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TYLER � A Mexican national has appeared in Tyler federal court to be sentenced to for drug trafficking violation in East Texas. Gabriel Hernandez Rodriguez, who was illegally living in Tyler, pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of more than 50 grams of actual methamphetamine. He was sentenced yesterday to 135 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Leonard E. Davis. Rodriguez was also ordered to submit to forfeiture in the amount of $50,000.00.

Federal prosecutors say, from an unknown date to January 13, 2010, Rodriguez conspired with Jose Zavala of Whitehouse to distribute methamphetamine in East Texas. Rodriguez also possessed a firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking activities. Rodriguez was arrested last September 28 and charged with federal drug trafficking crimes.

Zavala pleaded guilty last July and was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison on March 28, 2011.

TYLER � Tyler ISD is holding a public hearing on its redistricting plan this afternoon at 5:30 in the Birdwell Elementary School cafeteria, 2010 Talley Avenue. Officials say residents are invited to address proposed redistricting Illustrative Plan 1 concerning new boundaries for TISD trustee districts. Officials say the board will receive comments but will not discuss the plan or its relative merits. According to the 2010 Census data, the school district�s trustee districts are not of sufficiently equal population and must be redrawn in order to comply with the �one-person, one-vote� principle established by the U.S. Constitution. The hearing will be followed by the regular monthly school board meeting, also to be held in the Birdwell cafeteria.

TYLER � A Dallas man has been sentenced to federal prison for drug violations in East Texas. Jose Gaona-Arroyo pleaded guilty on June 1, 2010, to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He was sentenced to 121 months in federal prison yesterday by U.S. District Judge Leonard Davis.

According to federal prosecutors, beginning in 2007, Gaona-Arroyo conspired to distribute methamphetamine in Dallas County, which was then transported through the Eastern District of Texas to be delivered elsewhere. Gaona-Arroyo was arrested in Smith County on July 23, 2009, in possession of approximately one pound of methamphetamine. Gaona-Arroyo and five others were indicted by a federal grand jury on August 5, 2009.

TYLER � A 33-year-old Henderson woman has been sentenced to federal prison for drug violations in the Eastern District of Texas. Marianna Matthews pleaded guilty on Dec. 8, 2010, to possession of pseudoephedrine with intent to manufacture methamphetamine and was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison Wednesday in Tyler by U.S. District Judge Leonard Davis. According to prosecutors, from April 2009 to February 2010, Matthews purchased cold pills containing pseudoephedrine at various stores in Kilgore, Tyler, Longview, and Henderson. The pills were purchased in furtherance of Matthews’ conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine with others. Matthews and five others were indicted by a federal grand jury on May 6, 2010.

TYLER — The Tyler City Council has voted unanimously to accept an agreement with the City of Lindale that will establish Extra Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) boundaries for both communities. Due to annexations by both cities, their extraterritorial jurisdictions have reached each other. Officials say representatives of both cities have had discussions and arrived at an exchange of extraterritorial jurisdiction area resulting in a north boundary for Tyler and south boundary line for Lindale. Officials say that’s in order to provide for orderly development — particularly along the I-20, Loop 49, and U.S. Highway 69 corridors — and to provide for a mutually agreeable settlement. �We have been working with our neighboring communities to ensure there is agreement on where the ETJ is for each of us,� said Tyler Mayor Barbara Bass (pictured). �We want to work together to do what is best for the region.�

A community�s ETJ is typically established by the number of residents in a community. Tyler�s current ETJ extends five miles while Lindale�s is one mile from the city limit line; as annexations occur, the city limit line moves, which results in a community�s ETJ also extending. An ETJ is considered a future planning area and is an anticipated area of growth for a community. �As both of our cities grow, we will need to work together,� said Lindale City Manager Owen Scott. �The agreement we have reached is in the best interests of both communities.�

TYLER — The Better Business Bureau Serving Central East Texas has recently been alerted of a scam that is again plaguing local hotels and their guests, in which a scam artist obtains the credit card information of hotel guests over the phone. The calls are typically made in the middle of the night. The caller indicates he or she is a hotel employee and the hotel computer system has crashed. In order to complete the hotel audit, the caller says he or she must have the call recipient’s credit card number. Many times, the caller also offers a discount on the room for the inconvenience. BBB officials say these callers are very convincing, and many hotel guests do fall for this scam. Whether the scam artist is actually a guest in the hotel, or whether the calls are coming from outside the hotel and the scammer has obtained the direct number to each room, has not yet been determined.

Hotel managers are being asked to alert their guests of this scam and remind them not to provide their credit card information over the phone during their stay. The managers are asked to let guests know if there is ever a problem with billing, the hotel staff will handle it at the front desk and not over the phone. To report a fraud or scam, you can call the BBB Hotline: (903) 581-8373.

LONGVIEW — Two 12-year-old boys were arrested Tuesday evening on charges related to bicycles that were stolen from a Longview home. Officers responded to a residential burglary in progress shortly after 5 p.m. A witness said he saw three young males walking up and down the street. He said he saw them open the garage door to a home located on Rockwall Drive. He reportedly saw them take at least one bicycle out of the garage and leave the area. Authorities found the boys on bicycles in the 200 block of Ward Street. After speaking to them and to other witnesses, officers say they determined that the bicycles were taken from the garage of the home on Rockwall Drive by two of the youths. The bicycles were valued at approximately $800.

Both suspects were transported to the Gregg County Juvenile Detention Facility and charged with burglary of a habitation. Police say it was later determined that both youths had given the arresting officers false information about their identities, so both were also charged with failure to identify.

Once again, Longview police remind citizens to do their part and be aware of their neighborhood and suspicious circumstances and people. Police say being a proactive and watchful neighbor, just as in this case, will deter and help solve crime in Longview neighborhoods.

BEAUMONT — A 29-year-old Nacogdoches man has been sentenced to life in federal prison for his role in a double homicide which took place in Nacogdoches in August 2007. Charles Cameron Frazier, aka “Mojo,” pleaded guilty on Jan. 14th to committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering activity. Frazier admitted that he had participated in the murders of David Mitchamore and Christy Rochelle Brown. According to information presented in court, Frazier was a member of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT).

TYLER — A sentencing trial is underway in a Smith County Courtroom for a Tyler woman guilty of intoxication manslaughter. Jerdene Boyd had previously plead guilty and is now facing sentencing of up to 20 years in prison. On September 2nd of last year, Boyd was under the influence of cocaine, marijuana and opiates when she ran from police on South Broadway and rear-ended Robert Bass, 55, Plano. Bass was stopped at a light. He was pronounced dead at the scene. According to authorities, investigators determined that Boyd has never been issued a Texas Drivers License and had no insurance.

ANGELINA COUNTY — A motorcyclist on his way to work was arrested Monday morning after leading authorities on a 100 mph chase that ended in a crash. Angelina County Sheriff�s Office Lt. Bryan Holley said he was patrolling Loop 287 around 5:50 a.m. when he came upon Kraig Kilgore, 23, of Diboll, riding at 90-100 mph in the northbound lane.

Holley said he stayed in close pursuit of Kilgore and watched as he hooked a left onto Spence Street, losing control of the bike. �He laid it over and the bike skidded across the pavement. Luckily he was wearing a helmet, but he had some pretty bad road rash,� Holley said. �He was taken into custody, given medical attention and then taken to jail.�

Holley said Kilgore told him he ran because he was on his way to work and didn�t have a motorcycle license. Kilgore is charged with evading arrest and was also ticketed for no motorcycle license and failure to control speed. Kilgore was released from jail Monday on a personal recognizance bond, according to jail records.

HUGHES SPRINGS � Cass County authorities say it appears to be a murder-suicide that claimed the lives of Kandi Nolen and her estranged husband Stan. Authorities were able to trace a 911 call to the woman�s home Monday night. It was in her home in the 1400 block of East First Street in Hughes Springs is where they found the bodies. Investigators say, based on the evidence at the scene, it appears as if Stan Nolen shot Kandi and then turned the gun on himself.

WICHITA, KAN. (AP/STAFF) � A Nacogdoches County man who ran a hunting camp in Kansas has been sentenced to 41 months in federal prison for conspiracy and illegally trafficking in wildlife. James Bobby Butler Jr. was accused along with his brother with offering guided hunts to hunters who paid thousands of dollars to kill deer illegally. Butler, of Martinsville, Texas, was owner of Camp Lone Star in Coldwater, Kansas. His brother, Marlin, is expected to plead guilty to the charges on Friday and it is anticipated that he too will draw a prison sentence.

FORT WORTH (AP) � A renowned classical pianist from Texas is returning to Russia where his 1958 victory at a prestigious competition gained him international fame. Van Cliburn, who grew up in Kilgore, will be an honorary chairman for the piano part of the Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow. The Van Cliburn Foundation on Tuesday announced his trip for the contest ending next week.

Cliburn won the first International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition at the height of the Cold War. He says this is the first time he has returned to the competition, although he’s visited Russia several times through the years.

He’s involved with but doesn’t select winners of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. That competition is held every four years in his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas, most recently in 2009. Prizes include national concert tours for winners.

MT. ENTERPRISE � Rusk County officials have identified the victims of a fatal fire as April Nicole Yarbrough, 25, Zi�quaven Ke�onta Yarbrough, 7, and Tyrell Deshawn Dixon, 3. Mt. Enterprise firefighters received a call for help at around 6:30 yesterday morning. According to Rusk County spokeswoman Vicky Penny, April Yarbrough�s mother left the house for work at 3:30. Later, her brother saw smoke rising from the house while he was helping a friend that was out of gas. He rushed to the house and knocked on the window. When no one answered, he kicked in the door and saw the inside of the house fully engulfed by fire.

According to Rusk County Fire Officials the fire broke out on County Road 3175 off of Farm Road 95 near Mt. Enterprise. The fire was contained shortly after 9:30. An autopsy has been ordered to determine the cause of death for the victims, and a fire marshal is trying to determine the cause of the fire.

TYLER — For the second consecutive year, the Tyler ISD Foundation has received the Golden Achievement Award from the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA). The Foundation�s entry, �Education Foundations: Fulfilling the Need for Sophisticated Training,� contained presentation materials from Larry Goddard, Executive Director, for the past academic year. Goddard�s presentations on the advancement of education foundations, leveraging positive community awareness for your school district and other subjects were evaluated by a team of nationwide judges in public relations. Goddard remarked, �Positive community relations, clear and concise communications, and a high level of professionalism and sophistication are the requirements in today�s world of school communications; we are proud that as a public charity, we can serve our donors and support our district in a positive manner.�