KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — Officials say the news is good as the Tyler Police Department releases its 2010 Uniform Crime Reporting statistics. Two types of crimes were tracked by the department. Part 1 crimes are described by Uniform Crime Reporting as homicides, sexual assaults, robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries (commercial & residential), thefts, and stolen vehicles. The calendar year of 2010 ended with a 13.24% decrease (834 fewer offenses) in Part 1 crimes compared to 2009. Part 2 crimes are described as simple assault, forgery, drug violations, liquor law violations, weapon violations, runaways, etc. Part 2 crime totals for 2010 decreased by 796 reported incidents (-12.99%) compared to 2009.

Police Chief Gary Swindle says one major factor in the decrease is “working together with the community and citizens reporting things to us and working with the media in efforts to get suspects and videos out there.” Swindle hopes to see even more citizen involvement. His advice: “Be smart, be responsible, use common sense. Don’t leave things in your vehicles in view to the general public.” Swindle adds, “When you see something that’s suspicious or out of the ordinary, report it. Don’t feel like you’re inconveniencing us.” Swindle also says the economic upturn helped limit property crimes, which had experienced a substantial increase in 2009.

GILMER — Darryl Gene Hollie has been sentenced to 99 years in prison for felony aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. On August 5th of last year, Hollie was parked at Glenn’s Grocery Store on Highway 155 in Upshur County waiting for the store to open. When an employee unlocked the door to the store, Hollie walked in, hit the employee in the back of the head, and stomped her with his foot. After he took all of the money from the register, he drove off. Hollie must serve half of his sentence before being eligible for parole.

NACOGDOCHES — The Nacogdoches Police Department is investigating an alleged kidnapping of a woman, which took place near the Stephen F. Austin campus at the Tetco Convenience store at the intersection of University Drive and Starr Ave. at approximately 5:30 a.m. Thursday. The victim was taken to a parking lot near the Azalea Garden off of University Drive. The victim got away and police were contacted. Police are looking for a black man, 6’1″, slim build, short hair, clean shaven with no facial hair, wearing dark colored jeans and a dark colored shirt with an emblem on the shirt.

LUFKIN — All three victims from Tuesday afternoon’s collision on U.S. Highway 69 south outside of Huntington have been transported to hospitals in Tyler or Houston. The crash involved three vehicles, including a Huntington Independent School District bus and a Texas attorney general’s car. The front passenger in the government car, Danna Gordon, 53, was taken by medical helicopter from the scene of the accident to East Texas Medical Center in Tyler, a Level 1 trauma center, according to Department of Public Safety Trooper Joe Wood. Records from ETMC show she was treated and released from the hospital.

The back seat passenger, Dorothy Musick, 59, was initially taken to Memorial, but Wood said she was then driven by ambulance to ETMC. She is listed in critical condition in the ICU unit. The driver, Veronica Burns, 51, was initially taken to Memorial Medical Center-Lufkin and was later flown by medical helicopter to Houston, Wood said. Her condition was not available as of Wednesday afternoon.

After further investigation, Wood said the attorney general’s car had been stopped behind the school bus as it let off students. The green Cadillac, driven by Tonia Sue Pena, rear-ended the stopped vehicle and pushed it into the side of the school bus before deflecting into a field on the opposite side of the highway. Pena later went to the hospital complaining of chest pain from the inflated airbag and an injury to her knee. She was ticketed for not having a driver’s license and failure to control speed, Wood said. Only one child from the school received a bump to the head, according to HISD superintendent Eric Wright. Wood said everyone was wearing their seatbelts.

ELDERVILLE – A two vehicle accident in Gregg County has left one person dead. The Wednesday afternoon crash occurred on State Highway 149 at the Lake Cherokee Bridge near Elderville. Involved in the wreck were a tractor/trailer rig and a pickup. The pickup’s driver was killed. The driver of the rig is being treated for non-life threatening injuries at Good Shepherd Medical Center in Longview. No word yet on the identities of the people involved in the crash.

TYLER — A woman tells Tyler police she was the victim of an attempted robbery. It started around 7:00 Wednesday night at the Valero station on Loop 323 at West front Street. The victim told officers she was pumping gas when approached by a woman claiming to have diabetes. She asked for a ride to a restaurant.

The suspect gave the woman directions all over west Tyler and she became confused and lost. The suspect asked for money, but the victim refused. The suspect later said she had a gun and demanded money. The victim was then directed to a bank so the victim could get money from an ATM. When the vehicle stopped, the victim grabbed her purse and got out of the vehicle, telling the suspect to get out of her car. The suspect complied and walked away. The victim was not harmed and a gun was never seen.

The suspect is described as a black female approximately 30 years old. She is around 5’3” tall and weighs approximately 130 pounds. She has short, ear length hair. The victim could only remember the suspect was wearing a white shirt with small designs on it, possibly flower petals.

TYLER — Tyler police are looking for a man who tried to get a young boy into his car. A man told officers late Tuesday afternoon after his 11 year old son got off a school bus, he was approached by a man at the intersection of Edinburgh and Aberdeen. The driver of the vehicle told the youngster to get into his car and he would take him home. When the boy refused, the man drove away. The driver is described as a white male in his late 40’s or early 50’s with white hair. It is unknown the make and model of the vehicle or the license plate number.

KILGORE — Kilgore City Manager Jeffrey Howell has resigned. The action came during a special meeting on Tuesday. The Kilgore city council agreed to pay him for six months. Howell, who has been city manager since 2005, would not elaborate other than to say his actions stemmed from “philosophical differences about management.” Howell was one of four finalists interviewed for the city manager’s job in Cleburne. That job, however, went Wednesday night to the city’s interim city manager, Rick Holden.

AUSTIN — Governor Rick Perry has appointed 10 student regents to their respective university systems, and one student representative to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for terms effective June 1, 2011 to expire May 31, 2012. Appointed to the Stephen F. Austin State University board was Sarah Feye. She is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in food, nutrition and dietetics from Stephen F. Austin State University.

TYLER – A 35-year-old Tyler man has been sentenced to federal prison for trafficking methamphetamine in the Eastern District of Texas. Lucio Adan pleaded guilty on Oct. 28, 2010, to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He was sentenced to 235 months in federal prison Wednesday in Tyler by U.S. District Judge Leonard E. Davis. According to authorities, up until Mar. 25, 2010, Adan conspired with others to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine throughout East Texas. Adan was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 6, 2010. Adan must also forfeit $20,695 in cash and firearms that were seized and has been ordered to pay a $30,000 judgment.

TYLER — Opponents and supporters of the Smith County jail plan set for a vote next month are stating their positions after the Tyler Tea Party, Inc., became the first group to announce opposition to the plan. In a news release, local Tea Party chair Tammy Blair cites several reasons including a perceived lack of transparency, timing, and issues regarding the arguments used to support the plan.

According to the news release, “On the issue of transparency, this plan fails on all fronts. This is the fifth jail proposal developed by the Smith County Commissioners Court. The court has released the least amount of supporting documentation for this plan. On the County’s website, the Commissioners have released a power point presentation that is long on promise but short on details.”

The release continues, “On the issue of timing, the most recent jail plan could not come at a worse time. The economy right now is terrible. The Tyler Independent School District just had a school bond election fail and (is) talking about laying off employees. Tyler Junior College is discussing how to fund its expected short fall. Now the County is asking the voters to support a new jail even though the voters just voted against more schools.”

The release additionally states, “The arguments being used to support the bond package are contradictory and rely heavily on assumptions that require the Commissioners Court to realize savings which they have never been able to realize in the past. The primary argument made by the Commissioners to support the bond proposal is that the County has already spent 16 million dollars in housing inmates in other counties. The Commissioners seem to be hinting that these funds could have been spent on constructing a new jail. However, this is not true. By voting no in the last 4 or 5 jail bond elections, the County has actually SAVED money by voting no. Additionally, by voting no to this bond election the County will save money.”

The news release also says, “Further, the County has acknowledged spending $41.00 a day in housing inmates in other counties is less than would be spent in Smith County if a bond election passed and a new jail built. Therefore, Smith County will actually be spending more money to house inmates here than other counties and on top of that the County would have to pay for the cost of construction. This is not a conservative approach in tough economic times.”

Also stated in the release: “Further, some of the arguments currently made do not ring true. When this plan was first announced, the Commissioners Court stated that the plan would not address all of the County’s needs and some inmates might still have to be shipped. However, more recently, the County has announced that it will be able to make substantial income from renting beds to other counties. Both of these statements cannot be true. Further, the history in Smith County is that every jail built was full the day it opened. Four years ago, the County said that it had to have a minimum of 1200 new beds. Two years ago, the County said that it had to have a minimum of around 600 new beds. Now the County says it needs around 300 new beds and can make substantial money renting them out to other counties. These inconsistencies also weigh against supporting the jail plan.”

On this week’s KTBB “Staff Meeting,” County Commissioner Jeff Warr says he took note of failed bond issues in the past — and made sure this time to find out what the community would support. He tells us, “I decided I would go out and start meeting with different civic groups, different organizations, different city councils and leaders in the community and get their input.” He adds that the proposal is cost-effective and addresses safety, his own major concern. The cost is $35 million, and 384 beds would be added.

In a statement issued Thursday morning, Warr added, “It is my hope that Smith County voters will make a decision on this proposal based on factual information. I have personally discussed the development of this plan over the past year during weekly open meetings of the Smith County Commissioners Court. I have personally spoken to at least 20 groups around the county with even more scheduled over the next few weeks. In every meeting citizens have been given the opportunity to make public comment and ask questions about the plan. Their comments and input have been important to ensure that concerns are heard and addressed.

“This plan addresses much-needed safety and security improvements to the current jail facility and includes additional beds to handle the growth Smith County has seen over the past two decades. This proposal means that Smith County can quit renting jail space in other counties at a cumulative cost of $17.5 million dollars of our taxpayers’ money. This is money that is continuing to leave Smith County to fund the operations of other counties throughout east Texas. This plan should stop that loss and bring those taxpayer dollars home.”

You can go to http://www.smith-county.com for more information from the county or to submit questions. You can also go to http://www.ktbb.com/audio to access the “Staff Meeting” show online.

TYLER — As part of the Fit City Challenge, Tyler City Manager Mark McDaniel has challenged local civic, social and business organizations to ditch the dessert during the month of May at luncheon meetings.
“The mission of the Fit City Challenge is to improve the health of our community one step, one bite and one health conscious decision at a time,” explained McDaniel. “This is one small step that we can take to set an example of good eating habits that will put us on the path to a healthier lifestyle.”

All City Departments, the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Tyler Economic Development Council (TEDC) have taken up the ditch the dessert challenge and will be forgoing sweets at their luncheon meetings during May. “We are happy to take part in the ditch the dessert challenge,” said Tom Mullins, CEO and president of the TEDC and Chamber of Commerce. “It is such an easy thing to do but is setting a great example.”

The Fit City Challenge is a community-wide campaign to promote fitter lifestyles in Tyler and the rest of East Texas. You can visit http://www.fitcitytyler.com for more information.

NACOGDOCHES — The Nacogdoches Police Department is investigating the death of a 4-month-old Nacogdoches infant after an autopsy revealed trauma, Public Information Officer Greg Sowell said. The police department was notified at about 5:15 yesterday morning by the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office, which performed the autopsy. “The child was originally taken to a hospital here in Nacogdoches, then died in Dallas and was released to the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office,” Sowell said. “As part of their protocol, they observed some kind of trauma and they called the Nacogdoches Police Department, which is where the child was first taken to the hospital.”

Police responded to the 400 block of Drewery Drive early Tuesday to investigate the scene. “We have begun an investigation, and at this point, it is just that, a death investigation and nothing else,” Sowell said. “Right now we don’t have any further information. We have no autopsy report or anything at this point.”

LUFKIN — A Lufkin man has been arrested in connection with the stabbing of two men during a fight Saturday night. Gerald Acevado was taken into custody by Lufkin Police for allegedly stabbing two men after coming to a home on Garvan Street Saturday.

Acevado reportedly arrived at the home with his brother who was trying to fight friends and family at the home. After an exchange of words and after Acevado’s brother was told to leave, Acevado ran up and began fighting with a man who was soon to become one of his victims, according to a complaint filed by Lufkin Police. During the fight, Acevado pulled out a knife and reportedly stabbed the first man. The second man then tried to pull Acevado off the injured man and was also stabbed, the complaint stated. The two bleeding men ran into the home and locked the door.

Acevado then began kicking and beating on the door of the home, according to the complaint. When the men would not let him inside, he reportedly walked over to a 2004 Dodge Ram truck and keyed the paint with the knife. He then fled down Andrews Street where he was spotted by a Lufkin Police officer who held him. He was later identified by his two victims and taken into custody on two counts of first-degree aggravated assault.

He was being held in the Angelina County Jail as of 1 p.m. Tuesday on a collective $15,000 bond, according to jail records. If convicted, Acevado faces up to life in prison.

CHAPEL HILL — Authorities continue to investigate a one-vehicle accident in the Chapel Hill area that killed a Smith County woman. Killed in the Tuesday morning crash on Highway 64, about a mile east of Chapel Hill, was Pamela Ward, 53, of Tyler. Officials say she was wearing a seatbelt when she lost control and ran off the road. Her car hit two culverts, became airborne and then rolled, ejecting her from the vehicle. Witnesses say they saw Ward texting just minutes before the wreck, but officials are still investigating whether she was texting and driving when the wreck happened.