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UPDATE: According to our news partner KETK and Van Zandt County Detention Center records, Franklin was released from jail at 9:53 a.m. Thursday morning after posting bond. Rains County Justice of the Peace Robert Jenkins Franklin was arrested on Wednesday for two counts of official oppression and two counts of tampering with a witness.

RAINS COUNTY — An East Texas judge is accused of threatening a defendant, saying, “I heard you have a problem with me, boy. You take that deal, boy — or dead men can’t testify.” Two days later, the defendant entered a no-contest plea in a felony case.

A lawsuit filed in the United States District Court, Eastern District of Texas, alleges that Justice of the Peace Jenkins Franklin threatened Coby Wiebe to enter a guilty plea in a criminal case over which he had no jurisdiction.

Weibe alleges that the threat made in October 2023 is part of a broader pattern of misconduct that Franklin exhibited and went unchecked by county officials, leading to a Monell claim against the county. A Monell claim is based on a 1978 Supreme Court ruling that allows a person to sue local governments for constitutional violations. Continue reading East Texas judge arrested on multiple charges released

TYLER – Dr. Mohammed Ali, associate professor of technology and program coordinator at The University of Texas at Tyler Longview University Center, received the 2025 Minilectureship Award by Epsilon Pi Tau, the international honor society for professions in technology. The award recognizes exemplary academic and professional leadership as well as outstanding contributions to the advancement of technology professions represented by the society. “We congratulate Dr. Ali for this recognition of his research and dedication to the field of technology. This is a great honor for not only him but also th Department of Technology and The University of Texas at Tyler,” said Dr. Mark Miller, UT Tyler professor and department chair.

LONGVIEW – Our news partner KETK reports that one person is dead after they were struck by a pickup truck on Wednesday night in Longview.

According to the Longview Police Department, around 10:36 p.m. officers responded to the 1600 block of Pine Tree Road where there was a crash involving a pickup truck and a person.

Officials said that officers determined a person attempted to cross the street and failed to yield the right of way to the truck.

The person was then taken to a local hospital where they later died. Their identity has not been released as of this writing.

TYLER – A new ordinance has been passed in Tyler to prevent any future obstructions in flight paths according to our news partner KETK.

The Tyler City Council approved the ordinance on Wednesday to establish airport hazard area zoning regulations near the Tyler Pounds Regional Airport. The ordinance was established to reduce obstruction risk to pilots, passengers and people on the ground.

The ordinance will also establish five hazard zones surrounding the airport and will restrict activities that could interfere with aircraft navigation and restrict visibility. Additionally, the ordinance will designate land use allowed in the runway protection zone in alignment with FAA safety recommendations. Continue reading City of Tyler approves ordinance to decrease hazards near airport

TYLER — According to our news partner KETK, the Tyler City Council approved $12.6 million contract with Taknek to modernize the Lake Tyler Pumping station.

Tyler Water Utilities (TWU) will use the money to upgrade the Lake Tyler Raw Water Pump Station, one of the most important links in the City’s water supply system. The upgrades will focus on long-term sustainability and service reliability. Construction is set to begin this summer and will take 36 months to complete.

“We’re designing a system that can serve Tyler’s growing population and withstand emergencies without skipping a beat,” TWU Project Engineer Jacob Yanker said. “This investment ensures families can continue to count on clean water, even in the face of rapid growth or unexpected outages.” Continue reading Tyler approves contract to modernize Lake Tyler Pumping Station

UPDATE: According to our news partner KETK and the Longview Police Department, Jory Keith Sadler, 43 of Longview, was arrested for the officer-involved shooting that happened Tuesday night.

Sadler was charged with aggravated assault against a public servant and is currently booked in the Gregg County Jail.

LONGVIEW – Authorities are investigating after an officer-involved shooting in Longview on Tuesday night, Longview police said.

According to the Longview Police Department, around 11:49 p.m. officers responded to reports of an armed person and gunshots on 2900 block of McCann Road. After arriving, the suspect fired multiple rounds at their patrol vehicle and in return an officer shot the suspect, officials said. Continue reading Longview PD identifies man in officer-involved shooting

TYLER — The family of a man who died in an incident with a former Rusk County Sheriff’s deputy is seeing their case proceed to trial after a judge confirms the deputy is not eligible for qualified immunity.

According to our news partner KETK, Timothy Michael Randall was fatally shot during a traffic stop three years ago. In January, Federal Magistrate Judge John D. Love recommended that former Rusk County Deputy Shane Iversen’s qualified immunity be denied. Qualified immunity shields government and peace officers from personal liability in a civil lawsuit. Months later, U.S. District Judge Jeremy Kernodle confirmed the recommendation, denying Iversen any immunity.

The civil lawsuit, Wendy Tippit versus Sergeant Shane Iversen, stems from Randall’s death. The next court proceeding will happen in June to discuss a start date for the trial. Continue reading Judge rules deputy as not eligible for qualified immunity

TYLER – The Tyler Police Department is creating a state-of-the-art training facility to ensure their officers are as well-trained as possible before going out on the field, according to our news partner KETK.

The Tyler City Council approved a $1.8 million contract with Watson Commercial Construction on Wednesday to transform the former National Guard Armory into a Regional Police Training Facility.

The armory, which is currently located on East Commerce Street, will be converted by the Tyler PD into a centralized training hub for cadets and current officers.

The new facility will include scenario-based training areas, classrooms, locker rooms and a gym. The new environment is intended to give officers and cadets the tools and resources needed to sharpen their skills and better respond to emergencies.

The facility will be funded through the Half Cent Sales Tax and will allow Tyler PD to maintain and build on its standards.

LONGVIEW – Our news partner KETK reports that the Target on Eastman Road will soon be home to several new Tesla V4 Superchargers for electric vehicles.

The new $120,000 charging site will feature two Tesla V4 Supercharger cabinets and 16 Tesla V4 Supercharger posts, according to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

The V4 Supercharger Post was launched in 2023, and is capable of charging any electric vehicle brand. The V4 Supercharger Cabinet was launched in November 2024, and can charge electric semi-trucks, like Tesla’s Semi.

The Longview V4 charging site, which is being designed by Dewberry Engineers Inc. of Dallas, is set to start construction on July 30. It is slated to be completed on Sept. 20, 2025.

To see where similar chargers are located in East Texas, visit Tesla online.

UPDATE:CAMP COUNTY – Camp County Sheriff’s Office said Onterrian Jamour Newton, 17 of Mount Pleasant, was arrested on Tuesday for murder of Jamarion Brown, 23 with additional charges pending.

ORIGINAL STORY: The Camp County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that one man was killed and two others were injured in a shooting at a pool party.

The sheriff’s office told our news partner KETK that they responded to a call about a shooting four miles outside of Pittsburg at around 12:50 a.m. on Saturday. The call came in from pool party gathering at a residence that the sheriff’s office said escalated into a shooting. Continue reading UPDATE 17-year-old arrested for murder

ALTO – Our news partner KETK reports that a woman is dead and others are injured after an Alto man was arrested for intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle on Monday.

According to Cherokee County arrest records, Samuel Lee Schlemmer was driving fast on FM 1911 towards U.S. Highway 69 when he drove past a stop sign and crashed into another vehicle with three passengers.

Officials said a woman was taken by EMS, but did not survive her injuries, the other two passengers were taken to a local hospital.

Schlemmer participated in a sobriety test after authorities saw open alcohol containers in his truck, along with observing his slurred speech and bloodshot eyes. Continue reading Drunk driver causes fatal crash, killing one and injuring others

LONGVIEW – According to our news partner KETK, authorities are investigating after an officer-involved shooting in Longview on Tuesday night.

Around 11:49 p.m., Longview Police officers responded to reports of an armed person and gunshots on 2900 block of McCann Road. After arriving, the suspect fired multiple rounds at their patrol vehicle and in return an officer shot the suspect, officials said.

Longview PD said the officers then began performing life saving measures on the suspect and was later transported to a local hospital where they have non-life-threatening injuries.

“In accordance with departmental policy for officer-involved shootings, that portion of the investigation has been turned over to the DPS Texas Rangers,” Longview PD said. “Further information will be released as it becomes available and as the investigation allows.”

If anyone has any more information about the officer-involved shooting they are asked to contact the Longview Police Department at 903-237-1199 or the Gregg County Crime Stoppers at 903-236-STOP.

TYLER — According to our news partner KETK, U.S. Senator John Cornyn R-TX will meet with veterans’ mental health advocates in Tyler on Wednesday to discuss his bill centered around evaluating the quality of veteran care.

Senator Cornyn’s Veterans Mental Health & Addiction Therapy Quality of Care Act will be discussed during a round table meeting starting at 9:45 a.m. at CampV. This act would require organizations to conduct studies that evaluate their veterans mental heath and addiction care programs.

These studies would be required for organizations both inside and outside the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more about this bill, visit this link.