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LUFKIN — Lufkin Police Department on Tuesday released the name of the man who died Monday at a Brookshire Brothers warehouse. Clayton Johnson, 44, died when a loading dock ramp fell on his chest, according to LPD spokesman Det. JB Smith. Memorial Medical Center – Lufkin marketing director Yana Ogletree said Johnson was transported to the hospital, where he died shortly after noon from blunt force trauma.

Johnson served as a maintenance employee at the warehouse behind the corporate offices on Ellen Trout Drive. The police department determined Johnson’s death was a work-related accident and will not continue any kind of criminal investigation. Brookshire Brothers business development director Emily Watts said this is the company’s first fatality in more than two decades, and the first time she can recall of one happening on the premises of the company. An 18-wheeler accident more than 20 years ago marked the last casualty the company experienced. Watts said Johnson had been with the company for about four years.

LONGVIEW — Opening arguments kicked off the trial of an East Texas man accused of murder. Toronto Lockridge, 34, is on trial for the September murder of Kelvin Muckleroy, 33. Muckleroy’s body was found inside the torched remains of his Chappell Street home in September of 2009. Investigators determined he was shot before the house was torched. Lockridge remains in the Gregg County Jail, held since December 7 on $150,000 bond for threatening a witness in Muckleroy’s homicide. If convicted, Lockridge could face between 5 and 99 years or life in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.

TYLER — Tyler Police say two suspects are now in custody after reportedly stealing copper wiring. It happened around 12:55 Wednesday morning at Gander Mountain. An officer in the area noticed a suspicious vehicle pull around the back of the store. A male and female had tools and a large amount of copper pipe. Authorities say the copper was cut from the roof of the store. The suspects, Jordan Kyle Wilson, 23, and Karrie Gomez, 34, both from the Dallas area, were booked into the Smith County Jail.

SMITH COUNTY — At least one person is sent to the hospital Tuesday night after getting hit by a vehicle. The accident took place on the 3300 block of north northeast Loop 323 near highway 271 in Tyler a little after 8:30. Tyler Department of Public Safety is investigating.

MARSHALL — A man whose body was found in a ditch along Interstate Highway 20 in Marshall has been identified, and a suspect has been arrested in the case. Marshall authorities say the victim is Charles Steven Ledbetter Jr., 31, of Jefferson. He had died from several stab wounds. During their investigation, Marshall police obtained a warrant for David Wayne Brown, 54, who is pictured here. He was later arrested.

MARSHALL — A second Harrison County student has been diagnosed with H1N1 flu. Ashley Craver, five-year-old Washington Early Childhood Center student, is said to be in critical condition at Sutton Children’s Hospital in Shreveport. She has been in the hospital since February 24th when she was diagnosed with the disease.

Earlier last month a 13 year old boy died from the disease. Trenton Lindsey of Elysian Fields was rushed to a Marshall medical facility Valentine’s Day after his temperature spiked to almost 103 degrees. He was then transferred to a Shreveport hospital, where doctors diagnosed him with having H1N1. Despite using new experimental treatment, they couldn’t save him.

LONGVIEW — An expanded playground in Longview offers new recreational opportunities for children of all ability levels. Located at Spring Hill Park, the Neal McCoy Playground has been transformed into a universally accessible play area with wheelchair access throughout the structure. The expansion more than doubled the size of the playground, including the addition of new play equipment and new solid-surface flooring. The project was made possible by more than $350,000 in contributions from Longview AMBUCS Too. Also, the City of Longview is in the process of adding a bathroom at the playground.

The official ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony for the AMBUCS Too Universal Park Extension of the Neal McCoy Playground was be held Wednesday morning at Spring Hill Park, 738 Fenton Rd.

According to Director of Community Services Laura Hill, “We are thrilled to be able to offer this resource to the Longview community. This project simply wouldn’t have happened without the fundraising and guidance provided by Longview AMBUCS Too. They saw an opportunity to provide this incredible playground, and then they did everything necessary to make it happen.”

TYLER — Tyler Police are seeking a suspect after officers were called to Birdwell Elementary School, 2010 Talley Street, just after 1:30 Tuesday on a report of a gun being pointed at a fifth-grade student. The incident occurred around 7:30 that morning in the 1900 block of Talley as the student was walking to school. Police say while the student was walking south on Talley from Fifth Street, an older model white van with windows down the length of the vehicle and a scratch on the driver’s door pulled alongside the student. The driver, described as a Hispanic male with a black mustache wearing a black shirt, pointed a black semi-automatic handgun at the student. The student ran into the school, and no injuries were reported.

The incident was reported to school officials by the student Tuesday afternoon. Anyone with information about the suspect involved in this crime is urged to contact the Tyler Police Department, at 903-531-1000, or Crimestoppers, at 903-597-CUFF (903-597-2833). Crimestoppers will pay up to $1,000 for information that leads to the arrest and charges filed against suspects in this or any felony case.

TYLER – A 54-year-old Palestine woman has been sentenced to federal prison for bank larceny. Betty Smith pleaded guilty on July 12, 2010, to information charging her with bank larceny and was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison Tuesday in Tyler by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Schneider. Smith was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $126,664.72. According to information presented in court, from 1991 to 2009, Smith abused her position as assistant branch manager at Capital One Bank in Palestine to steal approximately $165,000.00.

LONGVIEW — The City of Longview Environmental Health Division is encouraging restaurants to ignore fraudulent phone calls from individuals claiming to be restaurant inspectors. Several local retail food establishments claim that they received telephone calls from individuals representing themselves as state inspectors. The caller attempts to schedule food inspections and asks the restaurant to provide the caller with a “code” received from an automated telephone system. The fraudulent caller then provides food establishment operators with a telephone number to call the Texas Department of State Health Services. Restaurants are encouraged to disregard these fraudulent phone calls.

The City of Longview Environmental Health Division is responsible for conducting all inspections for retail food establishments in the City of Longview. The Environmental Health Division does not schedule routine retail food inspections by appointment. In Longview, retail food establishment inspections are conducted randomly without prior notification provided to the food establishment. As a reminder to residents, you can go to http://www.LongviewTexas.gov to view the most recent restaurant inspection scores. For additional information about restaurant inspections, you can call the Environmental Health Division at 903-237-1285.

QUITMAN — The Wood County Sheriff’s Department is continuing to investigate the death of an elderly man, which is now termed a capital murder case. On Friday, the sheriff’s department received a 911 call in reference to a body that had been found. When they arrived at 2460 West Farm-to-Market Road 852, they found the body of Don Randoll Askew, 81, of Winnsboro. The sheriff’s department, assisted by the Texas Rangers began investigating the scene. Wood County authorities say they do have some leads in the case, they’ve sent off DNA evidence for lab testing, and they are looking for a person of interest. Askew’s body was delivered to the Southwest Institute of Forensic Science for autopsy. Authorities say no further information will be released until the autopsy results are released.

LONGVIEW — A former 911 communications administrator, charged with the death of his Longview police officer wife, has been indicted on a murder charge. Harry Goodan, 40, was indicted Thursday. He has been out of jail since Jan. 25 on $75,000 bond. Gregg County officials said the reason Goodan wasn’t indicted sooner was because Longview police had yet to close the books on the investigation of their fallen officer. Ellyn Goodan died after being shot in the head, reports show.

Goodan said he killed his wife during a fight Dec. 11 at their Towne Oaks apartment, according to arrest reports. Goodan originally was held on $500,000 bond; however, District Judge David Brabham ruled the bond was excessive and lowered it to $75,000 after Goodan’s father-in-law, Jimmy Rice, and Goodan’s ex-wife, Jonna Goodan, testified on his behalf at a January court hearing.

He was released from Gregg County Jail on Jan. 25 after spending more than a month in jail for the shooting death of his wife.

Under the stipulations of his lowered bond, Goodan is barred from possessing a gun, alcohol or illegal drugs; must remain home between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. daily; he must wear a monitoring device at all times; and he must report weekly to authorities. Goodan’s trial date has yet to be set in the 124th District Court. Goodan also has a pending civil case for “parent child relationship” in the interest of his and Ellyn Goodan’s son, Nicholas Goodan.

LUFKIN – A warehouse accident has killed an employee of Brookshire Brothers. It happened just before noon Monday at the warehouse behind their corporate office on Ellen Trout Drive in Lufkin. According to a news release from the company, the employee was doing maintenance work when the accident occurred. The company did not release details of the accident or the employee’s name.

MURCHISON — Authorities identify two people involved in a fiery fatal accident in Murchison. The driver of an SUV was killed Monday morning after colliding with a semi on Highway 31. Both vehicles were fully engulfed in flames when state troopers arrived on scene around 2:45 a.m. The driver of the SUV was identified as Eugene Thames, 24, of Bastrop. DPS officials say he lost control of the vehicle, slid across lanes of traffic directly into the path of the oncoming 18-wheeler, and died on impact. The driver of the semi, Anthony Galetka, 45, of Ennis, was not injured.

CANTON — The Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office will br participating in the annual statewide Texas warrant round-up, starting Saturday, March 5th. County authorities are urging people with warrants to take care of them, so officers don’t have to go and hunt them down. The Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office will use its on-duty personnel and Reserve force to complete the task. Class C misdemeanor warrants and traffic-related warrants can be taken care of through the justice of the peace offices by just paying the fine amounts and having them dismissed. If you are unsure if you currently have a warrant from the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office or DPS, call 903-567-4133.