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LONGVIEW – Our news partner KETK reports that an individual was arrested in Longview after being found asleep at the wheel with illegal drugs in the vehicle, according to the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office. On Wednesday, authorities responded to do a welfare check for someone that was found asleep in their car on the side of I-20 in Longview. When officials arrived, the driver was reportedly still asleep at the wheel. Authorities said they conducted a consent search of the vehicle, which led to the discovery of a “clear crystal substance of suspected methamphetamine.” The driver was arrested, taken to the Harrison County Main Jail and charged with possession of a controlled substance.

HARRISON COUNTY – According to our news partner KETK a man has been arrested after being pulled over for racing on Highway 80 and allegedly having meth in his vehicle. On Monday, a deputy with the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office said he witnessed two vehicles racing on Highway 80 near Loop 390. The deputy was able to pull over one of the vehicles involved in the alleged race. The driver was identified as Darlin Ortega-Calderon, 18, and when speaking with the deputy, the release stated that Ortega-Calderon told him that the “other vehicle wanted to compete with him and they just took off.” Ortega-Calderon allegedly also told the deputy that he did not have a driver’s license or insurance. When the deputy conducted a search of the vehicle, officials said that methamphetamines were located in Ortega-Calderon’s wallet.

Ortega-Calderon was arrested and charged with racing on a highway, no driver’s license, fail to maintain financial responsibility and possession of a controlled substance.

FLINT – Our news partners at KETK report that authorities revealed details about the arrest of an East Texas elementary school teacher who is accused of promoting child pornography. Officials said that Fabrizio Olague was found to be responsible for “the transmission of explicit material involving minors.” The investigation found that Olague was employed as a teacher at Chapel Hill ISD in Flint where he worked as a dyslexia interventionist, working with children from kindergarten to third grade. Continue reading Chapel Hill ISD teacher accused of promoting child porn

TYLER – An Amber Alert issued Tuesday for an 11-month-old child from Tyler has been canceled. According to Tyler police, on Wednesday, around 8:20am,  the Tyler Police Department was notified that Tarhondia Jackson, 26, had shown up at the Department of Family and Protective Services office in Tyler and turned over Jamar Ross. He is now in the custody of CPS. Tarhondia Jackson was arrested on a charge from another offense and booked into the Smith County Jail. The alert was issued after Child Protective Services reported to police on July 14th that they were to take the 11-month-old into their custody from a residence on W. Mims Street. The child was not at the residence and was thought to be in the custody of his mother, Tarhondia Jackson.

MINEOLA — According to our news partner KETK a pastor of a church in Mineola was arrested on Tuesday for charges of indecency with a child by sexual contact, according to judicial records. Timothy Nall, 68, is the pastor of Mt. Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church in Mineola, where he has pastored for three years. This is the third charge brought against Nall for allegations of a sexual crime against a child. In 2014, he was indicted in Mississippi on allegations from a sexual battery case that involved a young girl. Nall was released from the Smith County Jail on a $50,000 bond on Tuesday.

At the time, Nall was the pastor of Farmington Baptist Church near Corinth, MS, and was accused of abusing a young girl when the child was 6 and 7 years old. The case ended in a mistrial after two jurors could not agree on a verdict, according to WREG. He was then indicted again for sexual battery and a new count of fondling stemming from the same allegations.

TATUM – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) agreed on Monday to settle a lawsuit with the Sierra Club after health concerns were raised in 2019 over possible exposure from a local power plant. According to our news partner KETK the Sierra Club, as part of their proposed settlement, the EPA must either approve a Texas plan to reduce sulfur dioxide pollution or reject it and issue a federal plan as required by the Clean Air Act no later than Dec. 31, 2024. The Sierra Club said they sued in February after the EPA failed to act by the statutory deadline after they were required to reject or approve a plan submitted by the Texas Commission on Environmental Equality (TCEQ).

Continue reading EPA agrees to settle lawsuit over East Texas pollution plan

GREGG COUNTY – A Gregg County grand jury cleared local officers of any criminal wrongdoing in three separate shootings, and declined to return any charges against the officers, according to our news partners at KETK. According to the Gregg County District Attorney’s Office, the grand jury’s decisions earlier this month on the March 12, May 7 and May 17 incidents mean that “under Texas law no criminal charges will be filed against the officers.” Each investigation was conducted by the Texas Rangers who testified in front of the grand jury. Continue reading Gregg County grand jury clears officers of criminal wrongdoing in 3 shootings

LONGVIEW – Longview ISD board members unanimously approved salary increases for district teachers and staff, in addition to setting a time to discuss the proposed 2023-24 tax rate, during Monday night’s regular meeting.
Recommended to the board by Ms. Shalona McCray, LISD Chief Human Resources Officer, the measure includes a 5 percent increase for teachers and pay grade midpoint for all remaining employees.

“In addition to the 5 percent increase of midpoint, the district will implement pay structures that adjust staff salaries that improve internal equity and market competitiveness,” she said. “In addition, we will be adjusting pay for employees below or above proposed pay grade maximums.” Continue reading Longview ISD approves pay raise for teachers and staff

SMITH COUNTY — A teacher at Chapel Hill ISD was charged with five counts of promotion of child pornography by the Houston Metro ICAC Task Force in Montgomery County, the district announced. According to our news partner KETK, the teacher was placed on administrative leave and the district said it is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of students and is fully cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation. “Our highest priority is the safety and welfare of our students,” said Martin Ibarra, CHISD’s Board of Trustees president. “We take these allegations very seriously, and we’re fully cooperating with authorities.” The district said they have no reason to believe the accusations occurred while on school property.

PALESTINE – A woman was arrested after a traffic stop led to a seizure of more than 116 grams of ecstasy. According to our news partner KETK around midnight on July 13, police conducted a traffic stop on the 100 block of East Palestine Avenue on a vehicle with a “defective brake lamp.” The driver was identified as 32-year-old Leslie Hawkins and officials said they conducted a probable cause search on the vehicle due to the smell of marijuana coming from the Hawkins’ car. During the search, authorities said they found two small bags of marijuana along with a plastic bag containing “seven multicolored tablets identified as MDMA (Ecstasy) in the console.” Police also reportedly found a larger plastic bag in the back seat containing even more ecstasy tablets. Hawkins was arrested and taken to the Anderson County Jail on the felony charge of manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance. Continue reading 116 grams of ecstasy seized during traffic stop in East Texas

TEXARKANA – According to our news partner KETK two teenagers were arrested for allegedly burglarizing several vape shops and stealing a vehicle from a driveway in the Texarkana area. Around 3 a.m. on June 10, police responded to an alarm call at the Vapor Stop on North Stateline in Texarkana. Upon arrival, officials said they saw the front door glass shattered and several items missing from inside the shop. Just a few minutes later, they received reports that someone had tried to do the same thing at another vape shop on College Drive but wasn’t able to get in. The suspects reportedly were able to get into two more vape shops that night, one on West 7th Street and another on Stateline. According to authorities, surveillance footage from the different stores showed the suspects using a large rock to break into each shop and stealing “whatever the could get their hands on.” The footage reportedly made it apparent that it was the same two suspects at each burglary, TTPD said. Continue reading East Texas vape shop burglars arrested

TYLER — UT Health Tyler has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke GoldPlus quality achievement award for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability. Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, so brain cells die. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and accelerating recovery times. Continue reading UT Health Tyler is nationally recognized for high-quality stroke care

CHEROKEE COUNTY – UPDATE: Robert Bacot, who was wanted out of Cherokee County is in custody as of 5:35 p.m. Monday evening. “Thank you to the many citizens and agencies who assisted today,” the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office said. Authorities called off the search for Robert Bacot around 3 p.m. Monday afternoon. The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office thanked the Jacksonville Police Department, Bullard Police Department, Jacksonville Fire Department, Texas Game Wardens, TDCJ Pack Dog Unit, TDCJ Investigators and Texas DPS for their help.

Bacot has two warrants for aggravated assault, one warrant for aggravated kidnapping and a parole warrant for his arrest. Authorities said they will continue to monitor the area, but officially called the search off.

HENDERSON COUNTY – According to our news partner KETK Henderson County officials are reaching out to the community for help in solving a cold case that is over a decade old. In 2012, human remains were found outside of the Seven Points area off of CR 2448 near Flag Lake Road. Deputies found human skeletal remains on the property and started working with the Henderson County District Attorney’s Office and the Texas Rangers.

The remains were analyzed by the University of North Texas Laboratory of Forensic Anthropology, who determined that the remains belonged to a white or Hispanic male between the ages of 21 and 60. After checking through missing person records, the sheriff’s office was still unable to identify the remains. Anyone with information about a missing man fitting that description within that time frame is asked to contact the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office.

TYLER — An emergency sideline training course was held at UT Health East Texas Saturday to help prepare EMS, doctors and nurses for middle and high school sports events, according to our news partner KETK. “To reach out to a number of different health care professionals and make this a multi-disciplinary conference because we recognize we’re on the sidelines dealing with emergencies,” said Michael Galbraith, associate program director of sports medicine for UT Health Science Center. The conference is a way to bridge the gap between all the first responders involved during a game emergency, especially when it comes to communication. With football season less than a month away knowing how to care for a patient covered in safety equipment is key to a quick response. Continue reading East Texas first responders prepare for football season