Driver sentenced to life for crashing 18-wheeler into Brenham DPS office
Clenard Parker, 45, waived his right to appeal after pleading guilty to capital murder in the April 2024 crash that killed two people.
By Peter Graham ·
Clenard Parker received a life sentence without parole on Thursday for the April 2024 crash that killed two people and injured others when an 18-wheeler struck a Texas Department of Public Safety office in Brenham. The 45-year-old driver pleaded guilty to capital murder as part of a negotiated plea deal that resolved multiple counts.
The sentence includes life in prison for the two victims who died, a separate life sentence for an elderly survivor who was struck, and 20 years for each of two other injured victims. Parker also received five years for building damage and two years for vehicle theft. Under the agreement, he waived his right to appeal any of the cases. Defense counsel stated that doctors at a state hospital evaluated Parker and declared him competent to enter the plea.
The crash occurred on April 12, 2024, on U.S. 290 West. Investigators determined Parker returned to the office to retaliate after a DPS employee denied the renewal of his commercial driver's license days earlier. He stole a semi-truck from a parking lot in Chappell Hill and led Washington County sheriff's deputies on a chase before crashing the vehicle into the building's front entrance.
Bobby Huff, 78, died at the scene. Cheryl Turner, 63, died days later from her injuries. Parker was the daughter-in-law of another victim who required a leg amputation. A customer and a staff member also suffered serious injuries in the crash.
Parker has a criminal history dating back to 1999 that includes misdemeanor criminal trespass, arson, and prohibited weapons charges. In 2002, he pleaded guilty to a felony prohibited weapon charge and received probation.
District Attorney Derek Estep said the plea provides finality for the families. "No sentence can make the families whole, but I hope the plea can provide some peace in the finality of a life sentence," Estep said. He added that Washington County is resilient and that officials support the surviving victims.
Estep said officials are working with local legislators and DPS officials to advance efforts to tear down the building where the crash took place.
