Last Thursday (March 21) in district court, the D-A’s office and 33 year old Gustavo Sandoval Jr. reached a plea agreement covering three counts of possessing a controlled substance, three counts of possessing marijuana, and two D-W-I’s.
The punishment was the maximum, two years in a state jail. Sandoval was given credit for time served.
News release from the Brazos County district attorney’s office:
On March 21, 2024, Gustavo Sandoval was sentenced to the maximum of 24 months in state jail after a punishment hearing.
On January 22, 2018, Sandoval pled guilty to the offense of Possession of Marijuana 2-4 oz. in a Drug Free Zone. He was placed on probation for a term of five years. The conditions of his probation prohibited the use of alcohol or drugs and the commission of new offenses.
On July 21, 2021, officers with the Bryan Police Department observed a vehicle driving in the oncoming lanes of traffic on Texas Ave. The vehicle remained in the oncoming lane of traffic for over a minute, as officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop. After the vehicle stopped, still in the oncoming lane, officers identified the driver as Sandoval. Sandoval was arrested for Driving While Intoxicated, and a search of his person and vehicle yielded cocaine, marijuana, and an open container of beer. Later testing of a sample of Sandoval’s blood placed his BAC at 0.13.
After the arrest, the State filed a motion to revoke Sandoval’s probation, alleging that Sandoval had violated multiple conditions of his probation in addition to the recent arrest.
On March 6, 2022, Sandoval was contacted by police outside a nightclub and found to be in possession of cocaine.
On January 11, 2023, Bryan Police responded to a report that a vehicle was stopped at an intersection. Officers observed the vehicle to be running with activated brake lights, but the driver was unresponsive. After multiple attempts, police were able to wake up the driver, who was identified as Sandoval. Sandoval was again arrested for Driving While Intoxicated, and later testing of his blood placed his BAC at 0.16. When Sandoval’s vehicle was searched, officers again found marijuana and cocaine.
Sandoval pled guilty to three counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance Less Than One Gram, which is a state jail felony carrying a range of punishment of no less than 6 months and up to 24 months in a state jail facility. He also pled guilty to Driving While Intoxicated with an Open Container and Driving While Intoxicated with a BAC >= 0.15.
After a punishment hearing, Judge John Brick sentenced Sandoval to 24 months in state jail on the felony cases, as well as maximum sentences on the misdemeanor cases.
Statement from assistant Brazos County district attorneys Ryan Golden and Mark Stahman: “The defendant repeatedly violated the most important condition of his probation by committing new offenses, and in doing so, he put our community at risk. This sentence is warranted by his actions.”