KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — The punishment phase of the James Calvert murder trial has started in state district court in Tyler. Jurors last Thursday came back with a guilty verdict in the nearly three year old case. Calvert was convicted in the shooting death of his wife. Since he was found guilty of capital murder, he could get life in prison or the death penalty. Continue reading Punishment Phase of the James Calvert Trial Underway

JACKSONVILLE — The cause of a fatal Jacksonville fire remains under investigation. The fire was reported around 3:30 Sunday morning at 723 Palestine Street. Jacksonville Fire Chief Keith Fortner tells KTBB the elderly victim was Lila Baty. She is said to have lived alone in the home. The house was extensively damaged by the fire, which is thought to have started in an east front room of the house. The State Fire Marshal’s Office is assisting in the investigation.

MARSHALL — A Marshall woman is in custody after reportedly shooting at a man and barricading herself in a home. The incident was reported shortly before 12:45 Sunday afternoon at a residence on Beaver Street. According to a Marshall Police Department news release, the woman was later arrested and no injuries were reported. The woman’s name has not been released.

TYLER – Here’s a look at work planned in the district during the Week of October 5. These schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure or other unforeseen issues.

Motorists are advised to slow down and pay attention on Interstate Highway 20 as pavement repairs continue in the eastbound outside lane Monday, October 5 from Mile Marker 563 to 564 in Smith County. Motorists should be prepared for closures and delays. Crews will be working from 7:00am to 7:00pm. Please slow down and pay attention when driving through this and all work zones. It is important to remember that traffic could be stopped and backed up waiting to get moved through the work zone so pay attention to advance warning signs and other traffic control devices. Law enforcement is providing assistance with traffic. Continue reading TxDOT Road Projects

GREGG COUNTY — A tax cut for homeowners, shifting part of an existing tax account to highway work and enshrining the right to hunt are among seven issues Texans will weigh on a Nov. 3 Constitutional Amendment referendum. Monday is the last day to register to have a say on the ballot. According to the Longview News-Journal and KETK, early voting is Oct. 19-30. Continue reading Monday Last Day to Register to Vote for Nov. 3 Election

CHEROKEE COUNTY — An arrest affidavit has shed more light on what led to a fatal shooting earlier this week in Cherokee County. On Monday, September 28, Tony Scott Brazier, 47, was found dead at his home in the 4000 block of Farm to Market Road 235. KETK has obtained an arrest affidavit detailing what events led up to the fatal shot. Continue reading Affidavit Details Events of Fatal Cherokee Co. Shooting

UPSHUR COUNTY — The body of a woman is recovered from a house following a standoff with authorities. The suspect has been taken into custody. Gilmer Police and Upshur County Sheriff’s Deputies received a call around 11:30 Friday night about a disturbance involving a man with a gun at a house on FM 49 in western Upshur County. When police arrived at the scene, they became involved in a standoff with the man. After several hours the suspect was taken into custody. When authorities searched the house they found the body of a woman. The name of the victim or the man have not been released. The investigation is still underway.

TYLER — Tyler Police have identified a motorcyclist who was killed in a crash Friday night. It happened just after 8:00 on the 800 block of Gentry Parkway near Palace Avenue. According to police, Arturo Luna, 38, Tyler, was heading east on Gentry Parkway when a truck pulled out of a driveway and collided with the motorcycle. Luna was taken to East Texas Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. The crash remains under investigation.

LONGVIEW — A man who was shot in his neck early last week has died from his injuries. Police said shortly before 4:00 Tuesday morning, officers were called to a shooting in the 100 block of West Pliler Street. According to KETK, when authorities made it to the scene, they found a victim in the front yard with a gunshot wound to the neck. The victim, identified as Cedric Sherow, was taken to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries. He died Friday. The gunman left the scene before officers arrived. Continue reading Longview Shooting Victim Dies from Injuries

SMITH COUNTY — A Tyler man accused of a murder for hire plot has been sentenced to prison. According to the Smith County District Attorney’s Office, Chip Patrick Owens, 32, of Tyler, was sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of criminal solicitation. KETK reports, Owens tried to hire a hit man to kill his wife, Andrea Owens, and a man she was allegedly having a sexual relationship with. Court documents revealed Chip Owens tried to pay a former Marine a total of $11,000 for the murder. He admitted giving the man a .9mm pistol for the job. The gunman later became a police informant. Chip Owens was taken into custody December 12, 2014, after the informant brought evidence to authorities.

LUFKIN (AP) — A woman has been arrested in the August drowning of her 3-year-old nephew in an East Texas pond. That comes a month after her boyfriend was arrested in the death. Angelina County Sheriff Greg Sanches said 19-year-old Billie Jean Cuttler was arrested Friday in Louisiana in Mason Cuttler’s death. Her attorney couldn’t be reached for comment. Investigators say her boyfriend, 17-year-old Bobby Woods, knew the boy couldn’t swim and shoved him into a pond Aug. 17. Woods was arrested Aug. 28. Sanches wouldn’t elaborate on Billie Jean Cuttler’s role. Woods and Billie Jean Cuttler were indicted on capital murder charges Thursday. Woods told authorities he wanted the child dead to make room in a Lufkin-area home shared by three families for his girlfriend’s unborn child. Sanches says Cuttler isn’t pregnant.

TYLER – Republican East Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert will be given the Heritage Sentinel Award during an event Saturday from 2 – 3:30 p.m. at the New Life Worship Center in Tyler. Sentinel Awards are presented to members of Congress with a higher than 90% rating on the Heritage Action Scorecard. Gohmert has a 95% rating. According to its website, Heritage Action “is a widely respected government relations team and dedicated grassroots activists that advance conservative policy.”

PALESTINE — A traffic switch is in effect as of 3 p.m. Friday on the U.S. 79 construction project in Palestine. All traffic moves to the northbound lanes, which will now carry two-way traffic until further notice while work is completed at the location. The Sanderson Farms entrance will be closed during this work with traffic redirected to Florence.

GREGG COUNTY — East Texas Regional Airport has announced new flights to and from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. This coming Monday, October 5, the new 7:00 a.m. departure from ETRA arriving in DFW at 8:03 a.m. will begin, as will the new late evening ETRA arrival, 9:21 p.m. The evening flight will depart DFW at 8:25 p.m. Additionally, the previous mid-morning flight has been moved to mid-afternoon, departing DFW at 1:35 p.m., arriving in Gregg County at 2:26 p.m., and returning to DFW at 3:00 p.m. Officials say the new schedule will provide passengers more flexibility. Airport Director Roy Miller credits Gregg County Judge Judge Bill Stoudt and the Commissioners Court for the changes. For his part, Stoudt lauds American Airlines for listening to recommendations from citizens.

LONGVIEW — An 18-year-old from Longview is jailed on more than $500,000 bond. Police say aggravated robbery suspect Malik Bridges (pictured) is a confirmed gang member. According to authorities, he was arrested after dropping a gun while officers helped him move a disabled vehicle out of a roadway. Police tell KETK they are not sure if the gang has any involvement in a string of homicides in Longview but the group has been linked to a number of other crimes. Residents say TYB is taking credit for some non-fatal shootings in the past. Local residents say TYB is spreading like wildfire. It started just a few years ago with nine members and now has grown to as many as 200. The average age range, they say, is 12 to 20 years old.

SMITH COUNTY — All eastbound lanes have been cleared on I-20 near Barber Road in Smith County following a multi-vehicle accident. KETK reports the accident happened late Friday morning near mile marker 575 in the Winona area. We are told four vehicles were involved. No major injuries were reported.

EAST TEXAS — Water loss due to old pipes is a problem all across the country, including here in East Texas. KETK reports the city of Tyler and other local entities are working to fix things. Area providers say aging infrastructure isn’t the only reason for water loss, though. Other than pipes bursting in the street, you can also attribute water loss to theft, firefighting, and meter issues. But utilities still say main breaks are the main reason. Continue reading East Texas Water Loss Caused by Aging Pipes

LUFKIN (AP) – An East Texas teenager has been indicted in the August death of his pregnant girlfriend’s 3-year-old nephew whose body was found in a pond. Prosecutors allege 17-year-old Bobby Woods Jr., who lived in a Lufkin-area house occupied by three families, wanted the boy dead to make room for his own child at the home. The victim was Mason Cuttler. Angelina County jail records show Woods was being held without bond on a charge of capital murder of a person under age 6. He’s prosecuted as an adult in the drowning initially thought to involve a child accidentally wandering from home. Investigators say Woods, whose capital murder indictment was announced Thursday, knew Mason couldn’t swim and shoved him into the water on Aug. 17. Mason’s body was located the next day.

HALLSVILLE — A woman has died from her injuries in a Wednesday night fire in Hallsville. She was said to have sustained burns over a large portion of her body. Her name has not been released pending notification of her next of kin. The fire was reported around 11:00 Wednesday night in the 200 block of Firetown Road. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

TYLER — A Tyler jury has found James Calvert guilty of capital murder. KETK reports jurors came to the decision in the nearly three-year case around 2:30 Thursday afternoon in the court of Judge Jack Skeen. Pre-trial hearings began in November 2012. In Calvert’s arrest affidavit, Officer Kenneth Gardner gave his sworn account of the tragic events that unfolded on Wednesday, October 31, 2012. Gardner says he was contacted by Sergeant Billy Yates to respond to a reported shooting at 3315 Bain in Tyler. When he arrived, he noticed a door leading to the carport had been forced open. Gardner recalled a woman was lying in the doorway with half of her body inside the residence and half in the carport. There were also several shell casings from a firearm on the floor near the body. The woman, who was later identified as Jelena Calvert Sriraman, was deceased from apparent gunshot wounds, and there was blood around her head. Continue reading James Calvert Found Guilty in 2012 Murder-Kidnapping

TYLER — A Smith County man who was facing aggravated sexual assault of a child, bond forfeiture, and several indecency with a child warrants was sentenced to 20 years in prison Thursday after being on the run for 13 years. KETK reports that on May 15, U.S. Marshals in Spokane, Washington, arrested Robert Dean Reese, 54, who had been on the lam since 2002. Reese had been wanted by the Smith County Sheriff’s Office. Continue reading Longtime Fugitive Gets 20 Years

WINNSBORO — Winnsboro police say a new investigator from the attorney general’s office is taking over the the homicide case involving the death of 16-month-old Madison Cannon. KETK reports that according to a police statement, the new investigator is reviewing evidence and will be in Winnsboro within the next few weeks to discuss the next steps in the case. Police say they were told by the investigator that such cases are extremely time consuming and that the investigation would be a lengthy one. Continue reading New Investigator Named in Child Death Case

TYLER — Tyler Police responded to a local school after a report that a pedestrian had been hit by a car. It happened just before 8:00 Thursday morning at Bishop T. K. Gorman, in the 1400 block of East Southeast Loop 323. Authorities said a school employee was walking across the faculty parking lot when they were reportedly struck by another employee. Officials believe the sun might have been a factor in the accident. The injured employee was transported to a local hospital as a precaution.

LONGVIEW — A Longview teen, charged with aggravated robbery and unlawfully carrying a weapon, has been identified by police as a member of the TYB gang. According to the Longview News-Journal, Malik Quran Bridges, 18, was jailed Wednesday on bonds totaling $501,000 on the two charges. He was arrested Tuesday on West Marshall Avenue after police helped him push his disabled vehicle out of the road. While pushing the car, officers saw Bridges drop a .22-caliber pistol in front of the vehicle, reports said. TYB is a gang exclusive to Longview, Longview police spokesman Kristie Brian said.

LUFKIN — A Wisconsin man has been convicted in federal court in Lufkin on drug and money trafficking charges. Henry Korvett Bams, 41, of Milwaukee, was found guilty by a jury Wednesday after a three day trial. Bams was found guilty of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine in an amount of five kilograms or more and use of an interstate facility in aid of racketeering. Bams faces a minimum of 10 years to life in federal prison for the drug distribution violation and up to five years for the interstate transportation in aid of racketeering violation. A sentencing date has not been set. Continue reading Drug Conviction in Lufkin Federal Court

GILMER — Upshur County has joined a growing number of East Texas counties under burn bans. According to KETK, the Upshur County Commissioners Court reports the ban was put into place Wednesday. Anyone who violates the order is subject to a large fine. You can go to http://txforestservice.tamu.edu/ for the latest map of counties under burn bans around the state.

AUSTIN (AP/Staff) – Home-state presidential hopeful and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz says he’s secured endorsements from 36 Republican Texas state representatives and five state senators. Cruz announced Wednesday that those backers joined fellow Republicans and U.S. Reps. Louie Gohmert, Randy Weber, Michael Burgess, John Culberson, John Ratcliffe, and Brian Babin in formally endorsing his 2016 White House bid. Gohmert, of Tyler, announced his backing of Cruz in June. Tea party-backed Cruz has angered members of the Republican establishment in Washington, but remains popular with grassroots activists and top conservatives back home. Continue reading Cruz Announces Endorsements of Numerous Lawmakers

TYLER — County officials say Blake Duerler was sworn in Wednesday as the newest volunteer Smith County deputy fire marshal. The 26-year-old will follow in the footsteps of several Smith County fire marshals who started their careers as volunteers with the department, according to a county news release. Current Fire Marshal Jay Brooks volunteered as a deputy for nearly eight years before becoming the fire marshal last year. The county’s first and second fire marshals, Charles Shine and Jim Seaton, also served as volunteers. “It’s a good training program for the office,” Brooks said. Duerler will keep his full-time job and will be “on call” for large, complex fire scenes or other events, when it is good to have as many people working as possible, Brooks said.