WASHINGTON COUNTY, TEXAS — The man accused of stealing a semi-truck and intentionally ramming it into a Texas Department of Public Safety office in Brenham in 2024 — killing two people and injuring 12 others after being denied his commercial driver’s license — has been deemed incompetent to stand trial, Washington County District Attorney Derek Estep confirmed.
Clenard Parker, now 44, drove a stolen 18-wheeler into the Brenham DPS office on April 12, 2024, days after being denied his CDL. Two people died. Twelve others were injured.
Where the Case Stands
In the summer of 2025, a psychiatric evaluation resulted in Parker being committed to a secure, lockdown facility designated by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission that specifically houses individuals charged with violent crimes. Psychiatrists at the facility are working to restore Parker’s competency.
Under Texas law, competency is evaluated based on a person’s present mental state — not their state of mind at the time of the crime. “The finding is made initially by a psychiatrist after an evaluation,” Estep explained.
Parker can be held under the current order for up to one year or until doctors determine his competency has been restored. That review is coming up this summer.
“Theoretically, either party could challenge the decision made by those doctors at the state hospital, try to find and hire a doctor who would testify that the first doctors are wrong, and demand a jury trial on his competency. However, even that extreme measure would first require a competency determination to be made,” Estep said.
Two Possible Outcomes
If doctors determine Parker’s competency has been restored, he will return to Washington County and the case will proceed to trial. If doctors determine he is still incompetent and his competency is unlikely to ever return, Parker could be committed to the state hospital for the remainder of his life.
📸 Image(s) used under fair use for news reporting.
