Departure of a Saturday morning flight from Easterwood Airport was delayed for about three hours.
University Police (UPD) arrested a Bryan man for illegally entering airport property, stealing an airport passenger bus, driving across the runways, and attempting to enter a passenger jet bridge and an American Eagle jet.
UPD Lt. Allan Baron says a security seal on the door of the jet was broken. That led to the jet being inspected by American Eagle and the Transportation Security Administration. The inspection delayed a flight scheduled for departure at 7:55 a.m. to DFW Airport.
Baron says UPD was notified Saturday morning at 2:33 a.m. by an airport employee reporting someone was driving the F-450 passenger bus on the runway.
Officers found the bus on the south side of the terminal building along with airport personnel and the suspect, identified as 54 year old David Cooper Thurmond.
Baron says Thurmond is accused of entering the airport by opening an unlocked pedestrian gate on the south side of the general aviation terminal.
Baron says there was a brief struggle between Thurmond and an airport employee. The airport employee was checked at the scene by university paramedics and was not transported.
Thurmond was taken to the Brazos County Jail after his arrest for criminal trespassing, assault, and felony theft.
Baron says there was no damage to the bus or the jet bridge.