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TYLER — A firearms violation is sending a Henderson county man to prison for 75 months. Robbie Devon Wilkins, 31, of Athens, was sentenced in Tyler federal court Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Michael Schneider. Federal prosecutors say last December, Wilkins sold a semi-automatic rifle to another individual for $500. The rifle had been stolen during a burglary of WULF Outdoor Sports store in Athens on December 14, 2009. Wilkins admitted that he knew the rifle was stolen property when he sold it. Wilkins was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 6, 2010 and charged with federal firearms violations.

TYLER — Smith County sheriff�s deputies are credited with saving a woman from her submerged car. The Department of Public Safety reports the woman�s car, for some reason veered off Lake Placid Road, struck a bridge culvert and ended up in the water. The accident happened around 10:00 Tuesday night. The woman was not seriously injured and is being treated at Mother Frances Hospital. The accident remains under investigation.

TYLER — Smith County is putting the old Carlton Hotel up for sale. Now known as the Smith County Office Building, the 90,000 square feet, multi story building on West Elm Street now only houses the administrative offices of the sheriff�s department. They will be moving out early next year. Bids for the building will be accepted by the county through 2:00pm on Wednesday, January 5th.

TYLER � City crews are getting ready today for the Christmas season, placing an approximately 28-foot tree on the square. The tree was donated by Jackie and Debbie Merket of Merket Christmas Tree Farm in Beckville. Crews will place the finishing touches on decorations next Monday and Tuesday. The activity is in preparation of the 25th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony to be held Thursday, December 2nd.

TYLER � A 43-year-old Athens man has been sentenced in Tyler to federal prison for child pornography violations. James Clifford Hendrix pleaded guilty on June 2, 2010, to possession of child pornography and was sentenced to 97 months in federal prison Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Schneider.

According to information presented in court, on Aug. 15, 2008, Hendrix mailed his laptop computer to a computer repair business in Florida. During the repair, employees discovered images of child pornography and notified law enforcement authorities. A federal search warrant was obtained and executed at Hendrix’s home, during which an additional computer was located which also contained child pornography images. An analysis of the computers revealed approximately 42 videos and 49 photographs of child pornography. Some of the material depicted children less than 12 years of age engaged in sadistic or masochistic conduct. Hendrix was indicted by a federal grand jury on Nov. 4, 2009.

TYLER — The City of Tyler Traffic Engineering Department has begun installation of new poles and traffic signals in the downtown. The installation of the signals at 14 intersections is expected to take 4-6 weeks. Funding for the project came from a $1,005,700 U.S. Department of Energy grant to improve the efficiency of vehicular traffic in the downtown area. The plans call for the replacement of the existing signal equipment including poles, signal heads, control boxes, wiring, pedestrian signals and communication systems. �The poles and signal heads for this project were selected to match the historic ambience of the downtown,� said City Manager Mark McDaniel. �The enhanced performance as well as the historic appearance is a tremendous improvement in the downtown.�

Currently, the system is operated on a fixed time basis, which cannot be adjusted to meet varying traffic demands. The new system will utilize camera detection that officials say will allow for more efficient operation. The camera detection identifies a waiting vehicle and changes the signal as warranted. This allows the more heavily traveled corridor to have the majority of green time. �The equipment now in use dates back to the 1950�s,� said Traffic Engineer Peter Eng. �As these signals age and become inoperable, it has been increasingly difficult to locate replacement parts as they are no longer manufactured. This funding will allow the complete replacement of these obsolete signalized intersections.�

The grant was part of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG), authorized in Title V, Subtitle E of the Energy Independent and Security Act (EISA), signed into law on Dec. 19, 2007. This grant was made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

HENDERSON — Last Wednesday, the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office investigated allegations of a child sex assault. The investigation has now resulted in the arrest of 22-year-old Geraldo Rubio Vasquez of Longview. KETK reports Vasquez was charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child, which is a first-degree felony. Vasquez was arraigned by Rusk County Justice of the Peace Precinct 5 Bob Richardson, who set his bond at $40,000. Vasquez is currently being held at the Rusk County Jail. The Henderson Police Department and the Longview Police Department assisted in the investigation.

TYLER — Smith County Purchasing Director Kelli Davis was elected to serve on the Board of Directors for the Texas Public Purchasing Association (TxPPA) in 2011 by fellow association members during the TxPPA Annual Conference hosted in Tyler this month. Mrs. Davis was nominated for the post by current Board Member and Past TxPPA President Jack Beacham, Purchasing Director for Tarrant County. She says she is looking forward to beginning her term in January. �I am excited for the opportunity to serve the Texas Public Purchasing Association and represent Smith County and all of East Texas in the upcoming year,� Mrs. Davis said. �It has been an honor to be elected.�

Mrs. Davis has been commended over the past year for her efforts to create an interlocal community purchasing co-op among East Texas cities, counties and regional government bodies, to help all members benefit from low group purchasing prices. �Mrs. Davis is absolutely the quality of purchasing professional to take TxPPA to its next level of success,� Beacham said in a letter nominating Mrs. Davis. �She will make an outstanding contribution to this association and will be one of the future leaders in Texas Public Procurement.� During the conference, which brought approximately 300 public purchasing directors from across the state to Tyler, Mrs. Davis was also awarded with the 2010 Presidential Award of Merit in Appreciation of Outstanding and Dedicated Service to TXPPA.

AUSTIN (AP/Staff) – A House investigative committee has declined to take action in an inquiry into allegations that allies of Republican Texas House Speaker Joe Straus threatened to use redistricting to punish his political adversaries. Rep. Chuck Hopson of Jacksonville, chairman of the House General Investigating and Ethics Committee, said Tuesday the committee did not have sufficient evidence of misconduct. The committee spent more than three hours behind closed door questioning lawmakers involved. Rep. Larry Phillips, a high ranking member of the committee, was identified as the source of the threats. Phillips said he would step aside from his official duties during the proceedings.

The probe is getting under way as Straus, considered too moderate by some, faces a challenge from two conservative Republicans who want his job when the Legislature reconvenes in January. Mineola Republican Representative Bryan Hughes is sticking by his story. Hughes says a threat was made in a phone conversation with Phillips — but Phillips says he never made such a threat.

LANEVILLE – A man is wanted in an alleged wife-beating incident in East Texas. According to KETK, the Rusk County Sheriff�s Office got an aggravated assault call Saturday morning at a house on County Road 4170 South in Laneville. Deputies found a 63-year-old woman who had been assaulted in her home. The woman was severely beaten and later admitted to a local hospital because of the injuries she sustained from the assault. She told deputies her estranged husband attacked her, gathered some of his belongings– including a gun — and left the house. The suspect, 68-year-old Ernest Maynard Brinkmann, drove away in a 2010 Red Jeep Cherokee Laredo, with the Texas License Plate BG5 J079. Investigators have gotten a warrant for Brinkmann�s arrest. They say he may have a gun and is considered dangerous. If you see him, you’re asked to call authorities right away.

TYLER — Tyler police investigators have charged the mother of deceased one-year-old Jeremy Silva for abandoning or endangering a child, a state jail felony. The mother is identified as 19-year-old Emma Torres of Tyler. Police say Torres had left her two children ages one and four alone in her residence while her boyfriend had taken her to work in Lindale Tuesday morning.

Tyler Police responded to Mother Frances Hospital at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday to investigate Jeremy’s death. The child was picked up at his residence located at 114 N. Ross and transported to the hospital by his aunt. The child showed signs of physical abuse and was pronounced dead on arrival by emergency room personnel. Tyler Police Investigators were called to the hospital to investigate the incident. The cause of death has not been determined at this time. An autopsy has been ordered and will be conducted at Southwest Forensics in Dallas. The investigation continues, and police say further details will be released as they develop.

TYLER — Tyler’s PATH agency is lauding community participation in its annual Coats for Kids drive. PATH held the coat drive throughout October and distributed those coats Saturday and Sunday. People lined up around the building across from PATH to wait patiently for their turn to pick out new coats for their children. “It was a huge success despite the mild weather,” said Becky Duncan, community outreach coordinator for PATH. “We always worry that people may not be thinking about coats if we haven’t really experienced ‘coat’ weather.’ The timing was actually perfect considering the cold front we’re expecting for Thanksgiving. We were thrilled to see so many people come and even more thrilled to see the smiles on the faces of the kids who got to pick out their new coats.”

87 volunteers helped sort coats, get the children the sizes they need and helped them try them on. 1,185 children and their families attended the distribution over the past weekend. Any remaining coats will be given to St. Paul Children’s Foundation, Goodwill and the Emerald Bay Benevolence Center. New and gently-used coats were given out. Gently-used coats were cleaned for free by area dry cleaners including Lucky�s Cleaners, VIP Cleaners, Hart�s Cleaners, Eagle Cleaners, Shannon�s Cleaners, Gentry Dry Cleaners, Dry Clean Super Center, Regency Cleaners, Lindale Cleaners and The Cleaning Company. PATH is issuing thanks to all the volunteers, the dry cleaners and those who donated coats or funds to buy Coats for Kids.

TYLER — Brookshire Grocery Co. announces it is huddling with Kraft Foods to tackle hunger in East Texas. Brookshire Grocery Co. is part of Kraft Foods� Huddle to Fight Hunger, which is the food company�s largest branded hunger-relief program designed to achieve a significant goal: give 20 million meals or more to Feeding America. On Tuesday, Brookshire Grocery Co. and Kraft Foods presented a $10,000 check to the East Texas Food Bank, part of the Feeding America network. To celebrate the launch of Huddle to Fight Hunger locally, Brookshire Grocery Co. and Kraft Foods are donating the monetary equivalent of 70,000 meals to Feeding America on behalf of local food banks in the area, as well as encouraging local residents to join the team.

�Hunger is a very serious issue in our country that often goes overlooked,� said Rick Ellis, Senior Vice President/Chief Marketing Officer, Brookshire Grocery Co. �Sadly, 49.1 million Americans, or one in six of our neighbors struggle to put food on their tables. That�s why we�ve joined Kraft Foods in their ambitious effort and are encouraging members of the community to huddle with us to address this problem. It can�t be overlooked anymore.�

Huddle to Fight Hunger combines three things Americans are passionate about � football, food and helping others. To reach the end zone, Kraft Foods has huddled together its power brands and high-profile celebrities including football legend Joe Montana, sports journalist Erin Andrews and chefs Pat and Gina Neely to champion the cause. The company also coordinated a variety of marketing support vehicles, such as consumer incentives, high-impact media like cinema, newspaper and magazine ads, a major public relations campaign, as well as social and mobile activities. The campaign will culminate in San Francisco on January 9, 2011, with the first-ever Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl featuring college football teams from the WAC and PAC-10.

�Having supported Feeding America for decades, we want to make sure everyone knows how committed we and our partners like Brookshire Grocery Co. are to reaching our goal,� said Lisa Mann, Vice President of Consumer Experiences, Kraft Foods. �So we�re pulling out all the stops � we�ve secured great celebrity partners to help champion the cause, enlisted the support of our brands and partners and coordinating a series of local events like those that Brookshire Grocery Co. has planned in East Texas across the country.�

Local residents can help Kraft Foods meet and exceed their donation goal by visiting http://www.HuddleToFightHunger.com to learn about all the ways they can get in the game. For each person that joins the �Huddle� on the site, Kraft Foods will donate one meal donation to his or her local Feeding America food bank.

TYLER — A Smith County teen was arrested Sunday night for attacking his family with a baseball bat. Deputies say Joshua Bill Copeland, 19, got into an argument with two of his brothers and when Copeland went for the bat, another relative called 911. When authorities arrived, he put the bat down and went for a knife. He’s charged with four counts of aggravated assault, three of those against officers and one against a relative.

TYLER — The largest shopping day of the year, commonly called Black Friday, is approaching fast and auto burglars will shop the easy way, by stealing your gifts, purses wallets, packages or other valuables you leave in plain sight inside your vehicle.

Authorities say, every 2 � minutes, a vehicle is burglarized in Texas with its contents stolen. These crimes escalate during this time of year when people increase shopping and do not take the necessary precautions to protect personal items left in a vehicle. Auto burglars scout shopping malls and other large parking lots, waiting for the opportunity to break into a vehicle. Within seconds, they take your items, your identity, and sometimes, your car. Drivers need to understand careless actions with vehicles and items left inside actually help auto burglars and thieves.

The Tyler Police Department offers these basic safety tips to motorists and shoppers
to prevent these crimes from occurring during the holiday season.

1) Do not follow too closely to the vehicle in front of you, slow your vehicle
speed down, don’t run red lights and please don’t Drink and Drive.

2) Hide your belongings and gifts from eyesight and lock them in your trunk or
cover them.

3) Lock your car, take the keys, and be aware of your surroundings at all times.

4) Do not be a victim of a Pigeon Drop. Suspects will make you think you are
going to get a large amount of money and end up taking all of yours.

Officials say suspects will usually want to take you to your bank or ATM machine and these scams normally involve large sums of money. The department will have an increased patrol presence in shopping areas by providing bike officers and patrol officers.