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Brazos County’s District Clerk Is Arrested For Possession Of A Controlled Substance

Brazos County District Clerk Gabriel Garcia is arrested by the Texas Rangers on a charge of possessing a controlled substance. Garcia’s arrest was announced in a news release by Brazos County which says there will be no disruptions at the district clerk’s office. A county spokesperson told WTAW News that deputy clerks will keep the office running. The Brazos County district attorney’s office recused itself from the investigation. A spokesperson in the DA’s office said the investigation was led by the Rockwall County district attorney. WTAW News has contacted the Rockwall County DA requesting the circumstances that led to Garcia’s arrest. DA Kenda Culpepper said “We do not comment on a pending investigation.” As of Friday night (June 5), Garcia is out of jail after posting a $20,000 dollar bond. The arrest comes the week after Garcia lost his re-election bid, where he received less than one-fourth of the primary runoff vote.

Brazos County Sheriff’s Office Arrests For Stealing Vehicles And An Inmate Striking Another Inmate 15 Times

A Brazos County sheriff’s deputy credits a license plate reading camera for finding a stolen pickup out of Normangee in west Bryan. The sheriff’s news release says the truck was pulling a trailer that was stolen from a storage unit in west Bryan. And on the trailer was an ATV where the owner has not been found and did not belong to the suspect. The deputy asked a judge to increase the suspect’s bond and to require him to wear a GPS monitor. Online records shows it’s the 20th time since November of 1999 that 51 year old Rodney Philpot of Normangee has been in the Brazos County jail. As of June 4th, he remains held in lieu of bonds totaling $60,000 dollars. A College Station man in the Brazos County jail for a month for assaulting two people causing bodily injury is now accused of striking another inmate 15 times in the face. The arrest report from the sheriff’s office says other inmates intervened to break up the assault. The inmate who was arrested, 26 year old Kenneth Villyard of College Station, says the other man started the incident by putting up their hands up first to suggest a fight. The arrest report does not say if either man sought or received medical treatment. Villyard, who was booked May 5th, remains held as of June 4th on bonds totaling $25,000 dollars.

Texas A&M Announces A New Dean Of The College Of Arts And Sciences

Texas A&M announces the selection of the new dean of the college of arts and sciences. Interim dean Simon North took over on a permanent basis June 1. Dr. North joined the A&M faculty in 1997 as a chemistry professor. North was appointed interim dean last September after his predecessor and the head of the English department were removed by former president Mark Welsh. The appointment leaves one dean’s vacancy. According to A&M’s website of executive searches, a search committee has been named but no job description has been posted for the next dean of the college of education. The A&M website still has department head openings in food science and engineering medicine. The executive search website also shows searches are in various stages to fill four other positions. They are vice provost for academic affairs, associate vice president for entrepreneurship, associate vice president for artificial intelligence, and director of the university’s energy institute. Texas A&M news release announcing Dr. Simon North as the dean of the college of arts and sciences: Following a national search, Dr. Simon North has been appointed dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Texas A&M University, effective June 1. “Dr. North is well prepared to lead the college at this important moment,” said Dr. Alans Sams, provost and executive vice president. “He brings a strong record of academic leadership, a deep understanding of Texas A&M and a demonstrated commitment to advancing excellence in teaching, scholarship and service.” North has served as interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences since September 2025. He is the John W. Bevan Professor of Chemistry and previously served as executive associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences beginning in June 2024. Prior to that role, he served as head of the Department of Chemistry beginning in 2016, following appointments as interim head and associate head of the department. He earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley in 1995 before completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Brookhaven National Laboratory. He joined the Texas A&M faculty in 1997 as a member of the Department of Chemistry and has spent nearly three decades advancing the university’s missions of teaching, research and service. In addition to his leadership roles within the college, North serves as co-director of the National Aerothermochemistry and Hypersonic Flight Laboratory and previously served as associate director of the Center for Atmospheric Chemistry and the Environment. He also spent nearly a decade as one of the primary advising and recruiting contacts for the Texas A&M chemistry graduate program. North played a significant role in the planning and development of Texas A&M’s Instructional Laboratory and Innovative Learning Building, now recognized as one of the premier laboratory facilities in the country and a model for undergraduate chemistry instruction. His commitment to student success and academic excellence has been recognized through numerous honors, including the inaugural College of Arts and Sciences Administration Award in 2025 and The Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Awards in Teaching at both the university and college levels. “I am confident he will provide the vision, steadiness and collaborative leadership needed to build on the college’s momentum and further strengthen its impact across the university, the state and beyond,” Sams said.