was located and arrested a short time later. Samples were taken from the defendant’s hands, which later tested positive for gun shot primer residue. While preparing for trial, prosecutors contacted the other 911 callers who heard the defendant firing the gun that night. The defendant then engaged in a scheme to offer one of those callers money in exchange for the witness to testify that she heard fireworks that night instead of gunshots. The District Attorney’s Office located the calls from the jail where the defendant organized the scheme to tamper with a witness. The defendant’s criminal history included convictions of Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle and Burglary of a Habitation. The defendant was a habitual offender who had previously been to prison for 20 years for Burglary of a Habitation. Statement from assistant district attorneys Caleb Beacham & Abigail Goodman: “The Defendant intentionally engaged in violent conduct that put a woman and her neighbors in serious danger. Once he was caught for that conduct, he then attempted to escape responsibility by tampering with a brave and honest witness. This kind of criminal conduct has no place in Brazos County.”

Arrests For Threatening A Store Clerk With A Gun And For Stealing Money Meant For Purchasing Vehicles

An employee of a Bryan auto parts store tells police a customer who became upset pulled a gun out of his fanny pack and said “I’m going to shut this place down.” No shots were fired. After the customer left the store, the employee locked the front door and the manager called police. The man who had the gun was found by police near the store. Two days before his 30th birthday, David Wayne Smith Jr. of College Station was arrested for terroristic threat causing fear of imminent serious bodily injury and public intoxication. Smith remains jailed as of September 11th in lieu of bonds totaling $2,485 dollars. Jail and court records show Smith was released August 22nd after serving 18 days of a 45 day sentence for causing a traffic accident resulting in damage. Jail records also show Smith has been in jail four times since February 20th and 14 times since April of 2015. In June 2024, College Station police was contacted by two citizens who gave a man $17,000 dollars earlier in the year for a car and a S-U-V that were never delivered. After $5,000 dollars was returned to the buyers, an officer spoke with the seller. According to the CSPD arrest report, the seller said he never had the vehicles and he needed the cash for a sick family member. 37 year old Julio Cesar Gomez…whose hometown was not listed in jail records…was arrested September 5th for felony theft of the $12,000 dollars that was not returned. He is out of jail after posting an $8,000 dollar bond.