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LONGVIEW — Sheriff Maxey Cerliano and the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office request assistance and information regarding a burglary/home invasion case that occurred at about 11:30 p.m. on April 15th. Authorities say three armed males dressed in black suits and hoods entered a north Gregg County home and confronted the two occupants. The occupants were bound and the suspects went through the house looking for valuables. After approximately thirty minutes, the residents were left unharmed and the suspects fled. The suspects’ vehicle information is not being released at this time. Continue reading Gregg County Authorities Probe Home Invasion

HALLSVILLE — A Hallsville ISD family and the district are at odds about whether a 4-year-old boy was stabbed by a needle he found on the district’s Pre-K playground. That’s according to KETK and the Longview News-Journal. “What has upset me the most is the fact that they found two syringes and needles on the playground on the same day,” said Michael Kelly, who rushed his son Tyler to the emergency room when he saw what looked like a puncture wound on the boy’s hand. “Was there some kid that found it before my son and played with it and left it there?” The district agrees that the boy found two syringes Friday at Hallsville Little Cats Pre-K campus playground. One syringe was capped, and the other was not. No further action was taken because the child was not punctured, district officials said. Continue reading Needles Found on East Texas Preschool Playground

LONGVIEW — A Gregg County Grand Jury has indicted a former Longview police officer on a single charge of aggravated child sexual assault. KETK reports Leland Thomas Carver, 69, was arrested February 12 on charges he sexually assaulted a child in his home in December 2013. According to a Longview police report, Carver told the child if she reported the attacks, she would be taken away from her family. Kristie Brian with the Longview Police Department confirmed he retired from the department over a decade ago. Carver remains in the Gregg County Jail on $50,000 bond.

LONGVIEW — A Gladewater man has been indicted for the October 2013 death of a Hallsville girl. KETK reports Kilgore police arrested Coby Ray Hudgins, 22, who they believe shot and killed Kayla Elizabeth Williams, 17. The incident took place at a home in the 3000 block of Mustang Drive in Kilgore at 9:12 p.m. Saturday, October 4. According to police, Hudgins was last seen leaving the residence where police found Williams’s body. Gregg County Justice of the Peace Arthur Fort, who pronounced Williams dead at 4:00 a.m. Sunday, said Williams died instantly from an apparent gunshot wound to the head. Continue reading Gladewater Man Indicted for 2013 Death of Hallsville Teen

TYLER — A retired Tyler pharmacist accused in a June 2013 incident pleaded guilty Monday to aggravated sexual assault of a child. According to Smith County judicial records, James Carey Prosperie was arrested September 3, 2013, after a standoff at his home on Jeff Davis Drive. KETK reports that Prosperie, 73, used to work at the now-closed Medicine Shoppe on East Fifth Street. A report from CPS states Prosperie confessed to a lawyer/friend he had sexual contact with a 14-year-old relative on at least two separate occasions. Prosperie’s sentencing is set for May 8.

TYLER — A phone scam targeting East Texans is on the rise. The scam artists are calling mobile or land lines claiming to be from the computer company Microsoft. They say they are from “Windows” or the “Windows help desk.” Their most recent target was Mack Barton of Tyler. Continue reading Another Scam Hits East Texas

MARSHALL – A suspect has been arrested in Louisiana in connection with a Marshall murder last month. U.S. Marshall’s in Tallulah, Louisiana took into custody yesterday Corey Lamar Johnson, 31, of Jefferson. A warrant had been issued for his arrest in the shooting of Jalen Juwan White, who would have turned 28 the day after his death. He was shot around 2:45am on March 24th in the 100 block of West Pinecrest at the Rumors Arcade. He was taken to Good Shepherd Medical Center in Marshall, where he later died. Johnson remains in jail in Louisiana, awaiting extradition back to Texas.

TYLER — The Rev. Jack Voss is the new chaplain at UT Health Northeast. Rev. Voss has served as senior pastor of a non-denominational church in Owasso, Oklahoma, where he and his wife, Janice, ministered for 20 years. He founded Marketplace Grill, a professional networking luncheon of Christian businessmen in Owasso. In addition, he has served as the president of the Collinsville, Texas, Ministerial Alliance and served in a volunteer chaplain program that he developed for the Collinsville Police Department. Rev. Voss, a native East Texan, received his bachelor’s of theology from Texas Bible College in Lufkin. He has preached and taught leadership in the African countries of Liberia, Malawi, and South Africa, as well as in the Asian countries of the Philippines and Taiwan. Other nations he has visited in his ministry are China, Mexico, New Zealand, and Ukraine.

LONGVIEW — Gregg County Judge Bill Stoudt has updated residents with his State of the County Address. The Longview News-Journal report a key topic was the tax rate. Stoudt said Gregg County has the ninth lowest tax rate in the state and the lowest among counties with populations of 200,000 or less. Stoudt also noted the county has taken on many highway and airport renovations without taking on any debt. The judge additionally emphasized partnerships in which the county has been involved, including team-ups with the city of Longview, the Longview Economic Development Corporation, and TxDOT

OVERTON — Officials are searching for two or three people who reportedly tied up an East Texas couple while they stole their belongings. According to the Rusk County Sheriff’s Department, Monday, at around 10:15 p.m., they received a call in regards to an armed robbery on County Road 137 in Leverett’s Chapel. According to KETK, deputies were told by the victims they were approached outside their home by two or three people dressed in dark clothes and armed with a pistol and rifle. The victims were then forced back inside their home and tied up. They were forced to lead the robbers through the house as the thieves began taking money and jewelry. Continue reading Authorities Seek Armed Robbers Who Tied Up Couple, Stole Truck

JACKSONVILLE — Austin Bank was recently named one of the 2014 Best Companies to Work for in Texas. The bank was recognized and honored on Tuesday, April 1st at the Texas Association of Business Awards dinner in Austin. This is the sixth year for Austin Bank to receive this award. The awards program was created in 2006 and is a project of TEXAS MONTHLY, the Texas Association of Business (TAB), the Texas State Council of the Society for Human Resource Management (TSC-SHRM) and Best Companies Group. Companies from across the state entered the two-part process to determine the Best Companies to Work for in Texas. The 2014 list is comprised of 100 companies which benefit the state’s economy, its workforce and businesses. Austin Bank ranked #19 in the medium sized company category. Continue reading Austin Bank Named “One of 2014 Best Companies to Work for in Texas”

TYLER — Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arrested 40 convicted criminal aliens during a three-day operation which concluded Saturday, according to information from ICE. KETK reports the operation was conducted by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Fugitive Operations Teams in eight east Texas cities. Officials say it was “part of the agency’s commitment to prioritize the removal of criminal aliens and egregious immigration violators.” Continue reading Authorities: 40 Illegal Alien Criminals Arrested by ICE in East Texas

AUSTIN — The state is debating more regulations on chemical plants to prevent another tragedy like in West, Texas, almost a year ago. Among those weighing in is state Representative Dan Flynn of Van (pictured). State Fire Marshal Chris Connealy thinks a couple of simple moves would have been able to prevent last year’s accident. Connealy says if ammonium nitrate is to be kept in a combustible facility, fire sprinklers need to be placed in the facility. He says an alternative is to build a non-combustible storage bin. Flynn represents some plant owners who don’t want more regulations. He says, “We used to weld right outside where we stored this, and we haven’t had that many incidences.” There are currently 46 chemical facilities in Texas that house ammonium nitrate and are described as dangerous.

LONGVIEW — A Longview city staffer could be getting a pink slip next week. According to KETK, the City Council next week will vote on whether to fire Director of Development Services Kevin Cummings. City Manager David Willard recommended Cummings be fired for poor job performance. The recommendation comes just weeks after it was discovered Mark Adas worked as the city engineer for five years without a valid state engineering license. It was Cummings’s responsibility to verify Adas’s certifications.

TYLER — Electronic cigarettes and other vaping products will now be covered under Smith County’s smoking ordinance and will not be allowed inside Smith County buildings, nor within 50 feet of the county property entrances. According to KETK, citizens and employees who take part in the popular alternative to traditional tobacco use will now have to abide by the same policies as cigarette smokers and those who chew tobacco. Continue reading E-Cig Usage Banned in Smith Co. Buildings, near Property Entrances

SMITH COUNTY — A Missouri man is arrested on charges of aggravated child sexual assault. According to KETK, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office said, Bruce Alderman, 51, of Knox City, Missouri, was arrested Sunday after an investigation by the Whitehouse Police Department. Alderman has been accused of sexually assaulting a four-year-old child before fleeing to Missouri. He is being held in the Smith County Jail on $75,000 bond.

WHITEHOUSE — According to a WISD website update: Whitehouse High School faculty member, Holly Mann, a male WHS junior, and a female WHS sophomore, are all continuing to recover in a Houston hospital after the three vehicle accident Saturday night. The WHS junior, underwent one successful surgery Sunday and according to family members was set to undergo a second surgery Monday. Mann also underwent successful surgery Sunday on her leg. Continue reading WISD Students and Faculty Continue to Recover in Hospital

WHITEHOUSE – A Jacksonville police dispatcher has been killed in a one vehicle wreck in Smith County. She is identified as Amber King, 35, of Whitehouse. The accident occurred around 2:00 Monday afternoon on Mixon Road near its intersection with Yarbrough Lane near Whitehouse. She was pronounced dead at the scene after her car left the road and hit a tree.

LONGVIEW — LeTourneau University engineering students won first place in robotics and in circuit design competition at the IEEE Region Five Robotics Competition recently in Corpus Christi, Texas. IEEE, which originally was an acronym for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, is an association of professionals dedicated to the advancement of technology. Other teams competing included the University of Texas at Austin, Rice University, Texas Tech University, University of Louisiana, Louisiana State University, University of Kansas, University of Houston, University of New Orleans, University of Missouri, South Dakota School of Mines and others from the states belonging to IEEE Region 5, which includes all of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado and parts of Wyoming, South Dakota, Illinois and New Mexico. Continue reading LETU Students Win Robotics and Circuit Design Competitions

LOVELADY (AP) — Surveys by National Weather Service teams have determined that damaging windstorms that swept parts of East Texas on Sunday were weak tornadoes. One of the tornadoes, which a survey team classified as of EF-1 strength, destroyed three mobile homes in the town of Lovelady. The Enhanced Fujita Scale describes an EF-1 as one of 73-113 mph capable of severely damaging outbuildings, tearing the roof from a weak wood-frame house and causing minor damage to a strongly built wood-frame house. Houston County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy G. P. Shearer says one woman was injured in the Sunday afternoon storm when three trees fell on her mobile home. An EF-0 tornado also spun across a highway 2 miles north of Pittsburg, causing billboard and roof damage.

TYLER — As of 9:00 this morning, South Beckham Avenue will be closed between Front Street and Line Street, to thru traffic, while the water department makes sewer repairs. Detour signs are being posted. South bound thru traffic will be detoured at Line Street east to Commerce Street, continuing east to Loop 323, south to Front Street, then west to the intersection of Beckham Avenue and Front Street. North bound traffic will be detoured at Front Street east to Loop 323, north to Commerce Street, then west to Line Street, continuing west to the intersection of Line Street and Beckham Avenue. The intersection of Beckham Avenue and West Erwin Street will be closed to all traffic. This street closure and detour shall remain in effect until further notice.

HALLSVILLE – A shooting in Hallsville has left a man dead. It happened shortly after 7:45 Monday morning at 541 Appaloosa Lane. Shot twice was Marc Mathison, 51. He was taken to Longview’s Good Shepherd Medical Center where he died just around 9:15 Monday morning. His girlfriend, identified as Carolyn Faye, is said to have called 911 to say she had shot Mathison and need an ambulance and sheriff’s deputies. The initial report was the woman acted in self- defense. The shooting remains under investigation. Continue reading Former Candidate for Mayor in Kilgore Shot to Death

LONGVIEW (AP) — Emails show that plans for a Ted Nugent concert in East Texas were canceled after the shock rocker drew criticism for calling President Barack Obama a “subhuman mongrel.” The Longview News Journal reported Sunday that emails between city officials show the concert was canceled a week after Nugent made headlines for divisive remarks that surfaced while he campaigned with Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott. The newspaper obtained the emails under open records laws. Nugent apologized for the Obama slur. But a few days later, a city official sent an email to employees saying that the Longview city manager’s office had ordered the concert canceled because of the comments. The city of Longview paid more than $16,000 to break off negotiations with Nugent.

TYLER — Here’s a quick look at other work planned in Smith County by the Tyler District of the Texas Department of Transportation.

TYLER – Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue base and pavement repairs on East Loop 323 between the Loop 323 Extension and Commerce Street.
Meanwhile, construction crews have resumed paving work on Farm Road 14 between North Loop 323 in Tyler and Interstate Highway 20. Motorists should expect long delays in this area.
Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two-lane areas. Continue reading TxDOT Project Updates

SMITH COUNTY – A two vehicle accident in Smith County has killed two persons. The Department of Public Safety says the accident happened shortly before 4:45 Saturday afternoon on Interstate Highway 20, near U.S. Highway 271, about 8 miles north of Tyler. Dead at the scene was a Dallas couple, Eddie Eugene Allison, 47, and Kamesha Shardae Allison. The Department of Public Safety reports the accident occurred when the couple’s motorcycle hit the rear of a tractor-trailer rig. The truck had stopped because of another accident on the interstate.

LONGVIEW – The Longview Police Department says a missing snake has been found. They had been looking for a 16 foot long Burmese Python. It is similar to the one seen in the picture. The snake escaped from a home on Lynwood Lane. The snake was described as tan with brown spots and missing one eye. It was found in the attic of it’s home.

TYLER — Three seniors from John Tyler High School recently took first, second and third place honors at the Region 7 Texas Citizen Bee competition held in Kilgore. Under the direction of teacher Patty Tucker, DaVonte Wilson, 17, took first place, Jasinto Martinez, 17, placed second and Raul Olmos, 17, placed third in the competition. DaVonte will join first place winners from the other 19 regions across the state to compete in the State Citizen Bee Competition in Austin on Saturday, April 26. Continue reading Three John Tyler Students Competition Winners

MINEOLA — An East Texas man with alleged ties to the Mexican drug cartel is in the Wood County Jail after he was arrested during a drug interdiction stop. According to KETK, at approximately 9:00 p.m. Thursday, Wood County Sheriff’s Office investigators encountered and arrested Eric McQuilliams, 25, of Mineola on Highway 80 in Mineola. According to authorities, McQuilliams claimed to have ties with the cartel, and authorities say he admittedly is one of the largest dealers in the area. Continue reading East Texan with Alleged Ties to Mexican Cartel Arrested

TYLER — The 2014 Smith County Wide Clean Up event will be wrapping up today. Smith County citizens can bring trash and bulky items to the Greenwood Farms Landfill for free through midday Saturday. The county’s Environmental Crimes Unit, Sheriff’s Office, Precinct Constables, and Commissioners Court are working together to host the event, which kicked off March 31. Continue reading Smith County Wide Clean Up Nearly Over

TYLER — Tyler will once again be a host site for the worldwide Leadercast 2014 conference taking place on Friday, May 9. The Tyler venue will be the Green Acres Crosswalk Conference Center. The one day event is broadcast live from Atlanta, Georgia. This year’s theme, “Beyond You,” challenges leaders to focus outward rather than inward, according to press materials. “Leadercast is a top-quality learning opportunity and will benefit all who want to improve themselves and have a positive impact on others,” said Carroll Roge, president of Leadership Tyler. Continue reading Tickets on Sale Now for Leadercast 2014