KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER – The University of Texas at Tyler’s latest poll shows a stark divide between Texans when it comes to the governor’s handling of the Texas-Mexico border.  Our news partners at KETK reports that when asked if they approve or disapprove of how Gov. Greg Abbott is handling immigration at the Texas-Mexico border, 47% of respondents said they approve and another 47% said they disapprove. 6% answered that they neither approve nor disapprove. Biden’s border policies seem less polarizing than Abbott’s, with only 27% of respondents saying they approve of how Biden is handling the border, and 65% saying they disapprove.
Continue reading UT Tyler poll: The border, guns and inflation highlighted

From our news partner KETK.Traffic is backed up about five miles eastbound on I-20 due to a fire to an 18-wheeler.The backup is from the 545 eastbound mile marker and extends back to the 540 mile marker. Currently one lane is open as clean up crews are at the accident site.

OVERTON — A substitute teacher at Overton ISD said she was watching over the in-school suspension students on Tuesday when she said the unthinkable happened on a trip out of the classroom. “I look over and the other student was directly behind the resource officer,” said Candy Russell, substitute teacher and parent at Overton ISD. According to our news partner KETK, Russel claims at that moment the 11-year-old reached for the school police officer’s gun. Without thinking, she said she yelled his name and ran towards him. Immediately, she said a report was made to the administration. “I said, ‘I need you to go in the office and rewind the video a minute or two and see what just happened.’ I couldn’t even spit the words out of my mouth,” said Russell. Continue reading Overton substitute teacher says 5th grader reached for school officer’s gun

TYLER — Tyler Police are searching for two suspects believed to be involved in a shooting Monday. Officers responding to a shots fired report at an apartment complex on north Broadway Ave. found that several vehicles and at least one apartment had been hit. A potential suspect, Kerick Johnson, 18, was taken to the hospital with a gunshot wound to his torso. He was treated and released. Detectives later determined that Johnson, along with Marqus Gray, 21, were the shooters. Arrests warrants have been issued for the two. Johnson and Gray  are wanted on charges including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, with a $400,000 bond, and deadly conduct, with a $100,000 bond. Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to contact Tyler Police at 903-531-1000 or Tyler-Smith County Crime Stoppers at 903-597-2833.

TYLER – A Chandler man is dead after a hit-and-run crash with a truck as he was riding his motorcycle. According to our news partner KETK, on Tuesday, around 3:45 p.m., Tyler Police responded to a traffic crash involving a pickup truck and a motorcycle on Highway 31 W and Patton Lane. Charles Main, 55, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the truck, later identified as Jeremy Cisneros, 20, reportedly drove away from the scene. Cisneros was located by officials and was interviewed and released. Detectives obtained a warrant on Cisneros for accident causing serious bodily injury or death, with a $75,000 bond. He turned himself in and was booked into the Smith County Jail.

 

TYLER – Authorities will be out in full swing this Memorial Day weekend. According to our news partner KETK, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC), the Texas Department of Public Safety and Tyler Police Department have announced that they are ramping up public safety efforts for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. The TABC said in a release that they will be conducting operations throughout the state during Memorial Day weekend that include open and undercover inspections to deter violence and over service of alcoholic beverages and “will also include underage compliance operations (UCOs) to identify businesses selling alcohol to persons under 21.” The release also stated that businesses caught violating the state’s alcohol laws could face a fine or temporary suspension of their license to sell alcohol. Continue reading Law enforcement ramping up patrols for Memorial Day weekend

TYLER – Keep Tyler Beautiful received a Gold Star Affiliate Award from Keep Texas Beautiful for the 17th year. According to our news partner KETK, that award along with their Sustained Excellence award, highlights their efforts on beautification, litter reduction, maintaining public and private partnerships and educating the community. Out of 300 affiliates, 82 were honored with a Gold Star status. “Our affiliates are the backbone of our organization,” said Suzanne Kho, Executive Director of Keep Texas Beautiful. “We are proud to honor those going above and beyond to keep their communities clean and beautiful. Our Gold Star Affiliates are educating and engaging community members, actively recruiting and managing volunteers, hosting cleanup and beautification events throughout their community, and so much more.” Keep Tyler Beautiful attributed their success to support from city leaders and dedication of board members and volunteers.

TYLER — Tyler police are investigating an early morning shooting that left one man dead and one man injured. Officers responded to West Oakwood following a report of a shooting around 12:30 Wednesday morning. Officers located a white sedan, and found a man, later identified as Kenneth Ray Dorsey, 34, Tyler, dead from a gunshot wound. A second man was found inside the vehicle with a gunshot wound, but was said to be awake and alert. He indicated that the suspects, who were unknown to them, shot at them from another vehicle and left the area. The unnamed victim was taken to a local hospital and is reportedly in critical condition. Contact Tyler Police 903-531-1000 or Tyler-Smith County Crime Stoppers at 903-597-2833 with any information.

SMITH COUNTY — A Whitehouse woman was sentenced to six years of probation with 600 hours of community service after being found guilty by a jury of felony bodily injury to a child. According to our news partner KETK, Cheryl Layne, 46, and her husband Mark Layne, were initially arrested on multiple child abuse charges in 2019 after two of their children told a school resource officer they had been abused. According to arrest documents, the children told authorities one of them had his head slammed against a wall by Cheryl who then hit the other boy with an archery arrow on his back. Continue reading Whitehouse woman sentenced to probation following child abuse conviction

TYLER — With the school year coming to a close for Chapel Hill ISD, before they head out for summer break, seven teachers were surprised with grants for next year’s innovative projects. Our news partner KETK reports that the Chapel Hill ISD Education Foundation gave out nearly $9,000 in grants Thursday. The money is going to teachers throughout the district. Continue reading Chapel Hill ISD teachers receive surprise grants

SMITH COUNTY – Investigators are on the scene of an aggravated assault involving a gunshot in Smith County as of 8:35 p.m., according to Smith County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Larry Christian and our news partner KETK. Officials responded to a call on Red Bird Lane regarding an aggravated assault dispute between two adults. During their dispute, Christian said that someone in a pickup truck drove by and fired shots at the residence. This case is still under investigation.

MINEOLA – A three-part docuseries released on HBO Max on Tuesday is taking a look at a swingers club sex scandal that made headlines in Mineola in 2005. According to our news partner KETK, the documentary details the accusations, following trials and the aftermath the case left on the East Texas community. Six people were sentenced to life in prison after the children, who were under 7-years-old at the time, and others told a jury that they were made to attend a “kindergarten” where they learned to dance provocatively and were forced to perform at an alleged swingers club. Two of the men convicted in the scandal had their convictions overturned by a Texas appeals court, and the accusations became highly scrutinized over the years due to a lack of evidence beyond the children’s testimonies of what happened. Continue reading Docuseries on 2005 Mineola swingers club sex scandal debuts on HBO Max

TYLER – Two people were hospitalized after a crash on Sunnybrook Drive in Tyler on Tuesday morning. According to Tyler Police Public Information Officer Andy Erbaugh, an SUV and a pickup truck were racing from Sunnybrook going north. A jeep that pulled out onto Sunnybrook was hit by the pickup, causing it to spin across the median into the southbound lanes, Erbaugh said. The single occupants of the Jeep and pickup were each taken to a Tyler hospital. The case is still being investigated.

MARSHALL — An East Texas jail is coping with drug-laced mail coming to inmates. Some officers at the Harrison County Jail in Marshall have reportedly been overcome from their skin coming in contact with Fentanyl on the envelopes. Jail Administrator John Hain says inmates would tear the mail into strips to share them with other inmates. The Harrison County Jail started scanning the mail and providing it to inmates electronically. Now, the county has hired the phone service for jail inmates, City Tele Coin of Bossier City, Louisiana, to scan the mail, taking that risk away from sheriff’s personnel. Hain says other counties, including Tarrant and Denton Counties, have started similar systems.

ANDERSON COUNTY – A man was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after officials say he was trying to run over his father with his truck. Our news partner KETK reports that on May 15, Anderson County officials responded to a family disturbance call on FM 2054. A witness reported Rance Graham, 65, was using his truck to chase his father Billy Graham, 92, in an attempt to run him over.

Billy told police that Rance was trying to run him over and he had to run away to avoid getting injured. Rance was arrested and booked into the Anderson County Jail for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon/family violence.