KTBB News, Weather, Talk

HENDERSON – Rusk County schools were placed on lockdown Tuesday, but the measure was lifted Tuesday afternoon. According to our news partner KETK, Sheriff Johnwayne Valdez says a man was arrested after making a threat to a school but wasn’t specific about the location. Authorities said the sheriff’s office detained the man outside his job in Rusk County. The sheriff’s office is also working with the Smith County Sheriff’s Office to pursue charges.

GILMER — 37-year-old Matthew Joseph Savary of Gilmer has received a life sentence after pleading guilty to aggravated sexual assault of a male child. According to the Upshur County district attorney’s office, Savary will also be required to register as a lifetime sex offender if he ever paroles. He must serve at least 30 years before becoming eligible for parole. The sentence came in a plea bargain, with the state dismissing other counts involving the child. The offense date ranges from November 2021 to the spring of 2022.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — During KTBB’s weekly visit with Congressman Nathaniel Moran, he told us he supports the U.S. government’s decision to send M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. Moran calls it “vitally important to our national security,” saying, “a lot of our NATO allies are watching this closely because if the Russians are not opposed…in Ukraine, they could be in danger to be next.” He says China is watching closely too, to determine…its actions with respect to Taiwan.” Moran also says he’s working on a measure known as the Border Protection Investment Act, which he says would provide “for the funding of any border security measures,” through “a variety of ways.” He hopes to introduce it this week and continue talking it about more in coming weeks.

HARRISON COUNTY — A 23-year-old man was killed Monday night after being struck by a freightl-iner truck tractor towing a utility trailer on I-20 near Waskom. According to the Department of Public Safety and our news partner KETK, a preliminary crash report found that the truck tractor was traveling westbound on I-20 when “the pedestrian ran into the roadway.” Hunter Dorram, 23, of Grand Prairie, was pronounced dead at the scene and the driver of the truck had no injuries reported.

TYLER – A Smith County Sheriff’s Office deputy was in a three vehicle crash around 3:50 p.m. at East Front Street and Loop 323 on Sunday. According to our news partner KETK, the sheriff’s office says the deputy was responding to a domestic assault call when they hit a vehicle which pushed them into another vehicle. Officials said the deputy and another person were transported to a hospital to be treated for their injuries. The deputy has since been released. The Tyler Police Department is investigating the incident. We’ll have more information as it becomes available.

SMITH COUNTY – Authorities are continuing to investigate a fatal officer-involved shooting in Smith County. According to our news partner KETK, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office says 32-year-old Brandon Duvall was shot by deputies around 9:55 p.m. on Saturday in northwestern Smith County. A call initially came in to dispatch at 7:05 p.m. as a domestic disturbance, authorities reported. Officials said the caller identified herself as a victim of an assault by her boyfriend at their residence. Sheriff Larry Smith said his office had answered calls at the home before, but none of them were severe or ended in an arrest. Continue reading More details on fatal officer-involved shooting in Smith County

TYLER – TxDOT crews got ahead of the winter storm forecast for East Texas by preparing roadways around the eight-county district for potentially icy conditions. The pre-treatment of bridges and other roadway areas susceptible to wind and ice began early Monday morning. I-20 and other major roadways will be pre-treated with a brine solution consisting of salt and water designed to prevent ice and snow from sticking to surfaces. Officials say the process is a fast-moving mobile operation with minimal impacts to traffic. Drivers should allow a safe traveling distance between their vehicles and the mobile convoys distributing the pre-treatment materials. Continue reading TxDOT preparing roads ahead of winter weather expected

CARTHAGE – Carthage Police Department said they found a black male with gunshot wounds while responding to a 911 call about a shooting around 3:04 a.m. on Sunday. The shooting took place on the 600 block of South Adams Street in Carthage and there was no suspect on the scene, according to our news partner KETK. An Allegiance ambulance transported the victim to a hospital in Longview for treatment, a. Carthage Police Department later announced that a suspect had been arrested around 7:05 a.m. An arrest warrant was issued by the Panola County District Attorney’s Office for Nathanael Chardonnay. Chardonnay was charged with attempting to commit murder and his bail is set at $30,000.

FORT WORTH (KRLD) – Fort Worth’s teen curfew will expire next month — and any discussion to extend it could end up being a moot point, thanks to a bill filed by East Texas state Senator Bryan Hughes. The Fort Worth City Council had voted earlier this month to extend the city’s long-standing teen curfew for 30 days so it could have more time to garner public input and further examine the issue. But now the city says it will allow the ordinance to lapse on February 13. That’s because Hughes’s bill would prohibit cities and counties from imposing teen curfews. Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker says that’s why it’s best to put the brakes on the discussion for the time being. Parker says the measure has the support of both Republicans and Democrats.

TYLER – Tyler Fire Department responded to a structure fire around 3:26 a.m. off of Ada Avenue on Saturday Jan. 28. According to our news partner KETK. firefighters arrived on the scene and saw smoke and flames emerging from the roof and a rear window. All residents were able to get out of the home safely. Three fire engines, a ladder company, a battalion chief and a investigator all responded to the scene and the fire was quickly controlled, officials said. A firefighter was treated and released from a local hospital after receiving 2nd degree burns on their face and their were no other injuries, according to Tyler Fire. An occupant told officials that they woke up near a candle that was left burning in one of the building’s bedrooms and a 12-year-old helped their 84-year-old relative get out of the flaming structure. The American Red Cross will be providing assistance to the family.

HALLSVILLE – Police departments throughout East Texas are adding Narcan as a tool to save people’s lives. Hallsville Police Officer Ryan Waldow says he saw a need for access to Narcan while on a call. According to our news partner KETK, Waldow took the initiative to research the medicine and find a way for every officer in his department to have it in their patrol car. Tyler PD has equipped their team with Narcan for more than 3 years and says it works wonders. “So when we get there first, whether we beat the fire department, you know the medical people in the fire department or EMS, it allows us to take that quick action to save a life,” said Andy Erbaugh, Public Information Officer, Tyler PD. Officer Andy Erbaugh said everyone in the field has to go through training and they keep the drug in the first aid kits in their patrol cars. Continue reading East Texas police departments adding Narcan as a tool to save lives

TYLER — The East Texas Communities Foundation is currently accepting applications from East Texas students for 88 scholarships to be awarded for the 2023-2024 academic year. The deadline for submission of the online application is March 1, 2023. Detailed eligibility criteria and links to the applications are available here. Seven new scholarships are available this year. Those include the Pasha Zapolsky Memorial Scholarship, which will assist students graduating from any of the 32 counties ETCF serves who have played competitive soccer during high school. They must maintain a 3.67 GPA and demonstrate devotion to their Christian faith. Amount is $1,000. Continue reading ETCF: Scholarships available for East Texas students

LONGVIEW – The Longview Police Department asked City Council to approve application for five state grants, and the council has agreed. According to our news partner KETK, officials say this will help officers better serve people in the city. Each grant is up to $100,000, and two of the grants will help replace old equipment that is used on daily patrols. “The cameras, for example, are well utilized for crime scenes, and they would like some new updated cameras that are more reliable,” said Laura Hill, director of grants and human services. The department will also use the money for new body armor to protect officers in the field. “As you can imagine, it’s quite expensive, so any little bit we can get from grants helps save the taxpayer dollars and we don’t have to budget to replace that same safety equipment,” said Hill. Continue reading Longview Police Department asks for up to $500,000 in state grants

MARSHALL – A Marshall man who worked as a tax preparer has pleaded guilty in Marshall federal court to making false and fraudulent statements. According to a news release, Boyd Lynn Butcher, 50, agreed to pay over $300,000 in restitution and to be sentenced to three years in prison. According to court documents, beginning before 2015 and continuing through at least 2017, Butcher operated Boyd’s Tax Service. During that time, he prepared more than 450 federal tax returns for third parties in exchange for a fee — usually $300 per return — even though he was not authorized by the IRS to prepare tax returns for others. When preparing many of those returns, he created false or fraudulent information to generate unwarranted tax refunds. In total, officials say he caused a tax harm to the IRS of more than $317,252.00. Continue reading Marshall man guilty of false and fraudulent statements