KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — A Tyler man has been indicted for allegedly raping a then-teenage girl more than 100 times over a period of four years, according to an arrest warrant. According to our news partner KETK, Angelo O’Neal is charged with sexual assault. The victim, now 21, says he raped her at his home between 2011 and 2015. He is the longtime boyfriend of the victim’s mother, and lived next door. The victim told investigators that she reported the abuse to her mom but the mom did not believe her. Further investigation led to O’Neal’s arrest and indictment.

TYLER — Dec. 1st 1955 was a milestone marker in the Civil Rights Movement in Montgomery, Alabama. This year the landmark fell on a Sunday, so the city of Tyler will honored the memory of Rosa Parks on Monday. Parks refused to give up her seat in the colored section of the bus for a white passenger in 1955. As one way to honor the “Mother of Civil Rights,” the Transit Department placed a picture of Parks on each bus in the Tyler transit fleet. On Monday evening the city paid homage to Parks. Russ Jackson Director of Parks and Rec. with the city, told KTBB, “Rosa Parks is inspiring, she sat down, when she was asked to stand up.” The city held the 4th annual Rosa Parks Event at the Rose Garden Center featuring music, a proclamation, and a re-enactment of the infamous Parks refusal to give up her seat.

TYLER — A Texas man on death row since 1995 has been scheduled to die for the murder of an elderly East Texas man. According to our news partner KETK, Billy Joe Wardlow, 45, will be executed by the state on April 29, 2020. Wardlow, was 18-years-old when he and his girlfriend Tonya Fuller robbed 82-year-old Carl Cole at his Cason home in 1993. Wardlow shot him in the head and stuffed his body in a closet, before stealing Cole’s truck. Continue reading Fort Worth Man to Die for 1993 Murder of East Texan

HAWKINS — Funeral services will be held this Friday for a Hawkins couple following a devastating fire that claimed their lives last week. Wood County Fire Marshall Davidson told KTBB on Monday, “the fire remains under investigation, and that he could not give more specific comment until he had interviewed all the witnesses.” The fire claimed the lives of Courtney Cline, 30, and her longtime partner Ben Mendez, 34, who were killed in the blaze north of Hawkins on CR 3859. Continue reading Services Announced following Thanksgiving Fire

TYLER — Fewer than two years ago, Shawn Gonter was a trauma patient at UT Health Tyler after a serious motorcycle accident. Gonter now works for UT Health as a physician assistant, and on Tuesday night he will light the hospital’s outdoor Christmas tree during the public ceremony. The event will begin at 5 p.m. when Santa arrives in his sleigh, with live reindeer, on the hospital’s front lawn. The night also includes Christmas carols performed by Moore Middle School and refreshments. Free parking is available in both garages. Gates open at 4:30 p.m.

TYLER — A Tyler man has been arrested on charges of hitting his sister with a cane and later striking her in the face with his hand. According to our news partner KETK, Lloyd Wayne DuPont Sr., 62, was arguing with his 65-year-old sister Bonnie when he took his cane and struck her in the nose during an argument in October. Later, according to arrest warrant the argument continued and he hit her with his hand across her face. Their other sister Deborah told police that she witnessed the whole incident. Continue reading Tyler Man Arrested on Charges of Hitting Sister, 65

TYLER — Tyler police are investigating an aggravated kidnapping. It started around 11:30 Saturday afternoon following a report of a stabbing at the Lodge Apartments, 2709 S. Broadway. Police say the suspect, Ronnie Lee Rinehart, 34, came home from work that morning and became very aggressive towards his 29-year-old common law wife and her three small children ages 6, 8 and 9. Rinehart took her and the children to the back bedroom, tied, and gagged them, threatening them with a knife. The woman was able to free herself from the restraints and grabbed the knife. The two struggled over the knife, when Rinehart was stabbed in the back. The mother and her children were able to run from the apartment and call police. Continue reading Tyler Aggravated Kidnapping under Investigation

TYLER — The Monday following Black Friday, known as Cyber Monday, is one of the biggest shopping days of the year. With everyone shopping online and sharing their credit card information over the internet, the Better Business Bureau wants to remind everyone of the risks. According to our news partner KETK, in 2018, American consumers spent a record-breaking $7.9 billion in online sales on Cyber Monday alone. The BBB warns that scammers are well aware of the amount of spending and are keen to take advantage. They say to watch out for false advertising and to keep a close eye on the web address on your browser. Scammers are known to create look-a-like websites, which is why anti-virus software is important. It can often detect non-secure websites and phishing scams. Continue reading BBB Warns Shoppers of Online Dangers on Cyber Monday

KILGORE — The City of Kilgore is inviting East Texans to dowtown on Saturday night for an evening of merriment to help jump start your holiday spirit. Mingle and Jingle organizers say the night will be “Merry and Bright.” This is the communities annual Small Business Saturday Celebration. The town center will be transformed into Christmas lights and holiday fun, including “Santa Flavious” and “Joshua the Elf.”

TYLER –A few Raindrops did not stop East Texans from running in the 17th annual Tyler Turkey Trot on Thursday. According to our news partner KETK, thousands gathered for the race, despite the chill and rain. For many that will delight in a Thanksgiving feast, this is becoming an annual tradition, that included the options to run or walk the complete 3.1 miles. The event takes place at Racquet & Jog and runs through neighborhoods, the Glenwood Church of Christ, and Rice Elementary. The Tyler Turkey Trot chose Two charities will benefit from the proceeds of this years race; For The Silent and Boot Campaign.

CANTON — The community known as the “World’s Largest Flea Market” experienced a strong open to this weekend’s “First Monday-December.” With Black Friday falling on a first Monday weekend, Vicky Hall with the city of Canton told KTBB Friday that the day started with plenty of foot traffic. “To my knowledge it has’nt slowed down. Shoppers are coming in. We’ve got plenty of vendors here including tons of Holiday Decor.” Hall said on a good month 400,000 plus people will shop at First Monday, which began in 1850 and features over 5,000 vendors.

MARSHALL — The city of Marshall has jumped into the holiday spirit with the 33rd annual Wonderland of Lights 2019. Visitors will be able to take in over a million lights inside hundreds of displays at the festival. The city began the event in 1987, and this year it features carriage and carousel rides, ice-skating, Santa’s Village, and Wasil Walks. Photo ops abound with way too much to mention. The festival runs through December 29. Hours of operation are nights 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, and Saturday evenings from 4 to 10 p.m. The display is closed Mondays, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve. Click the link for more details. http://www.marshalltexas.net/public/warrants/wonderland-of-lights

TYLER — With the holiday traffic continuing through the holiday weekend, the Texas Department of Licensing Regulation is urging holiday traffic to be prepared for any and all motorist hazards. They also remind drivers to slow down or move over for stopped emergency vehicles including tow trucks, police cars and fire trucks. Texas law requires drivers to slow down at least 20 miles per hour under the posted speed limit or, if able, to change lanes when they’re passing a first responder stopped on the road.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Union Pacific wants a court to invalidate an 1872 pact requiring it to keep a certain number of railroad jobs in the Texas town of Palestine indefinitely. The agreement has been amended several times over the decades and is a vestige of railroad history made by one of the railroads Union Pacific bought years ago. The lawsuit challenging the agreement was filed Wednesday in Texas. The railroad argues the agreement is invalid because railroads are regulated by the federal government, and this deal requiring jobs be maintained in Palestine improperly limits its options. Palestine City Manager Leslie Cloer says she hasn’t seen the lawsuit, but she hopes Union Pacific will maintain its operations in Palestine.

TYLER — The House intelligence panel will submit a report to the Judiciary panel in the next few weeks and then Democrats will consider moving forward with a vote on impeachment of President Donald Trump. U.S. Texas District 1 Congressmen Louie Gohmert tells KTBB, the proceedings have been anything but fair. “Well it’s pretty sad what’s been going on. The Republican’s have not been allowed to bring in witnesses that would clarify the kind of corruption that’s gone on. And also, what kind of conspiring has gone on between the so-called whistle blower and the two people that work in the intelligence committee directly for Adam Schiff.” There could be several steps still to come, including a Judiciary committee vote, a House floor vote and, finally, a Senate trial.

KILGORE — Kilgore police arrested four people in connection with multiple church burglaries over the past week. According to our news partner KETK, an investigation started after burglaries at First Presbyterian Church and First Baptist Church were reported over the weekend. After forensic evidence was analyzed and video surveillance was reviewed, police quickly identified multiple suspects. Continue reading Kilgore Police Arrest Four in Church Burglaries

TYLER — The ovens will still be warm from feeding hundreds of people for Thanksgiving at the Salvation Army, when the Red Kettle Campaign and Angel Tree’s hit full force in Tyler. Captain Robert Parker told KTBB. “Thanksgiving weekend is the time when our Red Kettle Campaign increases to include all of our locations.” Parker went on to say, “The Angel Tree program is a great family teaching moment for kids to adopt an angel off of the tree and then get to go and shop for that child is very educational.” All the monies raised through the Red Kettle initiative at Christmas go to make meals like Thanksgiving possible, as well as social services, programs and outreaches year round. 

TYLER — Following that turkey lunch or dinner on Thursday, many may continue cooking during the weekend. Smith County Fire Marshal Paul Findley tells KTBB that staying focused is a big key to keeping trouble out of the holidays. “Unattended cooking year round is one of the number 1 causes of fires.” Many people will be frying foods, including turkey. If done incorrectly, this can be a dangerous endeavor. When frying foods, you increase the risk of a cooking fire. Continue reading Safety Tips for Frying Turkey

MARSHALL — Marshall 911 dispatched officers on Wednesday involving a crash that claimed the life of a pedestrian on East End Blvd. South. The victim was identified as Michael Wayne Diggs, 40, of Marshall. The initial investigation indicates that a male pedestrian was crossing the road outside of a designated crosswalk before being stuck and killed by a vehicle. The driver stopped at the scene. Marshall Police Department and Fire Department paramedics found Diggs deceased. Continue reading Pedestrian Killed in Marshall

TYLER –The Salvation Army is working in preparation for their annual community Thanksgiving meal. Captain Robert Parker told KTBB that volunteers worked on Wednesday to make preparation for an anticipated 1500 People at the annual Thanksgiving Lunch. “They will start prepping and start carving turkey’s and making sure all of the pumpkins are prepped and all of the side dishes are ready to go. Then we will have another big round of volunteers coming in early on Thursday morning and it’s going to be a great day.” Continue reading Salvation Army Ready to Serve

JACKSONVILLE — A man was seriously injured after being shot in the neck during a fight in Jacksonville. Police said in a social media post on Tuesday, that a fight broke out on San Saba street Monday night. Upon the arrival of police they discovered the victim was already on his way to a hospital. Officers further located multiple houses in the immediate area that were struck by gunfire. During the course of the investigation Officers determined the fight resulted in multiple people bringing out several handguns and firing several rounds. Continue reading One Seriously Injured Following Gun Fight

TYLER — Thanksgiving continues to be the leading day of the year for home fires involving cooking equipment. The average number of reported residential building fires more than doubles on Thanksgiving Day alone. Smith County Fire Marshal Paul Findley told KTBB the reasons has everything to do with what we love doing most on Thanksgiving. Food. “All of the preparations going on in the kitchen, and the busyness of our schedules sometimes causes us to get distracted.” Continue reading Thanksgiving Peak Day for Residential Structure Fires

TYLER — On Wednesday Smith County began taking bids on county vehicles for an online auction that will last for 2 weeks until 5 p.m. December 11. There will also be set times interested buyers can view the property in person. These are 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. next Tuesday, and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. December 6, at the Gulf States Building, on E. Line Street in Tyler. No appointment is necessary. All items can also be viewed online at http://www.govdeals.com.

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) – The biggest winner in the aftermath of Stephen F. Austin’s shocking upset of No. 1 Duke might be the fundraising website for the family of the player who hit the game-winning layup. A two-month old GoFundMe page set up to help guard Nathan Bain’s family rebuild from Hurricane Dorian damage had raised over $119,000 as of Thursday morning – a massive spike from the roughly $2,000 it had raised before Tuesday night’s game that is the talk of college basketball. Bain’s family in Freeport, Bahamas lost “nearly everything of value” and the church run by his father, a minister, sustained “extreme damage” in the Category 5 storm that hammered the islands, according to the website set up by the school two weeks after the storm. Bain scored on a breakaway layup just before the overtime buzzer to give the school located in Nacogdoches, Texas, an 85-83 victory.

TYLER –There will be a special Thanksgiving box and produce distribution on Wednesday. According to The East Texas Food Bank, the initiative will take place Wednesday afternoon at the East Texas State Fairgrounds in Tyler. Distribution starts at 1:00 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. and is limited to one allocation per residence. The items are distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis, while supplies last.

TYLER — Smith County announced on Tuesday that new voter registration certificates have been mailed out to the registered voters. The orange cards were mailed to over a 135,000 homes in Smith County. The cards will be valid for elections through December 31, 2021. The certificates are for the voters’ records and shows them their voting precinct. It also lists each voter’s state and U.S. representatives, as well as local commissioner, justice of the peace and election information for city, school district, college district, emergency services district and municipal utility district. Continue reading Registration Cards Mailed Out in Smith County

RUSK — A resolution passed unanimously in the Cherokee County Commissioners Court on Tuesday that will make it a “sanctuary county” for the 2nd Amendment. According to our news partner KETK, the move was made to help protect gun owners. Cherokee County is the 13th county in Texas to pass such a resolution since Washington lawmakers have been calling for stricter gun laws, in the aftermath of mass shootings. No money will be spent on the resolution, but Commissioners feel it is a positive action step in protecting the gun rights of East Texans. Smith and Wood Counties have both passed similar resolutions in the past few weeks.

LONGVIEW — The Gregg County Sheriff’s Office is currently looking for Rosemary Rodriguez. Rodriguez has been missing since October 8th. Gregg County Sheriff’s Lt. Joshua Tubb told KTBB on Tuesday morning that they have uncovered a key piece of evidence that could help in her disappearance. “Recently investigators have uncovered an electronic device, that we know belonged to Ms. Rodgriguez.” Continue reading Evidence Found in Case of Rosemary Rodriguez

TYLER — Smith County residents have been very active in sharing their thoughts on the potential of a new courthouse for the county. County Judge Nathaniel Moran told KTBB on Tuesday that input is invaluable. “Over the past couple of months the county has insured that people have had a number of ways to provide input. Online, Paper Surveys available at J.P. offices, and the Public Meetings.” Judge Moran went on to say the survey is still available online, and residents can click through all the information in about 3 to 4 minutes. Continue reading Citizen Input Continues for Potential Courthouse

TYLER — Tyler Police are asking for help in the identification of a person of interest in a sexual assault. The assault took place last August on Chimney Rock Drive in Tyler. According to a post on the Tyler PD’s facebook page, this person is described as a skinny black male. Police hope the rendering in this sketch will bring about information leading to the persons identity. Contact Det. Elliott at 903-531-1026 or call Tyler-Smith County Crime Stoppers at 903-597-2833.