KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER –- Leadership Tyler has announced Brian Brandt as the 2016 Distinguished Alumni Award honoree. The Distinguished Alumni Award is given annually to a Leadership Tyler alum nominated by his or her peers and chosen by past award recipients. Mr. Brandt will be honored at the annual Leadership Tyler Reunion, which will be held on February 26th at the Hollytree Country Club. Brandt is a member of Leadership Tyler Class 19. He is the CEO of Core Insights, a company which influences individuals and organizations through training, strategic planning, coaching, keynotes, and leased employees.

GILMER – An Upshur County man has drawn a long prison term for sexually assaulting two boys. Tylor Lynn Charette, 22, of the Bettie Community, pleaded guilty Friday to counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child. State District Judge Lauren Parish sentenced him to life in prison plus an additional 30 years. According to a news release from Upshur County District Attorney Billy Byrd, Charette was a baby sitter for the boys. He is said to have repeatedly assaulted them and then told the boys, if they would keep quite about it he’d give them prizes. The mother of the two elementary students heard them crying one night and they told her of what had happened. She called authorities.

TYLER – Tyler’s Broadway Square Mall will be named on Tuesday a StormReady Supporter by the National Weather Service. This becomes the first mall in the ArkLaTex region, and one of 30 around the country, to be recognized as a StormReady Supporter. Bill Parker, Warning Coordination Meteorologist with the National Weather service in Shreveoprt,says, this shows the Tyler mall has put in place practices to ensure the safety of their employees, tenants and customers when severe weather strikes. Continue reading Tyler’s Mall a StormReady Supporter

CLEVELAND (AP/Staff) – Johnny Manziel’s agent has dropped the quarterback and Tyler native following two police investigations in Texas last weekend. Erik Burkhardt released a statement to media outlets Friday saying “with deep regret” he has ended the business relationship. Manziel will be released by the Cleveland Browns next month. Burkhardt says he will remain supportive of the 23-year-old player. The agent adds that he and Manziel’s family have gone to great lengths to outline steps to help him. Continue reading Manziel’s Agent Drops Quarterback after Police Inquiries

HENDERSON COUNTY — The Henderson County Fire Marshal has identified the cause of a fire resulting in the deaths of two people Tuesday night in the Coffee City area. According to KETK, Fire Marshal Shane Renberg says the fire inside the Briarwood Bay subdivision was caused by an exploding propane tank. The incident has been ruled accidental. Investigators determined the cause of the fire was due to a propane leak inside the residence. The mobile home had no electricity, and the two residents are believed to have been using a propane stove for heat. Investigators believe during the late evening on the 2nd, a small leak in a gas line allowed propane to fill the residence, causing an explosion when one of the residents tried to light the stove to heat the residence. The two victims have not yet been identified due to pending notification of kin.

TYLER — Bill O’Donnell has been named the next vice president for business affairs at The University of Texas at Tyler effective Feb. 1. O’Donnell most recently served as vice chancellor for administrative and fiscal affairs at Indiana University – South Bend. At UT Tyler, O’Donnell is responsible for management of the university’s facilities, financial services, recruiting efforts, and human resources, according to a news release. UTT President Rodney Mabry cites O’Donnell’s “experience and devotion to excellence at each of his former positions.” Continue reading UT Tyler Announces New Vice President for Business Affairs

LONGVIEW — One person has been arrested in connection to a fire in Longview. The fire was set at a vacant building on Eden Drive Tuesday night. According to the Longview Fire Department, a juvenile was booked into the Gregg County Juvenile Detention Center. Officials said that particular arson has no relation to the other fires, at least ten, thought to also be intentionally set. Authorities said eyewitnesses helped with the investigation and encourages the public to come forward with any information on fires they may have witnessed.

TYLER — UT Health Northeast held a news conference to address the concerns of the mosquito borne Zika Virus in East Texas. “We first were alerted to a documented case in Harris County about the middle part of January so this is all a new occurrences” George Roberts, Chief Executive Officer of Northeast Public Health District of Tyler, said. According to KETK, this week CDC confirmed the first sexually transmitted case of Zika, from a patient who sex with someone who returned from Venezula. Continue reading East Texas Heath Officials Address Zika Virus

TYLER – An elderly reported missing has been found. Tyler Police said James Lowell has been located and reunited with family. Lowell was reported missing Thursday morning from a Rice Road assisted living facility.

LONGVIEW – Two Longview men have been busted on drug charges. Rickey Don Woods, 27,(pictured) and Cody Len Bartlett, 36, were arrested a hotel room in the 3100 Block of Estes Parkway. They were arrested after the County Organized Drug Enforcement Unit, along with several Longview police officers, executed a narcotic search warrant. Besides being booked into the Gregg County Jail on charges of possession of a controlled substance, they were also charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

TYLER — Alba-Golden Senior Jaselyn Riley will be getting two diplomas in May. She graduates from high school and will receive an associate’s degree from Tyler Junior College. She, like a growing number of students, are taking dual credit courses. A record number of students are registered in dual credit courses at TJC. It hit 2,033 this semester. And not only academic courses, but technology courses are available as well. Continue reading Dual Credit Courses, Growing in Popularity

TYLER (AP/STAFF) — A federal jury Tyler has ordered Apple to pay $625.6 million after finding that Apple services like FaceTime and iMessage infringed on technology patents held by Nevada patent-holding company VirnetX. The Company had previously won a $368 million verdict against Apple on similar claims in 2012. That award was overturned by an appellate court, which ordered a new trial. Continue reading Tyler Jury Orders Apple to Pay $625.6 Million in Patent Case

TYLER – Travel should be a little slower through Friday on Farm Road 279. The Texas Department of Transportation is conduct milling work on the road between Tyler and Chandler. FM 279 runs between State Highway 64 & Farm Road 315. Motorists are asked to slow down and watch for lane closures.

CANTON – A two vehicle collision near Canton has killed a Henderson County teen. Killed in the Tuesday afternoon crash was Ethan Gould, 19, of Athens. He was pronounced dead at the scene after his pickup collided head on with a tractor trailer rig. One of the three persons in the 18-wheeler was taken to the hospital where she was treated and released. The accident happened shortly before 6:00 Tuesday afternoon on State Highway 19, about nine miles south of Canton.

LONGVIEW – A Longview man has been arrested after being accused of two armed robberies. Kenneth Dewayne “Frog” McGee, 35, is accused of using a handgun to rob a store on South Eastman Road and earlier robbing a convenience store on Gilmer Road. A few minutes after the second robbery, McGee, who matched the suspect’s description, was found on Swancy Street. He was booked into the Gregg County Jail Wednesday morning on two counts of aggravated robbery. His bonds total $100,000.

GREGG COUNTY — A Longview man is behind bars after his victim took matters into their own hands. According to KETK, around 10:55 Monday night, police were dispatched to a home on Spring Street for an unknown problem. When officers arrived, the victim told police that a Hispanic male, identified as Kevin Mitchell Gonzales, 28, Longview, had attempted to enter the garage without permission. The victim and Gonzales began to fight and Gonzales pulled out a handgun. During the struggle Gonzales fired one round from the .45 caliber pistol. The victim was able to get the gun away from Gonzales and hold him down until police arrived. Continue reading Homeowner Turns Gun on Suspect

ANGELINA COUNTY — An East Texas man has been arrested after reportedly fighting with a deputy during his arrest. According to the Angelina County Sheriff’s Office, Dalton Mack Oates, 23, of Lufkin, was taken into custody after he was found hiding under a home. Officials said they received reports of an intoxicated man who had allegedly entered a home and stole a cellphone. A short time later, a deputy was able to locate found an intoxicated Oates with three cellphones. According to KETK, when the deputy tried to arrest the suspect, he began struggling with the deputy and was wrestled to the ground. Oates then ran into a wooded area. Officials eventually found Oates, with the help of Lufkin Police, underneath a hiding underneath a house. He was arrested and charged with resisting arrest, assault on a public servant and evading arrest. He is being held in the Angelina County Jail on bonds totaling $17,500.

TYLER — Tyler Water Utilities says it continues to see improvements in the city’s drinking water quality according to test results. According to a news release, the latest readings from all eight sampling sites are significantly below the maximum contaminant level threshold of 60 parts per billion (ppb) for haloacetic acids. After customers received notice of the exceedance of haloacetic acids in the drinking water, many questions were asked regarding the safety of Tyler’s water. To answer the citizens’ call for action, Mayor Heines held a press conference last November saying he’d asked City Manager Ed Broussard to contact a third party, eHt, to evaluate Tyler Water utilities and its processes. Continue reading Officials: Test Results Continue to See Water Quality Improvement

KILGORE — A Longview man outed himself by way of a job application shortly after he stole a car in the Kilgore area, according to police. According to KETK, police say on Tuesday night, a man entered a restaurant to get a bite to eat but left his vehicle running. While the man was inside the business, a burglar jumped in his vehicle and sped away. Responding officers learned the suspect had just filled out a job application containing his personal information right before the car was taken. Kilgore Police said officers also knew the man from previous run-ins with the law, and a Be on the Lookout (BOLO) was issued for Courtney Cordell Wheat. Continue reading Police: Vehicle Thief Busted after Filling Out Job Application

LONGVIEW — Longview police took two Longview residents into custody Tuesday afternoon following a car chase. Authorities said kids were inside the suspect vehicle. At 4:36 p.m., officers were attempting to serve an arrest warrant on Trevorris Rashomique Woodard, 28, in relation to a narcotics case. When officers tried to pull over a car in which the suspect was a passenger, the driver of that vehicle reportedly sped away. During the pursuit, the suspect allegedly threw a handgun out of the front passenger window. The driver, who was later identified as 28-year-old Taneeka Channee Woodard, reportedly led police on a short chase before giving herself up at the intersection of Carter and Nelson Streets. Continue reading Police: Two Arrested Following Chase with Kids in Car

FRANKSTON — The cause of a fatal fire in Frankston is under investigation. Noonday Volunteer Firefighters and the Henderson County Fire Marshal responded to the scene just after 9:00 Tuesday night in the Briarwood Bay subdivision. Officials said two people were killed in the fire. Identities are being withheld pending notification of next of kin. According to KETK, several firefighters were treated for injuries.

LONGVIEW — The Longview Fire Department has deemed two structure fires as arson. According to Fire Marshal Johnny Zackary, a fire at a vacant home on Jean Drive and a fire at Eden Special Care, which is vacant, were labeled as arson Tuesday night. The fires are said to not be related, even though they occurred within two hours of each other.

According to KETK, authorities responded to the first fire on the 500 block of Jean Drive around 3:15 p.m. Crews rolled out to the second blaze at approximately 5:05 p.m. The first fire was extinguished in about 25 minutes. Police said officers saw a man running north from the fire as they arrived at the scene shortly after 3 p.m. He is described as a black or Hispanic male wearing a dark-colored shirt, khaki shorts and a ball cap. Continue reading More Arson Fires in Longview

TYLER — The Smith County Commissioners Court honored fallen K-9 Ogar and his handler, Precinct 5 Deputy Constable Kevin Petty, on Tuesday for their service to the county. Commissioner Terry Phillips said he wanted to present Petty with a memorial to honor Ogar, the K-9 who was shot in the line of duty January 19. Commissioner Phillips, who serves the area, said he attended the memorial service held for Ogar in Lindale January 23 and was impressed with the amount of support shown in the community. Precinct 5 Constable Kenneth Bibby said Ogar was 2½ years old and had been with his office since October 2014. Ogar died protecting Deputy Constable Petty. The K-9 officer was shot during a traffic stop that turned violent.

TYLER — A jury has been seated and testimony is underway in the trial of a Smith County man accused of using a bat to kill a man. James Bales, 32, is accused of the murder of Bias Lott, 61, last March. It happened in the 22000 block of Lakeway Harbor Drive in Bullard. Deputies initially responded to a disturbance call and, upon arrival, found two men involved in an altercation. Officials said one of the men had been attacked and repeatedly hit in the head with a baseball bat. Lot was transported to a Tyler hospital where he underwent emergency surgery and died early the next morning. Bales’ trial is being held in the 114th State District Court.

TYLER – A man has been arrested following an alleged kidnapping attempt in South Tyler.It happened around 7:15 Monday night near the intersection of South Broadway and Amherst. A woman tells officers she was walking north on Broadway when a man came up from behind her and after talking with her, grabbed her, and tried to pull her behind a fence. She broke free and called police. The suspect, 28 year old Kevin James Kohute of Tyler, was arrested within 20 minutes.

HARRISON COUNTY — Hallsville Mayor Pro Tem Jake Auther Walker died Monday night during a two-vehicle crash near Marshall. According to KETK, a preliminary DPS report says at 7:34 p.m., an 18-wheeler was headed south on US 59 when a truck traveling west on FM 2625 drove through a stop sign and crossed in front of the semi. The 18-wheeler hit the passenger side of the truck and both vehicles came to a stop in a ditch. The trailer on the semi then rolled on top of the truck. Walker, 68, the driver of the truck, was pronounced dead at the scene. Rodney Regan Smircich, 52, of Rogers, Arkansas, the driver of the semi, was not injured.