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MARSHALL — A man whose body was found in a ditch along Interstate Highway 20 in Marshall has been identified, and a suspect has been arrested in the case. Marshall authorities say the victim is Charles Steven Ledbetter Jr., 31, of Jefferson. He had died from several stab wounds. During their investigation, Marshall police obtained a warrant for David Wayne Brown, 54, who is pictured here. He was later arrested.

MARSHALL — A second Harrison County student has been diagnosed with H1N1 flu. Ashley Craver, five-year-old Washington Early Childhood Center student, is said to be in critical condition at Sutton Children’s Hospital in Shreveport. She has been in the hospital since February 24th when she was diagnosed with the disease.

Earlier last month a 13 year old boy died from the disease. Trenton Lindsey of Elysian Fields was rushed to a Marshall medical facility Valentine’s Day after his temperature spiked to almost 103 degrees. He was then transferred to a Shreveport hospital, where doctors diagnosed him with having H1N1. Despite using new experimental treatment, they couldn’t save him.

LONGVIEW — An expanded playground in Longview offers new recreational opportunities for children of all ability levels. Located at Spring Hill Park, the Neal McCoy Playground has been transformed into a universally accessible play area with wheelchair access throughout the structure. The expansion more than doubled the size of the playground, including the addition of new play equipment and new solid-surface flooring. The project was made possible by more than $350,000 in contributions from Longview AMBUCS Too. Also, the City of Longview is in the process of adding a bathroom at the playground.

The official ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony for the AMBUCS Too Universal Park Extension of the Neal McCoy Playground was be held Wednesday morning at Spring Hill Park, 738 Fenton Rd.

According to Director of Community Services Laura Hill, “We are thrilled to be able to offer this resource to the Longview community. This project simply wouldn’t have happened without the fundraising and guidance provided by Longview AMBUCS Too. They saw an opportunity to provide this incredible playground, and then they did everything necessary to make it happen.”

TYLER — Tyler Police are seeking a suspect after officers were called to Birdwell Elementary School, 2010 Talley Street, just after 1:30 Tuesday on a report of a gun being pointed at a fifth-grade student. The incident occurred around 7:30 that morning in the 1900 block of Talley as the student was walking to school. Police say while the student was walking south on Talley from Fifth Street, an older model white van with windows down the length of the vehicle and a scratch on the driver’s door pulled alongside the student. The driver, described as a Hispanic male with a black mustache wearing a black shirt, pointed a black semi-automatic handgun at the student. The student ran into the school, and no injuries were reported.

The incident was reported to school officials by the student Tuesday afternoon. Anyone with information about the suspect involved in this crime is urged to contact the Tyler Police Department, at 903-531-1000, or Crimestoppers, at 903-597-CUFF (903-597-2833). Crimestoppers will pay up to $1,000 for information that leads to the arrest and charges filed against suspects in this or any felony case.

TYLER – A 54-year-old Palestine woman has been sentenced to federal prison for bank larceny. Betty Smith pleaded guilty on July 12, 2010, to information charging her with bank larceny and was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison Tuesday in Tyler by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Schneider. Smith was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $126,664.72. According to information presented in court, from 1991 to 2009, Smith abused her position as assistant branch manager at Capital One Bank in Palestine to steal approximately $165,000.00.

LONGVIEW — The City of Longview Environmental Health Division is encouraging restaurants to ignore fraudulent phone calls from individuals claiming to be restaurant inspectors. Several local retail food establishments claim that they received telephone calls from individuals representing themselves as state inspectors. The caller attempts to schedule food inspections and asks the restaurant to provide the caller with a “code” received from an automated telephone system. The fraudulent caller then provides food establishment operators with a telephone number to call the Texas Department of State Health Services. Restaurants are encouraged to disregard these fraudulent phone calls.

The City of Longview Environmental Health Division is responsible for conducting all inspections for retail food establishments in the City of Longview. The Environmental Health Division does not schedule routine retail food inspections by appointment. In Longview, retail food establishment inspections are conducted randomly without prior notification provided to the food establishment. As a reminder to residents, you can go to http://www.LongviewTexas.gov to view the most recent restaurant inspection scores. For additional information about restaurant inspections, you can call the Environmental Health Division at 903-237-1285.

QUITMAN — The Wood County Sheriff’s Department is continuing to investigate the death of an elderly man, which is now termed a capital murder case. On Friday, the sheriff’s department received a 911 call in reference to a body that had been found. When they arrived at 2460 West Farm-to-Market Road 852, they found the body of Don Randoll Askew, 81, of Winnsboro. The sheriff’s department, assisted by the Texas Rangers began investigating the scene. Wood County authorities say they do have some leads in the case, they’ve sent off DNA evidence for lab testing, and they are looking for a person of interest. Askew’s body was delivered to the Southwest Institute of Forensic Science for autopsy. Authorities say no further information will be released until the autopsy results are released.

LONGVIEW — A former 911 communications administrator, charged with the death of his Longview police officer wife, has been indicted on a murder charge. Harry Goodan, 40, was indicted Thursday. He has been out of jail since Jan. 25 on $75,000 bond. Gregg County officials said the reason Goodan wasn’t indicted sooner was because Longview police had yet to close the books on the investigation of their fallen officer. Ellyn Goodan died after being shot in the head, reports show.

Goodan said he killed his wife during a fight Dec. 11 at their Towne Oaks apartment, according to arrest reports. Goodan originally was 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.

He was released from Gregg County Jail on Jan. 25 after spending more than a month in jail for the shooting death of his wife.

Under the stipulations of his lowered bond, Goodan is barred from possessing a gun, alcohol or illegal drugs; must remain home between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. 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.

LUFKIN – A warehouse accident has killed an employee of Brookshire Brothers. It happened just before noon Monday at the warehouse behind their corporate office on Ellen Trout Drive in Lufkin. According to a news release from the company, the employee was doing maintenance work when the accident occurred. The company did not release details of the accident or the employee’s name.

MURCHISON — Authorities identify two people involved in a fiery fatal accident in Murchison. The driver of an SUV was killed Monday morning after colliding with a semi on Highway 31. Both vehicles were fully engulfed in flames when state troopers arrived on scene around 2:45 a.m. The driver of the SUV was identified as Eugene Thames, 24, of Bastrop. DPS officials say he lost control of the vehicle, slid across lanes of traffic directly into the path of the oncoming 18-wheeler, and died on impact. The driver of the semi, Anthony Galetka, 45, of Ennis, was not injured.

CANTON — The Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office will br participating in the annual statewide Texas warrant round-up, starting Saturday, March 5th. County authorities are urging people with warrants to take care of them, so officers don’t have to go and hunt them down. The Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office will use its on-duty personnel and Reserve force to complete the task. Class C misdemeanor warrants and traffic-related warrants can be taken care of through the justice of the peace offices by just paying the fine amounts and having them dismissed. If you are unsure if you currently have a warrant from the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office or DPS, call 903-567-4133.

SMITH COUNTY — Smith county officials are investigating a burned body. It was found in a truck Monday morning. The Dixie Fire Department received a call shortly after 5:00am that a truck had caught fire on Patton Lane near Highway 31 West. Firefighters found the body after putting out the blaze. Investigators have not yet identified the person or the victim’s gender.

TYLER — A Tyler dentist accused of secretly filming female tenants has pleaded guilty to burglary of a habitation. According to his attorney, Charles Robinson, 58, will serve 10 years in prison for burglary of a habitation. Other charges are still pending against him, including possession of child pornography and improper visual recording which can carry a sentence of up to 2 years. The burglary of habitation charge was the most serious offense Robinson faced.

TYLER — A Van Zandt County man has pleaded guilty in Tyler federal court to child pornography violations. Jeremy Erwin, 37, of Fruitvale, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography. According to information presented in court, on September 29, 2009, law enforcement agents executed a federal search warrant at Erwin’s residence and seized a personal computer. A forensic analysis of the seized items revealed 600 images or visual depictions of child porn. Erwin was indicted by a federal grand jury on last October and charged with federal child pornography violations. He faces up to 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not been set.

LUFKIN — Lufkin Police investigate a possible injury to a child after hospital personnel reported a suspicious injury. Authorities received a call Saturday morning from an emergency room staff member that Julia Goodwin, 30, Lufkin, brought in an unresponsive 1-year-old child. Testing showed the child may have ingested a dangerous amount of some type of drug. The toddler was taken to Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston for further treatment. The investigation is ongoing and so far no charges have been filed.