KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — Early voting starts tomorrow in the March primaries, and tonight offers another chance to meet some of the candidates. Hopefuls for all opposed races in Smith County have been invited to attend a forum at 7:00pm at the Tyler Public Library, organized by the League of Women Voters. The candidates will address questions submitted by attendees as well as a panel that includes Roy Maynard of the Tyler Morning Telegraph, League of Women Voters President Mary Claire Rowe, and University of Texas at Tyler Senior Lecturer Kevin Dilley. The event is free and open to the public.

PITTSBURG — An early morning fire has destroyed two businesses in Pittsburg Sunday. It happened around 4:00 just off of Highway 11 in the historic part of Pittsburg. Pittsburg Fire Chief, Carl Cravey, told KETK, they got the call that one of the downtown businesses was on fire. Upon arrival, they found The Computer Emporium engulfed in flames. The fire had progressed into the attic area and caught another business, Nora’s Salon, on fire. The fire was under control by 8:00 a.m. Both businesses were destroyed and surrounding businesses received some smoke damage. Pittsburg Police said that because of the structural damage, the sidewalks in front and behind the destroyed businesses will be closed. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

TYLER — The City of Tyler Emergency Management officials, along with the Tyler ISD transportation department and local EMS personnel, participate today in a joint training exercise to assess emergency preparedness procedures. The exercise, which will include various scenarios designed to assess emergency operations during actual incidents, began at 8 a.m. and will conclude around 12:30 p.m. Activities and stations are set up at the Tyler Fire Department Training Facility located at 701 Fair Park Dr., along with areas in the Rose Stadium parking lot. Continue reading Tyler Fire, EMS, School Personnel to Hold Tactical Training Event

TYLER — Tyler Police respond to a report of a robbery Saturday night. It happened just after 10:00 at Cambridge Apartments, 3088 Old Omen Road. Authorities said a pizza delivery man was taking a pizza to an apartment when he was approached by a man who pulled out a semi-automatic handgun and demanded all his money. The victim handed over the cash and ran. The suspect ran in the opposite direction. He’s described as a thin black male, between the ages of 20-30, around 6′ feet tall and wearing a dark hoodie. The victim was not injured. Contact authorities with any information.

TYLER — Tyler Police respond to an armed robbery early this morning. It happened next door to the Taco Bell at the Time It Lube, 3900 Troup Highway around 12:45. According to the responding officer, a Tyler Cab driver had gotten food from the Taco Bell and had parked behind the oil change business next door to eat his lunch when he was approached by a black male. The suspect showed a handgun and forced the driver out of his car. He reportedly stole the victim’s belongings and keys to the cab and fled the scene, heading west on Lindenbergh. The victim was not injured. Continue reading Taxi Driver Robbed at Gunpoint

ANGELINA COUNTY — An East Texas man is now in jail for cruelty to an animal and driving while intoxicated. According to KETK, it happened at 10:50 Saturday night in the 600 block of north Timberland Drive when police found a Roger Whitmill, 47, dragging a dog that was tied behind his vehicle. Lufkin Police said the dog was seriously injured in the incident and was taken to a local veterinarians office for treatment. Whitmill was also found to be intoxicated while driving with a BAC of .15 and also in possession of marijuana. In the state of Texas, the legal limit is .08. He was arrested and charged with cruelty to non-livestock animals: torture, driving while intoxicated, no driver’s license, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Whitmill was booked into Angelina County Jail on a $2,000 bond.

LONGVIEW — U.S. Sen. John Cornyn was in Longview Sunday joining local law enforcement, elected officials, and advocacy groups for a roundtable discussion on the rising problem of human trafficking in the region and joint efforts to crack down on traffickers and protect victims. According to a Cornyn press release, human trafficking has become a growing problem throughout East Texas as traffickers capitalize on major thoroughfares such as I-20 and SH 259. Continue reading Senator Cornyn Stopped in Longview to Discuss Human Trafficking

ANDERSON COUNTY — An Anderson County Jail inmate is charged with two counts of aggravated assault of a public servant after injuring two jailers. Crystal Ann Torrez, 28, was arrested by the Palestine Police Department on Jan. 19 for multiple charges, including theft, fraud, possession of a controlled substance, failure to identify a fugitive from justice and driving while license invalid, according to the Palestine Herald-Press. Continue reading Suicidal Inmate Attacked Jailers

LUFKIN — Two East Texans are behind bars after being found with dangerous drugs. It happened at 11:50 a.m. Friday in the 600 block of south Timberland Drive in Lufkin. Police found Fairbanks Deason, 22, delivering the prescription pills, Alprazolam, to Katherine Barfield, 44. According to ketk, Alprazolam is the generic Xanax pill and is used to treat anxiety and panic disorders. The pill works by enhancing the effects of a certain natural chemical in body called GABA and acts on the brain and nerves to produce a calming effect. Both Deason and Barfield were arrested and taken to Angelina County Jail. Deason was charged with delivering of a dangerous drug and Barfield was charged with possession of a dangerous drug.

HENDERSON CONTY — Officials have arrested escaped Georgia inmate, Raymond Thomas Smith, who was found in Corsicana, Texas by members of the U.S. Marshals Joint East Texas Fugitive Task Force. Smith was being held at Tattnall County Jail in Georgia on multiple counts of aggravated child molestation before he escaped. According to KETK, the Tattnall County Sheriff’s Office in cooperation with law enforcement in Corsicana are working on Smith’s extradition back Georgia. Smith will return to face multiple counts of aggravated child molestation and new charges of escape and interference with government property. Continue reading Escaped Georgia Inmate Believed to Be in East Texas

LONGVIEW — Family members of a blind Longview man missing since this past weekend were saddened Friday after hearing his body had been discovered, but said they were relieved to start the grieving process.

“We know where he is now,” said Danette Pierce, a cousin of 30-year-old Gaylon Cortez Bradley. Family members said police told them Bradley’s body was found about 4 p.m. Friday in a ditch in the 1200 block of Pegues Place in North Longview. Continue reading Missing Longview Man Found in Ditch

CANTON — Two East Texans have been arrested after authorities found suspected meth, a possible pipe bomb, and other materials. On Thursday, Van Zandt County Precinct 1 Constable Mickey Henson was assisting the Van Zandt County Fire Marshal’s Office in the investigation of an illegal landfill and saw what was termed a suspicious vehicle on Van Zandt County Road 1701. Henson and Fire Marshal’s Deputy Danny Wilson stopped to investigate. Sheriff’s deputies helped identify two men later named as William “Willie” Neal Adams, Jr., 24, of Grand Saline, and Timothy Steven Bolt, 44, of Mineola. While searching the vehicle, officials found what they say was a large quantity of a crystal-like substance in the trunk area, which they believed to be methamphetamine. Continue reading Two Arrested; Suspected Meth, Possible Pipe Bomb Found

TYLER — Another phone scam turns up in Smith County. Friday morning, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division received a call from a woman in the Bullard area who had lost $1,480 to an individual who claimed he was a law enforcement agent and that her grandson needed bail money. Officials say when the woman first took the call, a man pretended to be her grandson and told her that he was in jail in a foreign country. The subject then passed the phone to another man who claimed to be with law enforcement and said that she had to send $1,480 in a MoneyGram to pay her grandson’s way out of jail. ​The woman did as she was instructed, but then reported the incident to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, which informed her that she had been scammed. Continue reading Bullard-Area Woman Taken for $1,480 in Phone Scam

NACOGDOCHES — Two traffic stops in Nacogdoches County end in three arrests. KETK reports the first happened after deputies pulled over 30-year-old Brooke Johnson of Conroe. Her vehicle was searched after deputies said they smelled marijuana. Authorities say drugs were later discovered after a quick search of Johnson’s car. The next arrest occurred after deputies stopped 40-year-old Andre Davis and 39-year-old Rena Fontenot of Longview. Officials report they had several pounds of marijuana, ecstasy, PCP, and Xanax in their vehicle.

LONGVIEW — The search continues for a missing East Texan. Gaylon Bradley’s family reported him missing Wednesday. The family told police he was last seen on February 9 around 3 a.m. in the 1200 Block of Eighth Street. Bradley’s family told police he is legally blind and also suffers from a mental condition. He was last seen wearing dark sunglasses, black leather coat, blue jeans, and a t-shirt. He is 32 years old, and has brown eyes and black hair sometimes worn close to his head and other times worn in an afro style. Anyone with information on Bradley’s whereabouts is asked to contact Detective Terry Davis at 903-237-1199 or Gregg County Crimestoppers at 903-236-7867.

SMITH COUNTY — The investigation continues after firefighters responded to a gas well explosion in northern Smith County. Authorities tell KETK the explosion happened around 3:30 a.m., just south of the intersection of Farm to Market Road 16 and Highway 14, across the street from the Tiger Creek Wildlife Refuge. The blast scorched two acres of nearby land and residents in the surrounding area say the explosion shook their homes and woke them up. Although there was talk of evacuating nearby families, authorities were able to cut off the gas allowing residents to stay in their homes. No one was injured but 80 percent of the facility was destroyed. Red Springs Fire Department was assisted by Winona and Lindale officials.

SMITH COUNTY — A Smith County man, hospitalized after he was trapped under a tree, has died. Fire officials tell KETK the call came in just before noon Thursday. Sam Johnson was cutting a tree down at his property on the 17000 block of County Road 136 when it fell on him, trapping him underneath. The trunk of the tree was about 15 inches in diameter, according to authorities. Johnson’s wife used a logging skidder to free her husband before emergency crews arrived on scene. He was transported to Tyler’s Mother Frances Hospital, where he died Thursday night.

TYLER — Local farmers and ranchers met Thursday with Texas agriculture commissioner candidate J. Allen Carnes. KETK reports they discussed the future of the agricultural industry in Texas and have many concerns about it. They said Texas is losing agricultural land faster than any state in the country and the future of Texas agriculture depends on the next generation. Continue reading Local Farmers, Ranchers Concerned about Future of Their Industry

PALESTINE — The Palestine Police Department is continuing the investigation into the death of Virgie C. Spurlock. KETK reports The 61-year-old victim was found dead in his home in the 700 block of Head Street by a family acquaintance in the evening hours of December 6, 2009. Officials have continued to follow up on leads over the last several years with few results. Based on recent information, the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) has taken the case in a new direction and is working a new lead, according to authorities. Investigators will also be looking to re-interview persons who may have been contacted during the initial stages of the original investigation. Continue reading Police Receive New Information in Probe of 2009 Death

TYLER — Some key medical group endorsements come in for Skip Ogle as he challenges incumbent Matt Schaefer in the GOP primary race for Texas House District 6. Ogle has received the backing of HOSPAC, the Texas Hospital Association’s state political action committee; TEXPAC, the political advocacy arm of the Texas Medical Association (TMA); and a group of local doctors calling themselves “Physicians for Skip Ogle.” Both Ogle and Schaefer have been trumpeting their endorsements leading up to the March 4 primary. Schaefer’s website continues to promote his support by such groups as Young Conservatives of Texas, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, and the Texas Eagle Forum.

MARSHALL — An East Texas man is dead after being hit by a car in Marshall. KETK reports Marshall Police Communications received a 911 call shortly after 8:15 Wednesday night in reference to an accident in the 1600 block of U.S. Highway 59 North, also known as East End Boulevard. Investigation of the scene indicated that a pedestrian attempted to cross Hwy. 59 headed east and was struck by an SUV. The driver was traveling northbound in the outside lane when the accident occurred. The victim, identified as Augustus Leon Waters, 60, of Marshall, was pronounced dead at the scene by Justice of the Peace Clarice Watkins. An autopsy was ordered to determine the exact cause of death. The driver of the vehicle was uninjured and no charges were filed at the time of the incident. The investigation is ongoing.

GILMER — The life sentence for a former Upshur County jailer who was found guilty of killing her 10th husband in 2011 has been upheld by the Sixth Court of Appeals in Texarkana. KETK reports Sharon Anne Maxwell was sentenced to life in prison in August 2012 after she was found guilty of slaying Gordon Maxwell on August 30, 2011, at their home off State Highway 155, just north of Gilmer. Evidence showed in the early morning hours of that date, Gordon Maxwell left Lone Star Steel, where he worked, and got to their house around 7:00 a.m. He and Sharon Maxwell took their kids to school at Ore City and got back home around 8:00 a.m. Continue reading Woman’s Life Sentence Upheld in Husband’s Death

TYLER – A 43-year-old Henderson woman has pleaded guilty to federal postal violations. Tracy A. Bojorquez pleaded guilty to misappropriation of United States postal funds Thursday in Tyler before U.S. Magistrate Judge John D. Love. According to information presented in court, Bojorquez was the relief postmaster at the Joinerville Post Office in Rusk County from July 2012 to May 2013. During that time, she embezzled payments she received at the post office for postal money orders, post office box rental fees, and the sale of U.S. postage stamps. The unreimbursed losses to the U.S. Postal Service amounted to $5,132.23. Bojorquez was indicted by a federal grand jury on November 20, 2013. Bojorquez faces up to 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not been set.

LONGVIEW (AP) – Supporters of an East Texas city have planted two dozen trees as part of recovery from the 2011 drought that claimed about 900 trees. The new trees at Teague Park are part of a municipal improvement project funded by Keep Longview Beautiful. The Longview News-Journal reports city crews and the Texas A&M Forest Service were on hand Wednesday to plant live, red and chinkapin oaks, lacebark elm and bald cypress trees. Continue reading Longview Replaces Some Drought-Destroyed Trees

CINCINNATI OHIO — A former priest in the Catholic Diocese in Tyler has been sentenced to prison for sexual abuse. Rev. Robert F. Poandl, 73, who is dying of cancer, was sentenced yesterday to 7 1/2 years in prison for taking a Cincinnati boy to West Virginia and sexually assaulting him. The incident occurred in 1991. U.S. District Judge Michael Barrett said he took Poandl’s health into consideration when deciding the sentence. The judge recommended that Poandl serve his time in a medical facility. A federal jury in Cincinnati convicted Poandl in the case last September.

LONGVIEW — A former Longview police officer has been arrested on charges he sexually assaulted a child late last year. Taken into custody late Wednesday afternoon was Leland Thomas Carver, 69. He has been charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child. His bond was set at $50,000. Carver is accused of assaulting the second grade girl when she visited his home.

LONGVIEW — A fire that started in a dog house has damaged a Longview home. The fire was reported yesterday in the 100 block of Briarwood Street. Fire Marshal Johnny Zackary tells the Longview News-Journal that the fire started when heat lamps in a dog house caught some bedding on fire. That blaze spread to the back porch and attic of the home. No injuries were reported.

KILGORE — The Kilgore City Council calls a May 10 election that will include a wet/dry vote. KETK reports residents will decide for or against the sale of mixed beverages in restaurants without having to join a private club. Locals are expressing mixed feelings about the proposition. Some call the current law antiquated, while others voice concerns about drinking and driving if the ballot measure passes.