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JOAQUIN – The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said they arrested a Joaquin man on Saturday around 7 a.m. after a gun and drugs were found during the search of a Faulkville Road home. According to our news partner KETK the sheriff’s office responded to the scene after they received reports of a man with a gun at the Faulkville Road home. Nickolas Shane Matthews, 22 of Joaquin, was arrested and charged with delivery of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance felony 2, possession of a controlled substance felony 3, unlawful carry of a weapon by a felon, delivery of marijuana and assault, according to the sheriff’s office.

Officials said that the homeowner let them search the home where the following items were allegedly found: 271 grams of Xanax, 7 grams of methamphetamine, 5.8 ounces of marijuana, 1 gram of ecstasy packaging materials for narcotics distribution and a gun.

SMITH COUNTY – The Smith County Professional Firefighters Association Local 5300 said that two of their firefighters were deployed to fight wildfires across Texas on Friday. According to our news partner KETK Captain Michael Van Winkle and Firefighter Joshua Bardwell were deployed to west and central Texas as a part of the Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System (TIFMAS). This TIFMAS deployment was done in conjunction with other resources across the Eastern Branch, Local 5300 said in a Facebook post.

“As some may know our firefighters and officers that are selected to go on these deployments, experience fire conditions and behavior that are not as common in our area of operation. This in turn can help us mitigate difficult situations in a more efficient manner. We are proud to be able to help serve other regions of Texas when called upon!”
Smith County Professional Firefighters Association Local 5300

TYLER — There are variety of Fourth of July events scheduled for the East Texas area. The fireworks and celebrations will run during the weekend through Tuesday July 4. Our news partner KETK has a list of events, please click here to see it.

TYLER – NET Health, the Northeast Texas Public Heath District announced that former Tyler Mayor Kevin Eltife has received the 2023 W.T. “Doc” Ballard Award. According to our news partner KETK, Eltife is being recognized for service and leadership in the creation of the UT Tyler School of Medicine. He is a former Texas District 1 Senator and is the current chairman of The University of Texas Board of Regents. Eltife said at the award presentation, “This community is exceptionally giving, and ‘Doc’ Ballard embodied that quality as well. I not only want this medical school to be a vehicle for better health for the community, but I also want to it to provide an amazing educational opportunity for East Texas students.” The award is named after “Doc” Ballard, who was a registered professional engineer at the Texas Department of Health.

TYLER – The son of the Smith County Clerk and a county commissioner was held in contempt of court Friday morning after appearing for an arraignment hearing. Our news partners at KETK report that Lance Phillips, 40 of Tyler, was in court for a misdemeanor charge of disruption of a meeting he received after being removed from a Smith County Commissioner’s Court meeting in May.

“When the bailiffs were coming and he sat down from the pew on the floor with his back to the wall and made the officers have to literally carry him out the courtroom,” Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith said at the time of his disruption of a meeting charge. “If he acts like he did today he’s gonna wear out the hinges on the door in the jail.”

The first time Phillips attempted to speak at a commissioner’s court meeting in May, he said he planned to “correct the slander” about his family following the arrest of his mother and brother for interfering with a traffic stop. However, he was removed from the podium for not speaking on an agenda item. Phillips told KETK at the time of his disruption arrest that he planned to plead not guilty at his upcoming court date. After being arrested for contempt of court at his arraignment hearing, Phillips was booked into the Gregg County Jail.

TYLER – The University of Texas at Tyler University Academy campus in
Palestine, an open enrollment university charter school, is recruiting for Grades K-12. Since the UA
is a state-funded public charter school, there is no student tuition.
The campus was recently named a 2022-23 Project Lead The Way Distinguished School, and the
district was also named a 2022-23 PLTW Distinguished District for the third consecutive year. UT
Tyler UA is one of just 17 PLTW districts nationwide and the only one in Texas to receive such
recognition this year. Continue reading UT Tyler Charter School in Palestine Recruiting for Grades K-12

SMITH COUNTY — The reconstruction of County Road 3111 — just south of Interstate 20 and west of Kilgore – has begun and is expected to take about three months. Road Improvements will be made to 4.25 miles of CR 3111, also known as Joy Wright Mountain Road, as well as CR 3118, 3119 and 3120. The roads are located in Precinct 3, and are part of the Smith County Road and Bridge Bond Program. Reynolds & Kay will reconstruct part of CR 3111, from its intersection with CR 3207, north to Interstate 20. The section of CR 3111, from FM 2767 to the Gregg County Line, will be improved by Smith County Road and Bridge crews once Reynolds & Kay is complete with their work. Work on the project includes widening, reconstructing and paving the roads, and is expected to cost $1,479,092.

TYLER — A Tyler man is found guilty and is given a life prison sentence without parole because of sexual abuse of child under 14. According to our news partner KETK, prosecutors say that 57-year-old Reiner Wiseman sexually abused a 13-year-old multiple times over a six month period. Wiseman had just recently been released from prison in another state after serving a 25-year sentence for sexual assault. At the conclusion of sentencing, the Smith County DA Jacob Putman praised the response of the Tyler Police Department and the Smith County Children’s Advocacy Center. Putman also noted that the victim testified against their abuser.

UPSHUR COUNTY – A Gilmer man has been indicted for murder in Upshur County after his father’s body was found in March by a roofing crew. According to our news partner KETK, Michael Timothy Caffey, 46, was indicted by the grand jury on June 22, and as of June 29, remains in the Upshur County Jail since his March 28 arrest. The body of his father, 66-year-old Timothy Caffey, was found by a roofing crew at a residence who called authorities to the scene. Timothy was found at his home that he shared with his son, and officials said at the time that evidence indicated his death was the result of a homicide. Continue reading Son indicted for murder of father whose body was found by East Texas roofing crew

TYLER – The family of fallen Smith County deputy Lorenzo Bustos had their mortgage paid in full by an organization that supports the families of first responders and veterans. It was announced Thursday by The Tunnel to Towers Foundation, this according to our news partner KETK. The foundation began after 9/11, with the purpose of providing mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children. Lorenzo was struck and killed by a drunk driver while conducting a traffic stop on his last day of training with the Smith County Sheriff’s Department. That was July 29, 2022. Lorenzo Bustos is survived by his wife Gloria and their four young children.

TYLER – Here is the traffic information for the upcoming Rose City Airfest scheduled for Friday, June 30th. This year, all general admission and VIP parking will be located at 2535 Dixie Dr, Tyler, TX 75704. This is a large open field. Busses will take people from the back areas of the parking lot to a drop off area near the front gates of the event. All VIP are asked to display or have their special entry permit readily available. Signage will be displayed on Hwy 64 about parking. There are message boards about the air show for both east and westbound traffic about a mile in each direction from Airport Dr. Continue reading Rose City Airfest parking information

EAST TEXAS — The East Texas Council of Governments (ETCOG) is proud to announce the launch of a new reporting system designed to combat illegal dumping and keep East Texas clean. The system, called RID – Report Illegal Dumping, is a simple and convenient way for residents to report instances of illegal dumping in their neighborhoods and communities. Illegal dumping is a persistent problem in many communities, creating health and safety hazards, detracting from the beauty of neighborhoods, and negatively impacting the environment. The new online system provides a convenient solution to this problem, allowing residents to quickly and easily report incidents of illegal dumping with just a few clicks. Continue reading New Online Reporting System Helps Combat Illegal Dumping

PALESTINE – A man has been arrested after leading police on a chase that ended in a crash and a seizure of drugs and a firearm according to our news partners at KETK. On June 26, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office alerted the Palestine Police Department that a Nissan Altima driven by a Black male in a white shirt had been involved in an assault on a peace officer that led to a pursuit. An officer found the reported vehicle by confirming the license plate number and attempted to stop it on East Palestine Avenue near Gardner Drive. The release stated that the vehicle did not stop and a pursuit continued down Highway 155 before the driver left the roadway after trying to turn onto North Loop 256 at a high speed and crashed. Continue reading Drugs, synthetic urine seized after police chase through East Texas ends in crash

TYLER — The Tyler Police Department will be adding additional officers on the street utilizing STEP (Selective Traffic Enforcement Program) starting on Friday, June 30th through Wednesday, July 5th. The program is based on crash data in the city limits of Tyler that allows Tyler officers to pin-point target problem areas. Officials said with increased traffic in Tyler for the 4th of July holiday, officers will be specifically watching for hazardous violations such as speeding, intersection enforcement, seat belt violations and impaired drivers.