KTBB News, Weather, Talk

LINDALE – An ongoing feud has resulted in the arrest of a Lindale area man. Arrested over the weekend was Danny Lynn Hobbs. He has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Sheriff’s department Sergeant Darrell Coslin tells KTBB that Hobbs shares a driveway with a neighbor. His neighbors were in the driveway Saturday afternoon when he arrived. He is said to have aimed his vehicle at them and increased his speed. They were able to jump out of the way but their dog wasn’t as lucky. He remains in the Smith County jail in lieu of a $10,000 bond.

TYLER – Peace officers who died in the line of duty have been remembered in Tyler. A ceremony was held on the Tyler square at noon on Monday. In 2016, 145 peace officers died in the U.S. Tyler policeman Don Martin said 19 names were read during the Tyler ceremony. They are the Texas peace officers who died last year. One of the names on the list was 62 year old Gregg County Jailer Robert Ransom. He died on September 30th after suffering a heart attack while helping an inmate who had a medical emergency. As other deputies attempted to revive the inmate Jailer Ransom rushed to retrieve an AED. He collapsed moments later. Both he and the inmate were transported to the hospital where he passed away. The inmate that Corporal Ransom was assisting survived and was returned to the jail.

GILMER – East Texas authorities are looking for the persons who stole some military grave markers. The Upshur County Sheriff’s Department said five of the grave markers were stolen from the Zion Hill Cemetery, on Poppy Road, near Gilmer. Engraved on the brass markers are the names of Hargest, Granville, Lynn, and Tanner. They also contain the service record of the five persons. You are asked to contact Lt. Gary Shirley at 903-680-8231 if you have any information about the missing grave markers.

MARSHALL – The cause of a Harrison County business death has been ruled accidental. The body of Arturo Gonzalez, 42, was found on April 17th stuck in a kiln at Marshall Pottery. Gonzales was a supervisor at the Marshall business and had worked their for 11 years. The Marshall News Messenger reports the final autopsy, which was performed by at Forensic Medical of Texas in Tyler, showed he died from environmental hyperthermia. The autopsy confirmed it was an accidental death.

TYLER — Services were held over the weekend for Steve and Anna Lee of Tyler, killed May 7 in an apparent murder-suicide. The Lees were well-known in the community. Steve Lee was a former radio and TV personality who later collaborated in forming a successful video production and marketing company. The couple met while Anna was director of the TJC Apache Belles. The two were also noted for their involvement in patriotic endeavors, tied in with their deep interest in the Revolutionary War. The incident that took their lives remains under investigation.

SMITH COUNTY — One person has died following a Sunday morning crash in Smith County. According to KETK, it happened around 2:15 on FM 2767, around 7 miles east of Tyler. DPS Troopers said a truck and a car hit head-on. The driver of one of the vehicles, Nathen Stamps, 21, was taken to the hospital were he later died. The driver of the other vehicle, Cesar Duran, 21, was also taken to the hospital and is in stable condition. The cause of the wreck is unknown.

GREGG COUNTY — A Gladewater man has been indicted in connection with a February incident that resulted in a 2-year-old boy being admitted to a hospital with severe injuries. According to the Longview News-Journal, Jeffrey White, 28, was arrested Feb. 5 after his girlfriend told officers he beat her child. He’s being held in the Gregg County jail on $45,000 bond, charged with injury to a child/elderly/disabled person causing reckless bodily injury. White admitted in a police interview in February to repeatedly striking the child with a belt and stick on multiple occasions. Continue reading Man Indicted on Injury to Child Charge

WHITEHOUSE — A Brownsboro man has been arrested after leading authorities on a chase. Marlin Welch, 63, was booked into the Smith County Jail on Saturday. He’s been charged with evading arrest. Bond was set at $3,000. Additional details were not available.

EAST TEXAS — The National Weather Service said Friday that a tornado touched down Thursday evening near Gladewater, one of five twisters confirmed across East Texas. The Gladewater tornado was classified as EF-1 and touched down at about 6:15 p.m. Thursday just west of the city, the weather service said. According to the Longview News-Journal, also confirmed Friday were an EF-2 tornado near Garrison in Nacogdoches County; an EF-0 tornado near Edgewood in Van Zandt County; and an EF-1 tornado near Minden in Rusk County. Another tornado was also classified as an EF-1. The National Weather Service performed damage assessment throughout Friday in Gregg, Upshur, Wood and Smith counties. Those assessments had not been completed as of late Friday afternoon. Continue reading Weather Service Confirms Several East Texas Tornadoes

DALLAS (AP/STAFF) — A Dallas-area military veteran will serve life imprisonment without parole for the 2013 shooting deaths of four women, including his girlfriend and estranged wife. A judge sentenced Erbie Lee Bowser, 48, on Friday after a Dallas County jury deliberated for 10 hours over two days before becoming deadlocked on a death penalty. Bowser was a 1986 all-state football selection while attending Tyler’s Robert E. Lee High School. He was convicted of capital murder on May 5 in the fatal shootings of girlfriend Toya Smith and her 17-year-old daughter, Tasmia Allen, in Dallas. Investigators say Bowser then drove to nearby DeSoto and fatally shot his wife, Zina Bowser, and her 28-year-old daughter Neima Williams. Four other children were wounded. Bowser’s attorneys had argued that he’s mentally ill and suffered concussions playing football. Bowser is a former member of the Dallas Mavericks ManiAAC male dance troupe.

SHREVEPORT – Two damage survey teams from the National Weather Service-Shreveport office are investigating storm-related damage from Thursday’s storms in East Texas. One team is focusing on Smith, Upshur, and Gregg Counties. Another team is focusing on Nacogdoches, Rusk, and Shelby Counties. The strongest of the storms was an EF-2 tornado in the Garrison area of northeastern Nacogdoches County. It had winds of between 111-135 miles an hour. Reports also indicate an EF-1 tornado on the west side of Gladewater and an EF-1 tornado in southeast Rusk County, on the east side of Minden. Continue reading East Texas Storm Damage Being Surveyed

EAST TEXAS – East Texas letter carriers will be doing more that bringing mail to your home Saturday. They will also be picking up food in their annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. The country’s largest single-day food drive provides you with an easy way to donate food to those in need in the community. All you have to do is put bags of non-perishable goods next to you mailbox before tomorrow’s mail delivery. The letter carriers will pick up the food and distribute them to local food agencies. This marks the 25th year of the letter carriers’ annual food drive. You are encouraged to leave a sturdy bag, paper or plastic, containing non-perishable foods, such as canned soup, canned vegetables, canned meats and fish, pasta, peanut butter, rice or cereal, next to your mailbox. You can visit http://www.nalc.org/food to learn more.

ATHENS – The Henderson County sheriff’s office is seeking additional help in solving a couple of cold cases. They are seeking the help of the Sheriff’s Association of Texas Cold Case Review Team. Sheriff Botie Hillhouse said the team will bring “fresh eyes” to old cases. One is the death of Shelly Watkins, who was found floating in the Trinity River just west of Seven Points on Labor Day in 1993. The second death is that of Ricky Gene Herriage. His body was discovered March 8, 1987 under a bridge, next to Walnut Creek. According to Sheriff Hillhouse, they will continue to gather the evidence needed to solve the crimes and bring the suspects to justice.

DALLAS — A Dallas County jury remains sequestered in the death penalty phase of Erbie Bowser’s capital murder trial. Defense attorney Andy Beach said the jury may have rejected the insanity plea, but it cannot ignore Bowser’s brain injuries, mental illness, and anti-psychotic drug prescriptions. The night Bowser killed four women and wounded four children, Beach said, was the night he snapped. Prosecutor Glen Fitzmartin portrayed Bowser as a self-centered, controlling manipulator. He said it’s time for the jury to serve up justice. The jury has two possible results: life without parole or death by injection. Bowser was a 1986 all-state football selection while attending Tyler’s Robert E. Lee High School.

KILGORE – A Kilgore hospital has lost its Medicare certification. Allegiance Specialty Hospital in Kilgore was cited following an inspection by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. They found deficiencies in the building infrastructure. There have been some layoffs as result of the action. The emergency department operated by Christus Good Shepherd Health System and a sub lease to Kilgore College were not affected. Administrator Karen Ross told the Longview News Journal “The hospital will remain open while it awaits the resurvey and completes the reinstatement process.”

LONGVIEW — Police arrested a Longview man after finding more than 800 grams of drugs in his house. KETK reports 25-year-old Patrick Toliver was held on bonds Wednesday and charged with manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance. On Tuesday, police responded to a house on Peach Orchard Road after an officer found drugs on the back porch. Police say they found more than 20 bags and multiple bottles filled with different drugs.

TYLER — One person is in custody after Smith County deputies responded Thursday morning to a reported shots fired call. Sergeant Darrell Coslin tells KETK gunfire was called in around 11:20 on Highway 64 West at a mobile home park. Two people have been detained, but only one was arrested. Bacilio Chavez of Tyler is charged with deadly conduct. No injuries were reported. Two weapons were seized at the scene.

TYLER — Tyler Police have arrested three suspects from Dallas following several reported burglaries at local pharmacies. It started just after midnight and ended around 1:30 with the arrests of Alexis Foster (pictured), 22, Traymall Cherry, 23, and Damion Spearman, 24. responded to burglaries at 1041 NNE Loop 323, 2701 WSW Loop 323 and 108 Shelly dr. Witnesses at the Shelly dr. burglary reported seeing two black males run from the business and get in a black four door car. They reported the vehicle left the scene north on Old Bullard Road. A short time later, an officer spotted a vehicle matching the description at Amherst and Broadway. The vehicle was stopped and stolen property from all three burglaries was located inside. The suspects were charged with three counts of burglary of a building each.

AUSTIN – The governor’s request for low interest federal disaster loans for those affected by the tornadoes that swept through Texas on the weekend of April 28th has been granted by the Small Business Administration. The request was granted for Van Zandt, Smith, Henderson, Hunt, Kaufman, Rains and Wood counties. In a news release from Austin, Governor Greg Abbott said, “I extend my sincerest appreciation to the SBA for their swift action in aiding those affected by these deadly tornadoes,” said Governor Abbott. “Texans have always worked together to help their neighbors and rebuild their communities after a tragedy strikes, and this time will be no different.” Continue reading Disaster Assistance Granted Because of the April Tornadoes

TYLER – A Louisiana man has been sentenced in Tyler federal court for his part in a kidnapping conspiracy scheme. Gary Cutright, 22, of Zwolle, Louisiana, pleaded guilty in January. He was sentenced Thursday by judge Thad Heartfield to 13 years in federal prison. Over an 18 month period, ending in January of last year, Cutright and four others, who have already pled guilty, conspired to commit kidnapping, robberies and assaults in East Texas and West Louisiana. They are acused of kidnapping a person and bringing them to Carthage in December 2015 and a kidnapping in Longview in March of last year. Continue reading Sentencing in a Federal Kidnapping Case

WHITEHOUSE – Whitehouse police are looking for a black or blue truck that hit a Whithouse student and left the scene. The boy was treated and released from the hospital. The accident happened shortly before 7:45 Thursday morning at the exit drive of the Holloway Sixth Grade Campus.

CHANDLER – Another East Texas traffic stop has resulted in a drug bust. The latest occurred around 1:00 Thursday morning Thursday in the Forest Grove subdivision in south of Chandler. Two Henderson County sheriff’s deputies stopped a suspicious vehicle. After the driver got of out the vehicle, deputies noticed a white-colored plastic bag on the road. Inside the bag was about 10 grams of suspected methamphetamine. Arrested was David Wayne Cummings, 49, of Chandler. He’s being charged with possession of a controlled substance and tampering with physical evidence. Continue reading Chandler Man Busted Again On Drug Charges

TYLER – Smith County judicial records indicate a Tyler man has been busted on pornography charges. Arrested Wednesday by the U.S. Marshal’s Service was Edgar James Penland, 54. He has been charged with possession/promotion of child pornography. He remains in the Smith County Jail on a $750,000 bond.

TYLER – Plans for a new three-story building for the School of Community and Rural Health on the UT Health Northeast campus are moving forward. The Board of Regents of the UT System gave their approval on Wednesday to add the building to UT System’s Capital Improvement Program and to proceed with its design and development. The building will be located south of the Academic Center on the main campus of UT Health and will take approximately 18 months to complete, according to a UTHNE news release. Total project cost is $39 million. Groundbreaking will take place this summer. Continue reading UT Health Northeast To Construct Building for New School of Community and Rural Health

LONGVIEW — A Longview man has been charged in connection with an April 29 robbery. According to KETK, Michael Fred Houston, 36, was booked into the Gregg County Jail on a charge of aggravated robbery and credit card abuse. He’s being held on bonds totaling $157,500. Police were called to the Dollar General on Judson Road in reference to a robbery in the parking lot. The victim told officers a man opened the passenger door of her car and grabbed her purse. The suspect then reportedly demanded her cellphone and pointed a gun at her. After the victim told him that her phone was in her purse, the suspect fled the scene.

AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott has asked the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) to declare Van Zandt County a disaster area following the deadly storms that swept through North Texas on the weekend of April 28th and devastated the area. The Governor is asking the SBA to make long-term, low-interest-rate physical disaster home and business loans and economic injury disaster loans available to citizens and businesses affected by the catastrophe so that they may begin to rebuild their communities and pick up the pieces of their lives. If granted, these loans will be made available to affected citizens who qualify in Van Zandt and contiguous counties. Continue reading Governor Abbott Requests Disaster Assistance For Van Zandt County

TYLER – The U.S. Marshals Service has arrested a Tyler man in connection with a fatal February accident. Arrested on Tuesday, and charged with intoxication manslaughter was Terry Lee, Jr., 24. Killed in the wreck was Harold Wayne Coleman, 58, of Tyler. The accident occurred on February 9th on Gentry Parkway. The car driven by Lee veered across the southeast bound lanes, left the roadway and struck a guide wire for a telephone pole. The vehicle rolled and struck a building on the corner of Shawnee Boulevard. Four others in the car were injured. Lee’s toxicology test shows his alcohol blood content level was at .092 following the wreck. The legal limit is .08. He remains in the Smith County Jail under a $500,000 bond.

LONGVIEW – A road rage incident has resulted in a man being shot. Hospitalized with life-threatening injuries is Cody Joshua Blood, 23, of Longview. Questioned and released was Robert Lee Walton Jr. 40. Both men had been driving on Hawkins Parkway. Longview police say their actions while driving led to the shooting that occurred just before 10:00 Wednesday morning, at the gas station in the parking lot of the Brookshire’s store on Gilmer Road. When the investigation is complete it will be presented to the Gregg County District Attorney. At this point in the investigation, detectives are filing charges of aggravated assault.