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.”