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TYLER – The son of a Smith County commissioner and the elected Smith County Clerk was arrested again on Monday for legal process simulating after he issued subpoenas without authorization, according to an arrest warrant and our news partner KETK. The warrant said on July 31, a detective with the Smith County Sheriff’s Office was asked to investigate into three legal processes that were served to County Judge Neal Franklin, Sheriff Larry Smith and Court Security Lieutenant Matthew Lazarine.  According to the warrant, the subpoena stated a case number which came back to a criminal case against Lance Phillips, 40, for disruption of a meeting. In a subpoena sent to Lazarine, the warrant said he was commanded to appear to testify before the judge in this case. Continue reading Son of Smith County officials arrested for issuing subpoenas

LONGVIEW – A Longview ISD bus was involved in a minor crash Wednesday morning according to our news partner KETK. LISD officials reported no students or staff sustained any injury. They said the accident happened before school on Highway 259 and Eastman Road. The district also said the accident “was caused by another vehicle.” And, after a safety check, the bus was able to continue on its route.

HARRISON COUNTY — A woman was arrested after authorities said that she ran over her ex-boyfriend with a vehicle. According to our news partner KETK, on Sunday, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call from a man who said his ex-girlfriend arrived at the residence while he was trying to move out. The ex-girlfriend, who was identified as Elizabeth Reyes, 23, reportedly believed another woman had brought him to the residence he was trying to move out of. Authorities said that Reyes then “proceeded to run him over with the vehicle.” Reyes was arrested and booked into the Harrison County Jail for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon family violence on a $75,000 bond.

TYLER — In the first half of the year, Texans have lost more than $4 million to scams, our news partner KETK reports. The team in charge of preventing and investigating many of these fraud cases is the state agency, Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center, which is based in Downtown Tyler. Director Adam Colby (pictured) said criminals move from city to city and they come into connect the crimes. After opening in January of 2022, FCIC has worked around 1,800 cases and some of them are linked. “We saw the need, because one agency may be working a case while another agency may be working the same case completely parallel of the other investigation, so that’s what we do. We are connecting all of this up,” said Colby. Continue reading Tyler based FCIC helps in preventing $131 million in financial fraud

GREGG COUNTY — A portion of Interstate 20 is shut down near Liberty City following an 18-wheeler fire on Tuesday afternoon that’s from news partner KETK. According to DPS, a preliminary investigation showed that an 18-wheeler that was traveling eastbound on I-20 had a blowout and lost control. The driver reportedly struck a guardrail and the truck caught fire. The person driving was able to exit the 18-wheeler safely with no injuries. Traffic is being diverted onto CR 3111/Joy Wright Mt Road, DPS said. Officials expect I-20 to be open with one lane. Officials said the cleanup process could be lengthy and drivers are asked to avoid the area.

FRANKLIN COUNTY – Franklin County law enforcement Tuesday rescued two children reported to be abducted two weeks earlier. According to our news partner KETK, investigators say the mother of the children, ages 2 and 6, told authorities the two had been kidnapped. After locating the children at a home in Southern Franklin County, a Franklin County Special Response Team and Mount Vernon police officers found the kids at the residence. The person at that location, Cody Cunningham, was arrested on a kidnapping charge.

NACOGDOCHES – Gov. Greg Abbott announced on Tuesday that Eaton Corporation will be expanding their manufacturing facility for voltage regulators, Cooper Power Systems LLC, an Eaton Corporation PLC subsidiary, in Nacogdoches, according to our news partners at KETK.

“Eaton is making a $100 million investment to expand our Nacogdoches, Texas operations and respond to the unprecedented need for critical power distribution infrastructure to support electrification, grid modernization, and resilience,” Eaton Senior Vice President Guillaume Laur said. “The investment doubles Eaton’s production capacity of voltage regulators and three-phase transformers. The strong labor market and partnership with the Nacogdoches community helped guide our decision to invest here and continue our decades-long commitment to manufacturing in East Texas.” Continue reading Eaton facility expansion hopes to create over 200 new jobs in Nacogdoches

HARRISON COUNTY – Authorities have arrested a woman who they say ran over her ex-boyfriend. According to our news partner KETK, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department received a call Sunday from a man moving out from his residence. He stated his ex-girlfriend had come to that location and ran over him with her vehicle. Officers say that 23-year-old Elizabeth Reyes believed that there was another woman with her ex-partner. Reyes was booked into the Harrison County Jail for aggravated assault with deadly weapon and remains there on $75,000 bond.

TYLER — Tyler Junior College said on Tuesday that they are mourning the death of their athletic director. According to our news partner KETK, officials with the college said Athletic Director Kevin Vest had lost a lengthy battle with melanoma. “Our prayers are with his family and all of the lives he touched during his illustrious career,” officials said. Vest was the fifth athletic director in TJC’s 92-year history, and came from Waubonsee Community College in Illinois in 2019.

TYLER — Tyler Parks and Recreation will host, for the second time, Pawchella at Fun Forest Pool, located at 900 N. Glenwood Blvd. The event is B.Y.O.D. (Bring Your Own Dog) and will take place on Saturday, Aug. 19 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. The facility will be available for pups to use to play and cool off. Admission is free. Click here to register. Recreation Manager, Kandice Johnson, says, “Last year went better than expected, and we received so many thank-yous for providing a safe place for pups to play and socialize. We are excited to watch it grow and become an annual tradition.” Continue reading Tyler Parks hosting Pawchella 2023

SMITH COUNTY — The body of a Smith County man, who had been reported missing around midnight, has been found in a field early Tuesday morning. According to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, Gilbert Lay, 60, was found about 100 yards from his residence on CR 3140, near Tyler State Park. Officials said they were contacted by family members around midnight Monday to report Lay had been missing for an extended period of time. Lay had a Corgi dog with him. They described him as legally blind, suffers from PTSD and high blood pressure. Lay was considered to be in grave danger. His body was found around 3:15 Tuesday morning. Lay’s Corgi dog was located alive near his owner. An investigation is underway.

ATHENS – According to our news partner KETK The Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center (TFFC) in Athens will be undergoing major renovations and updates and will be closed to the public starting Aug. 28. The tentative date for completion and reopening to the public is spring 2025. According to TFFC, “the 300,000 gallons of aquariums will be updated, new larger aquariums will be added, the dive theater and other existing indoor exhibits will be updated, and new exhibits will be developed.” In addition to upgrading the facilities, the closure will also give an opportunity for staff to develop new educational programming and volunteer opportunities. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation (TPWF) has raised more than $4.5 million in private donations to fund the massive project, said TFFC.

Until Aug. 28, TFFC operates from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. According to TFFC, hatchery production, the Toyota ShareLunker Program, Angler Recognition Program, Fish Art Contest and Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame selection and induction will all continue normal operations during the renovation. For additional information about TFFC, visit the TFFC website and Facebook page.

MARSHALL – The Marshall Police Department said an 88-year-old pedestrian was killed after being hit by a car in the 2600 block of East Houston Street on Friday. According to our news partner KETK Marlene Floyd, 88 of Marshall, had died from her injuries by the time first responders arrived on seen around 10:40 p.m., according to a press release. The 71-year-old driver stayed on the scene of the crash and is cooperating with investigators, Marshall PD said. Officials said no charges have been filled in this case and an investigation is ongoing.

Marshall Police Department Chief Cliff Carruth stressed the importance of drivers and pedestrians fully paying attention to the road because these kinds of accidents are all too common. “It is a tragedy for all involved. We will keep these families in our prayers,” Chief Carruth said.

TYLER – According to our news partner KETK a 20-year-old Tyler man was sentenced to 11 years in prison after pleading guilty to helping “move and dispose” of the body of a 2022 murder victim. Christian Whitney-Polk, 20, was arrested on March 10, almost a year after authorities said they were searching for him in connection to the murder of 53-year-old Anthony Wilson. Wilson’s body was later found in the woods in North Tyler and his roommate, Timothy Jones, 27, was sentenced to 40 years in prison in June after pleading guilty to his murder.

According to an arrest warrant, Jones had told police in an interview “he had shot Anthony,” and after the shooting, contacted Whitney-Polk to help him move the body. “He stated he picked up Christian Whitney-Polk from his house, then drove him to the house on Gentry where they took Anthony Wilson’s body out, and they both disposed of Anthony Wilson’s body,” the warrant said.
Continue reading Man pleads guilty to helping hide body in 2022 murder

TYLER – After a guilty plea, an 11 year prison sentence was given to a Tyler man in helping “move and dispose” the body of a 2022 murder victim. According to our news partner KETK, 20-year-old Christian Whitney-Polk was arrested in March in connection to the murder of Anthony Wilson. At that time, authorities arrested Timothy Jones, a roommate of Whitney-Polk. Jones told police, “he had shot Anthony.” After the shooting He asked Whitney-Polk to help him move the body from a house on Gentry Parkway to a wooded area in North Tyler. Jones was sentenced to 40 years in prison in Anthony Wilson’s murder.