KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER – A woman was arrested on Tuesday after she allegedly left her pregnant dog in in an extremely hot car for over 45 minutes. According to our news partner KETK, the Tyler Police Department responded to a call at a South Broadway Golden Corral, where the driver was eating lunch. Officers found a dog, pregnant, and in distress in an SUV, . An Animal Control Officer said with outside the temperature around 95 degrees, the vehicles internal temperature was at 129 degrees. When the owner of the SUV, Ashley Trenace Summers, approached her vehicle, she was questioned by the officers.

Summers was arrested for animal cruelty and bonded out the next day. Her dog was treated at a vet and then taken to Nicholas Pet Haven. A spokesperson for them said the is now named “Miracle”, and is being placed in a foster home until she gives birth. Continue reading Woman arrested for leaving pregnant dog in hot car

GREGG COUNTY – TxDot announced that a portion of I-20 in Gregg County will be closed late Sunday night to replace some signs. According to our news partner KETK, the affected part of the interstate is Exit 595, Estes Parkway to State Highway 31, on the westbound lane. Road crews will be working from Sunday 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Monday morning. Officials said the eastbound lane of I-20 will not be affected. Continue reading Westbound I-20 in Gregg County to shut down Sunday night

SHELBY COUNTY — Our news partners at KETK report that authorities are searching for people involved in shots being fired at a church’s chapel in Shelby County.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said Old Home Baptist Church, between Tenaha and Paxton, was shot at multiple times. Authorities believe the incident may have occurred between Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. and Thursday at 8:30 a.m. Several bullet holes can be seen in the chapel and fellowship hall.

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact dispatch at 936-598-5601 or contact Chief Deputy Mike Hanson directly at 936-234-3598.

TYLER – For more than 30 years, the South Glenwood Ground Storage Tank has stood unused along South Glenwood Boulevard. Starting Tuesday, Aug. 26, crews will begin removing the aging structure. All work will be contained to the site and there will be no disruption to traffic. The demolition will take about 4 to 5 days. The South Glenwood Ground Storage Tank is located on South Glenwood Boulevard between Vine Avenue and Houston Street. Built in the 1940s, the facility once stored water from Well 2, which is scheduled to be decommissioned by the end of 2025. TWU has slowly been decommissioning wells as the transition to surface water sources for Tyler’s water supply has rendered the wells obsolete and no longer necessary for the City’s water distribution system. Continue reading South Glenwood ground storage tank demolition begins Monday

GLADEWATER – A Gladewater man was arrested on Saturday after police officers allegedly found multiple weapons and illegal drugs inside his car, according to a report from our news partner KETK.

Officers from the Gladewater Police Department stopped a vehicle blocking the roadway on South Tyler Street, where they found several firearms and marijuana inside the car. Officials said that the driver, 24-year-old Rey Rodriguez, was arrested on-site for unlawfully carrying a weapon and possession of marijuana. He was then transported to the Gregg County Jail, where he posted his $5,000 bond the same day.

“Thanks to the quick response of our officers, several weapons and illegal drugs were removed from our streets,” police said. “The Gladewater Police Department remains dedicated to keeping our community safe.”

CARTHAGE – The Panola County District Attorney’s Office said a man was sentenced to 20 years in state prison on Thursday for a 2023 sexual assault of a child case. According to our news partner KETK, Kendrell Dejuan Bowen of Longview was found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl. On Thursday, the 123rd Judicial District court sentenced Bowen to 20 years in state prison, the maximum sentence for sexual assault of a child.

Panola County Jail records show that Bowen was arrested for sexual assault of a child on Oct. 25, 2023, for an offense that happened two days prior.

Bowen is required to pay a fine of up to $10,000 and will have to register on the Sex Offender Registry for life.

ANGELINA COUNTY — An East Texas teen has been arrested after leading deputies on a high-speed chase on Wednesday night. According to our news partner KETK, Angelina County deputies noticed a driver in a white Cadillac going 77 mph on a 55 mph zone on Highway 94 in Hudson. As deputies attempted to catch up with the vehicle, the driver reportedly accelerated and took off.

The driver turned onto FM 1194 South and reached speeds of 85 mph. The driver, identified as Caleb Perez, 18 of Hudson, attempted to make a turn onto Parks Circle but ran off the road, through a ditch and then struck a telephone pole.

At this point, authorities arrested Perez, who had an active warrant for aggravated robbery, the sheriff’s office said. He was also charged with evading arrest with a vehicle and possession of marijuana.

Perez remains in the Angelina County Jail and is being held without bond for the active warrant.

AUSTIN – During a Natural Resources Committee hearing on Thursday, Texas State Representatives voted unanimously in favor of House Bill 27, which looks to protect East Texas aquifers. According to our news partner KETK, the bill will shut down production and export permits of certain aquifers for 16 months while the Texas Water Development Board conducts a thorough study on East Texas groundwater.

The proposal was added to the Special Session two agenda by Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday evening and he explained that the bill is intended to protect East Texas aquifers.

Before the bill was passed, State Rep Cody Harris (R-Palestine) said the proposal solidifies a promise he made to East Texans to protect their water rights.

“We need to ensure appropriate studies are conducted to protect the health of East Texas aquifers,” Abbott said in a statement Wednesday. Continue reading Committee passes bill intended to protect ETX aquifers

PALESTINE, Texas – Palestine ISD trustees this week approved calling for a $60 million bond election to be held this November. District officials quoted that a new career and technology education center, renovations to aging facilities, traffic flow improvements, and safety upgrades would be funded through the bond. The impact on someone in a home valued at $200,000 in Palestine ISD with a homestead exemption would be about $5 a month according to the district. Find more information on the bond here.

Update: KTBB confirmed Thursday afternoon with the Longview Police Department that all power has been restored.

LONGVIEW – Our news partner KETK reports that power outages in the Longview area have caused some city and school district facilities to close operations for the day.

According to the City of Longview, the Development Services office, Green Street Recreation Center and Parks and Recreation Administration building are currently without power.

Longview ISD said the LEAD Academy and the DADE center experienced a power outage. They say SWEPCO expects power to be restored later today, but the afternoon classes are canceled. Students were dismissed starting around 10:15 a.m. with buses running.

Both the district and city said they would update residents when power has been restored.

ANDERSON COUNTY – Texas death row inmate Robert Roberson is seeking another stay of execution and a new trial after claiming the Anderson County Judiciary acted unconstitutionally multiple times in his case, citing new evidence brought to Roberson’s legal team in June.

Roberson was convicted in 2003 of killing his chronically ill 2-year-old daughter, Nikki Curtis, by violently shaking her before taking her to a hospital. A 125-page petition filed Wednesday in the 3rd District Court in Anderson County claims Nikki was taken off life support at the direction of her grandparents — despite Roberson being her sole conservator — only after representatives with the Anderson County Judiciary falsely told hospital staff the couple was Nikki’s legal conservators. Roberson was arrested for capital murder after Nikki died. Continue reading Robert Roberson claims judicial misconduct in bid for new trial

CHEROKEE COUNTY- A Jacksonville convicted felon has been sentenced to federal prison for a firearms violation in the Eastern District of Texas, according to a press release from the Acting U.S. Attorney’s office.

According to information presented in court, on November 17, 2023, local law enforcement responded to a call regarding reckless driving. When they arrived at the location, they were shown doorbell security camera footage of an individual later identified as Eric Pryor, 52, stepping out of a car and firing four shots at a truck. The truck went through the front yard of the residence to avoid the shots. The two vehicles were soon located on Highway 135 and Pryor admitted to firing the handgun at the truck. Continue reading Cherokee County man sentenced to federal prison for firearms violation

LONGVIEW –According to a press release from the office of the Eastern District of Texas Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs, a Mexican national illegally living in Longview has been sentenced for unlawfully returning to the United States.

According to information presented in court, on August 13, 2024, Jose Refugio Jara-Palafox, 45, was arrested in Gregg County. Following the arrest, it was determined that he had been deported on five prior occasions and has multiple convictions including two DWIs, indecent exposure, leaving the scene of an accident, and presenting false documentation at a port of entry.

Jara-Palafox pleaded guilty to illegal reentry following removal, and was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker on August 21, 2025. Jara-Palafox will be deported once he has served his sentence.

TYLER – Drivers may want to take a closer look at the cars around them, according to a report from our news partner KETK. The Texas Department of Public Safety has rolled out new low-profile patrol vehicles across East Texas, designed to blend in with everyday traffic while watching for unsafe driving.

Known as “slick-top ghost-letter units,” the vehicles carry subtle markings and fewer visible lights than traditional patrol cars. DPS officials say the design gives troopers an advantage in spotting reckless drivers, impaired motorists and other roadway dangers without being easily recognized right away.

The ghost units are part of DPS’s broader push to make Texas highways safer, especially as speeding, distracted driving and impaired driving continue to be leading causes of deadly crashes statewide.