Brazos, Madison, and Washington Counties Lift Burn Bans

The Brazos County District Attorney’s Office announced today that a habitual DWI offender has been sentenced. 56-year-old David Pennington, of Conroe, was sentenced to 25 years on prison by a Brazos County judge. The sentence was handed down October 1, 2026. Pennington pled guilty to Driving While Intoxicated with three or more previous convictions. On March 10, 2026, Pennington contacted College Station Police to say that he felt unsafe driving, because he was seeing double. But, he said he would not stop unless an officer stopped him. Pennington admitted to drinking nine 16-ounce beers on his drive from Temple. A breathalyzer showed an alcohol concentration of 0.125. At the time of his arrest in March, Pennington was on parole for a prior DWI offense. He was convicted of felony Driving While Intoxicated in 2016 and sentenced to 20 years in prison. ADA Kevin Capps said, “We appreciate Mr. Pennington’s honesty in reporting his own criminal conduct, and we hope he seeks treatment for alcohol abuse while in the penitentiary. However, we cannot and will not ignore the threat to the safety of everyone on our roads posed by a person who continues to choose to drive while intoxicated.” “We would like to thank the College Station Police Department for responding to stop Mr. Pennington and taking the appropriate steps to ensure he did not remain on the road,” Capps continued. “The defendant has chosen to repeatedly endanger the safety of everyone who drives on our roads. The defendant has shown he will not stop unless we put a stop to him.” 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.

A 21-year-old man has been charged with intoxication assault after colliding with a man on a scooter early Saturday. The man was thrown his scooter on Wellborn Road near Kyle Field just before 3:00am on Saturday, October 3, 2026. College Station Police responded to reports of a major accident at the location. They found the victim was bleeding from his head. Truman Wayne Davis was behind the wheel of a Toyota 4Runner. Arrest records say that while he was being interviewed, he was swaying and had slurred speech. He admitted to having three beers. Davis failed a field sobriety test. Officers say the Veo scooter was well lit. Traffic camera footage shows that other vehicles passed the scooter without incident. Reports say that officers believe a reasonable person would have seen and avoided the victim, but due to Davis’s impaired state, he did not see the motor vehicle on the roadway. The victim is said to have suffered a skull fracture, brain bleed, possible carotid canal fracture, and was throwing up blood. Davis was charged with Intoxication Assault With A Vehicle. Blood alcohol analysis results are pending. He is free on $30,000 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.

It was a bad weekend for social media influencers in College Station this weekend. Local influencer Malik Salami known as “SalamiTheAggie,” went online Sunday to say he was “harassed” by Texas A&M athletic staff on the sidelines of Saturday’s game versus Arkansas. Salami posted to his socials a few weeks ago that it was a dream to be on the sidelines of an A&M Football game. The senior Biomedical Engineering student was granted his wish when he was gifted a field pass by an unknown contact for Saturday’s game. In his latest videos, you can see him gracious and fans cheering him on. Salami says in the second half of the game, he was approached by Assistant Athletic Director for Football Communications, Kat Castner, questioning how he gained access to the field. He says she told him that she is in charge of approving credentials (which is a fact) and that she has specifically denied requests for him in the past. He was not asked to leave, but Salami says he felt humiliated by the interaction. We have reached out to Castner for comment. Salami has 31.7 thousand followers on TikTok, 72.8 thousand followers on Instagram, and 64 thousand followers on Facebook — including the official Texas A&M Facebook account. Also on the sidelines was an influencer from Miami known as  “BenDaDonnn,” whose real name is Benjamin Beard. TMZ posted a photo of Beard from Saturday’s game with a player’s arm around him. Beard was arrested in Northgate Saturday night after he reportedly failed to comply with a lawful order. He was also tased during the arrest. He was charged with resisting arrest and is free on $7,000 bond. Beard’s bodyguard, Kenny Carter, allegedly slapped an officer’s hand away during the arrest, so he was charged with Interfering With Public Duties. He is free on $4,000 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.