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LINDALE — Lindale ISD notified guardians Tuesday night of a student email account that was hacked. According to our news partner KETK, a Lindale Junior High student’s email was hacked and messages from a hacker were sent out through the student email and other communication groups including HUDL and Canvas. The school said in a statement, “Please tell your child not to respond to messages from other students or to open any files that they are sent. If your child has been sent any messages that they believe could be from a hacker, please contact your campus principal.” Lindale ISD’s Technology Department is investigating the origination of the hack and have involved district and local law enforcement.

CHEROKEE COUNTY — A 14-month old boy has died after reportedly drowning in a pond on family property. According to the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a residence on County Road 3705, in the Mount Selman area, on September 21 in reference to a drowning. Deputies found the child receiving CPR from a family member. EMS took the child to a Jacksonville hospital. The child was later transferred to Children’s Hospital in Dallas, where he died Monday. The case remains under investigation.

SMITH COUNTY — A 28-year-old man accused of selling a fatal dose of Fentanyl to a teenager fails to show up for his trial. The judge has issued an arrest warrant for Billy Maddox after he did not appear for jury selection in his trial Monday in Tyler. Maddox is charged with manslaughter in the death of a 17-year-old boy who died from an overdose of Fentanyl. Prosecutors say the pills contained substances other than what was claimed, and that Maddox failed to render aid and did not call for help. In fact, an arrest affidavit says Maddox shared an Instagram post with a photo of the teenage boy passed out on his stomach. The post was captioned, “Look how that perc got him sleeping,” with several laughing emojis.

TYLER — A body has been found near the Hollytree Apartments on Hollytree Drive around 1:00 Tuesday afternoon. While working on a separate case in the apartments, officers discovered the body, wrapped in a cloth material, in a nearby ravine. The victim, identified as 18-year-old Deja Hood, was reported missing by her parents. Officials said that the victim did not live in the apartment complex, but was there with Jamaurea Jermaine Britton, 19. Britton was arrested on a murder charge. He was booked into the Smith County Jail on a $1,000,000 bond.

NEW BOSTON – An East Texas court has awarded $26.8 million to a victim in a lawsuit against their convicted abuser according to our colleagues at KETK. A summary judgement was issued on Monday against Nolan Turner, 74 of Red Lick, who was convicted of continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 in March 2020 and sentenced to 30 years in prison after he failed to appear in the case’s final hearing. Continue reading Court awards $26.8M to victim in child abuse case

ATHENS — According to the city council agenda and our colleagues at KETK, the City of Athens is set to confirm the appointment of Chad Allen as Chief of Police. Allen was previously the Chief of Police for the City of Keller, according to the city’s Public Safety Facebook page. He is set to replace former Athens Police Chief John Densmore in early October.

SMITH COUNTY — Smith County Judge Neal Franklin rescinded the burn ban Tuesday, September 26, after the county received some much-needed rain. Franklin made the decision based on the recommendation of Smith County Fire Marshal Chad Hogue. “Smith County received an adequate amount of rainfall Sunday night and during the early morning hours of Monday to reasonably lift the burn ban, which was enacted on August 1, 2023, for the safety of the public,” Hogue said. “I would like to thank the residents of Smith County for their understanding and cooperation while the burn ban was necessary.” Hogue encouraged anyone planning to conduct outdoor burning to do it in a safe manner. Continue reading Smith County burn ban lifted

WOOD COUNTY — A Gilmer man has been charged with intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault in connection to a wreck that killed one of his passengers and injured another. According to our news partner KETK, the preliminary report from DPS indicated Leopoldo Guerrero, Jr., 24, was driving a 2007 Chevrolet 1500 east on State Highway 154, 13.3 miles west of Gilmer on Sept. 18 at 7:00 a.m. DPS said he veered off the roadway to the north and the truck overturned. 34-year-old Diana M. Valenzuela from Longview was taken to a Quitman hospital where she died a few hours later. A 25-year-old passenger was taken to a Tyler hospital with incapacitating injuries. After an investigation, Guerrero Jr. was charged with intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault. Continue reading Gilmer man charged in fatal wreck

TYLER — A former Tyler ISD substitute teacher was indicted for aggravated sexual assault of a child and improper relationship between an educator and a student on Aug. 3. According to our news partner KETK, 48-year-old Karen Dunn was an ISS substitute at Ramey Elementary School when a 10-year-old reported she had “touched her inappropriately” with three other students in the classroom. Tyler ISD police were called to Ramey Elementary School on May 16 after the child reported the incident to another teacher, saying Dunn told her about things she does with her sister and boyfriend, handed the child a piece of paper with her name, address and phone number on it and told the child to come over. The number was not one Tyler ISD had on file for Dunn. Dunn had been a substitute since 2016 and was terminated when the child reported her after a member of Tyler ISD HR contacted Dunn using the phone number given to the child. Dunn is still in the Smith County Jail on a $250,000 bond. Her next court date is scheduled for Oct. 2.

EDOM – The Texas Department of Public Safety says that one man is dead after a motorcycle and vehicle crashed on FM 279 on Saturday, according to our news partners at KETK. According to DPS, Roy Lewis Woods, 58 of Ben Wheeler, was driving a 2022 Harley Davidson motorcycle west on FM 279, 3 miles west of Edom. Karla Kay Coyle, 63 of Brownsboro was driving a 2012 Ford F-150 in the eastbound lane when the motorcycle reportedly failed to take a curve and hit the Ford. Woods was pronounced dead at the scene by Justice of the Peace Wade McMillan and Coyle had relatively minor injuries, DPS said. A DPS investigation into the crash is ongoing.

WOOD COUNTY – A former volunteer firefighter in Hainesville pleaded guilty to four counts of arson last Thursday. According to our news partner KETK, Courtney Keel of Mineola was arrested September 2021 after the Wood County Sheriff’s Office investigated a number of suspicious fires over 2020 that were worked by the volunteer firefighter. Though Keel pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree felony arson, motions for a new trial have been filed in his case.

TYLER – Six East Texas men were indicted in Smith County last month for soliciting someone under 18, according to KETK. The men had all been arrested in January as part of an undercover sting, where according to their affidavits, the men messaged who they thought was a 17-year-old named “Sarah” but was in reality a sergeant with the Office of the Attorney General conducting an online investigation. Continue reading Six men indicted for soliciting minor

HARRISON COUNTY – A man is dead after a rollover crash Friday evening on I-20 near Marshall. According to a preliminary DPS report And our news colleagues at KETK, a Ford F-150 was traveling east on I-20 and “failed to drive in a single lane, veering off the roadway to the right.” The truck overcorrected, and DPS said it caused the truck to rollover. The driver, identified as 47-year-old Billy Warren, of Lufkin, was pronounced dead at the scene. According to DPS he had not been wearing his seatbelt. The crash remains under investigation.