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LONGVIEW — A Longview man was released from jail Wednesday after police said he shot the men repossessing his car. William Walton, 25, was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Bond was set at $200,000.

Walton was arrested about 6 p.m. Tuesday he shot at two men who were attempting to repossess his Chevrolet Impala, according to police. Two men, including 22-year-old Joseph Castillo were injured in the shooting at the 1300 block of Birdsong Street, police said. Castillo and an unidentified man were taken to Good Shepherd Medical Center.

Police said Walton fired several rounds from a handgun. One employee was shot, and the other employee was injured from debris, police said. Both men were released from the hospital Wednesday.

TYLER – Tyler police are tying to piece together the events that led to two people being injured Wednesday night. The investigation began when Officer Cory Chamberlain noticed a man in the 300 block of Poplar Avenue with some minor injuries and a stab wound to his left forearm. He is identified as Billy Joe Smith, 42, of Tyler. EMS was called to the location.

A short time later Trinity Mother Frances notified police about a stabbing victim who had arrived at their emergency room by private transport. Officers contacted Russell Collins, 38 of Tyler, who said he had been involved in a fight with another male on Poplar Avenue. Collins had multiple lacerations, none appearing to be life threatening.

Both Smith and Collins were interviewed concerning this incident. Due to conflicting stories, this case will be investigated further by the Major Crimes unit.

KAUFMAN – A Kaufman County Justice of the Peace, who has been in office since the first of the year, has been arrested. Booked into the Kaufman county jail was Precinct One Justice of the Peace Eric Williams. His bond was set at $5,000 on a charge of burglary of a building. His arrest followed a week and a half long probe into missing computers from the Kaufman County I-T Department.

PALESTINE (AP) – A medical examiner has determined that the recent death of an 8-year-old East Texas girl was a suicide by hanging. Investigators had said the second-grader was found dead in a wooded area near her family’s home just northwest of Palestine the night of April 17. Anderson County Sheriff Greg Taylor told the Palestine Herald-Press that he concurs with the finding by Dr. John A. Stash of the Southwest Texas Forensic Science Center in Tyler. Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace James Westley says he’s not ready to rule the death a suicide, and he has the final say under Texas law. Taylor’s investigation and Stash’s autopsy concluded the girl died on her knees, leaning against baling wire tied around her neck and to a tree branch.

AUSTIN (AP/Staff) – Republican State Representative David Simpson of Longview has received a couple of setbacks in legislative activity. A bill that would prohibit federal agents from intrusive searches during airport security pat downs is likely dead in the Texas Senate after a threat from federal officials to close airports if the measure passed. Simpson introduced the bill in the House. The Senate bill sponsor blamed Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst for turning senators against his bill Tuesday night. Republican Sen. Dan Patrick said he lost votes to bring the bill to the floor for a debate because Dewhurst caved to pressure from the federal government.

The measure, already approved by the House, would make it illegal for anyone conducting searches to touch private parts under or through clothing. It also prohibits searches “that would be offensive to a reasonable person.” Patrick said he doesn’t have the support to bring the bill up again for a vote.

Meanwhile, a bill outlawing Salvia divinorum, a hallucinogenic known as Diviner’s Sage, has passed the Texas House – despite Simpson’s effort to kill it. The measure would place Salvia under Penalty Group 3 along with peyote, codeine and steroids, punishable as a state jail felony. Simpson said Wednesday he would speak on the bill for 10 minutes, a move that knocked it off the list of bills without opposition. That looked like the bill’s demise. However, the bill’s sponsor, Republican Rep. Charles “Doc” Anderson, attached a modified version to separate legislation on controlled substances. His amendment passed 142-2. The full bill then passed the House. It now heads back to the Senate for reconsideration with the new amendment.

TYLER – The realignment of the Tyler city council’s single member districts was the topic of a presentation and public hearing yesterday. Last month the city council adopted redistricting criteria for the consultants to use as the framework for developing options. City Attorney Gary Landers said yesterday council members heard two options for proposed new boundaries to achieve proportionate representation in our Council districts.

Option “A” is the consultant’s attempt to balance the total number of voters in each district as closely as possible. Option “B” incorporated recommendations from Option “A”, but involves fewer geographical shifts that result in changes in voting precinct boundaries and takes into account the need to ensure that in the majority-minority districts the new districting plan does not result in a reduction of the minority group’s ability to elect a candidate of their choice. According to Landers, there is “less change in voter precinct boundaries should result in less voter confusion during the next election,”

The Council expressed support for Option “B” and asked the public for comments in preparation for a second public hearing on June 8.

According to a city news release, Tyler last redistricted in 2000; since that time, there has been a sizable increase in the total population of the city, requiring the City to again redistrict. The United States Constitution requires that each district within a city have approximately equal population. Preliminary results from the 2010 Census indicate that the population of Tyler is 96,900, an increase of 15.84% from the 2000 Census. The distribution of that growth has not been evenly dispersed resulting in an uneven number of residents in some of the City’s single member districts. Given Tyler’s current population, each district should have 16,150 residents or be within 10 percent of that figure. To achieve this equity, district boundary lines must be adjusted to rebalance the populations in the districts.

In addition to the one voter – one vote rule, cities in Texas must be aware of the federal Voting Rights Act requirements that govern the redistricting process. To ensure redistricting obligations are met, the City of Tyler along with Smith County and Tyler Independent School District, has contracted with the law firm of Bickerstaff and Health to assist with the redistricting process to increase coordination and cooperation. It is anticipated that this coordination will assist voters in the future.

Once a plan is adopted, the city must still get approval from the U.S. Department of Justice for the new district boundaries before they are implemented in an election. At the June 8th public hearing, the city council could vote to approve a redistricting plan. That plan will then be submitted to the Department of Justice after adoption and be implemented prior to the 2012 City Council elections.

BEAUMONT — A Lufkin man and woman have been sentenced to federal prison for their part in a double homicide which took place in Nacogdoches in August, 2007. Brent Stalsby, 30, pleaded guilty in January to committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering activity (VICAR) and was sentenced yesterday to life in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone. Stalsby admitted that he murdered David Mitchamore and Christy Rochelle Brown. Terry Stalsby, 29, pleaded guilty in January to charges of accessory after the fact in the murder of Christy Rochelle Brown and was sentenced to 162 months in federal prison by Judge Crone.

Federal prosecutors say Carl Carver was a general of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, a race-based state-wide organization which operates inside and outside of state and federal prisons throughout the state of Texas and the United States. The ABT enforces its rules and promotes discipline among its members, prospects and associates through murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to murder, assault, robbery and threats against those who violate the rules or pose a threat to the enterprise. Members, and oftentimes associates, are required to follow the orders of higher-ranking members, often referred to as “direct orders.”

Mitchamore, also known as “Super Dave,” a member of the Aryan Brotherhood, and his girlfriend, Brown, were murdered by Brent Stalsby as a result of a “direct order” issued by Carver because of Mitchamore’s failure to repay an outstanding debt he allegedly owed to the Aryan Brotherhood general. The couple’s bodies were discovered in Nacogdoches County on August 10, 2007. Terry Stalsby was present when the “direct order” issued by Carver was delivered to Charles Cameron Frazier. Back in January, Frazier pleaded guilty to his roles in the murders and is awaiting sentencing. Terry Stalsby also actively participated in a plan to conceal the gang members’ roles in the murders after the murders took place. Brent Stalsby, a so-called sergeant in the ABT, was the actual triggerman for both murders.

TYLER — The state of the city is quite good these days. That’s according to Tyler Mayor Barbara Bass, who gave the Chamber of Commerce her annual report on the topic yesterday. Bass says, “We plan ahead, we make sure that we know what direction we’re going, and in spite of the challenging economic times the last couple of years, we have done really well.” Bass pointed to new master plans for parks and recreation, Lake Tyler, and Lake Bellwood. She also mentioned the community’s Industry Growth Initiative “that’s all about bringing jobs to Tyler and growing our economic base so that our citizens have good quality paying jobs.”

Bass also called for continued and additional citizen involvement to keep things rolling. In fact, she says the city is issuing a “call to serve” challenge to citizens, asking everyone to do his or her part. Bass remarked, “By us all working together for the greater good, we can achieve greater results.”

JACKSONVILLE — Residents follow up on a case involving battling teens caught on tape in broad daylight at a Jacksonville park. Last week, word got out about a violent brawl involving youths from Jacksonville and New Summerfield. Video of the fight was posted on YouTube, which has since removed the post. But now, community members have gathered to view the video for themselves — many for the first time. Some of the residents were said to be appalled — completely taken by surprise.

Jacksonville High School student Cynthia Quintana tells KETK she first saw the video at school. Cynthia says, ” I kind of know some of the guys, and I just don’t understand; why would they be fighting, especially during school time? And I saw how violent it was, and I just don’t like it.” Now parents say they want the teens in that video off the streets and in community centers, sports — “anything that would not get them involved in fights,” according to one resident. Parents say it’s the only way to make sure fights like the one in the video won’t happen again.

LINDALE — As a reminder to parents and the community, the Lindale Independent School District has extended the previously scheduled early release day on May 26 to a full-length instructional day. The action was approved by the school board in March. LISD received a waiver from the Texas Education Agency which exempts the district from holding classes on May 31 as a snow day make-up. May 31 was originally scheduled on the district’s school calendar to as the date to recover instruction time lost after LISD’s closure on February 4 due to winter weather. To meet the criteria for the waiver, LISD extended two early release days to full-length instruction days (March 22 and May 26). Classes will be released at the regularly scheduled end time on each campus.

TYLER – A 37-year-old Houston man has been sentenced to federal prison and ordered to pay restitution for his role in a multi-state health care fraud scheme that partially occurred in the Eastern District of Texas, Kevin Onwudiwe pleaded guilty last October to health care fraud charges. He was sentenced in Tyler yesterday to 24 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Schneider. Onwudiwe was also ordered to pay $251,000 in restitution.

In a related matter, on April 5, 2011, Jasper Ogbonna, 42, of Newark, Delaware, pleaded guilty on Sep. 27, 2010 to health care fraud and was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $822,411.44. Ogbonna, the owner of a West Virginia medical supply company, was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 30, 2009.

On January 6, 2010, a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment charging Ogbonna, Anthony Nnadi, Onwudiwe, Tony Ahi, and Emmanuel Gabriels with health care fraud violations. According to the indictment, from August 2005 through April 2008, Ogbonna controlled and operated Matrix Medical Equipment and Supplies, Inc. in Weirton, West Virginia, and Nnadi controlled and operated Nicco Medical Services, LLC in Little Rock, Arkansas. Nnadi was assisted in the operation of Nicco Medical Services by Onwudiwe and Ahi. Both companies did business providing durable medical equipment to Medicare beneficiaries.

During that time, Ogbonna, Nnadi, Onwudiwe, Ahi, Gabriels, and their co-conspirators devised and carried out a scheme to defraud Medicare through the marketing of “ortho kits,” which consisted of a bag of orthotic items such as braces, wraps, and supports. As part of the scheme, the defendants and their co-conspirators illegally obtained protected Medicare beneficiary health information, including names, dates of birth, and Medicare and Social Security numbers from elderly individuals. Approximately 509 Medicare beneficiaries in Texas and Louisiana were supplied with “ortho kits” which were not prescribed or authorized by a physician and which were not wanted by the beneficiaries. In many instances, physicians’ signatures were forged and false claims were submitted to Medicare in the names of Medicare beneficiaries who were deceased.

Using protected health information, the defendants and their co-conspirators billed between $4,850 and $6,550 for each “ortho kit”, causing the submission of false and fraudulent claims to Medicare of more than $2.8 million. As a result of these claims, the defendants and their co-conspirators unlawfully obtained more than $1,095,000 from Medicare.

TYLER — ETMC is the first hospital system in East Texas to offer complete, online mammogram scheduling. “Online registration for digital mammography at ETMC will add convenience for East Texas women,” according to Regina Davis, director of the breast care center. “Women will be able to schedule their annual appointment at anytime on our secure website, by selecting the date, time and location.”

Patients can log on to http://www.etmc.org and click on the mammogram self-scheduling box, then follow the instructions. “The system will ask the patient questions to make sure she is the right age and meets specified guidelines to receive a screening mammogram. Women should have a baseline mammogram at age 35 to 40 and an annual mammogram beginning at age 40,” said Davis.

Officials say the system has other benefits as well. “We will also be able to generate e-mail reminders and provide additional services that will help East Texas women pursue healthy lifestyles through screening and early detection,” said Susan Shockey, referral services director. ETMC screens over 10,000 women a year for breast cancer.

TYLER — Texas Oncology-Tyler and Mother Frances Hospital of Tyler make a major announcement regarding a partnership with the International Genomics Consortium and the National Institutes of Health’s Cancer Genome Atlas project. Only 12 sites in the U.S. will be initially chosen within the IGC Network to participate in the project, which will look for the underlying mechanisms that cause cancer. Mother Frances spokesman John Moore says he and his colleagues are “very proud” to be a partner with Texas Oncology Tyler. Moore says Mother Frances does a lot of cancer surgeries and treatments every year. But according to Moore, the chance to actually participate in a large-scale study that will provide free data on ways to cure cancer is “just a great honor.”

TYLER — A new treatment that was tested at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler has proven to be successful against a rare but serious lung disease called LAM, short for lymphangioleiomyomatosis. “Finally, a drug – sirolimus – has been found that can slow the progression of LAM, an unusual disorder that can lead to serious disability and death,” said James Stocks, M.D., a nationally known lung disease specialist. “LAM primarily strikes younger women who often still have young children at home. Though this is not a miracle cure, it is an important first step,” added Dr. Stocks, the principal investigator of the LAM clinical study at UTHSCT. Most women with the disease live only another eight to 10 years after their diagnosis.

Sirolimus, also known as rapamycin, is the first drug to effectively treat LAM, Dr. Stocks said. Because it suppresses the body’s immune system, sirolimus currently is used to prevent rejection of transplanted organs. It also is used as a coating for cardiac artery stents – metal mesh tubes that prop the arteries open – to prevent clotting. During one year of treatment, sirolimus improved the lung function and quality of life of the women who took it, according to the Multicenter International LAM Efficacy of Sirolimus (MILES). MILES is the first randomized, controlled study of a treatment for LAM. In this study, women were randomly assigned to receive sirolimus or a placebo, which is a substance that has no effect, such as a sugar pill.

In women with the disease, abnormal, out-of-control, muscle-like cells take over their lungs, lymph nodes, and kidneys. These mutant cells destroy normal lung tissue, making breathing difficult, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Sometimes the lungs of women with LAM collapse, causing pain and shortness of breath. LAM usually worsens over time, but how quickly it progresses varies greatly, the NHLBI says. Symptoms of LAM are shortness of breath, especially during physical activity; chest pain; frequent cough; and wheezing. The results of MILES were published in a recent online edition of The New England Journal of Medicine.

Besides UTHSCT, other institutions participating in the study included National Jewish Health in Denver; Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center; the Cleveland Clinic Foundation; the University of California at Los Angeles; Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston; the University of Toronto, Canada; and the National Hospital Organization Kinki-Chou Chest Medical Center in Osaka, Japan.

Funding for the study was provided by the NIH Office of Rare Disease Research; the Food and Drug Administration; the LAM Foundation, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare; the Canadian Institutes of Health Research; Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center; the University of Cincinnati; the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance Rothberg Courage Award; Vi and John Adler; and the Adler Foundation.

TYLER — Tyler Police investigate two drive-by shootings. They occurred yesterday morning between 2:30 and 3:30. Officers first responded to 2411 Live Oak then got another report of shots fired at a 1506 N Pegues. The residents were home at both locations. No injuries were reported. Authorities say they do not believe the two shootings are related. Anyone with information is urged to contact Tyler Police, at 903-531-1000.