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ANGELINA COUNTY — Gov. Greg Abbott announced on Tuesday that a new district attorney has been appointed to the 159th Judicial District in Angelina County. According to our news partner KETK, Layne Thompson, of Pollock, is set to take office after he is found qualified. He has previously served as an assistant district attorney for Angelina and Harris counties. The current District Attorney Janet Cassels, confirmed she submitted her resignation in December, effective in February. In a release, Abbott stated Thompson is former counsel for Mike Love & Associates and former vice president of Thompson Cattle Company. He is chairman of the Angelina Arts Alliance.

TYLER — According to Tyler Police, the 3600 block of Old Bullard Road is blocked off after a vehicle hit a telephone pole, causing the lines to fall in the roadway. Motorist are asked to seek an alternate route. Repairs are expected to be completed by mid-morning.

LONGVIEW – Additional charges have been filed against two women, formerly employed by Longview ISD, in connection to alleged abuse at an elementary school. According to our news partner KETK, Cassandra James, 49, and Linda Lister, 62, were both originally indicted for endangering a child in June 2022. The women are two of six total facing charges in connection to abuse allegations stemming from a Longview ISD elementary school. The four other former district employees indicted for charges related to the mistreatment of students are: Paula Hawkins Dixon, Priscilla Johnson, Cecilia Gregg and Cynthia Talley. The latest indictments, filed at the end of 2023, charge the women on one count of endangering a child and 16 counts of injury to a child for dates that occurred in September and October 2021. Continue reading Additional charges in Longview ISD abuse case

ANGELINA COUNTY — The Angelina County Sheriff’s Office said one of their reserve deputies passed away on Saturday after complications from a fall injury that occurred while playing pickleball. According to the sheriff’s office and our news partner KETK, Randy Ware, who served the county for 39 years, died around 8 p.m. at a Tyler hospital on Saturday. Ware reportedly had a broken vertebrae in his neck and was in serious condition after he fell in a pickleball game on Jan. 24. Continue reading Angelina County deputy died from injuries

TYLER – 29-year-old Harley Morris has been missing from Tyler since Jan. 21. Crimestoppers is offering a reward up to $1,000 for information on Morris’ location. According to our news partner KETK, his family is now offering a reward of $10,000 for any information on his whereabouts. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Tyler Police Department at 903-531-1000 or Crimestoppers at 903-597-2833.

Police said he was last seen wearing a black jacket with grey sleeves, black pants and a black Prime 102 baseball style hat. He is described as 6’3, 160 pounds with blond hair and brown eyes. He was last seen on Jan. 21 at 3 a.m. walking north in the 2100 block of North Grand Avenue alone after leaving the 50 Grand Club. Police are asking residents and businesses north of Gentry Parkway to North Loop 323 to check cameras or doorbell cameras from Jan. 21 between 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. and report to them if you see anyone walking. Police also ask that people check their residence or business for items Morris was wearing when he went missing: a Prime 102 cap, black shoes and a black/grey hoodie.

TEXARKANA — The Texarkana Police Department arrested four young men in connection to multiple robberies on Feb. 2. Texarkana PD arrested Vincent Threadgill, 18, Jamarjay Williams, 17, Jaqaveyies Williams, 17, and Kaderies Williams, 23, for organized retail theft and booked into the Bi-State Jail. A $10,000 bond was set for each of them. According to our news partner KETK officers received a call of four men stealing ammunition from Academy Sports before leaving in an older model gold Chevrolet sedan. Officers reportedly searched for the vehicle in the area, but could not find it. An hour later, police were dispatched to Ross Dress for Less, where an employee reportedly told dispatchers that they had seen four guys in red hoodies stealing items from the store and were leaving in a gold car.

Authorities said police were close by and saw the car as it drove across the parking lot. Police were able to stop the vehicle and an officer recognized the four guys from the surveillance video at Academy Sports. Inside the car, police officers reportedly found new clothing items with tags from Ross, Burlington Coat Factory and another store. Officials said police found new gun magazines and two boxes of ammo. Police later spoke to workers at Burlington and discovered that the four men could be seen on video stealing items there between the time they were at Academy Sports and Ross.

HENDERSON COUNTY — DPS said a man is dead after traveling at an unsafe speed at a curve and striking several trees on Monday at 11:03 a.m. Our news partners at KETK report that according to a preliminary investigation, George Perez, 41, the driver of a 2000 Suzuki motorcycle, was driving west on FM 773 about three miles northeast of Murchison at an unsafe speed while going around a curve. Perez was reportedly wearing a helmet when he drove off the roadway, “striking several trees and ejecting the driver.” Perez was pronounced dead at the scene.

TYLER – The Texas Department of Public Safety said that a 7-year-old girl died in a State Highway 64 crash on Sunday around 7:15 p.m., according to our colleagues at KETK. Sharya L. Snow, 18 of Tyler, was driving a 2018 Kia Forte in the west turn lane of State Highway 64 West, when a 2014 Ram 35000 pickup truck was heading east. DPS said that Snow failed to yield the right of way and turned left in front of the Ram which then hit the Kia. Snow had incapacitating injuries and was taken to a local hospital. A 7-year-old girl in the Kia was pronounced dead at the scene by Justice of the Peace James Meredith. According to DPS, a 12-year-old boy suffered non-incapacitating injuries and was taken to a local hospital. The driver of the Ram was also taken to a local hospital to be treated for non-incapacitating injuries, according to DPS.

WHITEHOUSE – Our news partners at KETK report the Texas Department of Public Safety said that a 22-year-old man died after hitting a tree on County Road 2177 on Friday around 10:50 p.m. Colton B. Killingsworth, 22 of Jacksonville, was travelling south on County Road 2177 5.5 miles south of Whitehouse in a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado, when DPS said he lost control of the truck and hit a tree on the east side of the road. Killingsworth was pronounced dead by Dr. K. Records at UT Health Hospital in Tyler. According to DPS, Killingsworth was not wearing a seat belt and it was raining at the time of the crash.

TYLER – Smith County Jail records show that Patrick Mahomes Sr. was arrested for driving while intoxicated in Tyler on Saturday. According to our news partner KETK, the Tyler Police Department arrested Mahomes his alleged third DWI or more. Mahomes Sr. is the father of Patrick Mahomes II, the quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs. Mahomes Sr. was arrested for his second driving while intoxicated charge in 2018. His 40 day sentence was served on weekends through Feb. 2019 to Feb. 2020. In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, Mahomes Sr. played for several MLB teams as a pitcher. Mahomes bond was set at $10,000 and he was released on Sunday, according to jail records from Smith County.

TYLER — According to our news partner KETK a Tyler man was sentenced to life in prison for the violent murder of a mother of four on Friday. David Thompson, 51, was found guilty for the murder of Jaci Wilkerson, who was found dead at The Lodge Apartment Complex on South Broadway on May 25, 2022. According to the affidavit, Willison’s body was found in a pool of blood inside of the apartment and authorities believed she was killed with a machete. A machete was reportedly found on Thompson’s bed inside the apartment with a “significant amount of blood.”

Authorities said an investigation with Thompson’s roommate revealed that he was in the apartment at the time of the murder, according to officials but said he did not heard anything because he was on muscle relaxers. The roommate said when he woke up for the second time to use the bathroom, walked up to Thompson’s door and found Wilkerson on the floor, but said he never heard any struggle. The roommate said Thompson was “crazy” and was in “a violent relationship” with Wilkerson. Police also spoke with the upstairs neighbors who said she heard a woman yell, “Oh my God! Please stop!” followed by a loud thud. The neighbor said the commotion scared her awake, and they recalled hearing the sound of doors closing and a vehicle starting.

GLADEWATER – According to our news partner KETK Upshur County Sheriff’s Office conducted a raid on a residential compound that led to several arrests. The Upshur County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Unit (SIU) lead a raid on a residential compound in the 9000 block of Bob-O-Link Road in Gladewater. Officials said the raid was the culmination of the nearly two-year-long drug distribution investigation. Members of the SIU, Upshur County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigators and patrol deputies raided the compound on Friday “just after daybreak.”

Authorities said that during the raid they found a malnourished dog chained to a dog house in a cage with no food or water, and the dog has reportedly been transported to a veterinarian for evaluation. During the raid, a deputy was injured after being bitten by another dog, and the deputy was treated at a medical facility and released. That dog is being quarantined due to no evidence of rabies immunization, authorities said. Continue reading Residential compound raid leads to arrests