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MARSHALL – The Marshall Police Department announced that a man arrested for pointing a gun at an officer during a search was sentenced to seven years in prison. According to our news partner KETK, Demarcus McCowan received the sentence after a jury convicted him of aggravated assault against a public servant and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
Continue reading Marshall man gets seven years for aggravated assault

CASS COUNTY – Stolen items valued at more than $1 million were recovered on Monday after a multi-agency investigation in Cass County according to our news partners at KETK. Officials with Texas DPS said they executed a search warrant at the home where the items were found in a joint operation involving the Texas DPS Criminal Investigation Division, Texas Highway Patrol Division, Cass County Sheriff’s Office and Cass County District Attorney’s Office. Officials said the stolen equipment recovered belongs to Graphic Packaging International (GPI), who estimated the stolen property to be worth more than $1 million. Continue reading $1M worth of stolen equipment found in Cass County

RUSK COUNTY – One person was charged with murder in Rusk County after a driver was found dead in their vehicle. The Rusk County Sheriff’s Office said they got a call around 9:30 a.m. Sunday morning about a possible accident on Highway 79 at CR 347. Deputies and a DPS trooper saw the driver dead in the driver’s seat. The driver was later identified as 27-year-old Christina Glenn of Houston. “The investigation led to the arrest of the passenger who was charged with murder,” according to Rusk County Sheriff Johnwayne Valdez. The suspect, who was later identified as Justin Edwards, 33 of Houston, was arrested at the scene and the Chapman community is not in danger, Valdez said. Edwards remains in the Rusk County Jail, as of Wednesday, where his bond has been set at $1 million. “The Rusk County Sheriff’s Office is asking the community to keep the Glenn family in their thoughts and prayers,” Valdez said.

SMITH COUNTY — Polls in Smith County and statewide closed at 7p.m. Tuesday. Our news partner KETK has the running results for state and county races, you can find those here.

TYLER – Tyler ISD announced that Principal of Jones Elementary School Dr. NaTasha Crain has been named as the Texas Alliance of Black School Educators 2024 Principal of the Year. According to our news partner KETK, Crain was recognized at the 39th annual TABSE Conference in Houston on Saturday. Crain had the opportunity present to those at the conference a presentation titled “Implementing Social Emotional Learning through Culturally Relevant .”

Dr. Crain said after the conclusion of the conference, “I am so grateful to the Texas Alliance of Black School Educators for this esteemed recognition of Principal of the Year. It is a privilege to be affirmed in this space and to have my work and service acknowledged in such a meaningful way. This award is not only a personal achievement, but also a testament of the collective efforts of our entire school community at Jones Elementary in Tyler ISD.”

Tyler ISD Superintendent Dr. Marty Crawford said, “We are immensely proud of Dr. NaTasha Crain and her well-deserved recognition as the 2024 TABSE Principal of the Year. Her unwavering dedication and commitment to student success and supporting her staff serve as an inspiration to us all.”

TYLER — In 2023, factors such as “unsafe speed”, “failure to drive in a single lane” and “alcohol-related DUI” contributed to 184 fatal crashes and 209 total deaths in the Tyler District. The TxDOT Tyler District, which includes Anderson, Cherokee, Gregg, Henderson, Rusk, Smith, Van Zandt, and Wood Counties, released preliminary numbers revealing the top-five contributing factors of fatal crashes in 2023: Continue reading TxDOT releases 2023 Tyler District fatal crash statistics

TYLER — The City of Tyler Solid Waste Department is doing away with the two free bulky item collection weeks each year. Starting March 4, residential customers who receive curbside collection services (excluding multi-family home communities and businesses) can request two bulky waste pick-ups each calendar year at no charge by using the online form found here. Customers will need to place their items on the curb before completing the online form.

Residents may request more than two bulky item collections within a calendar year, but the additional collections will be handled as a special collection request where a fee is charged based on the size and quantity of the items. Continue reading Tyler rolls out new bulky item program

TRINITY COUNTY – Our news partner KETK reports that a man has been sentenced to 28 years in prison for a home invasion from 2021. Rojae Daejon Kizzee, 21, was found guilty of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for entering an occupied home in an attempted robbery, Sheriff Woody Wallace said. Wallace said Kizzee fired a handgun at a woman caring for her 2-year-old in the home and demanded she hand over the family dog. A fight ensued over the gun after the woman caused Kizzee to drop it. Reportedly, Kizzee regained control of the gun and fired it again before escaping. “Kizzee was on the run for several days before being captured after a manhunt with multiple agencies involved,” Wallace said.

The 21-year-old was identified in a lineup and it was confirmed through DNA evidence on the scene. “After meeting with and discussing the details of the crime with the victim in this matter and discussing with her the potential outcomes of this matter I am satisfied with the court’s sentence,” District Attorney Bennie Schiro said.

PALESTINE – According to our news partner KETK, the Palestine Police Department has released the cause of death of Trenton Lee Staneart who was found dead on Jan. 28. According to the release, a final autopsy report shows that Staneart’s cause of death was drowning and the manner of death was accidental. Police said the toxicology results showed that he had used marijuana prior to his death. Police said there was no evidence of foul play.

Trenton Lee Staneart was last seen leaving the sheriff’s office at 4:44 p.m. on Jan. 20 and was found dead in a creek in the woods off of East Lacy Street just after 11 a.m. on Jan. 28. Detectives reportedly identified Staneart and Anderson County Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace James Todd ordered an autopsy after responding to the scene.

TYLER – Tyler ISD announced on Monday that junior William Baker from Tyler Legacy High School has earned a perfect score on the the ACT. According to our news partner KETK, less than 0.18% of students who attempt the ACT get a perfect composite score of 36.

Tyler Legacy High School Dean of Instruction Kala Morrow said, “Will is an exceptional student who works hard and exemplifies the qualities of leadership that we want to see in all of our Red Raiders. He is extremely driven and focused on academic success, and we congratulate him on this amazing accomplishment. We are so proud of Will and cannot wait to see what the future has in store for him.”

To be one of the 2,542 out of 1.8 million students who earned a perfect composite score on the ACT, Will had to get a perfect 36 on four tests over English, mathematics, reading and science.

CHEROKEE COUNTY– One person is dead and another is injured after a single vehicle accident Saturday afternoon. According to our news partner KETK, an initial DPS report says the says a 2017 Toyota Corolla was eastbound on SH 21 near Alto Saturday afternoon. The report states the driver “failed to drive in a single lane, leaving the highway to the south, overcorrecting back to the left.” The overcorrection caused caused the vehicle to swerve into a north ditch where it struck a tree on the passenger side.
Continue reading One dead in Cherokee County car crash

TEXARKANA – Our news partner KETK is reporting that a 17-year-old boy is dead after a Sunday night shooting in Texarkana. Officials with Texarkana police said they were called to an apartment in the 1000 block of College Drive around 1:30 a.m. where they found the victim inside. A 16-year-old was arrested and taken to a juvenile detention facility, according to authorities. The incident remains under investigation, and officials said there are still a lot of questions about what happened.

“We believe that the two boys were friends,” officials said. “The gun that we recovered at the scene had previously been reported stolen in Hope, Arkansas. “However, regardless of the circumstances, the end result is both senseless and incredibly tragic,” officials said.

TYLER – According to our news partner KETK a Tyler man was booked into the Smith County Jail on Friday based on child sex crime warrants issued from Harris County. According to his affidavit, Reginald Long, 27, is accused of engaging in sexual conduct with a student while he was employed by a public and private secondary school. The affidavit said a report was initially made to the Houston Police Department after multiple students said he made inappropriate remarks to them on social media, mainly using Instagram. Arrest warrants were issued for Long on two charges of sexual assault of a child, improper relationship with a student and online solicitation of a minor. His bond has been set at $400,000.

The affidavit said that in an interview with authorities, Long reportedly confessed to having sex with one of his students and sending sexual messages through Instagram to several other students who also attended the school where he used to work.

TYLER – The City of Tyler announced the Traffic Department is working at Grande Boulevard and Old Noonday Road intersection in Tyler until 5p.m. Monday. There will be lane and road closures periodically throughout the day. Drivers will need to use caution in the area, obey traffic signs and watch out for road crews.

SMITH COUNTY — Smith County has added additional polling locations for Primary Election Day on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. Smith County registered voters can choose from any of the 38 locations throughout the county to cast their ballots. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Smith County has launched a new interactive map that shows all polling locations available. Users can input their address to see which voting precinct they are in and what will be on their ballot. The “Interactive Map of Smith County” link can be found here.

Continue reading Smith County Election Day information

WOODLAWN – Our colleagues at KETK report that Woodlawn Volunteer Fire Department ESD#6 members Justin Blassingame and Mitchell Guffey are driving a trailer full of boxed food to help those in need in the Texas Panhandle. As Texas’s largest wildfire ever continues to burn, help is pouring in from across the state including here in East Texas. The Harrison County Fire Marshal’s Office thanked Blassingame, Guffey and several others for their work to get these supplies to where they’re needed. Continue reading Firefighters take food to Panhandle

MARSHALL – The City of Marshall said that a fire that happened at a home in the 800 block of Alvin Street on Friday has displaced a family of five. According to our colleagues at KETK, a large plume of black smoke was seen from the fire station and when firefighters arrived they saw fire coming out of the windows of the home. No injuries were reported and all five family members had safely left the home. However, the home was severely damaged by the fire and the Red Cross has been notified to help the displaced family.

TEXARKANA – The Texarkana Police Department said that they arrested a man on Saturday after he was reportedly seen at a local McDonald’s with a machete and a whip according to our news partners at KETK.

Around 10 a.m. on Saturday, Texarkana PD said they received a call about a suspicious person with a machete and a whip at a McDonald’s near New Boston Road.
Continue reading Texarkana officer hit in head with machete

ATHENS – Cattle auction prices have risen to record numbers in part due to East Texas rancher’s reducing their herd sizes in response to the 2022 drought.

“We actually had record-high calf prices last week in parts of Texas,” David Anderson, extension economist with Texas A&M AgriLife, said.

Due to the extreme drought in 2022, East Texas ranchers resorted to selling their cattle resulting in increased cattle sales for the Athens Commission Company.
Continue reading Cattle prices boom due to drought

PARIS – Our news partners at KETK report that a recent development in a murder case from 1996 has led to a Hopkins County Jail inmate being under investigation. According to the Paris Police Department, a DNA analysis reportedly reveals that it was likely that David Davy, a current inmate of Hopkins County Jail on unrelated felony charges, was present during an aggravated assault that resulted in a death in 1996. Continue reading Hopkins County inmate investigated in cold case

GREGG COUNTY – Our news partners at KETK report that during this year’s early voting primary, Gregg County voters surpassed the early voting totals reached in the 2022 and 2020 primaries. According to data provided by Jennifer Briggs, the Gregg County Elections Administrator, 7,068 people voted early in the 2024 primaries, compared to 6,762 early votes in 2022 and 6,709 in the 2020 primaries. Continue reading Gregg County early voting outperforms past primaries

TYLER – The Tyler Police Department said they are searching for a woman suspected of pulling a gun at a man at Discount Tire on Friday according to our news partners at KETK. According to Tyler Police Department PIO Andy Erbaugh, at around 1 p.m. a woman was getting her vehicle serviced at the Discount Tire on Loop 323 when a man attempted to repossess her vehicle. The woman reportedly pulled out a gun on the man who then stopped trying to hook up the vehicle. The woman allegedly drove off and police are now working on an arrest warrant. Erbaugh said they know the identity of the woman but will not release the information as the investigation continues.

HENDERSON COUNTY – Five people accused in the 2022 kidnapping and torture of a woman found in Athens were each sentenced to 10 years deferred adjudication after either pleading guilty or nolo contendere to engaging in organized criminal activity, according to our news partners at KETK. Six people have been charged in the case, with the sixth person set to start pre-trial on March 19. All of them were initially arrested for aggravated kidnapping and later indicted for engaging in organized criminal activity. They were accused of holding a woman they had met online against her will in a home for a week as she was “severely tortured.” Continue reading Sentencing in Athens kidnapping, torturing case

LONGVIEW – It was a guilty verdict for a Longview man in the 2020 shooting death of Valerie Hackett. According to our news partner KETK, 41-year-old Brandon Harris shot and killed the 24-year-old Hackett Jan. 30, 2020 at the Ware Meadow Apartments in Longview. Harris was indicted for capital murder June 28, 2023. His trial began on Monday and concluded with the guilty verdict by a jury.

LONGVIEW – A man is in custody for attack by dog causing death after a man was found dead lying near a Longview roadway. According to our news partner KETK and the Longview PD an arrest warrant was issued for Martin Rodriguez. Rodriguez, 56 of Longview was arrested, based on an autopsy report from Forensic Medical Management Services and was booked into the Gregg County Jail on Feb. 1 on multiple animal at large charges where he is being held without bond on the attack by dog causing death warrant. On Feb. 1, Longview PD reported that animal control had confiscated multiple dogs from a home in the area after a 46-year-old man was found lying near a bicycle “with wounds consistent with that of a dog bite.”

TYLER — Tyler Animal Services will waive adoption fees for dogs and cats with the donation of at least six bags of dog or cat food 15 lbs or less during the month of March. It’s an effort to help restock the Community Pet Food Bank. The Pet Food Bank was established in 2015 so families in need or those who could not afford to feed their pets would have a safety net to keep them in their homes. Many times, people who want to surrender a pet to the Tyler Animal Control and Shelter only need time to get over a short-term financial hurdle. The Pet Food Bank provides assistance through donated food and cat litter, and so far, 32,000 pounds of food and litter have been distributed over the years. All donated items go back into the community and are not used by the animals kept at the shelter. The standard dog adoption fee is $120 and $80 for cats. All animals adopted from Tyler Animal Services are spayed/neutered, microchipped and vaccinated. If you would like to adopt, see all pets available for adoption or submit an application, click here. The Tyler Animal Shelter is located at 4218 Chandler Hwy. For more information, call (903) 535-0045.