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PALESTINE – A man was arrested for arson in Palestine after he reportedly set a garage on fire and assaulted one of the residents on Sunday night according to our news partners at KETK. Police officers were dispatched to the 100 block of Brierwood Drive for a residential fire. At the scene, the officer made contact with a resident who “witnessed one of the residents pour gasoline on the garage door and then light the surface on fire.” Officials said the resident also reported he was assaulted by the person who lit the fire, who reportedly placed his hands around his throat Larry Rhone, 46 of Palestine, was found at the scene and placed under arrested after the initial investigation and officers at the scene reported to observe Rhone had a strong odor of gasoline on his clothes. Rhone was booked into the Anderson County Jail for arson intend to damage habitation and assault of a family/house member to impede breath. His bond was set at a combined $210,000.

SMITH COUNTY – There are only two Smith County roads that area closed Monday, June 3, after being washed out from the recent storms. County Road 381, which runs southeast of U.S. Highway 271, is closed just south of the railroad crossing because of a wash out. Smith County Engineer Frank Davis says it would take about three weeks, depending on the weather, to replace the culvert.

County Road 498 also remains closed so Road and Bridge crews can replace two culverts. The project was already scheduled for later this summer, but recent rains have undermined the structures, requiring an emergency replacement. Davis said the section of CR 498 that is closed is 0.65 miles east of CR 431. He also expects the project to take about three weeks, depending on the weather.

Smith County recently launched an interactive map that lists all of Smith County road closures. You see them by clicking this.

WHITEHOUSE — A Whitehouse man was sentenced to 55 years in prison on Friday after pleading guilty to stabbing his mother to death in October 2021. According to our news partner KETK, at around 5:15 p.m. the Smith County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call of a woman being stabbed by her son in a neighborhood south of Whitehouse off Highway 110. Before deputies arrived to the scene, dispatch received a second call from the victim and reportedly told officials her son had stabbed her and had stolen her Honda CRV. When deputies arrived, they took her to a local hospital where 60-year-old Bernice Slabaugh, later died from her injuries. Officers with the Tyler Police Department located the car on Golden Road and pulled it over. The driver was detained and later identified as Carson Aaron Epifano, 26 of Whitehouse, and the son of the victim.

TYLER, Texas (KETK) – With severe weather moving through the area and into East Texas, about about 14,086 customers are without power as of 5:15 p.m. on Saturday. At it’s peak on Tuesday, more than 150,000 customers were without power in the local area.

Our news partner KETK has compiled a list of counties with power outages from ONCOR and SWEPCO’s power outage maps, as well as several electric co-ops. You can view that list here.

HENDERSON COUNTY – According to our news partner KETK, a 25-year-old man was charged with possession of child pornography on Thursday in Henderson County. The arrest affidavit indicated he used Snapchat to solicit images of minors by stating to be a part of a “modeling agency.” According to records, a Snapchat user later identified as Aaron Alvarado, 25 of Gun Barrel City, solicited children online for nude images by starting each chat with the following message:

“Hello, my name is Taylor Davis, I work for a technology based modeling agency called Models&Dancers. Looking for anyone interested in modeling, we pay are models about $7,500-$12,750 a week, if your truly interested or have questions, please message me back.” Continue reading Gun Barrel City man solicited child porn on Snapchat

TYLER – Former president Donald Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts by a jury in his hush money case and politicians from across Texas are reacting to this historic conviction. According to our news partner KETK, Rep. Nathaniel Moran, a Republican who represents Tyler in the House of Representatives, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to give his thoughts on the verdict: “Today in NY, we saw a politically motivated travesty of justice and a mockery of the American legal system. This verdict must not stand,” Moran said.

State Sen. Bryan Hughes, a Republican Texas State Senator who represents Mineola, shared a black and white image of Trump and the following message on X: “The democrats set a dangerous precedent today: If you can’t win at the ballot box, then try and put your opponent in jail. This is not the American way. It is a horrible abuse of the justice system. The real verdict will be delivered by the American people in November. #trumpverdict #txlege,” Hughes said.
Continue reading Texas politicians react to Trump’s guilty verdict

SMTIH COUNTY – The Smith County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a runaway teenage girl. They are looking for 15-year-old Anslie Dawn Lair of Lindale. Her mother told deputies Tuesday that Anslie had ran away from home. Anslie had reportedly run into a wooded area at Darden Park in Lindale. Smith County Sheriff’s Deputies searched the area and were not able locate her.

Anslie is described as a white female, 5’03”, 120, brown hair, possibly a ponytail, blue eyes, and wearing prescription glasses. She was last seen wearing a green hoodie, black shorts, white Nike shoes with red markings, and carrying a black backpack.

If you have any information on Anslie Lair’s location, please call the Smith County Sheriff’s Office at (903) 566-6600.

TYLER – A pedestrian was reportedly hit and killed by a pickup truck near a Dollar General on Highway 31 west of Tyler on Wednesday, the Department of Public Safety confirmed. According to our news partner KETK, Vanessa Hill, 61, was crossing Highway 31 heading north at around 2:30 p.m. when the truck, which was heading east, hit the pedestrian. The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene and DPS said they will release their identity once their family has been notified.

MARSHALL – The Marshall Police Department is asking for help in locating a woman after her 4-year-old child was found alone near a park in Marshall.According to our news partner KETK, Labrittani Grant is wanted by authorities on a felony warrant for endangering a child. MPD said this is in connection to an incident in April when a resident spotted Grant’s child alone near City Park that evening .

Initially, Marshall Police and Child Protective Services were unable to locate a parent or guardian. However, through Facebook, they were able to locate family members for the child.

Marshall PD is asking for help in locating Labrittani Grant. If you have information your asked to contact the Marshall Police Department at 903-935-4575.

GREGG COUNTY – A Longview man pleaded guilty to tampering with or fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair a human corpse on Tuesday and a related murder charge was dismissed. According to our news partner KETK, Adam Nguyen, 24, was charged for his part in the death of 21-year-old Brantravious Williams in 2021. Officials responded to reports of gunfire at Williams’ Second Street home at around 11:17 a.m. Police found Williams dead in the home. Nguyen was at the time charged with murder, tampering, unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of marijuana. Three years after his arrest, Nguyen pleaded guilty to tampering and the other charges were dismissed. Nguyen will be sentenced on June 10.

LUFKIN — Lufkin Police arrested Robert Harris, 47, of Center, following a bank robbery and chase. Harris was taken into custody around 1:45 p.m. Wednesday on U.S. 69 south. According to Lufkin Police, the incident began at 1:10 p.m. when Harris entered Cadence Bank on Brentwood Drive and handed a teller a note demanding money. After receiving an undisclosed amount of cash, he fled on foot across Whitehouse Drive to the Belk Department Store parking lot, where he left in an older-model green Toyota Tacoma, according to a witness.

About 20 minutes later, officers spotted Harris’s vehicle on Casey Road and initiated a pursuit which continued through the Fuller Springs area and onto U.S. 69 South. The pursuit, reaching speeds up to 70 mph, ended near Garrison Drive after a Lufkin Police officer performed a PIT maneuver, stopping Harris’s vehicle. Continue reading Suspected bank robber arrested

UPSHUR COUNTY — The Upshur County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in locating a missing 64 year-old-woman. According to our news partner KETK, the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office is seeking information regarding Donna Leah Johnson, 64, who is missing. Officials provided pictures of Donna and her vehicle, a red Kia SUV. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Johnson is asked to contact the investigator at 903-680-8255.