KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — A man wanted for a September 24th armed robbery has turned himself in to authorities. Blake Irving Thomas, 18, Tyler, was wanted in an aggravated robbery reported near UT Tyler. Tyler police were called to 3088 Old Omen Road (Cambridge Apartments) in reference to the robbery of an individual inside an apartment. Officers say two men told them they were robbed at gunpoint by a person they had met on the basketball court at TJC. The victims told police that the suspect had entered their apartment after being let in and pulled out a handgun demanding their cash. The suspect took the cash and fled the area. Thomas resided in the same apartment complex at the time of the incident. He was booked into the Smith County Jail on two counts of aggravated robbery. His bond has been set at $600,000.

CHIRENO – A woman has died when the car she was in was swept off a flooded Nacogdoches County road. The accident happened just before 7:00 Sunday morning on Farm Road 95, south of Chireno. Dead at the scene was Chanda Pipes, 35, of Martinsville. The driver was rescued, clinging to a tree. Their vehicle was washed downstream.

TYLER – The weekend rains caused an early end to the East Texas State Fair. The fair closed around 4:00 Sunday afternoon. It was closed all day Saturday because of the rain.

GRAPELAND – Heavy rains in the Grapeland area have closed a road and caused school to be cancelled. The Texas Department of Transportation reports Farm Road 227 three miles west of Grapeland is closed because the rains caused a culvert to collapse and washed away a part of the road. Because of the flooding, Grapeland school officials cancelled classes for all schools Monday.

LUFKIN – A one vehicle accident in Angelina County over the weekend killed one person. He was a passenger in a pickup that left the road and hit a tree. Dead at the scene was Rickey Torbert, 52, of Lufkin. The driver, Ronald Reed, was uninjured. The accident happened Saturday night on Rivercrest Road.

TYLER — Tyler police are investigating an aggravated assault that sent a person to the hospital. Very early Sunday morning, officers were dispatched to the 600 block of South August Avenue. While en route, officers were notified that an individual had been shot inside his residence and was being transported to a hospital by private vehicle.

As officers reached the scene, they located the victim sitting in a vehicle stopped within the 600 block of South August Avenue. The victim, Dasha Webb, 22, had suffered several gunshot injuries and decided to wait for EMS to arrive on scene. EMS arrived moments later, and the victim was transported to East Texas Medical Center, where he was rushed into surgery.

It is believed the assailants entered the victim’s residence through the front door and fired several rounds, striking the victim. Major Crimes Detectives and CSI Investigators were notified and responded to the scene. Police reported later Sunday morning that the victim was out of surgery and in stable condition in the Intensive Care Unit of ETMC.

Anyone with information about the suspects 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 the suspects in this, or any, felony case.

TYLER – Using the latest social media technology, Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics invited the public to follow the launch of the revolutionary electronic health record (EHR) technology, ConnectCARE, live on Twitter today. Those with a Twitter account were able to follow the system’s public debut at @TMFHC and tune in for a Twittercast that included updates, pictures, and videos. The Twittercast ran from 7 till 10 a.m. TMF officials say TMF’s Twittercast was one of the first in the U.S. to launch an EHR system.

During this wave of the launch, TMF activated ConnectCARE in the Trinity Clinic physician offices, as well as for the processes of scheduling, registering, and billing patients. ConnectCARE will be launched for acute patient care in the TMF hospitals in December. A TMF news release says physicians, IT professionals, and key medical personnel Tweeted the public launch as it was happening. The release says that gave TMF patients the first window into how ConnectCARE will make accessing their records and communicating with their doctor’s office easier, faster, and with less paper.

According to officials, the fundamental feature that ConnectCARE brings is an integrated and unified patient-centered database. Officials say patients will benefit by having online access to much of their clinical information. Officials add that this information will also be available to caregivers at every point of care across the system.

TYLER — Persistent rain has caused numerous power outages in East Texas. At one point Sunday, it was reported around 2,000 people without power in Smith County. By early this morning, the number had fallen to over 100. Crews worked all day to get all the electricity back on. You can go to http://www.oncor.com for more information, including an up-to-date outage map.

BULLARD (Staff/AP) — He’s had some trouble with the law lately, but that didn’t seem to faze folks who turned out to meet and hear Randy Travis Saturday. KETK reports the country star took some time to meet a busload of Texas Wounded Warriors before he went on stage and performed for his evening concert at the KE Bushman Celebration Center in Bullard. Travis has had two alcohol-related arrests this year. But Ronald Nash, co-founder of the Texas Wounded Warrior Foundation, says Travis came out of the goodness of his heart. He says, “As far as I’m concerned he’s a saint, because he loves these guys, and he loves what they do….he’s a true patriot for doing this.”

TYLER — The 97th East Texas State Fair runs through today, wrapping up over a week of food, thrills, music, and fun on the fairgrounds off West Front Street in Tyler. According to KETK, the fair closed Saturday due to inclement weather, but normal activities are planned for today. Tickets are $8.00 for adults and $5.00 for children ages 6 to 12; children five and under are admitted free. You can go to http://www.etstatefair.com for a complete schedule of activities.

DALLAS (AP) – The manager of the state’s electric grid says it’s considering paying a Dallas-based energy company to continue running two coal-fired East Texas power units the firm had recently indicated it would be shutting down. The Dallas Morning News reports the Electric Reliability Council of Texas is studying whether it needs the two units at the Monticello plant to stay on in order to keep power lines running properly. ERCOT will make a decision by the end of October. Energy Future Holdings had said it would idle the units this winter because power prices are too low to turn a profit. The Sierra Club is accusing the energy company of idling the units in order to get the contract from ERCOT, a claim the firm denies.

KILGORE – The East Texas Council of Governments (ETCOG) took home a first place “Hit the Spot” award for its Regional Mobility Guide at this month’s South West Transit Association (SWTA) Spotlight Awards. ETCOG, whose GoBus delivers rural transportation services among 14 East Texas counties, also received a second place award for its Basic Training brochure.

According to a news release, ETCOG’s Regional Mobility Guide provides comprehensive information about all forms of transportation available in the 14-county area, including public transportation, taxi, inter-city bus, and rail. Officials say the Guide was developed to enhance awareness of the mobility options available to East Texas residents. The Basic Training brochure was developed as a travel guide in support of the EasTexConnects event promoting access to the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex for East Texas veterans. ETCOG officials say the brochure, featuring a map and other travel information, is a helpful tool for anyone accessing healthcare or recreational locations in the Dallas area.

“ETCOG and EasTexConnects are committed to providing outstanding informational resources to our East Texas community,” noted ETCOG Director of Transportation John Hedrick. “It’s wonderful when going the extra mile with innovation and design gets recognized by organizations such as SWTA.” Both pieces were designed by Moore & Associates, Inc., a California-based consulting firm specializing in public transportation marketing and planning.

According to the ETCOG news release, SWTA’s Spotlight marketing awards focus on outstanding work for total transit marketing campaigns. “Hit the Spot” awards feature stand-alone marketing pieces in the categories of print, electronic, social media, and event promotion. SWTA’s membership is made up of transit organizations from eight southwestern states, including Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.

TYLER — This year, the Tyler community will come together again to offer a month of activities and workshops to celebrate the flower that put Tyler on the map with the 3rd annual Rose Season. Rose Season spans all of October with a myriad of attractions and activities every weekend. The most notable and historic of these activities is the 79th annual Texas Rose Festival, which takes place October 18-21.

According to press materials, last year was a great year for Rose Season in Tyler, with activities widely attended and applauded throughout the community. That’s why organizers have chosen to keep Rose Season as an annual event and hope to continue to grow the activities and community involvement associated. In 2011, Rose Season brought an estimated economic impact to Tyler of over $2 million, up 10% from 2010. Organizers say Rose Season was created to offer more options for tourists who not only wanted to experience the history of the Texas Rose Festival, but also sample more of what makes Tyler unique.

Tyler celebrates Rose Season with an abundance of activities from family fun to educational and cultural events to horticultural workshops. Besides the Rose Festival, Some activities include wine tastings, a disk golf tournament, concerts, a marathon, a renaissance festival, cooking classes, museum tours, numerous nature activities, self-guided and guided rose garden tours, and much more. Visit http://www.tylerroseseason.com to see an electronic brochure of upcoming activities

Rose Season is supported and facilitated through joint cooperation of the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce, Tyler Area Conventions and Visitors Bureau, and the City of Tyler. For more information about Rose Season please contact Kim Morris at 903-592-1661 x 229. The Texas Rose Festival is organized by a committee of community members working in conjunction with the Texas Rose Festival Association. For more information about the Texas Rose Festival, visit http://www.tylerrosefestival.com or contact Texas Rose Festival Association Executive Director Julie Kidwell at 903-597-3130.

MARSHALL — A Harrison County jury sentenced Colin Rider to 30 years in prison on Thursday after finding him guilty of murdering Carroll Gene Reeves, of Hallsville. Reeves was shot in the back at his own home after Rider claimed self defense in a drug deal gone bad. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, the jury deliberated about an hour before delivering the guilty verdict and another hour after testimony in the punishment phase to deliver the sentence. Harrison County District Attorney Coke Soloman asked members of the jury to send Rider, 31, to prison for life. Rider’s attorney, Rick Hagan, told jurors he respected their decision on the verdict. He asked jurors to give him a sentence that would punish him as well as give him a chance to rehabilitate. Solomon said Rider has proven he doesn’t want rehabilitation.

SMITH COUNTY — The parents of Jacob Kimbley, who was found dead near his home in late August after a long overnight search, have a new court date. David and Sabrina Kimbley were scheduled to be in court on Friday, but a hearing was not needed. Smith County authorities tell KETK a new hearing has been scheduled for October 15th. The Kimbleys are charged with Criminal Negligence and Child Endangerment, after their 2 year old son, Jacob, went missing after an alleged game of hide and seek. His body was found in a near-by septic tank. The Kimbleys’ five other children were removed from their home by CPS.

Earlier, Leo Daniel Harber (pictured), the step-grandfather of Jacob, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Harber, who is a registered sex offender, was arrested during the investigation for his grandson for violation of his probation when guns were found in his house. The 73-year-old was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine.

TYLER — The Tyler Fire Department was called to the scene of a structure fire at 603 East Rosedale during the 7:00 hour Friday morning. According to KETK, crews on the scene say a tree fell on some power lines, causing the meter in the home to spark and catch fire. The fire then spread to a small area in the back of the home. Crews removed the meter and cut power to several surrounding homes until the lines are repaired.

There were seven people inside the home when the fire started, but no one was injured. Firefighters say there was no smoke detector in the home.

KILGORE – A Kilgore man has been arrested after authorities found numerous images of child pornography on his cell phone. Investigators say the images on his cell phone showed children from two to 17 engaging in “sexual acts” with adults and other minors. One of the images is said to show him molesting a two year old child. Taken into custody, as deputies followed up on a Child Protected Services report, was Jesse Dale Smith, 33. Smith has been charged with possession or promotion of child pornography, aggravated sexual assault of a child and two counts of possession of less than 28 grams of a controlled substance. He is being held in the Gregg County Jail under bonds totaling $160,000.

LONGVIEW – Officials at Longview’s Good Shepherd Medical Center have started a national search for a new president and chief executive. The move is needed because the hospital’s board removed Edward D. Banos from the positions. Banos has been president and chief executive at Good Shepherd since July 1, 2008.

Banos told the Longview News-Journal, “There’s a clause in my contract they can use (to terminate without cause), and they used it. Anytime a person gets terminated I think they’re shocked. I’m shocked.”

Something must have changed since Banos was named to the position. When he was named the hospital’s president and chief operating officer in 2008, board chairman Richard Dial said, “We are looking forward to the leadership that Mr. Banos will bring to Good Shepherd. He is a good fit for the organization and brings years of varied health care experience to this position. He has big shoes to fill but we are confident he will lead positive change for the organization.”

TYLER – An assistant professor of biology at The University of Texas at Tyler, Dr. John Placyk, has been awarded nearly $25,000 from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to help in the Texas Gartersnake conservation efforts. With the award, Placyk will collaborate with the department to provide natural history, distribution, taxonomy and population biology data for the species, which has been recently listed as imperiled. Serving UT Tyler since 2007, Placyk holds a master of science in biology from Northern Michigan University and a Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Tennessee.

GRAND SALINE — A Van Zandt County teenager has been missing for more than a week. Authorities with the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office and the Grand Saline Police Department have been looking for Charity Pulley, 17, since September 18th. Pulley is a sophomore at Grand Saline High School.

The girl’s father, Jewelus Pulley, is a pastor at the Grand Saline Central Pentecostal Church. He tells KETK family members noticed Charity was missing early in the morning, and noticed that the screws had been removed from her window and the screen. Mr. Pulley says that it is not normal for his daughter to run away, and that she seemed fine the evening before her disappearance. He says she had been texting a boy, and may have sneaked out for a date with him, but if so, he never brought her back.

Pulley also says that Charity’s glasses, contacts, wallet, and house key were left behind. The teenager is legally blind in one eye, so Mr. Pulley says it would be highly unlikely she would leave all this behind. Charity Pulley is 4’11″, and about 115 lbs. She was last seen at 9:30pm on September 18th.

TYLER — The City of Tyler had to repair two water main breaks yesterday. Both were unrelated. According to a statement from the city, one was at the 2400 block of Old Bullard Road and the second is near the 700 block of South Broadway. The break on Broadway was an 8” main. The break on Old Bullard is a 6” main.

Officials say there are customers who are without water at this time. The statement says under Ch. 19-36, the city notifies customers if there will be an outage due to scheduled maintenance. Because these are both breakages and not planned maintenance, customers were not notified, according to officials. Service was restored last night.

Tyler police had to divert northbound traffic in the 600 block of South Broadway due to the water main break in that area. Traffic was diverted onto Rowland Place, which brought drivers back onto South Broadway past the problem area.

LONGVIEW — Members of the Longview Animal Shelter Task Force have voted to build a new facility, and agreed it should be exclusive to the residents of Gregg County and its municipalities. The task force was formed to address the city’s burgeoning population of abandoned and stray animals. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, recommendations must be approved by the City Council. Residents living in cities with boundaries in multiple counties will be able to utilize the new shelter. Left without shelter service in the new arrangement would be Upshur County, Gilmer, Ore City, Hallsville, Tatum, and parts of Lake Cherokee in Rusk County, all of which have used the existing shelter’s services.

The city is facing a two-year deadline for when the Northeast Texas Humane Society shelter says it will stop accepting animals from the entities it contracts with, including Longview and Gregg County. At Wednesday’s meeting, Jearl Morris, a Humane Society board member, said the shelter would possibly be willing to continue taking animals past the two-year deadline, as long as a new shelter building is under construction.

CHANDLER — Officials have released the names of three people who were injured, two critically, in a major wreck on Farm Road 317 near Chandler on Monday. They are Nataska Cumby, 24, Stephanie Wilson, 35, and Johnny Parker, 32, according to the Henderson County Department of Public Safety. According to KETK, authorities say Parker was driving his truck west on FM 317 when a Mustang driven east by Wilson moved into the westbound lane and hit the pickup head-on. The Mustang then spun around and hit a Grand Prix driven by Cumby. Cumby was taken to a nearby hospital, treated, and released. Wilson is in the hospital, but is expected to be released soon; Parker has undergone at least one surgery, but is expected to recover.

AUSTIN — The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has added Jimmy Ray McMillan, 41, to the Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offender list, and a $3,000 cash reward is now offered for information leading to his capture. McMillan is wanted for Failure to Comply with Sex Offender Registration. Texas Crime Stoppers tips are guaranteed to be anonymous.

McMillan has relatives and friends living in Dallas, and has been known to work in construction and carnival jobs. His criminal history includes Sexual Assault of a 9-year-old girl, Burglary, Evading Arrest/Detention and DWI. McMillan is 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs 155 pounds. His tattoos include “TEX” on his right arm and “J+V” on his left arm.

In June 2011, MCMILLAN made arrangements, as a registered sex offender, to relocate from Nacogdoches to Fort Worth, but did not complete the move. On March 28, the Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office listed McMillan as having absconded and issued a warrant for his arrest for Failure to Comply with Sex Offender Registration. McMillan has had previous employment in construction and roofing jobs and with carnivals. Officials said he should be considered armed and dangerous.

TYLER — Tyler Police said they are adding patrol units around the campus of UT Tyler after a series of violent events over the past week. According to KETK, on Sunday, Tarrington Joiner was hospitalized after being shot in the chest at the intersection of Patriot and University. On Tuesday, one man was shot in the head while another was shot in the leg at Cambridge Apartments. On Tuesday night, about a dozen people were involved in a fight at Varsity Place Apartments. And now Tyler police are seeking a suspect in an aggravated robbery at Cambridge Apartments, which you can more about elsewhere on this web page.

Although these incidents happened off campus, there are still some safety concerns from UT Tyler students. Tyler Police says they are beefing up patrols. Doyle Lynch from the Tyler Police Department said, “We’re asking that not only the other law enforcement agencies we work with and the management but also the people that live out there that if they see people who do not belong out there or that they know are causing some of the problems out there that they notify us.”

In a statement, campus officials said UT Tyler does have a system in place to alert students. They said they have installed nineteen emergency phones on campus.

UPSHUR COUNTY — Authorities arrest an aggravated robbery suspect. Upshur County Investigators were called to Catfish Village, Highway 155 North, around 3:00 Tuesday afternoon after a reported robbery. According to KETK, the store manager told authorities that the suspect entered the store demanding money and displayed a weapon. Officials obtained a description of the suspect and vehicle and later located him at a residence on Wild Onion Road in Ore City. Nathan Eric Richardson, 28, was charged with aggravated robbery and two counts of felony in possession of a firearm. Bond was set at $95,000. He remains in the Upshur County Jail.

TYLER — The look of the City of Tyler is getting ready for a change. A City Council meeting was held Tuesday at the City Hall in Tyler to review a Midtown Area Development Plan. The plan will give the medical district, the Tyler Junior College area and residential areas a new look. The surrounding areas of Trinity Mother Francis Hospital and ETMC make up the medical district hub. At the City Council meeting, City Planner Heather Nick, proposed a draft of the Mid-Town Area Development Plan to the Tyler City Council. The plan will focus on improving signage, land use, esthetics, light and street poles in a targeted area of Front Street, Broadway Avenue, Fifth Street and East Loop 323. One recommendation, renaming South Beckham to Medical Parkway.

LONGVIEW — Police arrested a suspect at a south Longview apartment complex after a report of an armed man. That report comes from KETK and the Longview News-Journal. The suspect is identified as Bendrick Jerod Jones, 26, of Longview. Police say a Signal Hill Apartments resident saw a man drive into the complex in a truck and begin wiping the truck. According to reports, the resident did not recognize the man and went to talk to him and saw he had a gun. The resident called police. When officers arrived, the suspect reportedly ran into the woods carrying a bag. Police arrested him a short time later at a nearby apartment complex.

Police contacted the owner of the truck, who said it was stolen. The owner said he had a pistol in the vehicle. Police were unable to find the gun. Jones is facing a variety of charges, including felony theft of property and evading arrest.

TYLER – A Houston man has appeared in Tyler federal court to plead guilty to in connection with a multi-state health care fraud scheme. Sunday Adebisi, 59, appeared yesterday before United States Magistrate Judge Judith K. Guthrie. A sentencing date has not been set. Adebisi faces up to 5 years in prison in addition to court ordered restitution and criminal forfeiture.

On August 1, 2012, a federal grand jury returned a sixteen count indictment charging Adebisi, the owner of a Maryland medical supply company, with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

According to the indictment, from January 2007 through September 2009, Adebisi and others carried out a scheme to defraud Medicare through the marketing of power wheelchairs and accessories, as well as “ortho kits,” which primarily consisted of a bag of orthotic items, including braces, wraps, and supports, and a heat lamp or heat pad. As part of the scheme, the defendant and his co-conspirators illegally obtained protected health information, including names, dates of birth, and Medicare numbers from elderly individuals. Adebisi supplied beneficiaries with kits and power wheelchairs which were not prescribed or otherwise authorized by a physician and which were not wanted by the beneficiaries. Claims were submitted by the defendant for approximately 480 beneficiaries located in Texas, Louisiana, and elsewhere. Adebisi submitted false and fraudulent claims to Medicare of more than $2.4 million and obtained more than $855,000.

CHEROKEE COUNTY — Due to conditions which have occurred recently in the water system, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has required Craft-Turney Water Supply to notify all the customers involved in the repair area to boil their water prior to consumption. That’s according to KETK. From the intersection of Farm Road 768 and County Road 1405, the notice runs east on FM 768 for 1 1/4 miles, and includes all of CR 1405.

To ensure destruction of all harmful bacteria and other microbes, water for drinking, cooking, and ice making should be boiled and cooled prior to consumption. The water should be brought to a vigorous rolling boil and then boiled for two minutes. In lieu of boiling, you may purchase bottled water or obtain water from some other suitable source. When it is no longer necessary to boil the water, water system officials will notify you. If you have questions regarding this matter you may contact Rhonda Briggs, Manager, at 903-586-9301.