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SMITH COUNTY – According to a press release from the Smith County Sheriff’s office, on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, Smith County Investigators as well as the Texas Department of Public Safety Dive Team were on location at a privately owned pond off of County Road 42 in northwest Smith County. During their search, members of the DPS Dive Team recovered human skeletal remains in the pond.

Earlier, personal effects belonging to Courtney Martin had been located in the pond by local citizens. Courtney Martin was reported missing by her family in May of 2023. The remains were processed by Smith County Crime Scene Investigators and Smith County Precinct 5 Justice of the Peace Danny Brown arrived for the inquest. Judge Brown ordered an autopsy, and the skeletal remains were taken to the Southwest Institute of Forensic Science in Dallas. SWIFS personnel were able to positively identify the remains as that of Courtney Martin by utilizing dental records provided by the family.

Smith County Sheriff Sgt. Larry Christian said in the press release, “Unfortunately, this is a tragic and sad end to the disappearance of Courtney Martin, however, this investigation will continue as foul play is expected.”

PANOLA COUNTY, Texas (KETK) — A man was sentenced to 55 years in prison on Monday after pleading guilty to 11 counts of possession of child pornography, according to a report from our news partner KETK.

Earlier this year, Louisiana State Police contacted Panola County Sheriff’s Office deputies about an investigation regarding a Panola County resident involved in child pornography. On Feb. 4, Clay was arrested and booked into the Panola County Jail after a search warrant was executed on a vehicle parked outside the Panola County courthouse.

Shawn Brian Clay entered a guilty plea and was sentenced to 55 years in prison on 11 counts of possession of child pornography, according to Panola County Criminal District Attorney Larry Fields.Fields said Clay was sentenced to 45 years in prison on 10 counts of possession of child pornography plus 10 years in prison on one remaining count of possession of child pornography. Clay will also be required to register as a sex offender.

TYLER – Construction equipment is out and ready in Tyler’s downtown square setting the scene for the Downtown Improvement Project groundbreaking on Friday. With the good, comes the bad, concerns brought up include a lack of parking, several businesses told our news partner KETK they are happy some spaces are already set to change.

The City of Tyler said they hope this will strengthen the heart of downtown and tourism efforts for years to come. The downtown improvement project groundbreaking ceremony will kick off on the square on Friday at 9:30 a.m.

UPDATE: BIG SANDY – According to a report from our news partner KETK, Lucas Stevens, wanted for multiple felony warrants, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a manhunt across several Texas counties ended in Smith County. Continue reading UPDATE: Suspect in Smith County manhunt dies from self inflicted wound

TYLER – According to a press release from the City of Tyler, all non-essential City offices will observe the following schedule on Monday, Sept. 1, in observance of Labor Day.

This includes City Hall offices, the Tyler Water and Utilities Business Office, Solid waste offices and the Tyler Recycle Center, Animal Shelters, The Tyler Public Library, Tyler Pounds Airport administrative offices, and Municipal Courts.

Residential Garbage collection will also be suspended on Monday, September 1, but will resume according to the following schedule: Continue reading City of Tyler offices closed for Labor Day

HALLSVILLE – Hallsville Police is investigating an accident after a train and a car collided on Wednesday afternoon, according to a report from our news partner KETK.

Hallsville police say that an accident occurred between a train and a car at the South Cypress Street railroad crossing at around 4pm. According to officials, the two people inside the car were able to exit before being hit by the train, but they were taken to a local hospital for evaluation.

As of now, police said they are still investigating and working through the events of the accident.

TYLER – The University of Texas at Tyler announced that Dr. Barbara Haas will serve as the university’s new provost. She has served as interim provost since June. Haas succeeds Dr. Amir Mirmiran who recently transitioned to a new role as the Dean of the Graduate School and Chief Research Officer. Haas earned her PhD in nursing from The University of Texas at Austin, master’s in nursing from Marquette University, and bachelor’s in nursing from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. You can read the school’s full press release here.

TYLER – The University of Texas at Tyler announced that Dr. Barbara Haas will serve as the university’s new provost. She has served as interim provost since June. Haas succeeds Dr. Amir Mirmiran who recently transitioned to a new role as the Dean of the Graduate School and Chief Research Officer. Haas earned her PhD in nursing from The University of Texas at Austin, master’s in nursing from Marquette University, and bachelor’s in nursing from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. You can read the school’s full press release here.

SMITH COUNTY – Whitehouse ISD has officially teamed up with the University of Texas at Tyler to provide discounted tuition rates for its employees pursuing advanced degrees, according to a report from our news partner KETK.

This partnership aims to support the professional growth and lifelong learning of Whitehouse ISD staff, while also strengthening ties with higher education partners. The initiative is expected to benefit district employees by making higher education more accessible, ultimately enhancing the quality of education within the district.

Whitehouse ISD and UT Tyler held a ceremonial signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to launch this agreement on Wednesday morning.

WINNSBORO — The Winnsboro Police Department announced on Wednesday that a man was arrested following the burglary of a convenience store, three more suspects remain at large, according to our news partner KETK.

The Winnsboro Police Department said that Alex Fowler was detained as a suspect in the burglary that occurred at the Armadillo Convenience Store around 2 a.m.

The department was alerted to a business alarm. When officers arrived, several suspects were spotted wearing black with face coverings. The suspects fled from the scene. One of them was caught trying to pickup another suspect in a car. Fowler, the driver, was taken to a local jail and booked on similar warrants that were previously issued out of Parker County, Winnsboro Police said. Warrants are now being issued for Fowler’s connection with the convenience store burglary. Continue reading Suspect arrested following convenience store burglary

MARSHALL — An East Texas man has been charged with solicitation of prostitution in Marshall, and now the police department is searching for potential victims. According to our news partner KETK, a search warrant was executed in Jefferson on Aug. 21, where Trevor Lee Lohr, 33, was arrested for solicitation of prostitution stemming from various incidents that occurred in Marshall. Earlier this month, Lohr had been arrested for harassment and solicitation of prostitution.

The criminal investigation division of the Marshall Police Department is leading the case and continues to follow leads to protect all victims. The investigation is ongoing, with additional charges expected to be filed.

At this point, investigators believe there “may be multiple victims.” Continue reading Police seek victims in Marshall prostitution case

ARP — An assistant principal at Arp Elementary has been arrested for failing to report that her adult son was in a sexual relationship with a minor, resulting in the minor becoming pregnant at the age of 14, an arrest affidavit revealed.

Our news partner KETK has created a timeline of the Arp Police Department’s investigation into Karla and Blake Florence and how it led to their arrests based on a Smith County affidavit. You can view the entire timeline here.

TRINITY COUNTY — All bodies have been recovered after three men died from inhaling toxic sewer gas Wednesday afternoon in Southeast Texas.

According to our news partner KETK, Trinity County Sheriff office received a call at around 3:52 p.m. that the men were found unconscious at a sewer plant in the Westwood Shores area. Deputy Chief Jeremy Carroll said two of the bodies were recovered just before 7 p.m. and the third a short time later.

The victims were ages 46, 47 and 52. Authorities said two of the men worked for H2O Innovate and the third for Hydroclear. According to Carroll, one of the crew members was working on the manhole and attempted to cap a line after a water leak that would cause sewage to back up the line they were working and during this time, he lost consciousness.

“We believe a crewmember jumped inside to cap the line to prevent the sewage from backing into the area that they were working,” Carroll said. “The gas buildup started giving him some type of medical issue or caused a medical issue, at which time one of his partners with the same company went into the manhole after him.” Continue reading Three dead from toxic manhole gas

KILGORE — The Kilgore Fire Department has named Ryan Riley its new fire chief according to our news partner KETK. Riley has been a firefighter since 1987, beginning his career as a volunteer in New London. He has been a member of the Kilgore Fire Department since 2017, serving as the rescue chief, emergency management coordinator and fire marshal.

“His leadership and dedication have been invaluable to our community,” the City of Kilgore said.

Riley will be replacing former Kilgore Fire Chief Mark Henderson.

TYLER — A new hotel is coming to downtown Tyler. According to our news partner KETK, the Blackstone Hotel is being developed by Houston-based company, Valencia Hotel Group. The hotel is expected to have 144 rooms, a 5,700 square-foot meeting space and a ballroom terrace overlooking downtown Tyler.

The Blackstone Hotel is expected to bring in new jobs, create business opportunities and improve city services funded by tourism-driven tax revenue. Incentives for Tyler for the project will be capped at $12 million and will be entirely funded from dollars generated by the hotel. Doyle Graham, the CEO of Valencia, says construction will start immediately, and take about 42 months to complete construction.