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TROUP – A historic East Texas church has been destroyed in a Friday morning fire. It was reported around 6:30am at the Mount Rose Baptist Church. It is located near the intersection of Hollis Street and South Front Street in Troup.The church celebrated its 105th anniversary three months ago. No injuries were reported. Investigators are trying to determine the cause of the fire.

LONGVIEW – Two persons are in jail in Longview in connection with a September wreck that killed 2 persons and left one injured. Chad Palmer Malone, 19, of Longview and Davin Blain Davis, 21, of Hallsville were racing at the time of the accident. It occurred near the intersection of North Eastman Road and Hawkins Parkway. Malone and Davis are both charged with two counts of manslaughter, three counts of racing on highway causing serious bodily injury and a charge of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury. Both remain in the Gregg County Jail. Continue reading Two Charged in Fatal Longview Wreck

TYLER – Tyler police are searching for the suspect accused of robbing the Walgreen’s on south Broadway. It happened Friday morning around 12:40. Store employees told officers a white man approached the pharmacy staff and demanded drugs. His hand was in the pocket of his jacket, mimicking a gun, and he is said to have threatened to kill the staff if they did not cooperate. The suspect is described as being approximately 6’ tall, heavy set, wearing a black Under Armor hoodie with a white or gray emblem on the front, red, checker pattern ball cap, jeans and boots. He was last seen leaving the parking lot in dark colored 4 door hatchback vehicle. Contact Tyler police with any information.

MARSHALL – The City of Marshall has been named as the winner of the All-America City ShareYourShield contest. It was sponsored by the National Civic League. The purpose of the contest is to help recognize All-America Cities from around the country and showcase all the ways in which cities have used the All-America City logo. The city staff submitted several photos from around the community to the city Facebook page by tagging All-America City and using #ShareYourShield to enter the contest. For winning the contest, the city received free registrations to attend the 2018 National Conference on Local Governance and will be recognized at the 2018 All-America City Award event that will be held in Denver in June.

SHERMAN – A Smith County resident, who was a student at Austin College, has died in a one vehicle accident in Sherman. Rebekah Kristine Bowden, 22, of Flint, died when she failed to negotiate a turn and her car it a tree. The wreckage was discovered around 6:00 Thursday morning. It is not known when the wreck occurred. Bowden was a graduate of Robert E Lee High School. She was a senior at Austin College where she was majoring in business and finance and member of the women’s volleyball team.

TYLER- As witnessed in Florida, you might be confronted with an act of violence. You can be prepared. A free active shooter training class will be held in Tyler next week. It will be next Thursday at the Lone Star Church on West 4th Street. It is being presented by the church along with Sheriff Larry Smith and the Smith County Sheriff’s Office and Smith County Young Republicans. The subject is graphic and not appropriate for children younger than 13. To RSVP for this event, please send an email to rsvpsheriffsmith@gmail.com with the words “Active Shooter” in the subject line. If you have any questions about this training, please contact Sgt. Darrell Coslin at 903-590-2967.

GILMER – An Upshur County woman has decided to accept a plea deal instead of letting a jury set her punishment. When Ashley Nichole Grubbs, 29, of Gilmer, pleaded guilty to selling meth for profit across from Gilmer High School, she wanted a jury to set her punishment. But she changed her mind and entered into a plea agreement. She has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for her part in a three person organized crime group. With the plea bargain agreement, the sentence becomes final and she has waived her right to appeal. Two other persons remain in custody, awaiting trial in the case.

AUSTIN – A Longview judge has received an appointment from the governor. Governor Greg Abbott has appointed judge Alfonso Charles as the presiding judge of the Tenth Administrative Judicial Region. The appointment is for a term that will expire four years from the date of qualification. The region was created by the state legislature last year. It covers 32 counties in east and northeast Texas. Judge Charles is judge of the 124th Judicial District Court in Gregg County. Formerly, he was judge of County Court at Law Number 2. He was appointed as judge of the 124th District court at the death of District Judge Bill Jennings, who died in 2009 after suffering a fatal heart attack while boating on Lake Tyler. Charles was then elected to the post in 2010 after running unopposed. Continue reading Judge Charles Receives Gubernatorial Appointment

TYLER – Earlier this month, the Smith County grand jury returned indictments agsinst 25 persons. Starting Thursday morning a contingent of law officers began arresting the suspects. At last report, 21 of the suspects were in custody. They were arrested in Smith, Henderson and Van Zandt counties. Nineteen of the indictments were for engaging in organized criminal activity, five were for theft and one indictment was for aggravated assault on a public servant. The investigation started in mid December with the arrest of a suspect west of Tyler for stealing a vehicle and a motorcycle. The following investigation identified numerous persons accused of thefts, burglaries and drug offenses in the area. That led to the indictments and Thursday’s arrests. Continue reading Arrests Made in an Organized Crime Ring

GREGG COUNTY — A Gladewater man has been arrested after police said he threatened to shoot White Oak police officers. According to the Longview News-Journal, the threats were made in videos shared via Snapchat. Ross Lagrande Lindsey, 21, was being held in the Gregg County Jail under $50,000 bond, charged with obstruction or retaliation. Gregg County Sheriff’s deputies arrested him Friday. In one video, police said Lindsey posted from inside the lobby of the White Oak Police Department. Lindsey had posted the videos without a username, but officers recalled seeing him in the department lobby and had previously arrested him. Continue reading Gladewater Man Arrested following Online Threats

HOUSTON (AP) – A new analysis finds that Latinos and African-Americans in five Texas metro areas, including Longview, were more likely to be denied a conventional mortgage loan when compared to non-Hispanic whites. The review of millions of federal records by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting found that redlining has persisted in 61 metro areas around the U.S. Redlining is the practice of charging more or denying services such as loans based only on reasons related to such things as race, national origin and religion. In Texas, the review of data from 2015 and 2016 found this modern-day redlining in Corpus Christi, the Killeen-Temple area, Longview, the San Antonio-New Braunfels area and Waco. Fair housing advocates and researchers in Texas say they’re not surprised by the review’s findings.

TYLER – A Mexican national illegally residing in Carthage, has been found guilty of drug trafficking violations in East Texas. Following a three-day trial before U.S. District Judge Ron Clark, Conrado Depaz Arellano, 48, was found guilty Wednesday of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. Arellano also pleaded guilty on Monday to being illegally in the United States after having been deported. Under federal statutes, Arellano faces up to 40 years in federal prison at sentencing. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office. Continue reading Carthage Man Convicted of Drug Trafficking

TYLER – A mistrial has been declared in the trial of Smith County commissioner JoAnn Hampton. With both the prosecution and defense reaching an agreement, District Judge Jack Skeen declared a mistrial shortly after 4:00 Wednesday afternoon. The jury was then discharged. Hampton was also ordered to enter a 90-day diversion program. Hampton then apologized to the woman she had been accused of pushing. Hampton had been accused of assaulting the 73 year old woman last April. Hampton and the woman got into an argument about setting up the communion table at their church. Hampton was accused of pushing the woman down. She had been facing two different charges of elderly abuse.

TYLER – The Tyler city council has recognized Fire Marshal Paul Findley for his completion of the National Fire Academy course. The program provides senior fire officers with a broad perspective on various facets of fire and emergency services administration. The courses teach officers how to exercise leadership when dealing with difficult or unique problems. Students in the program are given the opportunity to enhance their professional development through a series of four graduate and upper-division-baccalaureate equivalent courses taken over a four-year period.

TYLER – The Tyler city council has approved applying for grant funds for new equipment for the police department. The police department will be pursuing grants for $105,000. Some of the funding is for replacing 150 body cameras. They typically have a two year life span and Chief Jimmy Toler said they have stretched their current equipment past that time. And the rest of the funds will be to purchase equipment that will test substances by scanning directly through plastics, bottles and other translucent packing materials. This will reduce officers’ contact with potentially dangerous drugs by reducing the risk of toxic exposure. Continue reading Funds Sought for New Police Equipment

COFFEE CITY – A raid on a Henderson County game room has resulted in 5 arrests for engaging in organized criminal activity and there may be more in the future. A warrant was served around 9:00 Wednesday morning at the Spin and Win game room on Highway 155. Besides the arrests, sheriff’s deputies seized around 100 games as well as $130,000. Besides the arrests, 11 of the 17 people in the room at the time of the raid were cited for gambling. Sheriff Botie Hillhouse said this was a major operation.

HENDERSON COUNTY — The fugitive parents of a baby that was shot in the face have been arrested. According to Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse, Bryanna Timms, 34, and David Whittick, 33, were caught in Hopkins County near Sulphur Springs late Tuesday. Hillhouse said the couple fled the his county to avoid arrest but his office received a tip that they had been apprehended. An arrest warrant had been issued Tuesday morning and they had reportedly agreed to surrender later that day. The two are charged with endangerment of a child and making a firearm accessible to a child. The 18-month-old survived the shooting and has since been placed in foster care.

MARSHALL – A Marshall man has been arrested for for shooting at a passing vehicle. Arrested Tuesday afternoon was Brian Davis, 27. He is said to have fired several shots at a vehicle traveling on East Houston Street around 1:00 Tuesday afternoon. No one was injured. He then ran away. An officer found him a short time later on East Bowie Street near Merzbacher Street. The gun he is said to have used, which was reported stolen, has been recovered. He was booked into the Harrison County Jail on charges of aggravated assault with a firearm and theft of a firearm. The shooting remains under investigation.

TYLER – Tyler police have arrested a suspect in a Tuesday morning robbery. Hunter Dean Milligan, 22, of Tyler, is accused of robbing the Food Fast on West Houston Street. It happened at 12:05am. He is said to be the man who was armed with a butcher knife who took an undisclosed amount of money and then fled on foot. He was booked into the Smith County Jail on a charge of aggravated robbery. His bond was set at $200,000.

TYLER – Six Robert E Lee High School seniors have been presented Presidential Fellow Scholarships by the University of Texas at Tyler. The scholarships were presented Tuesday morning to Kyle Ferrer, Kaleb Hill, Madison Hysell, Idara Imoh, Katherine Jennings and Mercedes Ojeda. To earn the scholarship, a student was receive ACT scores of 29 or above or 1350 or above on SAT examinations, along with various other academic requirements. The scholarship covers the full cost of tuition, fees, books, room and board.

GREGG COUNTY – Gregg County authorities are continuing their investigation into a weekend shooting that injured a Smith County man.The shooting occurred around 4:00 Sunday morning at Club Sensation on State Highway 31 near Kilgore. The victim was found in a car in the parking lot of a convenience store on Highway 135. Ashtin Javon Arnett-Adams, 26, of Tyler, was taken to the hospital with a non-life threatening injury. Investigators are still trying to determine the circumstances that led up to the shooting and put together information on a possible shooter. Anyone with information is asked to contact Gregg County Sheriff’s Office Investigator David Falco.

LINDALE – A Lindale teacher has been named as a finalist for the 2018 H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards. The award spotlights the best educators in in the state. Lindale High School teacher J.P. Fulger has been presented a $1,000 check for himself and a $1,000 check for his school. As a finalist in the Rising Star Secondary category, Fugler has the opportunity to compete at the statewide level against four others in his category for a cash prize of $5,000 for himself and $5,000 for his school. All of the finalists are invited to Houston on May 5th and 6th to compete on a statewide level for larger cash prizes totaling $430,000.

TYLER – Young Audiences of Northeast Texas announces the winners of the 2018 Arts in Education awards. This year, two persons will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. Amy Baskin, Executive Director said “After reviewing the judge’s findings, it was impossible to choose one or the other.” The winners are are Johnny Ray, music teacher at All Saints Episcopal School in Tyler and Denny Whitley, recently retired as band director at Whitehouse High School, Whitehouse ISD. Continue reading Area Teachers to Be Honored

SMITH COUNTY – A gas skimmer that turned up in Bullard has resulted in the arrest of two persons. The skimmer was found at a station on East Houston Street. A Tyler police detective, with the North Texas Financial Crimes Task Force, saw two known suspects from prior investigations pull up to the station to retrieve the skimmer. They fled when they saw the skimmer had been found. A state trooper stopped their car near Loop 49 and Farm Road 2493. The two men, both from the Metroplex were already under investigation by the task force. The investigation had already established that this criminal organization had previously made 780 fraudulent transactions on at least 187 different credit cards in 29 cities and 3 different states. Continue reading Two Arrested in Connection with a Smith County Gas Skimmer

MARSHALL – East Texas Baptist University has been recognized by the Annual RegisteredNursing.org Registered Nurse (RN) Program State Rankings as the eighth ranked RN Program in Texas. This is out of 114 programs evaluated and 50 ranked. The rankings were measured by analyzing the percentage of graduates who pass the exam. ETBU Nurses have consistently achieved 100% passing rates on the National Council Licensure Examination and 100% of the ETBU Nursing School graduates within the last three years have received job offers upon degree completion. Continue reading ETBU Nursing Program Gets High Ranking

ATHENS – One person remains in the hospital from a Henderson County wreck that killed two persons. The wreck occurred around 2:00 Sunday afternoon on U.S. Highway 175, about 5 miles southeast of Athens. Dead at the scene was Ingrid Munoz Perdomo, 24, of Jacksonville. A passenger in her car, Brandon Munoz, 3, of Jacksonville, later died at an Athens hospital. Two youngsters were treated and released and a third is in stable condition at an area hospital. The DPS says the Perdomo vehicle went out of control on the icy road and crossed the center stripe. It was then hit by a tractor trailer rig and then collided with an SUV.

TYLER — The trial for a Smith County commissioner is underway. According to KETK, JoAnn Hampton reportedly assaulted a woman in her 70s in April of 2017. Police say Hampton and the woman got into an argument about setting up the communion table at a Tyler church. Hampton is accused of pushing the woman down. Hampton is facing two different charges of elderly abuse, one of which carries a penalty of 10 years in prison. The other carries a two-year sentence and a $10,000 fine.

MARSHALL – The Marshall Police Department says it has received help in identifying a man who passed counterfeit money. In late January, man went into the Family Dollar store located on East Grand and passed 10 counterfeit $50.00 bills. The suspects vehicle appears to be a silver Dodge Charger with black racing stripes on the hood. It is possible that the man is from Louisiana, since the vehicle did not have a front license plate. Since they released this information and his picture Monday morning they have identified the suspect. His name has not been released and he is not yet in custody.

AUSTIN – The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has appointed a Tyler educator as a member of the Political Science Field of Study Advisory Committee. He is Tyler Junior College’s Department Chair of Government and Economics Geoffrey Willbanks. The committee is composed of 24 voting members, 12 from public community colleges and 12 from public universities. They come from a representative sample of institutions of varying sizes, peer groups, and regions of the state. The is charged with identifying the block of courses that students may transfer to a general academic teaching institution. Continue reading Tylerite Named to State Advisory Committee

WODEN – A former Woden teacher is being charged with two counts of improper relationship between educator and student. Kelly Diann Searles, 45, of Nacogdoches, was also charged with two counts of Indecency with a child when she was arrested around 9:00 Monday morning. Nacogdoches County Sheriff Jason Bridges says warrants for her arrest came after after analyzing hundreds of texts messages, pictures and other information.