Texas A&M University Update on WTAW

For the second time in one week, law enforcement agencies in Brazos County made arrests for organized retail theft. College Station Police were called to the Target in the 2100 Texas Avenue South around 8:30pm Thursday for reports that two women were stealing jewelry. Surveillance video showed 23-year-old Tanya Guadalupe Cruz-Mateo and 20-year-old Brenda Sanchez-Hernandez removing jewelry from its packaging and pocketing the items. The women were identified using Mexican passports. Cruz-Mateo was stopped by security with $184.03 worth of merchandise. She was charged with Organized Retail Theft between $100 and $750. She is being held on $10,000 bond. Sanchez-Hernandez saw police with her partner and dropped the stolen items in a restroom trash can before leaving the store. Police caught up with her and she admitted to leaving the items in the trash. They recovered $54.13 worth of rings from the bin. Sanchez-Hernandez was charged with Organized Retail Theft under $100 and Tampering With Evidence.  She is being held on $25,000 bond.

Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Friday that he secured a legal victory to shut down a Houston-area “birth tourism” center. This major victory was secured following Attorney General Paxton’s lawsuit against the business and its operators.    “I will do everything in my power to stop foreign nationals from unlawfully exploiting our immigration system through the scam of ‘birth tourism,’” said Attorney General Paxton. “This operation helped Chinese foreign nationals come to Texas to evade our laws. Now, we have shut it down.”   In April 2026, Attorney General Paxton sued De’Ai Postpartum Care Center. The Center operated a “birth tourism” business that primarily marketed its services to Chinese nationals and claimed responsibility for “1,000+ American-born babies.” The operation spanned four Houston-area properties and provided clients with assistance navigating the immigration process. The Center also coached foreign nationals on how to evade immigration restrictions, including advising women to apply for visas “before pregnancy” to avoid detection.   Attorney General Paxton has now successfully shut down the operation. The Center will cease its operations and stop facilitating births, including stopping the practice of coaching foreign nationals on how to evade immigration laws to enter the United States for the purpose of giving birth.

A man accused of shoplifting is facing a lot more than theft charges after his arrest. Bryan Police responded to a theft in progress at the West Bryan Walmart located at 643 N. Harvey Mitchell Parkway just after 11:00pm on Thursday night. 32-year-old Alcario Villareal, of Lewisville, left the store without paying for nearly $100 of merchandise, including food, drinks and other items. During his arrest, he was found with a THC Vape and a 9mm handgun. Villareal was charged with Theft Under $100, Possession of a Controlled Substance (Penalty Group 2, under one gram), and Unlawful Carrying of a Weapon. He was released on $12,390 bond. Got a news tip? e-mail us at news@wtaw.com, text us at (979) 695-1620, or reach out on Facebook or Twitter/X.