KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER -– Police are searching for two suspects accused of robbing a Tyler convenience store. It happened around 1:15 Monday morning at the Food Fast at 4725 Troup Highway. The store clerk told officers he was in the cooler when a black male with a handgun, wearing a ski mask ordered him to the front of the store where another black male, wearing a black and gold Halloween mask, was waiting. The clerk reportedly gave the suspects and undisclosed amount of money before they fled on foot. The clerk was not injured.

The suspects were described as 18 and 20 years old, about 5’7”, with a slim build. Both were wearing all black clothing and white gloves.

TYLER — Here’s a quick look at other work planned in the Tyler District of the Texas Department of Transportation.

TYLER — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform pavement repairs in various locations on State Highway 31 (Front Street) in Tyler including:
* Eastbound SH 31 left-turn lanes and approaches at West Loop 323;
* SH 31 (Front Street) between South Bonner and South Broadway;
* State Highway 110 (Van Highway) between West Loop 323 and (US 69) Gentry Parkway

Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in
progress. Motorists are encouraged to be prepared to reduce speed and merge in and around the work zones.

GREGG COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to begin building a left-turn bay on NB US 259/SH 31 for traffic turning onto Post Oak Road, which is located between the U.S. Highway 259 Kilgore Bypass and Interstate Highway 20.The project is scheduled to take several weeks to complete. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress. Motorists exiting the northbound end of the US 259 Kilgore Bypass will need to merge right once they have transitioned onto US 259/SH 31 to avoid the closure.

RUSK COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform base and pavement repairs in various locations on State Highway 149 between State Highway 43 in Tatum and the Gregg County Line. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two-lane areas.

VAN ZANDT COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform base and pavement repairs on State Highway 19 north of Canton between Interstate Highway 20 and U.S. Highway 80. Construction crews are also scheduled to be at work making deep pavement repairs in various locations on IH 20 in between Kaufman and Smith counties. Their work will require some overnight lane closures. Motorists are encouraged to be prepared to reduce speed and merge in and around the work zones.

HENDERSON COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform resurfacing operations on Farm Road 315 between Farm Road 314 and U.S. Highway 175 in Poynor. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, flaggers will control traffic.

ANDERSON COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue resurfacing operations on Farm Road 320 between West Loop 256 in Palestine and Farm Road 645. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

WOOD COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue resurfacing operations on Farm Road 2088 between Farm Road 14 in Oak Grove and the Upshur County Line. Crews will also be at work on U.S. Highway 80 near Farm Road 1799 west of Mineola, and east of Mineola between Farm Road 2422 and Farm Road 3056. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two-lane areas.

CHEROKEE COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform resurfacing operations in various locations on U.S. Highway 84 east of Rusk. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

LONGVIEW — Longview police want to remind drivers about school bus safety.This comes in conjunction with National School Bus Safety Week, October 17-21, 2011. During this week police will step up patrols around bus routes.They are also looking into having officers ride school buses to observe violators.If the officer observes a violation, they will then radio to a patrol unit in the area to make contact with the violator based on what the officer on the bus observed.It is a class C misdemeanor offense to pass a school bus while loading or unloading.Drivers ticketed for this offense may have to pay a minimum fine of $334.10.

Police say drivers also need to be aware of the children when they are getting on and off the bus. Authorities say this is a very dangerous time and drivers need to give buses plenty of room to allow for children to get on and off safely.According to police, a good rule to use is to give at least 10 feet around the school bus.They say this allows for the arm to swing out in front of the bus and the children to safely cross in front of the bus.Once a driver sees the lights and sign on the school bus showing, police say the driver should stop and wait until they both go off.Then the driver can resume travel. According to law officers, this gives the children plenty of time to load and unload safely.

Police say drivers should also be aware of bus stops where children may be congregated waiting for the bus to pick them up. According to authorities, this can be a dangerous area for school children because drivers may not be paying attention to the children standing near the roadway.

JACKSONVILLE — A Jacksonville man, Jason Terell Hunt, 25, received 35 years in prison for his role in the January 2010 murders. Drake Dario Blanton, of Cushing, was sentenced to life in prison for each victim. The victims, Rigoberto Tovar Pina, 29, and Steve Abran Parra, 27, both of Center, died from gunshot wounds. Blanton and Hunt were arrested five days after the shooting in a vehicle that belonged to Pina. Sgt. Viki Penny says Blanton’s thumbprint on a spent shell case helped state and local authorities quickly solve the case.

LUFKIN — A Tyler man is booked into the Angelina County Jail on charges that he sent nude photos from his child’s mother’s email account and covertly tried to stop a custody dispute. Brandon Lamar Dunn, 19, is charged with improper photography or visual recording and fraudulent use or possession of identification. According to an arrest affidavit, the mother had been corresponding with a legal assistant regarding the best time to serve Dunn with custody paperwork.

The Lufkin Police Department subpoenaed the IP addresses from the woman’s email account from March 20 through April 1 and found messages sent during that time came from a computer at Dunn’s mother’s home in Tyler. Dunn is being held without bond at the Angelina County Jail.
The Lufkin Police Department subpoenaed the IP addresses from the woman’s email account from March 20 through April 1 and found messages sent during that time came from a computer at Dunn’s mother’s home in Tyler. Dunn is being held without bond at the Angelina County Jail.

LONGVIEW — Longview’s animal shelter reopened after medical tests showed a puppy that died after being brought in did not have distemper. Shelter Director Christine Kerr said the animal’s cause of death was determined to be an upper respiratory infection. The suspicious death prompted Kerr and her staff to close the Enterprise Street shelter to the public and establish a temporary shelter for new animals at the Longview Fairgrounds.

“As it turns out, it was not a case of distemper or any other contagious disease,” Kerr wrote in a statement to local media Friday afternoon. “The puppy room, where the animal was housed, has been deep cleaned for the last three days after all remaining puppies were moved to an isolation area. None of the animals show any signs of illness.”

The shelter closed its doors Tuesday. Since then, all adoptions were put on hold. Thanks to a record, 204 adoptions in September and 57 the first week of October, the shelter was not filled when the facility closed. No animals were euthanized during the closure, Kerr said. The city of Longview opened a pen adjacent to the Longview Rodeo Arena at the fairgrounds for a temporary shelter.

LONGVIEW — A residence at 2106 Armond Dr., was completely destroyed in an early Saturday morning fire, according to Longview Fire Marshal Johnny Zackary. He said residents of the home were sitting in the front yard visiting about 12:30 a.m. Saturday when they smelled smoke. “The fire originated in the back of the house,” Zackary said. Instead of calling 911 or going to neighbors to have them call, the residents drove to a nearby fire station to report the fire, he said. “That delayed notification makes a difference,” he said. In this case, by the time firefighters arrived the home was about 80 percent engulfed in fire. “There was heavy, deep burn throughout the house and attic,” Zackary said. “It was a total loss.” He estimated the value of the loss at about $150,000. Zackary said cause had not been determined.

GREGG COUNTY — A Gregg County RV park resident died in an early Saturday morning fire at Pine Meadows RV Park. Lori Wright, a neighbor, awoke about 5 a.m. Saturday to let her dog outside. When she opened the door she smelled smoke. Upon further checking outside her own home in the park she saw flames coming from the recreational vehicle.

“I woke up my husband who tried to put it out with a hose and called 911 – but it was so hot he couldn’t get close,” Wright said. “By the time the fire department got it here was so far gone that propane tanks were starting to blow up.” The man was identified as a white male about 60 years old.

Pine Meadows RV Park is located near the intersection of FM 2087 and FM 201 Saturday. When Elderville-Lakeport VFD crews arrived on scene, a small RV was on fire. The fire also spread to another trailer. No one else was hurt in the blaze. Officials said the body of the victim was taken to Tarrant County for an autopsy.

LONGVIEW — A Longview man is dead and another person injured after a shooting on Thursday night. Longview police officers found Victor Derone Anthony, 34, when they responded late Thursday night to a call about a shooting in the 800 block of Travis Avenue, off Twelfth Street, officials said Friday. No other victim was found at the scene. Anthony had been shot, according to Kristie Brian, public information officer for the department. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Police later located another victim in the shooting at a local hospital. The victim also suffered from an apparent gunshot wound and was listed in stable condition. Brian said the department is not releasing information about the second victim, “as we believe that might hamper our investigation.” “Officers are pursuing the investigation,” Brian said. “We don’t have any suspects at this time.”

Anthony was a 1995 graduate of Longview High School, where he played football, according to district spokesman Adam Holland. Services for Anthony are pending with Craig Funeral Home.

Detectives are asking for anyone with information about this incident to contact Gregg County Crime Stoppers at (903) 236-STOP or http://www.greggcountycrimestoppers.com.

LUFKIN – U.S. Attorney John M. Bales announced that a Florida man has been convicted by a jury in Lufkin for his part in a conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act. The two-day trial was held in Lufkin before U.S. District Judge Ron Clark in the Eastern District of Texas. Loren Willis, 62, of West Palm Beach, Florida was found guilty by a jury on two charges of conspiracy to transport fish in interstate commerce in violation of state law or regulation, and transporting or selling a fish in interstate commerce in violation of state law or regulation. Willis was found not guilty of one additional charge of conspiracy to make or submit a false label for a fish that would be transported in interstate commerce.

The Lacey Act provides it is unlawful for any person to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire or purchase any fish or wildlife or plant taken, possessed, transported or sold in violation of any law, treaty, or regulation of the United States or in violation of any Indian tribal law whether in interstate or foreign commerce. Violations of the act can result criminal sanctions of $250,000 in fines and/or up to five years imprisonment.

According to information presented in court, in September 2010, Willis and one of his co-defendants traveled from Florida to Texas with the intention to harvest alligator gar from the Trinity River for the purpose of selling the fish in Japan. Willis did not obtain a non-resident Texas fishing license before harvesting the fish. An additional co-defendant has pleaded guilty to charges he altered the documentation submitted to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to reflect that the fish were captive bred, rather than harvested in the wild. Captive bred fish are not required to be inspected prior to export. The fish which were harvested from the Trinity River were transported by Willis and his co-defendant to Florida, where they were later exported to Japan. Both of Willis’ co-defendants pleaded guilty prior to trial.

LONGVIEW — A preliminary autopsy report released Friday showed no signs of notable trauma or foul play in the death of a 10-year-old J.L. Everhart student who died over a week ago. That’s according to KETK and the Longview News-Journal. The cause of death and the manner of death remain undetermined, pending histology and toxicology tests, according to the report. Justice of the Peace B.H. Jameson has said fourth grader Jamaal Jones’ death appeared to be “accidental.”

Jamaal died Oct. 5 after sustaining injuries in a fall at his grandmother’s house on Harvard Avenue. Neighbor Sula Johnson said children were playing after returning home from a funeral for Jamaal’s cousin. Johnson said she watched the boy slide down a rail on the front porch when she saw him start shaking. Jamaal grabbed several objects, including a barbecue pit, attempting to stop his fall, she added. Provisional pathologic findings in the report showed a history of falls at ground level and identified trauma limited to an abrasion of the left thigh. There was no cranial trauma, according to the preliminary autopsy report.

CHANDLER — Officials say an escaped Henderson County trusty was taken back into custody Friday afternoon. According to KETK, the man is identified as 30-year-old Michael Allgood. Earlier in the afternoon, Allgood was reported to be on the loose in Chandler. Witnesses said dozens of police officers were on the scene during the search. Further details on the incident weren’t immediately available.

HENDERSON (AP) – Authorities say two men have pleaded guilty to a double slaying in which the victims were shot and dumped along a road in East Texas last year. The Rusk County Sheriff’s Office on Friday said that 24-year-old Drake Dario Blanton, of Cushing, was sentenced to life in prison for each victim. Twenty-five-year-old Jason Terell Hunt, of Jacksonville, received 35 years in prison for his role in the January 2010 murders. The victims, 29-year-old Rigoberto Tovar Pina and 27-year-old Steve Abran Parra, both of Center, died from gunshot wounds. Blanton and Hunt were arrested five days after the shooting in a vehicle that belonged to Pina. Sgt. Viki Penny says Blanton’s thumbprint on a spent shell case helped state and local authorities quickly solve the case.

TYLER — You have a chance to hear from some U.S. Senate candidates from Texas Saturday. There’s a forum sponsored by the East Texas Constitution Alliance & New Revolution Now, set for 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the Magnolia Room at the Ramada Inn, 3310 Troup Highway in Tyler. The event is the last in a series of six forums initiated by New Revolution Now. The Tyler event is being hosted by the East Texas Constitution Alliance, an alliance of over 35 Tea Party and Grassroots groups in North East Texas. All candidates for the U.S. Senate seat for the State of Texas were invited. At press time, confirmed participants were Glenn Addison, Elizabeth Ames Jones, Ted Cruz, Tom Leppert, Lela Pettinger, Andrew Castenuela and Curt Cleaver. They’re vying for the seat being vacated by Kay Bailey Hutchison.

TYLER — The Texas Rose Festival continues in Tyler. Today features the Rose Parade, which organizers term bigger and better than ever. You can also plan to attend the Queen’s Tea, free and open to the public, while you stroll through the widely-renowned Rose Garden and mingle with “Rose Royalty.” All that follows Friday’s two coronations of the Rose Queen along with the Ladies’ and Men’s Luncheons. Jenna Bush Hager keynoted the Ladies’ Luncheon, while Ken Starr spoke at the men’s gathering. An arts and crafts fair and floral shows are also on the docket. You can go to http://www.texasrosefestival.com for more information and a schedule of activities.