Tyler Murder Suspects Make Court Appearance


TYLER Two men wanted in a Tyler murder six years ago appeared at their arraignment Wednesday. Bryante Denard Gee, 27, and Terrance Wideman, 24, appeared Wednesday before State District Judge Jack Skeen. Neither men entered a plea and their bond was set at $1,000,000.

Investigators say Wideman was allegedly the a getaway driver in the homicide of Christopher Horn, 19. Horn was shot in the parking lot of Kureshes Mart at 1118 West Gentry Parkway the evening of April 7, 2005. Detectives say they also confirmed that Gee was the shooter in the incident.

Wideman was also said to have been involved in an incident in which gunfire erupted in the parking lot of Broadway Square Mall around 6:45 p.m. on May 11th. That aggravated assault case is still under investigation. It was during the investigation of that shooting that detectives were able to secure evidence implicating Wideman and Gee in the Horn murder.

Anderson County Stabbing Death


ELKHART Anderson County investigators are trying to determine how a fight started that left one person dead and one injured. It happened Monday night on County Road 182 south of Elkhart. Stabbed was Johnny Weaver, 48, of Palestine. He died at Palestine Regional Medical Center Monday night. Also stabbed was Charles Carroll, 49, of Palestine. He was released from Tylers East Texas Medical Center after being treated for a head wound. Investigators believe both men had been drinking prior to the fight. So far, no charges have been filed while authorities try to piece the puzzle together.

Marion County Murder Suspect Arrested


JEFFERSON Marion County authorities feel that what they thought was a self-defense case was actually murder. Arrested on a murder charge was Troy Long, 49. He is accused of the shooting death of Donte Mitchell, 24, his daughters estranged boyfriend. He died from a gunshot wound to the neck. The shooting occurred Sunday night on County Road 3222. Long was arraigned on the murder charge Wednesday morning, and his bond was set at $275,000.

J-T Student Arrested Following Campus Incident

TYLER A John Tyler High School student has been arrested following an altercation with an assistant principal. It happened on the school campus around 11:30 Wednesday morning. According to investigators, the incident started when the student wouldnt follow the assistant principals directions. The student has been charged with assault on a public servant and resisting arrest. No injuries were reported.

Gilmer Man Draws Federal Prison Sentence


MARSHALL An Upshur County man has been sentenced to federal prison for firearms violations. Scott Randall Terry, 39, of Gilmer, pleaded guilty last November to being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced in Marshall Wednesday to 71 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge T. John Ward.

Federal prosecutors say on May 24, 2010, Terry was found to be in possession of a sawed off shotgun with an obliterated serial number. Further investigation revealed Terry was a convicted felon and prohibited by federal law from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition. Terry was convicted of possession of a controlled substance in 2007 in Upshur County.

Abortion Impasse Could End Women’s Health Program


AUSTIN (AP) A fight to keep state money from going to abortions could end a key health care program serving low-income women in Texas. The Women’s Health Program is set to expire in December, and the Republican state senator sponsoring legislation to renew it wants to bar Planned Parenthood and abortion affiliates from the plan.

Senator Bob Deuell, whose district includes part of Smith County, can’t get the bill to the senate floor for a vote because Democrats have balked at a provision that dissolves the program if abortion affiliates sue to regain entrance. Planned Parenthood has informed Deuell that it plans to sue if the legislation passes. The agency says 120,000 Texas women will lose access to health care without the program.

The bill is part of a larger fight led by conservative lawmakers to defund Planned Parenthood.

Man Sentenced in Beating of Walmart Greeter


LONGVIEW Convicted of drop-kicking a 74-year-old Wal-Mart greeter, a Gladewater man learns his punishment. Royce Wayne Young, 47, will spend the next 14 years behind bars. Last September, Young kicked the older man at a Wal-Mart in Longview, sending him to the hospital. Young pleaded guilty to injury to an elderly individual and possession of a controlled substance.

Man Arrested for Impersonating Officers


JACKSONVILLE Jacksonville Police say a Cherokee County man was arrested early Saturday morning for impersonating a police officer. Officers say Kyle Sipes was driving a minivan, attempting to pull people over by flashing his lights. Sipes reportedly managed to pull someone over, and thats when police say he forced the victim to get out of the vehicle and onto the ground.

Sipes was allegedly threatening to shoot the victim. Police searched Sipes van, but found no weapon only a police scanner and a lot of .22 caliber BB gun pellets. Sipes, 24, has a criminal past also in Wood County, where authorities say hes violated his probation. Sipes sits in the Cherokee County Jail with two counts of impersonating a public servant, a third degree felony; two counts of a terroristic threat, a class A misdemeanor; and now one count of criminal mischief, which is a class B misdemeanor, for allegedly becoming violent in his jail cell and tearing up beds. His bonds in Wood and Cherokee Counties total $120,000.

Massive East Texas Meth Bust

HUNTINGTON Officials say it was possibly the largest meth bust in the county. When Angelina County officials swarmed the business “Facility Works” off of FM 1669 in Huntington early Tuesday morning, they expected to find evidence of a meth lab, they just didn’t expect to find so much. Authorities say the man they were looking for Donald Lee Brooks, 47, was nowhere to be found but, evidence of what he had been up to was everywhere. Officials found at least 100 grams of meth with a street value of about $10,000. Brooks had previously been arrested on manufacturing charges.

A few hours after the raid, authorities finally caught up with Brooks after a routine traffic stop. They found meth in his car made the arrest and transferred him to Angelina County Jail.

Tyler’s Teachers of the Year Announced


TYLER — Thirty Tyler school teachers were honored Tuesday night as campus teachers of the year. They were recognized at the districts annual Teacher of the Year banquet at the Harvey Convention Center. From that group two were singled out as Tylers Teachers of the Year. Jones Elementary MST Academy fifth grade teacher Michelle Beas was named the 2011 Elementary Teacher of the Year. Hubbard Middle School MYP humanities teacher Cindy Nick was named the 2011 Secondary Teacher of the Year.

Beas believes teaching is a way of life. It is my calling and passion, said Beas. It is a profession with so much responsibility, challenge, and joy. It has, and continues to be, so rewarding to watch students surpass my wildest expectations. Teaching for me is the ultimate celebration of life.

Nick says her devotion to teaching began at a very young age and continues to be her passion and purpose today. I am convinced that education is the key to understanding while understanding is instrumental in creating a world where people of all cultures can co-exist peacefully on this ever-shrinking planet, said Nick when describing her philosophy of teaching. In my opinion, teaching is an art that comes from the heart; its about inspiration, not simply motivation,

Criteria for selection of both the campus Teachers of the Year and the District Teachers of the Year included, among other items: playing an active and useful role in their community, commitment to the teaching profession through continuous improvement, and lessons that creatively engage and inspire students to achieve high academic standards. Tylers top two teachers will now compete at the regional level this summer.

Teen Arrested in Longview Stabbing

LONGVIEW A Longview teen has been arrested following a stabbing at the Tropicana Apartments, 1224 South High Street. It was said to have occurred shortly after 2:15 Monday afternoon. Security officials at Good Shepherd Medical Center notified police about the stabbing victim. Steven Beecham was treated for a couple of stab wounds. He is in fair condition. After talking to witnesses, officers arrested Jerome Dobbins, 17. He was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and bond set at $25,000.

Traffic Reopened Following Gas Leak


TYLER A gas leak had traffic shut down on a portion of Gentry Parkway for a couple of hours last night. Contractors were digging under a sidewalk to replace a gas line when the gas started leaking. The gas leak stopped when CenterPoint Energy shut off the gas. Before the gas was cut off, the area of Gentry at Martin Luther King was closed to east bound traffic as well as Gentry at Glenwood for west bound traffic. After repairs had been made the area was reopened at 8:30 last night.

Doctor Pleads Guilty to Fraud


PLANO — A Paris, Texas podiatrist has pleaded guilty to federal health care fraud charges. William Goldman, 52, pleaded guilty yesterday in an appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Don Bush in Plano. Goldman faces up to two years in federal prison. He also faces forfeiture of $350,000.00, along with his podiatry license. A sentencing date has not been set. Federal prosecutors say Goldman submitted false claims to Medicare and Medicaid from 2003 to 2008 from surgeries he never performed. he was indicted by a federal grand jury in April of last year.

Police: Hallucinations Lead to Arrests


LONGVIEW Longview police say because a couples drug-induced hallucinations put their 14-month-old child at risk, the two have been arrested. Taken into custody were Jason Wayne Beasley, 34, and his wife, Misty Ann Rhodes Beasley, 27. According to investigators, the father told a neighbor to call police because he believed someone had killed his child’s mother. Authorities say Beasley was hallucinating and had reportedly chased imaginary people with a knife and pistol, discharging the firearm in public. According to police, the couple said they had taken meth in the past few days. In a crib in a separate room was the couples 14-month old. The youngster had not been harmed, but authorities say there was no one at the residence who was able to care for the toddler.