Brazos County commissioners approve a request to hire an outside legal firm in a federal lawsuit filed by an inmate at the county jail.
The commission’s general counsel, Bruce Erratt, said the inmate claims he is wrongfully being held on a parole violation.
Erratt said hiring an outside firm saves the time and travel of sending a county employee to and from federal court in Houston.
The inmate, 59 year old Richard Stepp of Bryan, has been held since September of 2023. Jail records show this is the 21st time Stepp has been in the Brazos County jail since September of 1987.
Brazos County district court records show Stepp is scheduled for a jury trial in August on a charge of possessing a controlled substance.
Click below to hear comments from Bruce Erratt during the June 10, 2025 Brazos County commission meeting.
