Kevin O’Connor Kommentary December 26

A teenager turned a misdemeanor into a felony charge Monday night. College Station Police responded to a welfare check in the 1300 block of Augustine Court Monday around 8:30pm. The reporting party said a male was walking down the street, screaming and yelling profanities, and that he wanted to kill himself. Officers identified the man as 17-year-old Preston Scott Cone. They say they smelled the odor of alcoholic beverages on his breath. Arrest records also say that Cone was slurring his speech, had a cut and scratches on his left hand and forearm from him tripping and falling earlier in the day, and had a disheveled appearance — his belt was slightly undone, making his pants sag, one shoe untied, and his hair was messy in appearance. When asked where he would go next, Cone had no direction of travel, even though he stated various times he knew his home address, but did not know how to get there or where he was currently located. He was reportedly knocking on doors and looking into vehicles in attempt to figure out where he was and get directions to his home. Police also reported recent calls of a male matching Cone’s description walking in the traffic lanes on Harvey Mitchell Parkway South. Cone was charged with Public Intoxication of a Minor, a Class C Misdemeanor. While enroute to jail, Cone allegedly threatened officers, saying he would pistol whip, slap, run over, and kill the two responding officers. He was additionally charged with Retaliation, a Third Degree Felony, and remains jailed on $15,000 bond. Got a news tip? e-mail us at news@wtaw.com, text us at (979) 695-1620, or reach out on Facebook or Twitter/X.

After provisional and mail-in ballots were tallied, the Brazos County Elections Administration released the official numbers on Tuesday for the November 3, 2026 election. While there were nine additional votes added to the totals for Bryan City Council Single Member District 2, they were split evenly among the three candidates. Unfortunately for incumbent Ray Arrington, it means his two vote deficit stands, leaving him out of the runoff for the seat. The final results are: Chrissy Ransome – 1,467 votes, 43.52% Jeannette Stewart Moseley – 954 votes, 28.27% Ray Arrington – 952 votes, 28.21% Because no candidate received 50% of the vote, Chrissy Ransome and Jeannette Stewart Moseley will move forward to a runoff election on Saturday, December 12. Early voting will take place November 30 – December 8. In College Station, there will be two runoffs for City Council. Incumbent Mark Smith and Howard Mayne will vie for Place 1. Tre Watson and Padon Holt are in the runoff for Place 5. Got a news tip? e-mail us at news@wtaw.com, text us at (979) 695-1620, or reach out on Facebook or Twitter/X.

The Navasota Junior High Principal, Mrs. Monica Guerrero, will be adding a new title. Beginning in the Spring, Guerrero will also become the district’s Executive Director of Instruction and Learning. Dr. Stu Musick, Superintendent of Navasota Independent School District made the announcement on Tuesday. Musick says the while they could have opened up the position for an external search, it was very evident that Guerrero was “the best person… and the right person… to lead our Instruction and Learning Department and the instructional leadership and improvement throughout the district was already on our team.” Guerrero is in her seventh year as principal of Navasota Junior High School and her 28th year in education. The district says there will be logistical items to figure out, but for now, here are their notes: Guerrero remains the Campus Principal at Navasota Jr. High. Guerrero will begin some of the transitional work with Mrs. Kolby, the I&L team, the Cabinet, and the Superintendent beginning immediately. NISD will be posting the NJHS Campus Principal position and begin the search process before the Thanksgiving break. The position will be posted through the Christmas holidays and close sometime probably in early January. Then, they will begin the process of reviewing applications, setting up a committee, interviews, etc. in early Spring. Final details and the start date for the new Campus Principal is still to be determined. Got a news tip? e-mail us at news@wtaw.com, text us at (979) 695-1620, or reach out on Facebook or Twitter/X.