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TYLER – According to our news partner KETK, Lance Phillips, the son of Smith County Clerk Karen Phillips and former Smith County Commissioner Terry Phillips, has been found guilty of assaulting a peace officer. Lance was found guilty by a jury verdict in the 7th District Court in front of Judge Kerry L. Russell at around 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Lance told KETK that he plans to appeal this verdict.

Lance’s guilty verdict comes after he was arrested for multiple charges on April 2, 2024 for an incident during a Smith County commissioner’s court meeting.

“If I lose and then I will immediately file my appeal to the higher court and go as high as necessary to get the rule of law to be enforced,” Lance told KETK after he testified on Thursday. “And there will tons of case law that has Lance Phillips vs Neal Franklin of Smith County. And the result will help 35 million Texans who may want to speak in a public meeting.” Continue reading Lance Phillips found guilty of assaulting peace officer

HUNTINGTON – According to a report from our news partner KETK, an Angelina county affidavit reveals that a Huntington man was arrested Wednesday after he sexually assaulted a child at his friend’s home in late April.

On April 23, Justin Allen Brooks-White, 18 of Huntington, and a friend were picking up the minor and her friend when Brooks began kissing and touching the victim in the car on the way to his friend’s house. Brooks continued touching the victim once they got to the house and sexually assaulted her on three separate occasions that day, the document said.

“The victim said she told Brooks she did not want to do this and told him to stop several times,” the affidavit said. “Brooks would stop, then start doing it again as if pushing boundaries.”

Brooks was arrested on Wednesday for sexual assault of a child and posted a $3,000 bond the following day.

UPDATE: A legal representative for Smith County has issued a statement following the press conference on Tuesday:

“Smith County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a call for help from a local business alleging that a disgruntled former employee might return to his former workplace and potentially commit a violent act. When officers went to the former employee’s home, he eventually came to the front door with a gun. Upon seeing the former employee holding the gun and recognizing a significant threat, the deputy fired. Unfortunately, the former employee died. The deputy who fired was cleared of any criminal charges by a grand jury.

Smith County, Sheriff Smith, and the deputy look forward to presenting all evidence to the court and are confident that the evidence will show that the deputy acted correctly when faced with a difficult, rapidly evolving set of circumstances.”
Continue reading UPDATE: Smith County issues statement in deputy-involved shooting

KILGORE — A CHRISTUS emergency medical services unit was traveling in Kilgore when their ambulance became submerged in floodwater. According to our news partner KETK, the EMS crew immediately exited the vehicle after they found themselves in rising floodwater. No patients were in the vehicle at the time and nobody was harmed. The crew is being evaluated and CHRISTUS EMS operations will proceed as usual.

ARP — The City of Arp’s tornado siren failed to go off during Monday’s severe weather, prompting their police chief to push for their siren to be relocated to City Hall.

According to our news partner KETK, the transformer that allows the siren to sound off, stopped working a couple weeks ago. Arp Police Department used Facebook to warn residents about a possible tornado on Monday morning prompting residents to voice their concerns on not having a reliable tornado siren.

The city’s electrical company that usually handles these issues, could not fix the transformer because the ground around the transformer is too wet. This is not the first time the siren has failed to do its job and Keegan said this problem could also stem from the siren having public access. Keegan told KETK the transformer was built on Arp ISD property around 10 years ago with the ability to be turned off if needed. Continue reading Arp tornado siren failure prompts relocation plans

TYLER – Severe weather has hit several East Texas counties Monday and Tuesday morning, electricity utilities and cooperatives are reporting around 11,796 power outages in East Texas homes as of 6:20 a.m. To find a county breakdown, our news partner KETK has a running list here.

LUFKIN — St. Luke’s Health has awarded $1.5 million in grants to 23 nonprofits from all across Texas, including $134,016 in grants to three nonprofits here in East Texas.

The grants are funded by the Common Spirit Health Community Health Improvement Grant program, a program committed to building healthier communities and providing recipients with improvements for their health. The grants will help fund programs that address issues like mental health, food insecurity, safe shelter and housing, violence prevention and human trafficking.

“The Community Health Improvement Grants program is vital to our mission,” St. Luke’s Health market president for East Texas and Brazos Valley Monte Bostwick said. “It allows us to extend our vision of a healthier future beyond hospital walls by collaborating with organizations that share our same values.”

Full list of the 2025 agencies awarded grants can be found here.

TYLER — East Texas will benefit from $8.5 billion in new state money once House Bill 2 is signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott.

“The new legislation is a huge win for East Texas,” Tyler ISD’s Superintendent of Schools, Marty Crawford said after HB2 passed the Texas Senate on Friday.

The district will be able to get more money for teacher incentive payments to make sure that their students are getting the very best educators once HB2 becomes law.

“It’s been a lot of work, and we’re very appreciative of everything they’ve done down there in Austin,” Crawford said. “We’re very excited and very appreciative of the work that they’ve done to get us to this point. We think that what they’ve been able to do for us is to carve out some efficiencies for us internally here locally, that we’ll be able to handle it appropriately as we go on.” Continue reading Tyler ISD reacts to $8.5 billion for education

TYLER – Our news partner KETK is reporting that the average gas price in Texas has fallen by five cents since last week and is down 39 cents when compared to this time last year.

“Lower gas prices will be welcome news for the record number of drivers heading out of town for the long holiday weekend,” AAA said in a press release on Thursday. “Gas prices haven’t been this low over Memorial Day since 2021 when the statewide average was $2.71. A record 3.2 million Texans are expected to drive 50 miles or more for leisure, this Memorial Day weekend.”

According to AAA’s weekend gas watch, Longview’s gas prices are down 40 cents from last year, Texarkana’s gas prices are down 42 cents from last year and Tyler’s gas prices are down 36 cents from this time last year. AAA Texas spokesperson Daniel Armbruster said East Texans can thank supply and demand for these low prices. “Supply and demand are playing a role in this year’s lower pump prices as crude oil supply is currently surpassing demand,” Armbruster stated.

To learn more, visit AAA’s gas resources page online.

HOUSTON COUNTY – The Houston County Sheriff’s Office said they’ve arrested two additional suspects wanted in connection to the death of 16-year-old Michael Ortiz.

According to our news partner KETK, officers with the United States Marshal’s Service’s fugitive task force arrested two adults who are believed to be involved in Ortiz’s murder. The sheriff’s office said that one adult was arrested in Montgomery County while the other was arrested in Ellis County.

Two adults and two minors were arrested on May 6, just four days after Ortiz’s body was found dead on County Road 4020, outside of Crockett, on May 2. The two adults arrested, Emmanuel “Manny” Mata and Edgar Hernandez, were charged with murder and are being held on bonds of $2 million each. An arrest affidavit revealed details of how Ortiz was killed. Continue reading Additional suspects arrested in Houston County murder

TYLER — According to our news partner KETK, the Tyler Police Department has stepped up their STEP (Selective Traffic Enforcement Program) for Memorial Day weekend.

With traffic expected to increase over the holiday weekend, the Tyler PD is encouraging residents to be alert for drunk or intoxicated drivers on the road or while boating. Through Monday, the department will have extra officers out in the city and at Lake Tyler, specifically to look out for drunk drivers.

“We want everyone to enjoy the Memorial Day holiday. Please be responsible and don’t drink and drive,” the Tyler Police Department said. “We hope you have a safe and happy holiday!”

On Monday, the Texas Department of Transportation launched their annual ‘Click It Or Ticket’ driver safety campaign which means they’re also increasing their efforts to keep drivers safe.

MOUNT PLEASANT – According to our news partner KETK, Mount Pleasant city manager Kimberly Meek has resigned from her position, citing unexpected family matters out of the state.

“After considerable reflection and due to unexpected personal family matters out of state, I write this letter to notify you that I am resigning my position as City Manager of Mount Pleasant, effective immediately,” Meek said to the Mount Pleasant City Council on Friday.

Meek has only served as the city manager for just two months but she said she values all the relationships she’s made in Mount Pleasant. Continue reading Mount Pleasant city manager resigns from office after two months

UPDATE: Officials with Smith County Emergency Services District 2 have confirmed that the body of a 14-year-old juvenile reported missing on Friday night has been recovered from Hideaway Lake according to our news partner KETK. ESD2 said divers were searching the lake for the juvenile’s body but have since stopped their search after his body was found, hours after he was reported missing while swimming in the lake. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is investigating the 14-year-old’s death.

HIDEAWAY LAKE – Law enforcement is currently looking for a 14-year-old juvenile who went missing at Hideaway Lake on Friday night.
Longview man located by Gregg County officials

The juvenile was swimming with friends in Hideaway Lake when he got separated from his friends, according to Smith County Emergency Services District 2. Teams are currently on the water and diving in the lake looking for the juvenile, ESD2 officials said.