KTBB News, Weather, Talk

LUFKIN — One woman is in custody after a two county police chase. According to KETK, authorities say Jessica Finney refused to pull over in Trinity County late Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning. The chase went through Trinity and Angelina Counties, coming to an end on Farm Road 706 in Hudson. Finney is being held on a felony charge for evading arrest.

QUITMAN — Authorities say a thief or thieves who “knew what they were doing” broke into the Wood County Precinct 2 Barn and stole 520 gallons of green diesel fuel and two 10-foot gas hoses. Sheriff Bill Wansley said the fuel and hoses are valued at $2,300. It was discovered around 5:30 Thursday morning.

Precinct 2 Commissioner Jerry Gaskill, who is in his third term and worked 18 years at the barn prior to taking office in 2002, said someone cut the barn’s gate lock and chain and then cut locks on the pumps and breaker boxes to access the green diesel, used to fuel county dump trucks. Gaskill believes a trailer was used because of the amount of diesel taken, but precipitation on Wednesday and Thursday has ruined tire tracks that could have traced the culprit.

LUFKIN — A Lufkin man has been arrested on charges he sexually assaulted a 14-year-old boy. William Joseph Bass, 55, was taken into custody after being accused of touching and having sex with the boy, according to an arrest affidavit. The affidavit states that on August 15, the boy spent the night at Bass’ home on Ricks Road. The next day the boy told his mother Bass got drunk and assaulted him. The boy was taken to Memorial Hospital for a sexual assault exam and did have injuries consistent with his story, the affidavit states. Bass was being held in the Angelina County Wednesday on two counts of sexual assault of a child, one count of prohibited sexual conduct and one count of displaying harmful material to a minor. His bond was set at $106,500.

LUFKIN — A 32-year-old Diboll woman was arrested Monday after she was accused of having sex with a 13-year-old boy. The teen reportedly met Natalie Johnson at his aunt’s home and they began talking on the phone and texting, making arrangements to meet. The boy said he would walk away from his grandparents’ home and she would pick him up. He told police they had sex three times at Ewing Park at Sam Rayburn Reservoir and four times at her apartment in Diboll, according to an affidavit. Cell phone records showed more than 1,500 calls and text messages between his phone and Johnson’s phone. Johnson was being held in the Angelina County Jail on a $75,000 bond.

LONGVIEW — Unattended candles are being blamed for a Tuesday afternoon fire in a Longview apartment complex. Firefighters were dispatched to Hidden Hills Apartments in the 600 block of Gilmer Road around 4:30. Fire Marshal Johnny Zackary said a woman was taken to the hospital due to smoke inhalation. He said the the fire started in the back bedroom of the apartment. The resident reportedly had three candles burning and left the residence. The fire damaged only the back bedroom of the apartment causing about $5,000 worth of damage. Zackary reminds residents to never leave candles unattended.

EAST TEXAS – Severe thunderstorms have moved through East Texas for a second straight day. The storms rolled through various parts of the area, including Smith and Gregg Counties, Wednesday afternoon, leaving thousands without power. Preliminary figures from KETK show that at one point Wednesday, over 4,000 customers were without electricity in Gregg County. Earlier in the day, some 3,000 in Harrison County were without power. Other area counties also experienced power outages, with Smith County authorities reporting a number of power lines down late in the afternoon. Crews continued working to restore electricity in the area.

TYLER – An Upshur County man has pleaded guilty in Tyler federal court to drug violations. James Michael Havner, 49, of Gilmer, appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Judith Guthrie Wednesday and admitted to possession of a List 1 chemical, with intent to manufacture methamphetamine.

According to prosecutors, Havner purchased cold pills containing pseudoephedrine at a Wal-Mart store in Longview on January 24, 2009, and made three additional purchases at other stores in the area the same day in furtherance of his methamphetamine manufacturing activities. Havner was named in an 82-count federal indictment returned back in April. At sentencing, he faces up to 20 years imprisonment and a fine of not more than $250,000. A sentencing date has not been set at this time.

TYLER — Tyler’s Toys R Us has gotten what it wanted. State District Judge Christi Kennedy has granted an injunction against the Double D Grill and Bar. This will keep the restaurant from opening on the land it leases from Toys R Us. In granting the injunction, Judge Kennedy raised the bond to $1 million in case the restaurant violates the injunction.

The judge said that the Double D had not provided enough warning and or information about the change in concept from the old El Chico. Since the owners have already sunk half a million dollars into the renovation, the next move is a full trial November 28th.

El Chico will seek termination of the lease and Toys R Us has given notice they will move to seize the building to prevent any attempt to open for business. In the meantime, a restaurant can still operate out of the building, but it can not be a Double D Restaurant.

Judge Kennedy’s ruling yesterday followed a three-day hearing on a temporary restraining order. Toys R Us, which owns the land where the restaurant would be located, alleged breach of a commercial real estate lease. The restaurant’s adult theme has drawn concern from some area residents, though other residents support the Double D.

EAST TEXAS – Severe thunderstorms sweep East Texas for a second straight day. The storms rolled through various parts of the area, including Smith and Gregg Counties, Wednesday afternoon, leaving thousands without power. Preliminary figures from KETK show that at one point Wednesday, over 4,000 customers were without electricity in Gregg County. Earlier in the day, some 3,000 in Harrison County were without power. Other area counties also experienced power outages, with Smith County authorities reporting a number of power lines down late in the afternoon. Crews continued working to restore electricity in the area.

For a while Tuesday night severe thunderstorm warnings were out for several area counties. Portions of Smith, Rusk, Upshur, Wood, Harrison and Panola counties were under warning for a time. With the storm came power outages. In Smith County, Oncor reported Tuesday night more than 1,000 people were without power, and Swepco reported 1,200 people without power.

TYLER — Smith County fire officials tell KETK crews on the scene that a stolen car was found in a wooded area that caught fire on Wednesday. Officials believe the fire began from a lightning strike in Tuesday night’s storms. The fire now is under control, but officials do not have an estimate of how much burned. There’s no word yet on who might own the stolen car. Officials say the fire was called out just before 2:00 Wednesday afternoon in the 10000 block of FM 850 outside Tyler. Arp, Chapel Hill, and Jackson Heights Fire Departments responded.

TYLER — Texas Department of Transportation office manager Lesia Main has been getting the same phone call over and over for the past few weeks. “There’s a dead tree on the right of way and it’s about to fall,” Main said, describing the repeat calls, then after a moment, adds, “some are more polite about it than others.” The record-setting drought has taken its toll on lawns and gardens across East Texas, and the trees and grasses along the highways are no exception. But just because a tree is brown and without leaves doesn’t mean it’s dead, or even near death.

“The trees are doing what they need to do to survive,” said TxDOT spokesman Larry Krantz. “They can’t go sit down in the air conditioning and have a glass of sweet tea, so they have to conserve what little water they’ve managed to pull from the ground. Their leaves are the key to that process, so by dropping their leaves, the trees are going into conservation mode. It probably looks worse than it is because the trees aren’t all turning at once like they would in a typical fall.”

Krantz said the trees turning a few at a time, and dormant trees standing next to green trees, are probably behind the rash of calls to TxDOT offices demanding immediate action. “We can’t just go out and cut down every tree that looks dead,” Krantz said. “Part of the reason East Texas is so special is because of the number and variety of trees that live here. If we react rashly and start cutting down every tree that might be dead, there won’t be many trees left next spring.”

Ironically, Krantz said, dead trees don’t pose anywhere near the danger to motorists that live trees do. “It’s the live trees that cause the most trouble for us during weather events,” Krantz said. “With their leaves acting as sails catching the wind and limbs heavy with water, a live tree is a lot more likely to fall during high winds and a dead tree. It takes a dead tree years do decompose to the point where it could fall, and since dead trees don’t resist the wind like a live tree, they’re not as likely to be blown down as they are to crumble in place.”

Krantz added that with that slow decay comes time for TxDOT to identify which trees are dead and which are simply in conservation mode. “At any given time we could have as many as eight tree-trimming and removal contracts going across the Tyler District, and they’re focused on what poses the greatest danger to the traveling public.” As for mowing, TxDOT has plans to conduct one more cycle this fall in an attempt to cut down taller-growing grasses.

“A single spark or hot object can cause a fire under these conditions,” Krantz said. “So if a car has to pull off the roadway and it pulls into grass tall enough to touch its exhaust system, that could start a fire. Cutting the grass low to the ground is going to reduce the fire danger and have the added benefit of the thatch trapping moisture close to the ground.”

LONGVIEW — Longview Police identified and arrested Adam Everett Williams, 40, Longview, on a charge of theft. He was booked into the Gregg County Jail. On August 18, Officer Doug Pickering responded to the 2400 Block of Gilmer Road. When he arrived at the scene the victim, 92-year old Harry Nash of Longview, told Officer Pickering his wallet had been stolen. Mr. Nash said he was paying for his items and set his wallet down on the check stand. He forgot to pick it up and walked away for only a few seconds. When he returned he saw someone paying for items at the register. He said he did not see his wallet and the man had been the only one there at the time he walked away from the register. Williams was observed on video taking the wallet and placing it in the left front pocket of his shorts.

MT. PLEASANT — An early morning fire broke out at the Pilgrim’s Pride feed mill in Mt. Pleasant. Firefighters are still working to contain the blaze. No word on the cause of the fire or extent of damage.

VAN ZANDT COUNTY — Van Zandt County Sheriff Officials say one teen was flown to the hospital after a rollover accident on Hwy 198 near Canton. It happened just after 7:30 Wednesday morning. The teen’s mother was transported to the hospital by ambulance. No word at this time on the conditions of either of the people involved. Officials are investigating the cause of the crash.

GREGG COUNTY — An East Texas man received the maximum sentence for DWI after he jumped bail. Delwin Gawone Fletcher, 31, of Easton, received a two-year state jail sentence Tuesday for driving while intoxicated with a child passenger in the vehicle, but a conviction for bail jumping will keep him incarcerated even longer. The offense occurred in May 2009. Fletcher was scheduled to enter a guilty plea on the charge in December, but authorities said he jumped bail and remained on the lam until his March 2 arrest by Gregg County sheriff’s deputies. He remained jailed on $51,000 bond since that time. Under a plea agreement, Fletcher received sentences of two years for drunk driving with a passenger younger than 15 years of age, and eight years for bail jumping, with two other cases pending as well.