KTBB News, Weather, Talk

LONGVIEW — Three people have been arrested in connection with a fight and a robbery that occurred at the Days Inn, in the 3100 block of Estes Parkway, May 23rd. Arrested were Robin Wilson, 28 and John Pack, 19, both of Longview. Pack�s Twin brother, Joshua, was also arrested. Police say the brothers saw Wilson, who is said to be a girlfriend of one of the teens, at the motel with six other people. In the fight that followed, the brothers are said to have used a gun and a knife to rob the group. When they fled the scene, Wilson is said to have left with them. One person was injured, but not seriously, in the fight.

LONGVIEW � Gregg County authorities are looking for two suspects in the burglary of an ATM Machine. The burglary occurred at Zippy J’s convenience store at the corner of State Highway 31 and Farm Road 2767. The suspects are said to have cut a hole in a rear wall of the building, and then used a bar to pry open the ATM. They are said to have taken $46,000 from the machine. The store�s surveillance video shows two suspects wearing dark clothing, masks and gloves.

LONGVIEW — Longview Police remembered one of their own Thursday morning during a public ceremony. They dedicated a table with a plaque in memory of fellow Officer Ellyn Goodan. The table is near the entrance to the Roy E. Stone Training Center located at 302 W. Cotton Street. The memorial was purchased with donations from Police Department employees.

Goodan died last December after being shot in the head. Her husband, and former 911 communications administrator Harry Goodan, has been charged with her murder. He was originally held on $500,000 bond. However, District Judge David Brabham ruled the bond was excessive and lowered it to $75,000 after Goodan�s father-in-law, Jimmy Rice, and Goodan�s ex-wife, Jonna Goodan, testified on his behalf at a January court hearing.

Under the stipulations of his lowered bond, Goodan is barred from possessing a gun, alcohol or illegal drugs; must remain home between 7:00pm and 6:00am daily; he must wear a monitoring device at all times; and he must report weekly to authorities. Goodan�s trial date has yet to be set in the 124th District Court. Goodan also has a pending civil case for �parent child relationship� in the interest of his and Ellyn Goodan�s son, Nicholas Goodan.

MANGUM, OKLA. (AP) � Two more prospective jurors have been chosen for possible jury service in the trial of a former warden’s wife accused of helping an inmate she fell in love with escape from prison. Prosecutors have accused Bobbi Parker of helping Randolph Dial escaped from the Oklahoma State Reformatory in 1994 and then running away with him. Defense attorneys say Dial kidnapped Parker and held her captive until she was rescued in 2005 at a Shelby County, Texas, chicken ranch. Defense attorney lawyer Garvin Isaacs said Wednesday two more people were added to a panel of prospective jurors that now totals 14. Isaacs says attorneys want to pick 22 prospective jurors before using challenges to select a 12-member jury. Jury selection continues today; it began on May 16.

TYLER — East Texas Medical Center says it’s responding to the external economic climate by streamlining operations. According to a written statement, this means becoming more efficient by reducing non-critical staff positions and finding ways to make processes more cost-effective, as officials say the organization has throughout its 60-year history. ETMC has declined to disclose any exact numbers regarding reduction of positions. According to the statement, reasons for the current economic challenges include lessening reimbursement from third-party payors, and federal and state reimbursement cuts. Hospital officials say the uncertainty caused by healthcare reform legislation is also driving this situation to some degree, both locally and nationally.

Throughout the United States, ETMC officials add, other hospital systems are experiencing similar situations. The written statement says that as the market demands reductions in healthcare costs, ETMC is doing its part to adjust operations and trim costs, while continuing to fulfill its mission.

WASHINGTON, D.C. � U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert (TX-01) joined a bipartisan House coalition voting against a debt limit measure Tuesday night. The legislation would increase the federal government�s legal debt limit by $2.4 trillion, raising the limit to $16.7 trillion. Gohmert commented, �Raising the debt ceiling is not only irresponsible, it is, again, spending money the United States does not have. I could not vote to raise the debt ceiling without a major decline in negligent spending. Here and now, Washington must change the way it does business.

“We desperately need to pass a Balanced Budget Amendment with a cap on spending in the House and Senate and send it to the States for ratification. We must also stop the insane spending of $105 billion to implement the bureaucracy of Obamacare � which should ultimately be deemed unconstitutional. These are the immediate things we can do to show the world financial sectors we are serious about reining in renegade spending.

“There is absolutely no reason for the Administration to refuse to organize payments so we meet our public debt obligations and keep our commitments to those Americans who are supposed to receive them. Treasury Secretary Geithner should spend his time setting these priorities instead of playing Chicken Little and demagoguing this important issue.

“The future of our nation is at stake. Raising the debt limit will only dig America into a deeper, darker pit � one from which escaping will be difficult, if not, impossible. Out-of-control spending must end, and the Senate must finally pass a budget to solidify our commitment to solving this crisis. That�s the only way America will remain �the shining city on the Hill.��

LONGVIEW � A Longview man is jailed after a chase and a wreck that injured five people. Jailed under a $40,000 bond on a variety of charges is Earnest James Survia Jr., 22. In his vehicle during the chase were his wife and two children.

It all started just after noon Tuesday afternoon in Longview at the intersection of Annette and Arthur. A state trooper said he saw someone trying to break into a car. Authorities say the chase started when the trooper tried to stop the man. According to officials, it ended when the man ran a stop sign in the Pine Tree area, striking another vehicle.

RUSK COUNTY — A Garrison man is in custody charged with charged with assault, endangerment of a child and resisting arrest. Around 3:30 Monday afternoon, Rusk County Deputies responded to a welfare concern. Authorities say Bradley Dale Koonce, 39, used a small child as a barricade to keep deputies from arresting him. Koonce was eventually apprehended and booked into in the Rusk County Jail with bond set at $40,000. A protective order has been filed against him.

LONGVIEW — A stretch of road is open again in Longview following a Wednesday morning spill. Part of Eastman Road was shut down at around 8:00 a.m. after hydraulic fluid spilled from a Longview Asphalt truck. Fire department officials said the eastbound exit ramp to Eastman was shut down at the interstate, along with the outside northbound lane on South Eastman Road to Neiman Marcus Parkway. Longview Fire Chief J.P. Steelman said a hazardous materials team was sent to the scene to assist in cleaning up the spill near the intersection of Eastman and Interstate 20. Police spokeswoman Kristie Brian said the fluid started spilling from the asphalt truck while the motorist was driving, and there was no reported wreck with the incident.

LAKE O� THE PINES � Marion County officials confirmed Tuesday a 4-year-old Jefferson boy drowned Saturday evening at Johnson Creek at Lake O� the Pines. According to a Marion County investigator, Mykael Evans was pronounced dead about 6:30 p.m. at the Johnson Creek swimming area.

TYLER � Tyler police are looking for a suspect in a Tuesday night shooting. Around 10:15 p.m. Tuesday, officers were alerted to a traffic flow problem in the 2500 block of West Front Street. The car�s driver said he had been the victim of a shooting.

He told officers he was meeting with the suspect in a nearby park when a disturbance broke out between the two of them. The victim attempted to leave the area, but the suspect began following him. The suspect managed to catch-up to the victim and fire several gunshots at the victim. He wasn�t hit but his car was disabled. The suspect had fled the area by the time officers arrived.

TYLER � Funeral services are pending for former John Tyler High School principal Nathan Hollis. Hollis died suddenly Monday night. He serviced as the John Tyler principal from 1994 to 2000. He had also served as principal at Boulter Middle School and was an assistant principal at Hogg and Stewart middle schools. Hollis was 62.

MANGUM, OKLA. (AP) � Greer County prosecutors and defense attorneys have settled on two more jurors in the trial of a former warden’s wife accused of helping an inmate she fell in love with escape from prison. Defense lawyer Garvin Isaacs said two people were chosen during Tuesday’s proceeding, bringing the overall number to 12. Isaacs says attorneys want to pick 22 jurors and use their challenges to whittle the number down to 12. Jury selection continued Wednesday.

Prosecutors allege Bobbi Parker ran away with inmate Randolph Dial after helping him escape from the Oklahoma State Reformatory in 1994. But her attorneys have said Dial held Parker captive until she was rescued in 2005 at a Shelby County, Texas, chicken ranch.

TYLER � A man who pleaded guilty earlier this month to the shooting death of a Longview teen has been handed a hefty prison sentence. Gregory Dewayne Polley, 26, of Longview, was sentenced by State District Judge Christi Kennedy to 50 years in prison Tuesday morning. He also relinquished his right to appeal. He had pleaded guilty to last year�s Christmas Eve shooting death of Nicole Cartwright, 15. The shooting occurred at a car wash on West Bow Street in Tyler.

Investigators say the teen had come from Longview to meet with family and friends, who were also from Longview. While they were at the car wash, a disturbance occurred in the parking lot involving four females in two separate cars. Shots were fired, and Cartwright was struck; she later died at a Tyler hospital. Investigators say the bullet was not intended for the girl, she was just an innocent bystander.

Polley is the second man to be arrested in connection with Cartwright’s death. Adrian Earl Blankenship Jr., 22, of Longview, also is charged in the teen’s death. He remains in Smith County Jail on $500,000 bond and his trial is scheduled for July. Polley was initially arrested January 4th for a parole violation in Longview, with Smith County officials tacking on the first-degree murder charge after an arrest warrant was issued.

TYLER � No injuries were reported, and damage was limited, in a two-alarm fire Tuesday afternoon at Tyler Junior College. The Tyler Fire Department responded to Wise Auditorium with five engines and one ladder company, along with a district chief and an investigator. The fire was reported at yesterday afternoon just before 1:45. All units had cleared the scene within 40 minutes of arrival. Fire department personnel say workers using heavy machinery nearby contacted underground electrical lines, which caused the fire to ignite in the auditorium basement. While the basement was filled with smoke, actual fire damage was contained to a small electrical box on the basement wall.