Grapevine Police have arrested a man who worked for Urban Cowboy Saloon, a Fort Worth LGBT nightclub, in connection with the murder of a Texas Women’s University student.
Charles Dean Bryant, 30, of Haslet is in custody and faces charges murder charges in connection with the death of Jacqueline “Jackie” Vandagriff, 24, of Frisco. Vandergriff’s body was discovered Wednesday morning, Sept. 14, in Acorn Woods Park, near the shore of Lake Grapevine, by firefighters responding to a report of a fire. Her body had been dismembered and burned.
Bryant was arrested after police searched his home in Haslet on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 18.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that friends told police Vandagriff, a junior at TWU majoring in nutrition, had gone to a bar in Denton on Tuesday night. They found video footage of her and Bryant together at the unnamed bar, leading them to search Bryant’s home.
The newspaper also reports that a student at the University of North Texas told the UNT police on Aug. 24 that Bryant was harassing her and the UNT police gave him a “no-trespass order” on Sept. 6. When he violated that order the next day, the university police got a warrant and arrested him on a stalking charge. The student was given an emergency protective order, and police released Bryant after telling him not to contact the young woman again. Bryant apparently ignored the protective order and tried to contact the UNT student again on Sept. 17, at which time two more warrants for his arrest were issued.
Those incidents do not appear to be related to the the Vandagriff’s murder.
Public records show that Bryant was arrested in March 2010 in Grapevine, and later convicted, on a charge of forgery. He was arrested April 2013, also in Grapevine, on a Class B misdemeanor charge of possession of less than 2 oz. of marijuana. The Star-Telegram reports that he was found guilty on misdemeanor assault charges in Washington in 2009.
Jacqueline Vandagriff
Urban Cowboy Saloon, located on Lancaster Avenue at Beach Street, is closed today, but a club spokesman posted a statement regarding Bryant on the bar’s Facebook page late Monday evening, Sept. 19: “We, The Urban Cowboy Saloon, would like to acknowledge the disturbing news that has broke today and assure our customers that Charles Dean Bryant was terminated as of Sunday, September 18th, for not showing up to his scheduled shift. Monday afternoon we learned why he didn’t show. We are grieving with our community and offer our deepest condolences for the Vandagriff family and friends. We are cooperative with authorities and will fully support law enforcement in their investigation.”