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TYLER – A 61-year-old Smith County man, formerly of Arkansas, has been sentenced to federal prison for bank robbery in the Eastern District of Texas. Eddie Ray Myers pleaded guilty on Sep. 7, 2010, to bank robbery and was sentenced Thursday in Tyler to 46 months in federal prison. Myers was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,630.00. According to information presented in court, on July 14, 2010, Myers entered the lobby of the BBVA Compass Bank on South Broadway in Tyler and handed the teller a note stating, “No alarms – no dye packs, All the money in the sack I have a gun.” Myers was indicted by a federal grand jury on Aug. 4, 2010, and charged with bank robbery.

TYLER — Tyler Police, Fire and EMS had their hands full when they responded to the 1000 block of West Gentry around 1:20 p.m. Thursday on a roll-over crash involving two vehicles. Megan Butler, age 18, of Marshall, was driving a 2002 Ford Explorer that was also occupied by her mother, Kelly Butler, age 39. Megan Butler had just turned west onto W. Gentry from N. Grand when she was struck in the passenger side by a 2000 Buick Century driven by Jimmie Pierce, age 70, of Athens. Pierce had pulled out from a private drive heading east when he struck Butler’s vehicle in the westbound traffic lanes.

Megan Butler suffered minor injuries, and her mother was transported to East Texas Medical Center for non- life threatening injuries after being extracted out of the windshield by Tyler firefighters. Pierce was not injured from the crash and was cited for failing to yield the right of way from a private drive. Megan Butler was issued a citation for no insurance.

LONGVIEW — Longview Police are still looking for a suspect in a November 24th aggravated assault. The assault took place on Sidney Street in Longview. Witnesses say 30-year-old Daniel Bradley fired several shots at his ex-girlfriend and her children. Nineteen year-old Alonzo Edwards was twice shot in the left arm and taken to a local hospital with non life-threatening injuries. Police continue to look for Bradley in connection with this shooting. They say Daniel Bradley should be considered armed and dangerous.

Bradley’s last known address was 808 Edith Street in Longview. He is approximately 5’7″, weighs 170 pounds and has black hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information concerning the whereabouts of Daniel Sharome Bradley should contact Gregg County Crime Stoppers at http://www.greggcountycrimestoppers.com or 903-236-STOP. A reward of up to $1000.00 may be paid for information leading to Bradley’s arrest.

LONGVIEW — Longview Police are asking for anyone with information on the suspect vehicle that struck and killed Tracey Turk to call the police department. Ms. Turk was struck and killed on November, 14, 2010, by an unknown driver of a light colored Mercury Grand Marquis, possibly a 1992-1993 model. The vehicle probably has damage to the front, right headlight area. If anyone has any information regarding someone trying to buy parts for the front of this type of vehicle they are also encouraged to call the police.

Anyone with information concerning the whereabouts of the vehicle or its driver should contact Gregg County Crime Stoppers at http://www.greggcountycrimestoppers.com or 903-236-STOP. A reward of up to $1000.00 may be paid for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for this crime.

TYLER (Staff/AP) – It’s been a busy week in Tyler federal court for cases involving methamphetamine and pseudoephedrine. In just one case. two Beckville men have been sentenced to federal prison. Randy Jess Coleman, 29, pleaded guilty on June 16, 2010, to possession of pseudoephedrine with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine and was sentenced Wednesday to 57 months in federal prison Wedesday. Jerry Lee Nations, 43, pleaded guilty on June 2, 2010, to the same charge and was sentenced Wednesday to 69 months behind bars.

According to information presented in court, on Dec. 27, 2008, Coleman purchased cold pills containing pseudoephedrine at a Wal-Mart in Longview, and five other times that same day at other stores in the area. On Feb. 24, 2009, Nations purchased cold pills containing pseudoephedrine at a Wal-Mart and CVS in Marshall, Texas. These purchases were all made in furtherance of their methamphetamine manufacturing activities. A federal grand jury returned a an indictment on Apr. 8, 2010 charging Coleman and Nations with federal drug violations.

Earlier, three people were sentenced to prison over their roles in an alleged methamphetamine manufacturing ring. A grand jury in February returned a 256-count indictment naming 44-year-old Shannon Sue Guess of Longview, 27-year-old Jeremy Kristopher Ivie of Carthage and 27-year-old Christie Rene Tull of Carthage. All three pleaded guilty earlier this year to possession of pseudoephedrine with intent to manufacture methamphetamine. Guess was sentenced Wednesday to 57 months in prison. Ivie was sentenced to 70 months behind bars, while Tull received a 37-month federal prison term. Prosecutors say the cases involved the purchase of cold pills at stores in Longview, Tyler, and Henderson, plus at other retailers, with the intent of making methamphetamine.

Earlier, another man was sentenced in the 256-count case. Michael Lewis Galyean, 49, of Carthage, pleaded guilty in August to possession of pseudoephedrine with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine. He was sentenced Tuesday to 120 months. Authorities say Galyean’s cold pill buys came at a Kilgore Walgreens and other locations. All the sentences were handed down by U.S. District Judge Michael Schneider.

LONGVIEW — Longview Police take two men into custody after a reported robbery. It happened Wednesday in the 100 block of Jewel. Kevin Smith and Thurman Adams III, both 20, both of Longview, were booked into the Gregg County Jail. Authorities say both men were arrested on warrants in connection with the recent aggravated robbery of a Dominos pizza delivery man in the 600 Block of West Avalon Street on November 29. Bond for the two suspects has not been set yet.

SMITH COUNTY — A Chapel Hill School bus was rear-ended in Smith County around 4:00 Wednesday. The Department of Public Safety says it happened off Old Longview Road, 3 miles from Loop 323. Officials report that there were kids on the bus, but no one was injured. The bus was later evacuated. The teen driver of the vehicle was injured and taken to a local hospital in stable condition.

TYLER — Tyler Police report an accident involving one vehicle Thursday morning around 2:45. It happened at the intersection of Loop 323 and Old Henderson Hwy. Authorities say an eighteen wheeler towing a flatbed loaded with crushed cars was traveling southbound on the Loop and was attempting to make a left turn to go eastbound on Old Henderson Hwy. The driver lost control during the turn and the vehicle rolled over on its side knocking down the eastbound traffic signal pole. One passenger in the vehicle was transported to the hospital with what appeared to be minor injuries. Motorists were encouraged to take alternate routes for most of the day, but the Traffic Engineering Department has advised that the traffic signals at the intersection are now operational and officers are no longer directing traffic.

KILGORE — Kilgore college is meeting state mandated budget cuts by trimming 10% of the current budget of $12.5 million. School officials are curtailing hiring, freezing salaries, cutting jobs, dropping programs and cancelling state funded trips, like the upcoming trip the KC Chorale had planned to New York. There is even talk about having the band and Rangerettes only perform at home games next year. Other actions may have to be taken. School president Bill Holda says by the time lawmakers next year finalize the state’s budget, he expects totaling funding to Kilgore College to be cut by as much as 30%.

KILGORE — Twenty-two students will graduate from the Kilgore College Fire Academy No. 78. The ceremony is set for 6:30 tonight in the Bert E. Woodruff Adult Education Center Auditorium in Kilgore.

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. 78:

Abbotsford, B.C.: Levi deJong
Anaheim, Calif.: Jason Berglund
Arp: Stephen Sarica
Conroe: Alan G. Johnson
Dallas: Mike Angell and Ian Evans
Forney: Randall Morris
Gilmer: Jared Bryant and Brunson Lee
Jacksonville: Zac Vining
Kilgore: Charles Maxwell
Longview: Roman Quinn
Overton: Havon J. Russell
Rusk: Thomas Adams
Summerland, B.C.: Philip Marischuk
Sunshine Coast, B.C.: Michael Ondzik
Surrey, B.C.: Russell Dupas
Tyler: Jesse Hall, Jordan Hicks and Michael Stroud
Vancouver, B.C.: Matthew Ward
Whitehouse: Jeremy Spencer

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture designates nine East Texas counties and most of Louisiana as a natural disaster area for crop losses from continuing drought that began March 23. The Texas counties are Cass, Harrison, Jefferson, Marion, Newton, Orange, Panola, Sabine and Shelby.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says drought has severely damaged corn, cotton, rice, soybeans, sweet potatoes, forage and pasture. The department announced Wednesday that 36 north, central and southwest parishes were designated primary disaster areas on Tuesday. Another six parishes, four from Evangeline east to West Feliciana, plus Lafayette and Iberia parishes, are secondary disaster areas because they border the primary area. So are six counties each in Arkansas and Mississippi, plus nine in Texas. Farmers in both primary and contiguous parishes have eight months to apply for low-interest emergency loans from the Farm Service Agency.

TYLER — City of Tyler crews spent last week and the first part of this week decorating downtown with thousands of Christmas lights in time for the 25th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. Now it’s almost here, with the lighting to be held on the T.B. Butler Fountain Plaza following the Jaycees Christmas Parade scheduled for 6:00 this evening. The centerpiece of the ceremony, a 29-foot Leyland Cypress donated by Jackie and Debbie Merket of Merket Christmas Tree Farm in Beckville, has been covered in more than 8,000 lights. The tree will be lit by 21-month-old Faith Wilson who was named the 2011 Miracle Child, representing the Children’s Miracle Network at Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics.

TYLER — Authorities say Tyler dentist Charles Robinson has admitted to secretly videotaping a 40-year-old woman and her 15-year-old daughter for the past 3 years. According to KETK, Sheriff J.B. Smith says cameras were found inside the woman’s home after she called deputies. They say they were focused in both the bedrooms and bathrooms of the woman and her daughter, who rented from Robinson. The names of the victims have not yet been released. Robinson has been charged with possesion of child pornography, a third-degree felony, and improper visual recording, which is a state jail felony. His bond totals $250,000.

LONGVIEW — City Manager David Willard will recommend to City Council the selection of Don Dingler as Chief of the Longview Police Department. Currently the Assistant Chief, Dingler has served in a variety of capacities during his 37 years in the Longview Police Department. Mr. Willard’s recommendation will be presented to City Council during the regularly scheduled council meeting on Thursday, December 9. If approved, Assistant Chief Dingler would become Police Chief at the end of January 2011 following the retirement of Chief J.B. McCaleb. According to Willard, “Chief Dingler is an example of a true public servant, and he is someone that has the experience and knowledge to continue moving the department forward. I believe Chief Dingler will be an excellent leader for the Longview Police Department.”

Regarding his recommendation, Dingler stated, “I am looking forward to the opportunity to serve as the next Police Chief of the Longview Police Department and eager to continue moving ahead with programs such as the Police Area Representatives and Community Policing. Both of these programs involve a partnership with the public, and we will continue to pursue a positive relationship with the citizens of Longview. I appreciate the support of City Manager David Willard, Chief McCaleb, and members of the department. I will ensure that the Longview Police Department will maintain the status as a ‘Recognized Law Enforcement Agency’ in the State of Texas.” After serving as police chief since 2003, McCaleb announced in September that he would be retiring in January.

TYLER – It’s been a busy week in Tyler federal court for cases involving methamphetamine and pseudoephedrine — and the activity continued Thursday. 29-year-old Leslie Dewayne Butler of Longview has now been sentenced to 70 months in prison after he pleaded guilty on July 20 to possession of pseudoephedrine with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine. According to information presented in court, on Jan. 10, 2009, Butler purchased cold pills containing pseudoephedrine at a Walgreens in Longview in addition to making four other purchases that same day at other stores in the area, as well as numerous other purchases at other stores on other days, all in furtherance of his methamphetamine manufacturing activities.

A federal grand jury returned a 256-count indicted on Feb. 2, 2010 charging Butler and others with federal drug violations. Co-defendants Shannon Sue Guess, Jeremy Kristopher Ivie, and Christy Renee Tull were sentenced to federal prison on Dec. 1; co-defendant, Michael Lewis Galyean was sentenced November 30. In another case involving the same charges, Randy Jess Coleman and Jerry Lee Nations, both of Beckville, were given prison sentences. All the sentences were handed down by U.S. District Judge Michael Schneider.