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SMITH COUNTY — Two men who planned to kidnap, rape and murder a Texas woman have now both been sentenced to decades-long prison sentences. According to our news partner KETK, Brad McKinney, 53 of Kilgore, was sentenced to 25 years in state prison on Thursday after he was found guilty of conspiracy to commit capital murder on June 23. Dustin Adlai Yates, 52, was sentenced to 30 years in state prison for conspiracy to commit murder on July 15.

According to an arrest affidavit, Yates contacted McKinney to gather information on Yates’s ex-girlfriend and would pay him for his services. The Smith County Sheriff’s Office arrested Yates on Dec. 27, 2024 for stalking, after his ex-girlfriend informed them that Yates was contacting her by email on Oct. 31, 2024.

Yates was attempting to contact her despite warnings from the Houston Police Department not to contact her following a family violence case. The woman sent screenshots of the following messages from Yates on Dec. 1, 2024, to detectives: Continue reading Men sentenced for kidnapping, murder plot

BULLARD — The City of Bullard announced on Thursday that some residents may encounter little to no water pressure due to a water main break, according to our news partner KETK.

The city said its utility department is currently working on repairing the issue, and thanks its residents for their patience during this time.

TYLER — The Hill Creek Branch bridge on Park Road 16 in Tyler State Park has been closed as of Wednesday, July 30, after routine inspections revealed erosion in parts of the structure. According to a news release, officials said out of an abundance of caution, TxDOT officials made the decision to close the bridge immediately to ensure visitor safety. Plans for repairs are currently underway, with construction expected to be completed in Fall 2025.

“Safety is always our top priority,” said Jeff Williford, Public Information Officer for the Tyler District. “TxDOT routinely inspects every bridge in the state to ensure they meet all safety standards and remain safe for the traveling public.”

CANTON – Two parents were arrested on Monday in Van Zandt County after a child was found in a hot car, sweating and bleeding from the nose, according to a report from our news partner KETK.

On Monday, deputies from the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s office responded to the Wagon Train RV Park on 7869 Interstate 20 South Service Road in Canton to help DPS on a vehicle pursuit. Once arriving, deputies were made aware that the driver had fled from DPS, abandoned it and officers located it at the RV park.

“DPS advised that when they approached the vehicle that they observed a child inside the vehicle while the vehicle ignition turned off, and the child appeared to have been bleeding from the nose and to be very hot and sweating,” the sheriff’s office said. Continue reading Parents arrested for abandoning children in a hot car

TYLER — The City of Tyler is updating road markings at three busy intersections as part of its annual road safety enhancement project, according to our news partner KETK. These updates include the addition of new turn lanes, bike lanes, and parking spaces, aimed at reducing accidents and improving traffic flow.

The intersections affected include West Houston Street and Fair Park Drive, where a new turn lane, bike lane and parking spaces have been added. This area is near the Rose Garden, Brookshire’s Center and a football stadium. On Rieck Road, between South Broadway Avenue and New Copeland Road, a two-way left-turn lane has been introduced to address a history of run-off-road crashes. Additionally, a turn lane has been removed at the Walmart driveway on Shiloh Road to better reflect current driving patterns and improve traffic flow, the city said.

These changes are expected to enhance safety and reduce confusion at intersections, contributing to a more efficient transportation network in Tyler.

TYLER – UT Health Tyler and CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital have confirmed that parts of their facilities are running on generator power. According to our news partner KETK, the power outages happened on Wednesday after a power line was cut when a gas company doing maintenance work.

UT Health East Texas said in a release, “Our emergency generators are fully operational for affected areas, and all critical systems, including life-support equipment and patient monitoring systems, are functioning without interruption. Patient care and safety remain our highest priority. At this time, essential services are continuing, and our clinical teams are closely monitoring all areas of the hospital.” Continue reading Parts of Tyler hospitals on generator after power line cut

RUSK COUNTY — A pipeline explosion has been reported near a church camp in Rusk County. According to our news partner KETK, Rusk County Sheriff Johnwayne Valdez said the explosion was beside the Whispering Pines Church Camp. Valdez said the camp was not operating at the time of the incident. Henderson Fire Department and three volunteer fire departments were at scene early Wednesday evening. Rusk County ESD#1 Spokesperson Patrick Dolley said a person was working in the area of the pipeline. They hit it, causing a fire. The fire was contained and no injuries were reported.

TYLER – BlueCross BlueShield of Texas announced on Wednesday that they have reached an agreement with CHRISTUS Health, ensuring patients can continue to receive in-network care. The insurance company said all CHRISTUS Health doctors, hospitals and other facilities will remain in their network.

CHRISTUS released the following statement Wednesday on the agreement:

“CHRISTUS Health is pleased to announce that we have reached a new contract agreement with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, ensuring that patients can continue to receive in-network care at our hospitals, clinics and health facilities.  Our priority has always been to provide compassionate and high-quality care to all who may need us. We’re proud to offer that care without disruption to our patients covered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas.”

LONGVIEW – Two Mexican nationals illegally living in Longview, have been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking violations in the East Texas, according to a press release from the Acting U.S. Attorney’s office.

On May 2, 2024, two men were detained by law enforcement as passengers in a vehicle for a traffic violation. During the stop, officers deployed a K9 to conduct an open-air sniff of the vehicle, resulting in a positive alert for the presence of a controlled substance. A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of 2,972 grams of methamphetamine hidden in an interior void in the vehicle.

Immigration records revealed that both men were unlawfully present in the United States and that one of them, Julio Cesar Tello-Olmos, 49, was previously deported twice, onece following convictions for two separate felony DWIs. Continue reading Mexican nationals sentenced to prison for drug trafficking

GREGG COUNTY – A Longview man who sold fake prescription drugs has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for trafficking fentanyl in the Eastern District of Texas, according to a press release from the office of Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

Kym Andrew Wallace, also known as “Trigga”, 28, admitted to selling what were supposed to be prescription pills, which a 17-year-old juvenile consumed them and died from a an overdose on May 29, 2024. The pills purchased from Wallace were round and light blue, bearing the markings “M” and “30,” which are the same manufacturer’s markings for 30 milligram tablets of generic oxycodone. Following the overdose of the juvenile victim, investigators analyzed the pills,and determined they contained fentanyl. Continue reading Man sentenced to 30 years for fentanyl trafficking

TYLER – A Tyler man has been sentenced to federal prison for child exploitation violations in the Eastern District of Texas, according to a press release from the desk of Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

Enrique Adrian Gomez, 29, met two minor victims online in September 2021 and continued communicating with them through November 2021. Both minors were less than 13 years old at the time. Gomez communicated with the victims through text messaging and social media applications. During these real-time online conversations, the victims were persuaded to engage in prohibited, sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of such conduct. Continue reading Smith County man sentenced to 30 years for child exploitation

HENDERSON COUNTY – An East Texas man was sentenced to 15 years in prison after officers found multiple files of child pornography inside his home in January, according to a report from our news partner KETK.

Arrest documents show that a criminal investigator with the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office was notified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on Dec. 18, 2024, about a tip they received from Snapchat. The app had reported an incident listed as online enticement of a child for sexual purposes that took place on Sept. 22, 2024. The child victim involved in this incident reported to Snapchat that someone was trying to exploit them with child pornography of them. Continue reading Snapchat tip leads to conviction of a child predator