KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — A Panola County man and a Mexican national have been sentenced to federal prison for drug violations. Bradley Thomas Boren, 47, of Carthage, was named in a 66 count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in April of last year. He pleaded guilty on November 2 to possession of a List 1 chemical with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine. Boren was sentenced yesterday to 57 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Schneider.

According to federal prosecutors, Boren purchased cold pills containing pseudoephedrine at a Wal-Mart store in Longview on December 13, 2008, as well as on numerous other occasions at other stores in the area in furtherance of his methamphetamine manufacturing activities.

The Mexican national, Jose Santos Rubio Guido, 28, was sentenced to 12 months and 1 day in federal prison yesterday by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Schneider. He was indicted by a federal grand jury last July and pleaded guilty to the charges last October.

Federal prosecutors say on January 8, 2010, Rubio Guido delivered approximately 56 grams of powder cocaine to his co-defendant, Alfredo Bello Dejesus. On June 11, 2010, Rubio Guido possessed another 5 grams of powder cocaine with the intent to distribute. From January 2009 to June 11, 2010, Rubio Guido delivered or aided and abetted in the delivery of approximately 50 to 75 additional grams of powder cocaine. All of Rubio Guido’s co-defendants have pleaded guilty in this case.

JACKSONVILLE — Both employees and students are concerned about the financial situation at Lon Morris College. An anonymous employee of the Jacksonville School told KETK-TV employees got their last paycheck two weeks late and didn’t receive their March 31st paycheck. Sources told KETK the college was denied a loan that was supposed to finance the school, and it’s fueling rumors that the school is bankrupt. When station reporters went to the college, they were quickly informed by officials that employees were told not to say a word.

One concerned parent said her son, who goes to the college, said some teachers were packing up and leaving because they didn’t get paid. “One of my coaches, he didn’t even come to practice today because he didn’t get his check,” says one student.

Late yesterday afternoon they received the following statement from the Lon Morris President, Dr. Miles McCall: “Lon Morris College is a school with a proud tradition. Affiliated with and supported by the Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. Lon Morris College, like many educational institutions, often faces financial obstacles due to the current difficult economic challenges in our country. Lon Morris College is a private non-profit educational institution. Financial information is not public information and cannot be discussed until at which time all constituent groups have been briefed through the internal processes. The tremendous growth in recent years has put pressure on working capital. The institution has no plans to close at this time…nor have we quit paying our employees. We have delayed one pay period for several days while our accounts receivables accrued to a level needed to meet cash demands and we may be forced to delay some future pay periods in order to meet our student obligations. These challenges happen every day in local industry, educational institutions, and government agencies and often go unnoticed by the media and public. We are not immune to the current economic pressure.”

NACOGDOCHES – A Nacogdoches man is in custody, charged with having an inappropriate relationship with a 14 year old girl. Arrested was Cirilo Brasil, 22. He was charged with indecency with a child and booked into the Nacogdoches County Jail. The girl’s parents are said to have discovered the relationship between their daughter and the man and contacted authorities. The investigation of the case continues and additional charges may be filed.

KILGORE — Twenty-four students graduated from the Kilgore College Fire Academy No. 79 Tuesday night. The ceremony was held in the Bert E. Woodruff Adult Education Center Auditorium. The academy is accredited by the Texas Commission on Fire Protection and the State Firemen and Fire Marshal’s Association and approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The academy offers certification schools for NFPA 1001 Basic Structural Firefighter I and II certification, the Texas Volunteer certification, Fire Inspector and Fire and Arson Investigation courses. It is also a designated institution by the Canadian Province of British Columbia.

The following candidates, listed by hometown, are part of KC Fire Academy No. 79:
Bullard: Chance Massey
Delta, B..C., Canada: Dave Yee
Gibsons, B.C., Canada: Daniel Martin
Kelowna, B.C., Canada: Mike Hottman, Logan Houde, Jeff Lahn and Kyle Warkentin
Merville, B.C., Canada: Jesse Ross
Miller Grove: Blake McGowan
Mount Pleasant: Cole Latham
Nanaimo, B.C., Canada: Kyle Gerke
North Vancouver, B.C., Canada: Mark Hallaway
Ore City: Dillon Campbell
Shawnigan Lake, B.C., Canada: Brandon Peltier
St. Albert AB, Canada: Patrick Edgson
Terrace, B.C., Canada: James Morrow
Tyler: Derick Puckett
Vancouver, B.C., Canada: David Chiu
Vernon, B.C., Canada: Fred Lavoie
Victoria, B.C., Canada: Blake Atherton, Brock Atherton, Jonathan Dodd, Andrew Melling
Whitehouse: Ross M. Melton

TYLER (AP) – A Tyler federal judge has overturned a federal jury’s order that Apple Inc. pay $625.5 million in damages for violating patents held by Mirror Worlds LLC, a small technology company. The decision, made by U.S. District Judge Leonard Davis in a Monday court filing, dismisses one of the largest verdicts in a patent lawsuit. In October, a federal jury in Tyler determined Apple infringed on three Mirror Worlds patents, which cover several features on Apple’s Mac computers, iPhones and iPods. In his ruling, Davis said that “Mirror Worlds may have painted an appealing picture for the jury, but failed to lay a solid foundation sufficient to support important elements it was required to establish under the law.” There’s been no comment from either Apple or Mirror Worlds.

LINDALE — Law officers say a man identified as John Shane Owens, 30, led them on a chase through Lindale’s Velma Penny Elementary School early Tuesday afternoon, after they discovered during a traffic stop that he had outstanding warrants. Authorities say Owens was taken to a local hospital after being tackled to the ground during the chase. He has been charging with evading arrest.

Lindale police officials say during the stop on Farm Road 849, one of the two people in the truck took off running, heading down then road and then through a field and into the school. However, he was only in the school for about 15 seconds, running through the front doors and out another door. Once outside, officers tackled the chase suspect, who was unarmed, and arrested him. Authorities say Owens was wanted on three warrants for writing hot checks. Velma Penny school officials say their school was on lockdown for about 10-15 minutes during the incident.

TYLER – Tyler entrepreneurs Michael and Lisa Lujan are preparing for national competition after being named the Small Business Administration Texas Small Business Persons of the Year for 2011. This is the first time this honor has been awarded to an East Texas business, according to the Fort Worth SBA Regional office. The Lujans will represent the entire state at the national competition in Washington, D.C., during National Small Business Week, May 18-20, which honors the estimated 27.2 million small businesses in America.

Michael Lujan, a former school administrator, and Lisa Lujan, a former banker, founded Mentoring Minds in 2002 after developing an innovative study aid, designed as a flip chart, that would help elementary teachers and students in Texas better meet new state educational standards. The two launched the firm from their garage, maxing out their credit cards to print the first 6,000 copies. Less than 10 years later, Mentoring Minds is a full-service educational publisher, producing innovative learning products with more than $11 million in 2010 sales. One of the nation’s fastest-growing Hispanic-owned businesses, it also ranks #344 in Hispanic Business Magazine’s 2010 list of the largest U.S. Hispanic-owned firms. The Lujans continue to own the company, which now has 50 employees.

To the Lujans, the key inspiration continues to be “the kiddos”, as Michael Lujan fondly refers to the students who reached him from his earliest days as an educator. “It’s what inspires our growth,” he says. “We want to reach educators and kids across the country, and our plans for the future will move us out of the ‘small’ business category very quickly.”

The Lujans say they received critical support early on from a variety of East Texas groups, including the Small Business Development Center at TJC, the Tyler Economic Development Council, and the Tyler chapter of SCORE, a small business counseling organization. Michael now serves on the board of the TEDC and as the Vice Chairman of the local Hispanic Business Alliance with the objective of promoting the growth and competitiveness of new and existing Hispanic businesses. The Lujans also support many causes, saying, “It’s not just our duty to help our communities, it’s our mission.” Among other things, Michael mentors other entrepreneurs. Mentoring Minds CEO Robert Bush says that’s “critical to East Texas,” adding that the company is committed to keeping the area “vibrant” by helping keep jobs in East Texas.

LUFKIN — A Lufkin teen pleads guilty to assault. Amber Michelle Branum, 19, punched an emergency room nurse in February. She was sentenced to five years of deferred adjudication in addition to a $500 fine. She will also participate in anger management classes and alcohol and substance abuse counseling.

LONGVIEW — Gregg County officials investigating a fire that destroyed Southwest Plastics in Gladewater have ruled the cause of the blaze undetermined. “We were not able to determine a single source of ignition,” Gregg County Fire Marshal David Kidder said. Kidder said the fire started on the west side of the plant in the area close to where the finished product is stored prior to being shipped. “There is heat involved in producing the product, but there shouldn’t be any heat source in the final product, not that could have started this fire,” Kidder said. Gladewater firefighters were dispatched at about 1:30am on March 7 to Southwest Plastics in the 1000 block of East Commerce Street after a witness noticed flames, according to Gladewater Fire Chief Wayne Smith.

LUFKIN — A former Lufkin nursing home worker accused of trying to make a 91-year-old woman touch him last year was released from jail Tuesday on a personal recognizance bond. A State District Judge granted the motion in Telesforo Vasquez III’s case for a PR bond, as the accused has no financial means to post his collective $150,000 bond. The 25-year-old has been in jail since turning himself in Dec. 1. Vasquez is charged with one count of injury to an elderly and one count of attempted sexual assault of an elderly for the Nov. 24 incident in which he allegedly exposed himself to the female Castle Pines resident and directed her to touch him, according to an arrest affidavit. When she refused, Vasquez reportedly forced her down, causing an injury to her hip and buttock area.

As part of the terms of his release, Vasquez must have no contact with hospitals, nursing homes or retirement facilities, Bryan said, adding “no means no.” He must also have no contact with the victim. Although Charanza told the judge Vasquez is ready to plead, that did not take place in the courtroom Tuesday. Vasquez faces up to 10 years in prison on each of the two third-degree felony charges.

FLINT — Authorities have identified the person killed in a two vehicle accident south of Tyler Monday. He’s Gary Gene Parrish, 47, of Balch Springs. Authorities say Parrish’s van slammed into the rear of a UPS truck on Highway 69 south. The Department of Public Safety says Parrish had to be cut from the wreckage and was not wearing a seat belt. He later died at a Tyler hospital.

HUDSON — An East Texas father and his 17 year old son have been charged with raping a 16 year old girl. The gang rape occurred earlier this month. It came to light after the girl told a school counselor. Arrested was Clinton “Bubba” Johnson Sr., 53, and his son Clinton, both of Hudson. Both are in the Angelina County Jail, the dad being held on a $150,000 bond and the son on a $100,000 bond.

PALESTINE – The superintendent of the Palestine School District is moving up to 5-A. He’ll be moving to Bryan. According to a note on the Bryan School District web site, “The Bryan ISD Board of Trustees has named Dr. Thomas Wallis as the sole finalist to replace retiring superintendent Mike Cargill. Dr. Wallis is currently superintendent of Palestine ISD in East Texas, a post he has held since 2008. He was previously principal of Mabank High School.” The Bryan school board’s action came in a Monday afternoon meeting. Following state law, the Bryan school trustees must wait 21 days before formally offering the position to Wallis.

LIBERTY CITY — Three salt water tankers caught fire Monday morning in Liberty City after a lightning strike during severe weather. Fire officials say one tanker was struck by lightning and caught fire at Sabine Disposal on Farm Road 2207. The fire then spread to two other tankers. It happened around 9:00am. The fire was put out by the Kilgore Fire Department.

WINNSBORO — A former Winnsboro band director pleads guilty Friday to sexual assault of a child and to child indecency. Paul Bramlette was indicted back in March of last year on 8 counts of sexual assault. Franklin County Officials say along with having to register as a sex offender and removal of his teaching license, Bramlettte was also sentenced to 30 days in jail with a $3,000 fine and two 10 year probation sentences.