KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — Tyler police say a man tried to evade officers Thursday morning after he was caught dealing drugs. He is now behind bars. Authorities tell KETK they saw Brian Pullins, 31, of Tyler, dealing drugs at around 10:00am in the 800 block of West Wilson. Police say when Pullins noticed he was being watched, he took off in his vehicle but crashed nearby.

TYLER — This morning around 8:30 a.m., Cambridge Road at the Jeff Davis Drive intersection was closed for removal of a dead pine tree. Northbound traffic is being detoured down Oakway Drive, back to Robert E. Lee Drive, and southbound traffic has the option to go on Oakway Drive to continue southward, or go to Jeff Davis Drive to go east. Work should be completed by 2:30 p.m. Drivers are urged to use extreme caution while workers are present, and anyone utilizing these roads is encouraged to temporarily seek alternate routes.

NACOGDOCHES — The price tag reaches over half a million dollars as Nacogdoches County authorities continue to investigate farm equipment thefts. The sheriff’s office tells KETK it’s found stolen farming equipment at a fourth residence. Authorities say Friday’s arrests of Antonio Centeno and Lucia Centeno are the only ones made in connection to the thefts. Once all the equipment is processed, they’ll go back to determine if more arrests are required.

TYLER — It’s on our coins, and a growing number of East Texas governments are adding it to their chambers too. Wednesday Tyler’s City Council voted to add the motto “In God We Trust” to its chambers. Council members tell KETK adding the signage is appropriate because the people of Tyler openly express their faith and support the phrase. Private funds will be used to display the motto. Smith County is second in the nation to have all incorporated chambers displaying “In God We Trust.”

TYLER — Smith County commissioners are moving forward to build the downtown jail addition. According to KETK, that’s one phase of the $35 million dollar bond package approved by voters. The jail system’s low to medium risk facility near Highway 69 and Loop 323 will be revamped by July 2013. The downtown jail expansion will adjoin the downtown facility on the corner of Fannin Avenue and Erwin Street. It will add 384 high- to medium-risk, double-occupancy cells and cost between $25 million and $28 million.

TYLER — Our rainfall deficit measures in feet these days, and Tyler’s City Council met Wednesday to review ways to deal with a shrinking Lake Tyler. Emergency projects are unfolding to deal with receding water levels, seven and a half feet below normal as of midweek. City staffers tell KETK this past summer wasn’t a normal one, with demands on the system increasing by about ten million gallons per day on average. The meeting ended with plans to continue to design and construct the Charleston booster station. Its estimated cost: around $230,000. The city is still encouraging water customers to continue conservation efforts.

ANGELINA COUNTY — Authorities identify a man who committed suicide after being stopped by authorities Wednesday in Angelina County. It happened on U.S. Highway 59 north after the truck driver was pulled over by a state trooper. Investigators say the man who shot himself is identified as Mason Burks, 46, from Springfield, Missouri. Troopers say they found 603 pounds of marijuana in the sleeper of the truck’s cab. The trooper was making a routine stop on the driver on 59 North just south of the river bridge to check the driver’s log book and credentials. As Trooper Mike McClain approached the truck’s window, he heard a gunshot. McClain took cover, and after backup officers arrived stepped back up to the window. He found Burks dead from a gunshot wound to the chest.

DOUGLASS – A two-vehicle accident in Western Nacogdoches County has left one person dead and one injured. The wreck, around 7:00 Wednesday morning, killed Daniel W. Rhodes, 63, of Nacogdoches. His pickup was hit by a tractor-trailer rig driven by Douglas H. Ayala, 43, of Houston. He is being treated in a Nacogdoches Hospital. The Department of Public Safety says Ayala’s west bound truck went out of control and into the east bound lane where it struck the victim’s pickup. The wreck occurred on State Highway 21 near Douglass.

COOPER – Four days after he was reported missing, the body of a Cooper teenager has been found. The body of Stephen Martin, 16, was found Tuesday in a creek some 300 yards from the home where he had been living with his grandmother. He was last seen Friday afternoon when he went for a walk. An autopsy has been ordered. Investigators feel the teen may have committed suicide.

TYLER – A motorcyclist has been injured in a two vehicle accident in Tyler. It happened just before 7:00 Wednesday night in the 5,000 block of the Troup Highway. Taken to East Texas Medical Center was Nathan Roberson, 37. He was northbound on the Troup Highway when he was hit by a pickup. Police reports indicate the pickup’s driver, Louis Dickey, 66, was attempting a left turn into a private drive and turned into the motorcycle path, failing to yield the right of way. Investigators say Robertson, who wearing a helmet, sustained non-life threatening injuries.

TYLER – A three month long theft investigation has resulted in a Tyler man’s arrest. It came Tuesday night as a contingent of officers raided a home in the 500 block of Meadow Creek Drive. Taken into custody was Clinton Daniel McCaa, 31. Investigators say McCaa is accused of stealing items and then training them for methamphetamine. His arrest is said to be in connection with a raid on a Tyler warehouse last summer. That July raid turned up a half a million dollars worth of stolen property.

DENVER (AP) — President Barack Obama said Wednesday his administration has made no decision on whether a Canadian company can proceed with plans for a transcontinental oil pipeline to Texas. A portion of the pipelines route would go through eastern Smith County.

A protester during Obama’s appearance at the University of Colorado Denver yelled that the president should say no to the contested Keystone XL project. Obama said his administration is looking into the issue but had made no decision. He told the protester: “I know your deep concern about it. We will address it.”

The pipeline would carry oil derived from tar sands in Alberta, Canada, to refineries in Houston and Port Arthur, Texas. The 1,700-mile pipeline would travel through Montana, South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas.

AUSTIN – Wildfire survivors in Upshur, Smith and Rusk counties have one last chance to meet with state and federal specialists at recovery centers opening for a final time in area communities. Starting Thursday, specialists from the state of Texas, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Small Business Administration will be on hand to answer questions and provide information on the types of assistance available to survivors. They also have brochures and other written materials on disaster recovery.

The schedule is:

Upshur County
First Baptist Church of Gilmer
304 Buffalo St.
Gilmer, TX 75644
1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28

Smith & Rusk Counties
Bethel Baptist Church
13108 Hwy 64 East
Tyler, TX 75707
1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 1-2

Any Texan with questions about the recovery process or needing help registering with FEMA is urged to stop by a recovery center. Visiting with a recovery specialist is not a requirement for survivors who want disaster assistance, but the centers are termed an excellent way for people to get answers to their questions about disaster aid and help applying for it

Texas homeowners, renters, and business owners can go to http://www.disasterassistance.gov to register online or check on the status of an earlier registration or at m.fema.gov via the web-enabled phone. They can also call one of FEMA’s toll-free numbers: 1-800-621-3362 or TTY 1-800-462-7585. Those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services can call 1-800-621-3362. Assistants are available by phone from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. The registration deadline is December 8.

JACKSONVILLE — Four people have been arrested in connection with a robbery in Jacksonville this week, and they may be linked to prior robberies. That’s according to KETK. On Tuesday at around 9:50 p.m., the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office received a call in reference to a hold-up alarm at the Fastrac convenience store located at the corner of FM 2138 and South Bolton Street. Cherokee County deputies and Jacksonville officers arrived on scene within minutes, and were told by the clerk that two men dressed in dark clothing and masks had run from the store. The clerk said one gunman had a rifle, the other a handgun. The robbers took the money from the register and from a customer who was in the store when they burst in.

A trooper located a vehicle at around 11 p.m. matching the description from previous store robberies in the past three weeks. The trooper stopped the vehicle at Love’s Lookout roadside park just north of Jacksonville. After backup deputies arrived, the four passengers, three men and one woman, ages 19-22, all from the Jacksonville area, were arrested and a loaded revolver was found in the vehicle along with Halloween type masks and gloves. According to authorities, it was at that time that one of the suspects ran from the vehicle and into the wooded area behind Love’s Lookout.

Authorities say a K-9 unit and helicopter were called in to assist in the hunt for the runaway suspect. According to the sheriff’s department, once the helicopter arrived, the suspect attempted changing locations again, but was spotted and caught.

The suspects face charges of:

• Aggravated Robbery – 1st Degree Felony
• Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity – 1st Degree Felony
• Unlawful Possession of Firearm by a Felon – 3rd Degree Felony

The female is also charged with:
• Possession of Marijuana less than 2 oz. – Class B Misdemeanor
• Possession of Dangerous Drug – Class A Misdemeanor

LONGVIEW -– Authorities identify the man who died in a one vehicle accident in Longview over the weekend. He was named as Rolando Chinchurreta-Hernandez, 25, Longview. The wreck happened just before 5:00 Saturday afternoon in the 900 block of West Harrison Road. Reports indicate the victim’s SUV was merging into on coming traffic when he over corrected and rolled the vehicle.