KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER – According to our news partner KETK, the Texas Game Wardens said that their Marine Theft Investigation Unit seized over $100,000 of equipment at the Sealy Big Bass Splash Tournament last weekend. The Marine Theft Unit reportedly patrolled the tournament for two days and inspected 300 boats, 243 motors and 100 trailers in that time. San Augustine, Sabine, Angelina, Jasper, Tyler and Nacogdoches County Game Wardens helped the unit inspect the boats which were attending what Texas Game Wardens said is the largest amateur fishing tournament in the state.

TYLER – After severe weather hit East Texas, several power companies and cooperatives have reported that 12,752 people are without power as of 9:00 a.m on Monday. Our news partner KETK has compiled a list of power outages in East Texas counties.

TYLER — City of Tyler officials said in release Friday, the next step in construction of the Smith County parking garage began Monday, April 29. For about 3 weeks, a portion of East Ferguson Street, from Center Avenue to Spring Avenue, will be closed due to the construction.

Visitors to the Annex Building, the Elections Office, Constable Precinct 1 Office and Animal Shelter can park in the large former juror parking lot off of Ferguson Street. There will only be one entrance/exit to the lot, across from the Animal Shelter off Center Avenue. Pedestrians coming to the Annex from the parking lot, including employees and visitors, will have to take a detour route to the Annex. There are white arrows painted on the ground showing pedestrians the way to go.

Smith County Judge Neal Franklin said in regards to the construction, “We appreciate all of the patience and understanding shown by our employees and visitors. We understand these parking temporary changes are difficult, but we are excited about how great the parking garage will be when it is completed.”

The construction of the 540+ parking space garage is expected to be completed in September.

TYLER — On Saturday, April 27th the Tyler Police Department along with the Drug Enforcement Agency will be hosting a Drug Drop Off. It will be at the Brookshire’s on Rice Road between 10am and 2pm. The public can anonymously drop off their unused, unwanted and expired prescription medications as well as tablets, capsules, patches and other solid forms of prescription drugs, free of charge. Liquids (including intravenous solutions), syringes and other sharps, and illegal drugs will not be accepted.

GILMER – The Gilmer Police Department said they seized guns, drugs and cash while executing a search warrant on Thursday. Our news partner KETK is reporting that the Gilmer PD executed a search warrant at a residence which allegedly housed two known drug dealers in Upshur County at around 6 a.m. on Thursday. While searching the home Gilmer PD officers reportedly found two guns, $2,269 and 36 grams of black tar heroin. A request for more information was not immediately fulfilled by Gilmer PD. We will continue to update as more info becomes available.

LUFKIN – According to our news partner KETK, officials are investigating after an overnight shooting in Lufkin that left a man injured. According to police, officers responded to a report of a man with a gunshot wound to the head around 10:20 p.m. in the 100 block of West Laurel Avenue after the man had sought help from a neighbor. The man was flown to an out-of-town hospital where he remained in stable condition, according to authorities, and the incident is under investigation.

“The man told officers he had been robbed and shot by a man that he knew but he didn’t know the suspect’s name,” officials said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Lufkin Police Department at 936-633-0356 or Crime Stoppers at 936-639-TIPS.

LONGVIEW – The Houston Chronicle reports that business groups, led by a pair of Texas advocacy associations, stepped in quickly Wednesday seeking a halt to a rule issued by the Federal Trade Commission banning employers from using noncompete clauses to keep workers from going to a competitor. The ban was approved Tuesday and is expected to take effect 120 days after it is entered into the Federal Register. It was immediately challenged by U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which was joined by the Texas Association of Business and the Longview (Texas) Chamber of Commerce in filing suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas to block the measure.

Saying “the burdens of the Noncompete Rule will be immediate and significant,” the organizations argued that “Beyond making virtually all noncompetes illegal going forward, the Noncompete Rule also purports to retroactively invalidate roughly tens of millions of existing agreements. … As a result, businesses that bargained for noncompetes will lose the protections of those agreements — even if they already held up their end of the bargain.” Anticipating a delay in implementation, several Houston labor attorneys were proceeding with business as usual with their noncompete cases. Todd Slobin, a board certified labor and employment partner at Shellist Lazarz Slobin, said he thought the rule was great and it could help the economy in general because people could get better, higher-paying jobs based on their experience and skills. “In one hand, it’s amazing,” Slobin said. “In the other hand, it’s kind of like preparing for a hurricane that may never happen. Because, you know, there’s going to be so many legal challenges from big businesses, industries, who want to enforce these noncompetes and want to have them in place to keep employees where they are.”

TYLER – Champions for Children has received a grant from the Texas Bar Foundation that will be used for educational purposes. According to our news partner KETK, the $15,500 grant will fund a two-hour training session on child neglect and abuse. This is allow about 2,500 participants to undergo the training.

The release from Champions for Children further stated, “Champions’ Childcare Teacher Training is a comprehensive program designed to equip educators with the knowledge and skills necessary to meet state standards and address the critical issue of child neglect and healthy child development. This training, tailored to the specific needs of childcare providers, encompasses key elements including State Standards Compliance, In-Depth Understanding of Child Neglect, Legal and Ethical Considerations, Interactive Learning Modules, Cultural Sensitivity and Diversity Training, Collaboration with State Agencies, Continuous Professional Development, Case Studies and Practical Scenarios, Networking Opportunities, and Evaluation and Certification.”

Champions for Children said that child neglect cases in the U.S. include over 600,000 children, and that children up to age three are 80% of all neglect cases in Texas.

LONGVIEW – A Longview woman plead guilty on Thursday to manslaughter in the death of a 41-year-old man from Longview after an argument reportedly turned into physical violence. According to our news partner KETK, the Longview Police Department responded to a call at around 7:48 p.m. on May 13 to the 400 block of E. Pliler Precise Road due to a reported shooting. When officers arrived, they reportedly saw Chris Baker, 41 of Longview, who had been injured. The Longview Fire Department took Baker to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries and he died the following day. Detectives spoke with Jeanne-Marie Minter, who reportedly told officers Baker and her had been arguing, and that turned into physical violence. Police said Minter got away and retrieved a firearm, went back to the room where her and Baker argued and then shot him. Minter plead guilty to the death on Thursday and was sentenced to 13 years in prison.

CHEROKEE COUNTY – Our news partners at KETK report that a Jacksonville man was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday after a jury found him guilty of capital murder. According to a release, Brandon Branton was charged with the 2020 stabbing murder of Randy P. Davenport. Davenport’s body was found near Love’s Lookout in July of 2020 and he was determined to be the victim of an “apparent homicide.” Branton was sentenced to life in prison without parole after eight days of testimony and deliberation, the district attorney said. He was charged alongside codefendant Ja’Michael Rusk, whose case is still pending.

LUFKIN — The Lufkin Police Department is investigating an overnight shooting. According to Lufkin Police Public Information Officer Jessica Pebsworth, officers responded to West Laurel around 10:20 p.m. Wednesday night a report of a man with a gunshot wound to the head after the man sought help from a neighbor. The victim told officers he had been robbed and shot by a man that he knew but he didn’t know the suspect’s name. The man was flown to an out-of-town hospital where he remains in stable condition. Anyone with information is asked to call the Department at 936-633-0356 or Crime Stoppers at 936-639-TIPS.

LONGVIEW — Two people have been arrested in connection to the 2016 murder of Longview businessman and community figure Ron Horaney. According to our news partner KETK, Horaney was found dead in his home from multiple gunshots on May 30, 2016.

Reza Kamali, 87 of Longview, was arrested and charged with murder eight years after the crime. At his arraignment, his bond was set at $7.5 million. Alfredo Lizcano, 38, was arrested Wednesday morning for murder in Dallas County with a $10 million bond.

According to an arrest affidavit, investigators received information from a “Cooperating Individual” who reported being contacted by someone they identified as “Ray Kamali,” who authorities identified as being Reza Kamali. Continue reading Arrests made in 2016 murder of local businessman

TYLER – Smith County authorities have arrested the national president of a motorcycle gang for ordering the death of man in 2020. According to our news partner KETK, 57-year-old Kevin Higgins of Kemp, was arrested Tuesday in the death of Brandon Edwards of Chapel Hill. Investigators determined that Kemp ordered the death of Edwards, a rival gang member in fall 2019. Higgins, who is identified as the national president of the motorcycle gang Ugly Man Cossacks, had fellow member Chad Crowell carry out the murder in May 2020.

Initially three members of the Ugly Man Cossacks were arrested in Edwards death. All three have been convicted of organized crime activity in connection to the case. Kevin Higgins is in the Smith County Jail with his bond set at $2.5 million.