Former Texas A&M Defensive Lineman Zaycoven Henderson Arrested on Federal Drug Charges

Former Texas A&M defensive lineman Zaycoven Henderson is currently in the custody of the United States Marshals Service facing two federal drug charges, according to court documents.

As outlined in the criminal complaint filed by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Henderson has been charged with felony conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, as well as felony possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

Henderson was arrested on March 18 and appeared in court the following day in Tyler for his initial appearance. He was appointed a public defender, waived his right to a detention hearing, and was subsequently taken into the custody of U.S. Marshals, as per court records.

A request for comment from his public defender went unanswered.

The affidavit containing details about the circumstances of the crimes has been sealed by a court order and will only be made public if a motion is filed requesting the judge to release it.

KBTX reached out to the U.S. Marshals to confirm Henderson’s current custody status, but the agency does not release information on inmates. Henderson is not listed among those held by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

During his four seasons with the Aggies from 2014 to 2017, Henderson tallied 116 tackles, including 21 ½ tackles for loss and 8 ½ sacks. He was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent but did not appear in any games.

While at Texas A&M, Henderson faced three charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, tampering with evidence, and possession of less than two ounces of marijuana in 2017. Following a verbal dispute, Henderson allegedly pointed a rifle at a woman in a parking lot at the Campus Village apartment complex and threatened to kill others, according to court documents from the time of the arrest.

Henderson was later apprehended by police, and the rifle was found discarded in a ditch near the apartment complex, with a round in the chamber and the safety off, the report stated. This incident occurred hours after A&M’s year-end football banquet.

The Brazos County District Clerk’s office no longer has records related to Henderson’s 2017 arrest, and the Brazos County District Attorney’s office was unable to provide additional information on the case.

Legal analyst Shane Phelps explained to KBTX that the arrest record has likely been expunged, a process that involves filing a petition and holding a hearing to determine whether expungement is granted. Expungement is only possible if charges were dismissed, the defendant was found not guilty, or the conviction was overturned on appeal.

“They must have just rejected the charge, and then someone filed for expunction because if the charge was rejected and not expunged, there’d still be a record of his arrest,” Phelps said.