KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — The wife of GOP presidential contender and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz will be in Tyler for a meet and greet today. Heidi Cruz will visit the UT Tyler Ornelas Activity Center on Old Omen Road from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The information comes from JoAnn Fleming, Ted Cruz for President Texas TEA Party Chair. Fleming says the indoor event, hosted by The Liberty Club of UT-Tyler, has limited seating. Doors open at 4:30 PM. Those wishing to attend can click https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tyler-tx-meet-greet-with-heidi-cruz-tickets-22125681509 to register for a ticket.

TYLER — The suspects in a recent Tyler drive-by shooting have been arrested. John Matthew Perez (pictured) and Marco Antonio Calles, both 18 and both from Tyler, have been charged with aggravated assault. Bonds are set at $250,000 apiece. The shooting was reported shortly after noon Sunday on Northcrest Drive near the Claude Street intersection. Officers arrived to find a 19-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the upper right thigh. The victim was transported to the hospital by ambulance. The victim told police he and a friend were walking along Northcrest when a car drove by and one of the occupants fired 3-5 shots, striking the victim in the right leg. The vehicle then left the area.

TYLER — After almost 18 years at the helm of The University of Texas at Tyler, President Rodney H. Mabry announced Friday that he would be retiring from that position effective Dec. 31, 2016. Mabry made the announcement Friday as part of an extensive look into the future of the university. In a news release, Mabry said there are “amazing new ventures planned” for UTT’s future,” but that it’s time for him to “someone with new ideas and new energy.” After a sabbatical, he said he plans to return to the university’s faculty in 2018. Continue reading Mabry Announces Impending Retirement, Lays Out Plans for UTT’s Future

GREGG COUNTY — The debate over religious liberty is, once again, playing out at a bakery but this time it’s in Texas. The owners of Kerns Bake Shop in Longview are deeply religious. They’re Baptists. So when a gay couple wanted a wedding cake, they declined, giving them a list of other bakeries. The gay couple claimed discrimination. So, the bakery owners hiring lawyer Michael Berry. He says the family, which was upfront with the couple about their religion, are on firm legal footing.

TYLER — East Texas Mission of Mercy holds a 2-day event providing free dental treatment and eye exams for low income families that cannot otherwise afford care. KETK reports that following Friday’s screening day at Tyler’s Bethesda Health Clinic, people are then assigned an appointment at one of the various treatment sites for Saturday. The screening was set up to determine what treatment is required. The East Texas Mission of Mercy was created when several local dentists realized the tremendous need for dental care in the East Texas community. This is the 5th biennial of this event in Tyler since 2008.

DALLAS (AP) — Dallas police say they’ve asked the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office to present a misdemeanor domestic violence case to the local grand jury against Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel. The recommended assault charge carries a maximum punishment of one year in jail and a $4,000 fine. Police released a statement Thursday announcing the decision. The former Texas A&M star’s ex-girlfriend alleges he accosted her several times at a Dallas hotel on Jan. 30, and later struck her when they drove back to her apartment in Fort Worth. Neither Manziel’s attorney, Bradley Beckworth, nor the NFL immediately returned emails seeking comment. Prosecutors also didn’t return a call seeking details about their plan. Manziel’s agent and marketing agency have both dropped him, and the Browns have indicated they will release Manziel as early as March 9, when the league begins its new calendar year.

AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott has reappointed Linda Thomas of Longview presiding officer of the North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority. Her term will run through February 1st, 2018. The authority is a political subdivision created to finance, acquire, design, construct, operate, maintain, expand or extend transportation projects in North East Texas. Continue reading Longview Resident Reappointed by the Governor

TYLER — The East Texas Human Needs Network (ETHNN), the Tyler Area Partnership for Education, Smith County independent school districts and area colleges and universities have partnered to plan the second annual FAFSA Super Saturday on Feb. 27. Organizers say the event is intended to provide assistance for prospective college students and their parents to apply for federal financial aid. According to a news release, volunteers will man computer stations at seven Smith County locations from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., to help individuals complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the Texas Application for Student Financial Aid (TASFA) and thus become potentially eligible for financial assistance for post-secondary attainment. Continue reading “Super Saturday” Planned to Help Students Pay for College

TYLER — The Tyler City Council has adopted an ordinance amending Tyler City Code Chapter 4 to update and clarify regulations related to firearms. Among the highlights: prohibition of guns during open governmental meetings. According to a news release, the council generally has very limited authority to regulate firearms and adopted most of the current firearms regulations in 2007. However, due to recent changes to State Law during the 2015 legislative session, it became necessary to update current firearms regulations, according to the release. Continue reading Firearms Ordinance Passed by City of Tyler

TYLER – The Department of Public Safety is trying to locate a car responsible for a Smith County wreck. It happened around 7:30 Thursday morning on U.S. Highway 64 West, about ½ a mile west of County Road 413. They are looking for a silver, possibly four-door, passenger car that had been eastbound at a high rate of speed. The car passed several motorists when it forced a westbound vehicle to take evasive action in an effort to avoid a head-on collision. That motorist lost control of his vehicle and and ended up in the eastbound lane where it hit a Toyota Camry and was then hit by a eastbound cargo van. Four persons were injured in the wreck.

GILMER – Upshur County residents are being warned about a telephone scam. Some have been called by someone claiming they have unpaid electric or utility bills. The caller threatens to disconnect service if the bill is not paid. The Upshur County sheriff’s department says local utilities use the mail for collections and not the telephone. If you get one of these calls, you are advised not to give the caller any personal or financial information.

GILMER — Jimmy Ray Tucker, 28, Ore City, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty Wednesday in Gilmer to aggravated sexual assault of a child, and the law isn’t through with him yet. Before Tucker begins his sentence, he will be benched back to Gregg County to face similar charges involving a different victim. Tucker will have to serve at least half the 20 year sentence before being considered for parole. Once out of prison, he will have to register as a sex offender for life. Officials say Tucker was in a romantic relationship with the victim’s mother and the abuse occurred when the victim, who was under age 14, visited his mother over summer vacation.

LONGVIEW — A man accused of beating a Pine Tree ISD bus driver at a stop on his route last year pleaded guilty Wednesday to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. According to the Longview News-Journal, Michael Jesse Najera, 36, of California, has been held in Gregg County Jail on $1 million bond since he was booked on May 26, the day after police say he beat driver Todd Kelley with an industrial wrench. The Memorial Day assault occurred as Kelley, 47, was dropping off students at a mobile home park entrance. Continue reading Man Guilty of Assaulting East Texas Bus Driver

GREGG COUNTY (Staff/AP) — One fatality and at least two injuries, one with serious burns, have been reported after fire engulfed a group of mobile homes near I-20 and FM 2087 in Gregg County. According to KETK, firefighters from Longview and Kilgore along with the Elderville-Lakeport Volunteer Fire Department were on the scene fighting the blaze, which was reported about 11:00 Wednesday night. The identity of the deceased has not been confirmed. The victim with serious burn injuries was hospitalized in Dallas. A neighbor said about four or five mobile homes were put together to create one home, which had also caught fire about two weeks earlier. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

LONGVIEW — The Longview Police Department is warning the public about a recent incident where a child may have been targeted in a sex trafficking operation. According to KETK, police received a report of suspicious activity over the weekend. The reporting party felt she had just avoided a potential sex trafficking situation with her two-year-old child. The mother said she was in line at the grocery store when a couple approached her and showed interest in her daughter. Several things occurred and triggered the mother’s protective instincts and she removed her daughter from the unwanted attention she was getting. Authorities believe this was an isolated event and there have been no similar reports since. Continue reading Longview Police Warn of Possible Sex Trafficking Incident

SMITH COUNTY — Emergency crews responded to the scene of a deadly crash near Toll 49 and Highway 31 West in Smith County Wednesday night. According to the Department of Public Safety, two people were killed when their cars collided head on. According to KETK, DPS Trooper Jean Dark said Austin Elizabeth Allen, 31, Canton, was driving southbound on Toll 49 when her car swerved into the northbound lane hitting another vehicle driven by Kevin Dale Fruia, 58. Both drivers were killed in the wreck. The passenger in Fruia’s vehicle Corrine Elizabeth Hayes, 41, was flown to a Tyler hospital. Her condition is unknown at this time. DPS found an open container of alcohol in Fruia’s vehicle.

LONGVIEW – A man is in custody following a multi-county police chase in East Texas. Taken into custody during lunch time Wednesday was Christopher Cromwell, 40. The chase began as a traffic stop on U.S. Highway 80 in Harrison County. The driver sped away, only to hit a dumpster at Marshall Avenue and Spur 63 in Longview. The Longview News Journal reports Crownwell was then arrested after a brief foot chase.

MARSHALL – The Marshall school district will soon start looking for a new school superintendent. According to the Duncanville school district’s web page, their school board has named Marshall School Superintendent Dr. Marc Smith as the lone finalist to be their new superintendent. He has headed up the Marshall school system since 2012. Prior to that, he was Assistant Superintendent for Fort Bend Independent School District. Under Dr. Smith’s leadership, the Marshall school system has achieved a “Met Standard” accountability rating the past two years from the Texas Education Agency. Last May Dr. Smith led Marshall school through a successful $109cour210 million bond election project, the first successful bond election for the school district in nearly 30 years. State law requires a 21-day waiting period before Duncanville can issue a contract to Dr. Smith.

QUITMAN — A White Oak doctor who was arrested in January and faces two felony counts of indecent exposure with a minor has had his medical license temporarily suspended. According to KETK, the Texas Medical Board took the disciplinary action Tuesday against William Kenneth Huff, 62. Huff was a hospitalist at ETMC Quitman. His contract was terminated in January. Huff is accused of touching the breast of a child younger than 17 and having her expose her genitals. The charges against Huff do not involve a patient or relate to his employment with ETMC. The temporary suspension is in place until the Texas Medical Board takes further action.

GREGG COUNTY — Two Longview men were arrested on multiple drug charges after the Gregg County Organized Drug Enforcement Unit executed a search warrant Monday morning. According to the Longview News-Journal, officials reported finding crack cocaine, powder cocaine, marijuana, ecstasy tablets and other drugs at the home on Mitchell Street. Arthur Hunter Perry Jr., 32, was held Tuesday on bonds totaling $375,000. He’s charged with several counts of manufacturing or delivery of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana measuring less than 5 pounds but more than 4 ounces. Marquis DeMicheal Kelly, 30, (pictured) was held Tuesday on bonds totaling $400,000 on the same charges, as well as unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. Kelly is a documented member of the “South Side Bloods” street gang, according to his arrest report.

TYLER — The Tyler Civic Theatre will carry on in spite of the loss of a cast member. On Friday, Ryan Mullee, 39, Lindale, was killed in a road rage shooting while driving home from work on I-20 in Van Zandt County. According to KETK, just 10 days from their first performance of Charlotte’s Web, the company is busy rehearsing without Mullee. Continue reading Tyler Civic Theatre Remembers Road Rage Victim

LONGVIEW – Longview police are asking for the public’s help in locating a runaway teenager. Darah Janaye Elam is said to be a 14 year old black girl who is 5’2” tall and weighs around 145 pounds. She was last seen wearing a school uniform style outfit that was either a red or white polo style shirt, and blue or khaki pants. She was last seen on February 12 at a Longview school. Continue reading Missing Longview Teen Sought

GLADEWATER — Officials in Gladewater are pursuing a charge against a drug suspect arrested over the weekend. KETK reports that around 10:15 Saturday night, police conducted a traffic stop on West Marshall Avenue on a vehicle driven by Robert Carpenter. Police say Carpenter informed officers he had some methamphetamine in his pocket and also consented to a vehicle search, which turned up nothing. Carpenter was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance in penalty group 1 under 1 gram, which is a state jail felony.

LONGVIEW — Two men were arrested Monday after officers reportedly found several drugs and two firearms. KETK reports the Gregg County Organized Drug Enforcement Unit and Longview police conducted a search warrant at a house on Mitchell Street. During the search, authorities say they found a large amount of cocaine, marijuana, various pills, and liquid Codeine. They also reportedly seized a large amount of money and two firearms. One of the men has been charged with two outstanding class C warrants, an outstanding Class A misdemeanor warrant, manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance, and unlawful carrying of a weapon by a felon. The second person was arrested for two outstanding class C warrants, manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance, and possession of marijuana. Further details weren’t immediately available.

TYLER — Tyler Police say traffic signals are functioning again at a busy intersection. Earlier today, drivers were warned of traffic delays at Paluxy Drive and Shiloh Road. Officials said a transformer near the intersection blew.

SMITH COUNTY — One woman has been arrested following a home burglary. According to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, Christie Coleman, 35, was taken into custody and charged with burglary of a habitation. Authorities said the victim called her niece Monday afternoon and told her two women were attempting to break into her home, 6570 Blanche Street in Northeast Smith County. A neighbor apparently tried to stop them and they fled the scene, one in a vehicle, the other into a wooded area on foot. Deputies arrived on scene and were unable to locate the suspects. Continue reading Woman Arrested for Burglary of Smith County Home

CANTON — The victim of a road rage incident in Van Zandt County has been identified. The Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office said Ryan Mullee, 39, Lindale, was gunned down on I-20 around 3:15 Friday afternoon. Mullee suffered a gunshot wound to the head. The incident happened in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 20, ending in the vicinity of Tank Farm Road — and officials say it could have been in progress miles before. An eyewitness saw gunfire from a gray or light colored four-door sedan. There was no immediate word on that vehicle’s occupant or occupants, or on who may have done the shooting. The Van Zandt County District Attorney’s Office is offering a reward for any information that leads to the arrest of the person or people involved. Any information can be forwarded to the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office at 903-567-4133.