Burleson County’s Sheriff Provides More Information About The Early End To This Year’s Chilifest

Ongoing Search Of A Missing Brazos County Woman Leads To A Man’s Arrest For Soliciting Prostitution

The ongoing search for a missing Brazos County woman leads to a man’s arrest for soliciting prostitution. A Brazos County sheriff’s spokesman told WTAW News the man who was arrested, 50 year old Dustin Winder of Bryan, is a brother of 53 year old Nikki Winder. A sheriff’s news release says in addition to the arrest, search warrants were executed at two properties connected to Dustin Winder that are part of the ongoing search for Nikki Winder. The properties are located east of Bryan on FM 974, which is the area where Nikki Winder was last seen on February 25th and where her truck was found on fire. The sheriff’s office repeated its request for anyone with information about Nikki Winder to contact investigators or Brazos County Crime Stoppers. Dustin Winder, who was arrested Wednesday (April 15), is held as of Wednesday afternoon in lieu of a $20,000 dollar bond. News release from the Brazos County sheriff’s office: On April 15, 2026, investigators with the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office executed search warrants at two properties located in the 19000 block of FM 974 as part of the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Nikki Winder. These search warrants represent one of several investigative steps being taken as investigators continue efforts to locate Ms. Winder and determine the circumstances surrounding her disappearance. During today’s operation, Dustin Winder, a 50-year-old Brazos County resident, was taken into custody on an outstanding warrant for solicitation of prostitution. This warrant is based on evidence developed during the course of the investigation but relates to a separate criminal offense and is not connected to Ms. Winder’s disappearance. The search warrants executed today were conducted at properties connected to Mr. Winder. At this time, no arrests have been made in direct connection with the disappearance of Nikki Winder. Locating Ms. Winder and determining what happened remain the highest priorities of this investigation. We want to assure the community that every tip and lead is being thoroughly reviewed and investigated. While we understand the public’s interest, additional details cannot be released at this time, as doing so could compromise the integrity of the investigation. The Brazos County Sheriff’s Office was assisted in today’s operation by the Texas Rangers, FBI, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and College Station Police Department. Anyone with information related to this case is encouraged to contact the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office or Brazos County Crime Stoppers. Tips may be submitted anonymously, and a reward is being offered.

Six Of Seven College Station City Council Members Approve Extending The Contract Of The City Attorney

One of the few city of College Station employees that is hired by the city council is the city attorney. And at last week’s council meeting (April 9), mayor John Nichols was caught off guard when not everyone approved a five year extension of the contract with Adam Falco. Councilman Bob Yancy, who abstained from the extension vote, did not explain his vote at the meeting. Yancy also declined to explain his vote when contacted by WTAW News. Falco has been city attorney since 2022 and with the city attorney’s office since 2007. Click HERE to read and download background information about the city attorney’s contract extension that was approved at the April 9, 2026 College Station city council meeting. Click below to hear comments from John Nichols and Bob Yancy at the April 9, 2026 College Station city council meeting. Listen to “Six of seven College Station city council members approve extending the city attorney's contract” on Spreaker.

Maximum Punishment For Possessing Over 2,000 Items Of Child Pornography Involving More Than 800 Victims

A Brazos County district court judge gives the maximum punishment to a 27 year old man who was caught with over 2,000 pornographic videos and images of over 800 hundred children. Assistant Brazos County district attorney Jessica Escue says 27 year old Preston Ray Smith will serve three consecutive ten year prison sentences after he was caught with images and videos in his Dropbox account in March of 2020. The prosecutor said when Smith was arrested, state law gave Smith the possibility of getting probation or deferred adjudication, which would have meant serving no time. Online court records also show Smith was indicted on 50 additional counts of possessing child pornography. Escue said those charges had to be dismissed because state law at the time had a shorter statute of limitations. Escue told WTAW News that Smith was a student at Texas A&M at the time of his arrest. And Smith was also a children’s ministry intern at a church in a county bordering Brazos County. Click below to hear Jessica Escue’s visit with WTAW’s Bill Oliver. Listen to “Maximum punishment for possessing over 2,000 items of child pornography involving more than 800 victims” on Spreaker. News release from the Brazos County district attorney’s office: On Monday, April 13, 2024, Judge John Brick sentenced Preston Smith to the maximum of 10 years in prison on three counts of Possession of Child Pornography. Judge Brick ordered that these sentences be served consecutively, making the total sentence 30 years in prison. In March of 2020, the Office for the Attorney General was notified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that child pornography was uploaded into a Dropbox account. An investigator with the Office for Attorney General linked this Dropbox account to the defendant. A search warrant was executed at Mr. Smith’s apartment, where his computers and digital devices were seized. Following the seizure of his items, Mr. Smith was interviewed by the investigator. During the interview, the Defendant admitted to seeking out child pornography. He further admitted to trading child pornography with others online. During the defendant’s punishment hearing, Judge John Brick heard from Ken Sikes with the Brazos County District Attorney’s Office regarding the contents of the defendant’s Dropbox account, where Mr. Smith possessed over 2,000 sexually deviant and explicit images and videos depicting child sexual abuse and child physical abuse. Mr. Sikes also testified to the history of the defendant’s Dropbox account, which reflected the fact that the defendant had been downloading child pornography since 2016. Judge John Brick also heard from the defense’s witnesses, including two expert witnesses who testified that the Defendant had Bipolar Disorder and, now that he was treated, he was low-risk to reoffend. At sentencing, Judge Brick cited his concerns for the safety of children in our community and the horrifying nature of the images and videos as the reason for the maximum sentence.