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MARSHALL – A 35-year-old Jefferson man has been sentenced to federal prison for drug violations in the Eastern District of Texas. Travis Earl Shelton pleaded guilty on August 17 to possession of pseudoephedrine with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine and was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison on Monday by U.S. District Judge T. John Ward.

According to information presented in court, on July 20, 2009, Shelton purchased cold pills containing pseudoephedrine at a Walgreens in Marshall in addition to making two other purchases that same day at other stores in the area, all in furtherance of his methamphetamine manufacturing activities.

Shelton was one of nearly four dozen persons indicted by a federal grand jury in Tyler in early May. They were charged with involvement in a methamphetamine manufacturing and distribution criminal enterprise in the Panola, Rusk, Gregg, Upshur, Marion, and Cherokee Counties. The indictments charged the defendants, cumulatively, with over 2000 counts of federal drug violations. The indictments resulted from a lengthy investigation launched by the Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Panola County Sheriff’s Department, the Upshur County Sheriff’s Department, the Gilmer Police Department, the Rusk County Sheriff’s Department, the Henderson Police Department, the Gregg County CODE Unit, the Marion County Sheriff’s Department, the Jefferson Police Department, Cherokee County Precinct 4 Constable Office, and the New Summerfield Police Department.

TYLER – A 36-year-old Longview man has been sentenced to federal prison for child pornography violations Tuesday in Tyler. Sterling William Blade pleaded guilty on June 23 to possession of child pornography and was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison. According to information presented in court, on Feb. 26, Blade was arrested for failing to register as a sex offender. Blade had been previously convicted of carnal knowledge of a juvenile in 1995 in Bienville Parish, Louisiana and was required to register with local authorities as a sex offender. During the arrest, officers retrieved Blade’s cellular phone and received consent to search the phone.

Analysis of the phone revealed that Blade had received several text messages with photo attachments containing child pornography. The search ultimately revealed that Blade had received 34 pictures of child pornography, and likely distributed those images via text messaging. Officers later located two DVDs in Blade’s home, which contained videos of child pornography. Some of the material depicted children less than 12 years of age engaged in sadistic or masochistic conduct. Blade was indicted by a federal grand jury on Apr. 7, 2010.

HENDERSON — A 2-year-old is dead, and a grandfather may be charged. But when a dog fatally attacks someone, what kind of charges can they face? There have been several dog attacks in East Texas in the last couple of years, and most involved pit bulls. According to KETK, the job of the Rusk County Grand Jury is not going to be an easy one. The death of 2-year-old Kaden Muckleroy involves at least two guilty parties. One is obvious. A pit bull tied to a tree in his grandfather’s yard mauled the toddler to death November 10th. It has been euthanized.

Pit bulls are responsible for anywhere from 47-62% of the fatal dog attacks in this country in the last 5 years. But the grand jury has to decide on charges against the grandfather, Kelvin, who owned the dog along with over 30 others. Half of the animals confiscated were pit bull breeds and many were destroyed. The family claims they were just accumulated over the years.

The Rusk County Grand Jury will meet after the first of the year to look at charges based on the Sheriff’s investigation. But absent a civil suit, the charges will likely involve variations on negligence or child endangerment.

TYLER — One man is dead, one in custody after a police chase and stand-off ends all because of a kiss on the cheek. In the late Sunday night incident, Chad Otis Jones, 39, Arlington, was shot to death. The suspect, Ricky Jay Reynolds, 45, is said to have shot Jones after he saw his wife kiss the victim on the cheek. After the shooting Reynolds is said to have driven off in his truck.

Smith County Deputies, State Troopers and Troup Police forced the driver to stop at County Road 230 and 345, near the Omen community. The suspect refused to come out of his car and told officers he had a gun. After a short time, deputies say they were able to get the man out of his truck and into custody. Authorities searched the vehicle and found a handgun.

WINONA — A fireman is injured fighting a mobile home blaze. KETK-TV reports the fire was around 6:30 Monday evening near Highway 155 and Fannin Parkway south of Winona. The fireman had to be rescued when he fell through the living room floor and became trapped in the burning home. He is listed in good condition this morning. Two other firefighters had to be treated for smoke inhalation. The mobile home was destroyed. The cause of the fire hasn’t been determined.

TYLER — Lacks Furniture stores has announced they plan to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. They plan to shut down their stores. Lacks Stores Incorporated plans to hold closing sales their remaining 27 locations across state, including the stores in Tyler, Longview and Lufkin. Lacks blames lenders, who will no longer lend money and are demanding repayments of loans.

NACOGDOCHES — A one vehicle accident on a wet Nacogdoches County Road has killed a Bryan man. The crash on Highway 6 in eastern Nacogdoches County occurred shortly after 6:00 Monday morning. The Department of Public Safety identified the victim as Michael Gaylon Heatly, 24. The report said his east bound pickup hydroplaned on State Highway 7, left the road and hit a tree.

LUFKIN — The Timothy Hamilton home just south of Lufkin has been destroyed by fire. The blaze, which was reported around 10:30 Monday morning, was extinguished by firemen from the Diboll and Fuller Springs Fire Departments. No one was at home when the fire started and no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

TYLER — Police say Colcord, Oklahoma, resident Bill Crum was released Monday from East Texas Medical Center and was taken into custody by Tyler Police. Police say Crum was the driver of a tractor trailer involved in a hit-and-run and police chase last week. He was charged with Hit and Run and Evading Arrest and placed into Smith County Jail on a $180,000 dollar bond.

Police say they deployed stop sticks to stop Crum’s 18-wheeler miles away from the accident. Police were notified of the hit and run at Old Bullard Road and WSW Loop 323 around 8:10 a.m. Thursday involving the tractor trailer and a Cadillac. The Cadillac, driven by Patricia D. Williams of Tyler, was traveling south on Old Bullard through a green light. The 18-wheeler was westbound on Loop 323. Witnesses indicated that Crum ran the red light, striking the Cadillac in the intersection and failed to stop at the scene of the accident. Williams suffered minor injuries from the crash.

Witnesses followed the 18-wheeler around the Loop and kept officers posted on its location until they could catch up to the vehicle. Officers caught up to the 18-wheeler at Van Highway and Loop 323 and attempted to pull it over near 69 North and Loop 323. Police say Crum failed to pull over for officers, who now had their emergency lights and siren activated. Crum continued to travel east on Loop 323 at normal speeds, but police say he would not pull over for emergency vehicles. Crum traveled to the 271 North extension and headed north on 271, then turned left onto 271 and was now heading back towards Loop 323 and 271.

Officers deployed tire deflation devices at 271 and Loop 323 as Crum entered the intersection with officers still following. A second set of spike strips was deployed at Hillsboro and E. Gentry. Police say Crum finally pulled the 18-Wheeler over near the intersection of Beckham and E. Gentry after the tires were flat and he was driving on his rims.

Crum’s wife was asleep in the cab of the truck at the time of the incident. Police say when officers interviewed Crum, he was extremely confused and was not aware of his surroundings. Officers did not detect any signs of alcohol on Crum, and no narcotics were present on or about his person. Crum was transported to East Texas Medical Center by EMS for medical observation. Police say they believe that by getting the vehicle stopped, they prevented further injury and property damage. The case remains under investigation.

TYLER — The City of Tyler announced Monday that the R.W. Fair Foundation and the Fair estate have gifted two Downtown buildings and several other parcels of land to the City for use in future public private partnerships that will help with revitalization efforts. “We are very thankful to the R.W. Fair Foundation for making this generous gift that has the best interests of the entire community at heart,” said Tyler Mayor Barbara Bass. “Having assets that can be used to attract private reinvestment is a major advantage, particularly in these tougher financial markets.”

Of the two buildings located at 121 and 123 S. Broadway, one is currently vacant (the Lindsey Building), and one is occupied (The Fair Foundation Building). City officials say the City will continue the tenant relationships, as well as the existing property management contract, and intends to recognize and continue to promote the building as an energy center in support of recent industry growth initiatives. “This change in ownership should be transparent to the tenants in the Fair Foundation Building,” commented City Manager Mark McDaniel. “The Lindsey Building will be land banked for long-term future projects. Our efforts will be to look for opportunities to attract an investor to adaptively reuse the building that has been vacant for many years.”

Also gifted are parking lots located at the corners of Elm and Broadway/College. “Parking is a hot commodity in downtown,” added McDaniel. “Owning these lots, protecting this parking asset, and possibly leveraging it for additional parking are critical for the future development of downtown.”

“We are pleased to gift these properties to the City in honor of the entire Fair family,” said Barbara Fair, President of the R.W. Fair Foundation. “I would like to believe that Mr. R.W. and his late sons Wilton and James and daughter Martha would be proud to see their legacy live on and helping the revitalization of Downtown.” You can go to http://www.cityoftyler.org to learn more.

GRAND SALINE — Grand Saline is now home to the world’s largest peanut butter and jelly sandwich. According to KETK, the sandwich was made as part of the Great American Peanut Butter Festival. The event was held to collect jars of peanut butter for the East Texas Food Bank and to attempt to build the world’s largest P-B-and-J. The sandwich needed to weigh more than 950 pounds to beat the record from Oklahoma City in 2002. It tips the scales at 1,342 pounds.

TYLER — Bishop T.K. Gorman Regional Catholic High School is one of only five Catholic high schools in the United States to be selected for the sixth year to the Catholic High School Honor Roll. The announcement includes Gorman as one of the top 50 Catholic high schools in America by the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty. Selection criteria included demonstrated commitment to academic excellence, Catholic identity, and civic education. Nearly 1,300 Catholic high schools were invited to apply to the Honor Roll by completing measurement surveys. Acton indicates, “With this high level of competition, inclusion on the Honor Roll indicates outstanding success in each of the disciplines examined.” Msgr. Joseph Strickland, JCL, Vicar General for the Diocese of Tyler, says “We are blessed to have a Catholic high school in Tyler with a tradition of excellence for more than fifty years.”

LONGVIEW — A Kilgore woman is killed in a hit and run accident in Longview. It happened around 7:00 Sunday night in the 700 block of South Green Street. Police say 29-year-old Tracey Turk was struck by a car while crossing the street. She was taken to a local hospital and later pronounced dead. The motorist that struck Turk fled the scene without stopping. According to KETK, the vehicle is a 1992-1994 Mercury Grand Marquis, goldish-pewter in color, and had damage to the front end as a result of the crash. Anyone with information is asked to contact Gregg County Crimestoppers at http://www.greggcountycrimestoppers.com or 903-236-STOP.

CHAPEL HILL — Eight weeks ago, 19-year-old T-J-C student, Amanda Anderson was found shot to death in her Chapel Hill home, allegedly killed by her brother, Nathaniel. The 15-year-old is reportedly being held in the Smith County Juvenile Attention Center for another 10 days. According to KETK, the prosecution says his detainment is recommended because he may present a danger to himself and could be a danger to the public’s safety. Anderson’s attorney, Jeff Haas, asked for a mental evaluation of Anderson last Friday. He was arrested Wednesday. His family still claims his innocence. His next hearing is scheduled for November 22nd.

LUFKIN — A Lufkin High Schooler wins $10,000 in an online skateboarding contest. Jonah Campbell, 15, is a self-proclaimed skateboarding buff. He lined up his fantasy skateboarding team and found out he won while at a skate park lock-in. Campbell says his mom accepted the money on his behalf. She says she hopes he makes some wise decisions with the money. Jonah says he’ll buy a video game and a new skateboard right away.