Kevin O’Connor Kommentary December 5

Brazos County District Court Prison Sentence For Violating Probation Comes 13 Years After An Arrest Warrant Was Served

The Brazos County district attorney’s office is investigating why it took more than 13 years to serve an arrest warrant on a west Texas man accused of violating probation. 60 year old Jesse Hughes of Midland pleaded guilty to his third DWI in February 2002 and placed on probation. Hughes was charged with violating probation in February 2010 for among other things, failing to report to his probation officer, failing to pay fines and fees, and failing to perform 160 hours of community service. Hughes was not arrested until September of 2023. Then he was released from jail on bond. Hughes returned to district court in October 2024 where he admitted to violating probation. Then he was released again from jail until he returned last Thursday (December 5) to await a transfer to prison to serve a two year sentence with credit for time served.

A College Station Man Jailed For DWI With Prior Convictions Is Held Again For Immigration Authorities, And A Bryan Man Is Arrested For Driving A Traffic Safety Truck In A Construction Zone

A College Station man arrested for DWI with two prior convictions is held in the Brazos County jail for the fifth time for immigration authorities. The Bryan police arrest report says officers responded at around 1:30 in the morning on December 7th to the report of a pickup truck that wound up in a ditch off Harvey Mitchell Parkway. The driver was arrested after failing field sobriety tests. The arrest report says 50 year old Juan Ocampo’s prior DWI convictions were in 2004 and 2010. Online jail records show prior holds for immigration authorities in 2000, 2004, 2006, and 2009. A $150,000 dollar truck used by the contractor in the William Joel Bryan Parkway (WJB) project is driven a short distance by someone who was turned down for a job with the company. That’s according to the Bryan police arrest report of a Bryan man who went to jail for unauthorized use of a vehicle. The arrest report says the unlocked traffic safety truck was driven about three blocks, from the intersection of WJB and Villa Maria to the east side of Sue Haswell Park. Officers were assisted by a witness who saw the truck driven away. The witness also saw the truck stop, a traffic safety device being lowered, and emergency lights being turned on. The man who was arrested, 34 year old Marcus Jemal Jones, told officers he was given permission to drive the truck from someone he could not identify. Jones, who was arrested December 9th, remained in jail as of December 12th in lieu of a $5,000 dollar bond.

Brazos County Commissioner Updates Issues For Residents At A College Station Apartment Complex

For the second consecutive week, Brazos County commissioner Wanda Watson asks for volunteers to assist residents of a College Station apartment complex. Watson, whose district includes Southgate Village apartments, says living conditions remain “deplorable”. Watson says she is speaking in part for residents who fear retaliation if they share their experiences in public. Watson says the city of Bryan assisted the city of College Station with trash pickup last week after College Station collection trucks were being repaired. Click below to hear comments from Wanda Watson during the December 10, 2024 Brazos County commission meeting:   Original story, December 4, 2024: Residents at Southgate Village apartments in College Station who have been without natural gas and water have the attention of Brazos County commissioner Wanda Watson. At the end of Tuesday’s meeting (December 3), Watson thanked those who have assisted residents and asked for prayers for affected residents. Watson also said her heart goes out to those who have had no heat during the recent drop in temperatures. Click below for comments from Wanda Watson at the December 3, 2024 Brazos County commission meeting.