KTBB News, Weather, Talk

SMITH COUNTY — The eastbound lane of Interstate 20 was temporarily shut down Thursday night after multiple wrecks. Officials with Smith County DPS tell KETK at least four wrecks occurred between mile markers 551 and 567. Officials say a majority of the wrecks were caused by slick roads.

TYLER — Tyler police are investigating an attempted robbery. Police were called around 4:00 Friday morning regarding an incident that had occurred about 3:30 a.m. in the 100 block of S. Bruck. The victim, a 62-year-old woman, was walking to work when a man approached her and attempted to take one of the bags she was carrying. The victim yelled for help, and the man fled in an unknown direction. The victim then ran away and fell causing, minor lacerations to her head and right arm. She was taken to Mother Frances Hospital and treated for the injuries.

The suspect was described as a black male, between 20 and 25 years of age, 6’01” tall, 130-150 lbs, dark complexion, wearing a black toboggan or “doo rag,” green and white polo shirt and dark blue jeans. Anyone with information concerning this incident is urged to contact the Tyler Police Department at (903)531-1000 or Smith County Crimestoppers at (903)597-2833.

TYLER – Two persons have been killed and two injured in a one vehicle accident in Smith County. It happened around 2:00 Thursday morning on State Highway 31, about six miles east of Tyler. Dead at the scene was Tiffany Ford, 21, and Yolanda Graham, 37, both of Houston. Injured, and in critical condition at Tyler’s East Texas Medical Center is Kwan Ford, 35, and Kadie Powell, 19, both of Tyler. According to State Trooper Matthew Johnson, none of them were wearing their seat belts. The Department of Public Safety report said a car driven by Ashton Ford of Tyler was east bound when it passed another vehicle. Ford then lost control of the car and it overturned.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) and Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX-01) held a press conference Wednesday urging Congress to adopt legislation that would ensure that military servicemen and women receive their pay in full, regardless of whether a budget deal can be reached. The two say there is no precedent as to what would be paid out of the federal government’s ongoing cash flow in the event the debt ceiling is not raised and the federal government’s borrowing is exhausted.

Hutchison says Gohmert has led the effort in the House while she did likewise in the Senate in April, when lawmakers were looking at a continuing resolution and a possible government shutdown, to ensure that military families did not have to worry about a paycheck that would come late. Hutchison says the bill has 80 co-sponsors in the Senate. Gohmert remarked, “We need to make sure the military — people in harm’s way that are dodging bullets — never have to have it cross their minds that their paycheck may not come in.”

TYLER – One of the oldest bull elephants in North American Zoos has died at Tyler’s Caldwell Zoo. Zoo officials announced that Chico died last weekend. Chico, who was 46, had not shown any signs of illness prior to his death. A team of pathologists from Texas A&M University along with Caldwell Zoo veterinarians performed a necropsy and at this time the cause of death is undetermined pending further test results.

Chico arrived at Caldwell Zoo in 2003 from the San Diego Zoo to join our group of three female elephants. You can go to http://www.elephantconservation.org and make a donation in Chico’s memory to the International Elephant Foundation.

TYLER — Two Houston women have been killed and two people critically injured in a one-vehicle crash early Thursday morning in Smith County. DPS says it happened at 2:05 a.m. on State Highway 31, six miles east of Tyler. The car was driven by Ashton Ford of Tyler. The deceased are identified as Tiffany Ford, 21, and Yolanda Graham, 37, both pronounced dead at scene. Injured are Kwan Ford, 35, of Tyler, and Kadie Powell, 19, of Tyler. Both were listed in critical condition with blunt force trauma at East Texas Medical Center in Tyler. Authorities say the car was eastbound when it passed another vehicle, lost control, ran off the road, and overturned. None of the victims was wearing a seat belt.

TYLER — State Representative Leo Berman of Tyler wants lawmakers to study some familiar topics, as well as a new one, before the next session. Berman replied to a letter from House Speaker Joe Straus requesting suggestions on topics for House committees to study during the interim.

Berman supports assertion of state sovereignty under the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. He points to a threat by the federal government to close airspace over Texas if colleague David Simpson’s pat-down bill had passed. Berman’s also continuing to support clampdowns on illegal aliens and Sharia law. He says, “At a minimum, all state department directors should be ordered to clear their files of illegal aliens. All employers should be required to use E-Verify and deny employment to illegal aliens.” Berman adds, “Last session, I sent three amendments to the Texas Senate to prohibit Texas courts from adjudicating cases using international law, which also includes Sharia law…We should continue looking into the need for such legislation.”

Additionally, Berman would like lawmakers to consider a requirement that missing or dead children be reported to authorities within one hour from discovery. That suggestion was spurred by the Casey Anthony case.

BULLARD — A mobile home in Bullard is heavily damaged. It was reported around 3:00 Thursday morning. Fire crews went to the 400 block of Eastdale Lane. A man who was inside the house at the time made it out OK. He says a smoke alarm in the house woke him up. Officials say they were able to put out the flames but only after most of the house had turned to rubble. No word yet on how that fire started.

HENDERSON — East Texas firefighters are working on a large fire in a wooded area south of Henderson on Farm Road 225. The Texas Forest Service says crews have taken control of the situation. They say the fire is contained, but crews will be on site monitoring the situation for the next five or six days. The Rusk County Office of Emergency Management says several East Texas Volunteer fire departments were called to contain the fire last night about 8:00. About 15 acres were burned, and the Forest Service says there was intense burning involved.

LUBBOCK — DPS arrested one of the 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders in Texas Thursday in Lubbock, just hours after his addition to the list was announced. Acting on a tip, Criminal Investigations Division agents found Ronald Dee House, 41, at a motel in Lubbock at 5:45pm. They say he was arrested without incident. Since the arrest was the result of a tip, a $1,000 cash reward will be paid to the individual who provided the information. Authorities say House, whose nickname is “Chicken Lips,” is a high-risk sex offender who had last been seen in Wills Point. He was wanted for failure to register as a sex offender and parole violations. He has family in both Van Zandt and Lubbock counties.

JACKSONVILLE — Jacksonville police arrest three people they believe stole copper. Authorities charged Carla Davis, 45, Michael Shea, 30 and Troy Smith, 48, for engaging in organized criminal activity along with other multiple charges. Police say they stopped their vehicle in the 500 block of North Jackson for a traffic violation and saw tools and copper wire in the truck.

TYLER — The teen accused of bringing a gun to the Smith County Juvenile Attention Center last July faces five years to life in prison. Corey Webb from Kansas City, who is now 17, has been transferred to adult court to stand trial August 1. Kansas City police asked Tyler police to apprehend the teen from a bus for outstanding warrants. Webb allegedly pulled a gun from his backpack and began firing at an officer inside the attention center.

TYLER — Two biomedical researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler have received an $870,000, two-year grant from the National Institutes of Health to help develop a new treatment for serious lung diseases. UTHSCT Vice President for Research Steven Idell, MD, Ph.D., and Assistant Professor Andrey Komissarov, Ph.D., are co-principal investigators of the grant. They are exploring how to use clot-busting drugs to prevent scarring around and inside the lungs. The UTHSCT scientists are one of just 19 research teams around the nation to receive a CADET grant for lung disease research. CADET stands for Centers for Advanced Diagnostics and Experimental Therapeutics.

TYLER — The University of Texas at Tyler has named Dr. Randall Powell the new vice president for business affairs, President Rodney H. Mabry announced. Powell succeeds Dr. Gregg Lassen, who accepted a vice presidential position at Lamar University in February. Powell, whose appointment begins Sept. 1, was selected in an exhaustive national search that culminated with four finalists from Texas, Mississippi and New York. He comes to UT Tyler after serving Sam Houston State University as its associate vice president for budget and operations and interim vice president for finance and operations.

“He has great experience in academic business affairs, working at various institutions ranging from Tulane and SMU, to his current position. Dr. Powell looks forward to the new challenge of helping UT Tyler reach its goal of becoming the best public university in the state and beyond,” President Mabry said.

TYLER – A Gregg County woman has pleaded guilty to social security fraud charges. Gaylynne Gale, 63, of Longview, pleaded guilty Wednesday to theft of government property charges in an appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Chad Everingham. Gale faces up to 10 years in federal prison at sentencing. A sentencing date has not been set.

According to the indictment, which was handed up last September, from February 2004 until June 2010, Gale intentionally concealed her living arrangements with her ex-husband in order to receive more than $47,000 from the Social Security Administration in the form of Social Security Supplemental Security Income payments. Her misrepresentation also caused a significant loss to the Texas Medicaid Program.

TYLER — A Dallas man has been sentenced to federal prison for distributing cocaine in East Texas. Guillermo Fernando Rojo, 26, pleaded guilty last October to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. He was sentenced Wednesday to 150 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Leonard E. Davis. Rojo was also ordered to forfeiture of $50,000. Federal prosecutors say up until July 9, 2010, Rojo conspired with others to distribute more than 15 kilograms of cocaine throughout East Texas.

TYLER – A federal grand jury in Tyler has returned multiple indictments charging a variety of persons with separate federal crimes in East Texas.

Raymond Leo Lemaire, Jr., 60, of Whitehouse, was indicted on charges of failure to register as a sex offender. If convicted, he faces up to 10years in federal prison. According to the indictment, Lemaire was allegedly previously convicted of an offense requiring sex offender registration in Vermont, and then moved to Whitehouse in June of last year, without updating his registration.

Brian Douglas Brown, 58, of Wills Point, Texas, was indicted on charges of enticement of a minor. If convicted, he faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison. According to the indictment, from June 10, 2011 to July 1, 2011, Brown allegedly used a computer to communicate with a minor in an attempt to engage in sexual activity. This case is being investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the Longview Police Department.

Jose Refugio Torres-Regalado, 46, of Mexico, was indicted for being a criminal alien present in the United States after having been previously deported. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison. According to the indictment, Torres-Regalado is alleged to have reentered the United States following deportation in 2007 and 2008 after a Texas conviction for aggravated assault of a child in Hamilton, Texas. On May 17, 2011, Torres-Regalado was arrested at his residence in Winnsboro.

TEXARKANA (AP) — A Florida man is in police custody after officers found him sleeping in a Texarkana, Texas, creek. Texarkana police say Ihab El Mahmoud is jailed on three charges of assaulting a police officer. Bond is set at $60,000.

Police Officer Ed Emilia tells The Texarkana Gazette that a man and his mother saw what appeared to be a body in Swampoodle Creek on the edge of downtown Tuesday afternoon. Police summoned to the scene investigated and found the man sleeping. Emilia says that when the officers awakened him and tried to help him up, the man became combative and started punching before he was subdued.

MANGUM, OKLA. (AP) — A defense attorney for a former warden’s wife accused of helping a convicted killer escape is attempting to poke holes in the prosecution’s evidence. Lawyer Garvin Isaacs represents Bobbi Parker, who is accused of aiding Oklahoma State Reformatory inmate Randolph Dial’s escape from the Greer County prison in August 1994. The couple was later found in Texas on a Shelby County Chicken Ranch. Isaacs cross-examined Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agent Robert Williams on Wednesday about how evidence was handled in the case. Isaacs alleges that Dial kidnapped, beat and repeatedly raped Parker. Williams says hair that was found on masking tape inside Parker’s van following her disappearance was never tested to see if the hair belonged to her or if Dial’s fingerprints were on it. Williams said no attempt was made to look for skin cells on the tape.

QUITMAN — The Wood County Sheriff’s Department says that “Bennie” George has been released on an $80,000 bond. George turned himself in to authorities just before 3:45 Friday morning. The 43-year-old was wanted for the reported rape of a 62-year-old Mineola woman. The assault occurred early Wednesday morning at a home on County Road 2270.

WODEN — The Woden Water Supply Corporation has issued a boil water notification for the Kingtown area effective 11:00 a.m. July 12. Water supply officials say customers should boil water to be consumed for at least 2 minutes to kill any bacteria.

BEAUMONT – A New Caney woman was sentenced to federal prison Wednesday for her role in a notorious homicide that took place in Nacogdoches in August 2007. Carrie Christine Wood, 38, was the last remaining defendant in the case, connected to the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas. She had pleaded guilty on Feb. 17, 2011, to violent crime in aid of racketeering activity related to the murder of David Mitchamore. Wednesday in Beaumont, Wood was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone.

According to information presented in court, Wood was a close associate and confidant of her co-defendant, Carl Carver, a general of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas. Authorities say the ABT is a race-based, state-wide organization that operates inside and outside of state and federal prisons throughout Texas and the United States. According to federal officials, the ABT enforces its rules and promotes discipline among its members, prospects and associates through murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to murder, assault, robbery and threats against those who violate the rules or pose a threat to the enterprise. Authorities say members, and often associates, are required to follow the orders of higher ranking members, often referred to as “direct orders.”

According to court documents, Mitchamore, aka “Super Dave,” an ABT member, and his girlfriend, Christie Rochelle Brown, were murdered by Wood’s co-defendant Brent Stalsby as a result of a “direct order” issued by Carver because of Mitchamore’s failure to repay an outstanding debt he allegedly owed to an Aryan Brotherhood general. Wood communicated the direct order from Carver to Charles Cameron Frazier, who then responded to the jail where Carver was incarcerated to receive further instructions from Carver about Mitchamore’s punishment. The bodies of Mitchamore and Brown were discovered in Nacogdoches County on Aug. 10, 2007.

On June 27, 2011, Carver was sentenced to life in federal prison. On May 25, 2011, Brent Stalsby was sentenced to life in federal prison and Terry Stalsby, who was present when the direct order issued by Carver was delivered to Frazier, was sentenced to 162 months in federal prison. On June 22, 2011, Frazier was sentenced to life in prison. April Flanagan was sentenced on April 26, 2011 to 180 months in federal prison after she admitted, among other things, that she knew and approved of the plan to murder Mitchamore, and provided ABT members with the shotgun used in the murders.

HUNTINGTON — A Huntington grandfather was arrested Monday after being accused of driving drunk with his two 13-year-old granddaughters riding on top of his SUV. KETK and the Lufkin Daily News report that according to an affidavit, Huntington Police officer James Hight pulled over William Chambliss, 64, after receiving calls from concerned citizens.

Police say upon being pulled over, Chambliss told Hight he had two ounces of vodka that day and had an open container inside his SUV. Hight found two Gatorade bottles inside the vehicle containing a liquid that smelled of alcohol, according to the affidavit. During the traffic stop, Chambliss seemed confused, agitated and was being verbally aggressive, the affidavit stated. He submitted to a blood alcohol test at Memorial Medical Center-Lufkin and was taken to the Angelina County Jail, but not before he threatened to “whoop” the officer, according to the affidavit.

Police say the two teens admitted to riding on top of the vehicle with their legs hanging inside the sunroof. Chambliss told police they had rode that way from Hanks Creek with him driving 35 miles per hour, the affidavit stated. He is charged with DWI with a child, retaliation and endangering a child, according to jail records. Chambliss made his collective $6,000 bond Tuesday.

EAST TEXAS — The city of Bullard is just one East Texas city that’s decided to urge its residents to cut back on their water usage. Although the request isn’t a mandatory one, City Manager Larry Morgan says the measures are working. Bullard, like many East Texas cities, is feeling the effects from the lack of rainfall and drought weather conditions. This combination is putting pressure on city officials to think of ways to conserve water. One option would be a future waterline from Lake Jacksonville or Lake Tyler. However, the city does have a back-up well on standby, and will use it first before looking at other options. Meanwhile, Morgan says he expects water bills to continue to rise as water usage in Bullard continues to grow.

Meanwhile, two rural water suppliers are asking their customers to limit outdoor water usage during this year’s drought. West Harrison Water Supply in Hallsville wants customers to spare watering during the daily peak hours of 6:00 to 8am and 5:00 until 9:00pm, along with times during high winds which dry out watering. And Cross Roads Special Utility District east of Kilgore has maintained stage I drought contingency for its customers since June 18. West Harrison General Manager Stan Jackson said conservation is completely voluntary at this time. “Next month, we’re going to look closely at our plan,” Jackson said. “We’re just cautious.”

LONGVIEW — The 9-1-1 service in Longview is operational again after being down for several hours yesterday. Shortly after 9:45 Wednesday morning, there was an equipment problem with the Longview 9-1-1 center telephone system creating a disruption in normal operations. According to police, public safety officials worked with repair personnel to resolve the issue. Police said 9-1-1 calls were routed to Public Safety Communications’ 10-digit administrative lines while the problem was being addressed. Officials expressed confidence during the outage that calls would be answered efficiently, and they didn’t immediately report any problems while repairs were being made.

TYLER – The death of a Tyler infant remains under investigation. The infant has been identified as Melehia Kent, born April 19. An autopsy was conducted on Kent at Southeast Texas Forensic in Tyler. Police say the preliminary autopsy results indicated no evident signs of foul play. They say a formal cause of death is pending receipt of further testing and evaluation.

The call came in to 9-1-1 just before 6:00 Tuesday night that an infant was having a medical emergency at the Towne Oaks Apartments in the 3900 block of Old Bullard Road. Emergency personnel found the girl in cardiac arrest. CPR was started and EMS transported the infant to East Texas Medical Center. The child died at the hospital shortly after arrival.

TYLER — Smith County Fire Marshal Jim Seaton says about 8 to 10 acres have been burning on the 12,400 block of County Road 35, or Lavender Road. Seaton said at midday Wednesday he believed the acreage had been burning for over a day. Several fire departments, which fought the blaze, had trouble getting into the fire because of the heavily wooded area. The Texas Forest Service has cut down trees to reach flames. How the fire started is unknown at this time. No injuries have been reported.

AUSTIN — Ronald Dee House, 41, has been added to the Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders list, and authorities are offering a $1,000 cash reward for information leading to his arrest. According to the Department of Public Safety, House is a high-risk sex offender who was last seen in Wills Point in Van Zandt County. He is wanted for failure to register as a sex offender and parole violations. His criminal history includes convictions for sexual assault, burglary of a habitation, assault, possession of marijuana and failure to appear. He is considered armed and dangerous.

House goes by the nickname “Chicken Lips.” He has several tattoos, including a cross on his upper left arm, a rose and heart on his upper back, moon and stars on his upper left chest and a dagger and the words “ERIC RONNIE” on his upper right chest. In the past, House has worked in metal fabrication. He has family in Van Zandt and Lubbock counties. You can go to http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/wanted/sexoffenders/topTenSexOffenders.htm#;view=Individual%20Details/fugitive=8 for more information on House.

TYLER — Pinnacle Housing Group LLC, a full service real estate company specializing in the development of affordable housing, broke ground Wednesday for Pinnacle at North Chase in Tyler. The latest Pinnacle development will be a gated community of 120 garden apartment homes as part of the 395-acre master-planned, mixed-use North Chase planned unit development. North Chase has strong support from the community, including the city government. It’s seen as a significant revitalization project for the community as well as the individuals who will live there.

In July 2010, the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs awarded PHG Lone Star, LLC (a subsidiary of Pinnacle Housing Group) $1.4 million in Housing Tax Credits to help finance the development. The luxury-style rental community at 3651 N. Broadway in Tyler will offer a clubhouse with a cyber café/computer lab, fitness facility, game room with a serving kitchen, and a patio with an outdoor fire pit. The swimming pool will be located adjacent to the playground and covered picnic area. A vita course complete with a walking/jogging trail and outdoor fitness stations centered around a sand volleyball court will provide a park-like area for resident use. The development is scheduled to be complete in the spring 2012.

The Housing Tax Credit program encourages private development of properties with restricted rents based upon income. The units will be set aside for residents making 30%, 50% and 60% of the Area Medium Income (AMI). There will be 32 one-bedroom, one-bath units with 880 square feet, 64 two-bedroom, two-bath units with 1,180 square feet, 20 three-bedroom, two-bath units with 1,310 square feet and 4 four-bedroom, three-bath units with 1,550 square feet. Each unit will include a patio/balcony, exterior storage, walk-in closets, pantry space, and energy efficient appliances including a dishwasher and garbage disposal.

TYLER – A Gregg County man will be serving time in federal prison for meth distribution. U.S. District Judge Leonard Davis sentenced Gahlen Keith McGregor, 46, of Longview, to five years in prison. McGregor forfeited $10,000 in cash and $5,000 worth of property.