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FORT WORTH (AP) — A Tyler man accused of abducting an 8-year-old girl as she was taking a walk with her mother in Fort Worth has been charged in federal court with kidnapping. Prosecutors say 51-year-old Michael Webb appeared in federal court in Fort Worth on Tuesday for an initial hearing and that he’ll remain in federal custody after being transferred from the Tarrant County jail. Webb was being held on a state charge of aggravated kidnapping following his arrest early Sunday at a Forest Hill hotel where he was found with the girl. Officers acting on a tip questioned Webb at the hotel but didn’t find the girl, then returned later after receiving another tip and found her. Continue reading Tyler Man Accused of Abducting Girl Faces Federal Charge

LONGVIEW – A rabid bat has turned up in Longview. The Longview Animal Care and Adoption Center says in a Face Book posting, the animal was found in a home last Thursday. It was sent to the Texas Department of State Health Services lab in Austin, where it was confirmed that it had rabies. There was no contact with any people at the house and both of their dogs are vaccinated. They remind you not to touch or handle any wild animals, especially those that appear sick or injured. In our area, bats, skunks, and raccoons are the most common carriers of the rabies virus but caution should be used with any wild animal.

TYLER — Tyler police are searching for a gunman following a shooting in North Tyler. He has been identified as Patrick Deon Daniels, 33, of Tyler. In serious condition in a Tyler hospital, after being shot once in the chest, is Jacklyn Radway,36. Police public information officer Don Martin said Daniels is the father of Radway’s children. They were in the apartment when the shooting occurred, but were not injured. The shooting was reported shortly after 7:30 Tuesday morning at the Liberty Arms Apartments on North Broadway.

MABANK – Two persons were killed and two injured in a Van Zandt County accident. The crash happened when car left the road, hit some trees, and ended up in a ditch. Pronounced dead at the scene was Thomas Eugene Bickerstaff Jr., 65, of Duncanville, a front seat passenger. Also killed was a back seat passenger, who was not wearing a seat belt, William Fredrick Sherrard, 39, of Mabank. Injured was the car’s driver, Susan Sherrard, 66, of Mabank, and Lisa May Adair, 39, of Mabank. Adair, who was in the back seat and not wearing a seat belt. She is in a Tyler hospital in serious condition. The driver is in stable condition in a Kaufman hospital. The accident happened just before 4:30 Sunday afternoon on state Highway 198, six miles north of Maybank. The accident remains under investigation.

LONGVIEW – LeTourneau University’s “Sting” Precision Flight Team has finished 4th in the nation. This is the highest overall ranking in the 60-year program’s history at the National Intercollegiate Flying Association’s SAFECON 2019 flight competition. It was hosted by the University of Wisconsin, in Janesville, Wisconsin. LETU’s NIFA team even outranked the U.S. Air Force Academy, which finished 5th, among the 30 schools in the competition.

KILGORE – A Kilgore woman is free on bond after being accused of making a terroristic threat against her neighbors. Arrested Saturday night was Regina Lee Williams, 49. She is charged with terroristic threat with fear of serious bodily injury. She was released from the Gregg County Jail on Sunday after posting a $5,000 bond. Quoting the police arrest affidavit, the Longview News Journal reports she called the police dispatch and said she was “going to get her gun and go shoot some folks off.” When the police went to her home, they found Williams intoxicated and with a loaded handgun between her couch cushions.

TYLER – Trustees of Tyler junior college will meet Wednesday morning to officially name the school’s new president. Earlier this month, the trustees selected TJC’s President for Branch Locations & District Provost, Dr. Juan E. Mejia, as the lone finalist for the post. The Board’s decision comes after an extensive national search and thorough interview process. TJC received 83 applications. At Wednesday’s meeting, now that the 21 day waiting period is over, the board will confirm Dr. Mejia as the school’s 7th president, effective July 1st. The board’s agenda also call for consideration of extending current President Mike Metke’s contract to June 30. The board’s agenda also calls for consideration of discontinuing the position of President for Branch Locations/District Provost.

TYLER – A Smith County man, accused of setting a hospital bed on fire, is back in jail. Mason Reid Wyatt, 20, of Lindale had been free on bond. He was arrested last August at UT Health – Tyler following the bed fire. Emergency room personnel quickly put out the fire with only minor damage and no injuries. Wyatt was indicted in the case last month by the Smith County grand jury. He was arrested on Monday and booked into the Smith County Jail. His bond was set at $75,000 on the arson charge.

TYLER — Tyler Police are asking for the public’s help in locating Sherman West, 44. According to our news partner KETK, West is wanted on charges of sexual assault of a child. According to police, he was last seen driving a 2004 white Chevy pickup with Texas plates KYB2478. If you have any information or know of his whereabouts, you’re asked to contact Smith County Crime Stoppers at (903) 597-2833.

LONGVIEW – The Green Street overpass in Longview has claimed another victim. A cement truck got stuck at the railroad overpass around 10:00 Monday morning. Crews worked to free the vehicle and both northbound lanes, that hand been blocked, are now open.

CHAPEL HILL – One person has been injured and one arrested in a Smith County shooting. It happened around 5:00 Monday morning on Highway 64 East in the Chapel Hill area. Demmond McGowen, 27, of Lindale, was taken to a Tyler hospital by private vehicle for treatment of a gunshot wound to the leg. A witnesses identified the shooter as Brenton Taylor, 33. It was his home where the shooting occurred. Investigators obtained arrest warrants on Taylor for two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of felon in possession of a firearm. He is now in the Smith County Jail under bonds totaling $300,000.

FORT WORTH (AP) — A man has been charged in the abduction of an 8-year-old girl who was snatched from a street in Fort Worth as she walked with her mother. Fort Worth police say the girl was found safe Sunday, about eight hours later, at a hotel in nearby Forest Hill. Police say Michael Webb, 51, of Tyler, was arrested on an aggravated kidnapping charge. He appeared in court Monday and his bond was set at $100,000. Officer Buddy Calzada says a man grabbed the girl Saturday evening, and sped away with her in a car. Police released surveillance video of the car. Police found Webb and the girl at the hotel after witnesses reported seeing the car there. She was taken to a hospital. Continue reading Tyler Man Charged in Abduction of 8-Year-Old Girl

MARSHALL – A former Harrison County Justice of the Peace is now under two felony indictments. On Monday, Megan Nicole Grigsby was indicted by the Harrison County Grand Jury. She is accused of theft, the value of $2,500 or more but less than $30,000. She is also accused of abuse of official capacity. The property came into her possession because of her status as a public servant. Grigsby is free on a $10,000 bond following her arrest last week.

TYLER – The Smith County jail is now up to standards. It failed its inspection in early April. The jail was found to be deficient in the amount of time that an inmate has to exercise during the week. The deficiency was on two specific floors within the old jail facility and was due to a manpower problem. Sheriff Larry Smith says, even fully-staffed, the Smith County Jail is about 32 officers short to have an ideal inmate to detention officer ratio. The Sheriff and his staff made critical adjustments within the jail to accommodate the low manpower shortage and to correct the deficiency.

EAST TEXAS – Saturday’s storms spawned a tornado in Smith County. A team from the National Weather Service surveyed the storm damage in East Texas. They have confirmed than an EF-1 tornado touched down in the Chapel Hill area. The storm, with maximum sustained winds around 90mph, touched down around 5:45 Saturday afternoon near the intersection of highway 64 east and spur 248. Trees were uprooted, large limbs were broken and shingle damage was reported. The team also looked over the damage in Harrison county. The damage there was done by straight line winds.

SMITH COUNTY – County Road 1133 has been reopened. The road west of Noonday was closed after heavy rains caused a wash out nearly two weeks ago. Repairs have been made and it is now save for drivers. County Roads 2186, west of Troup, 26 and 247, both east of Tyler, remain closed until further notice while wash outs and culverts can be repaired.

EAST TEXAS — The National Weather Service in Shreveport will send a team to survey storm damage in East Texas Monday. According to our news partner KETK, the team is expected to concentrate on Smith and Harrison counties. Meanwhile, the service has issued flood warnings for multiple East Texas counties: Rusk County and Gregg County, set to expire Tuesday at 3 p.m.

AUSTIN — It appears red-light cameras will become a thing of the past in Texas. The state Senate passed House Bill 1631, banning them, by a vote of 23 to 8. Senator Bob Hall of Edgewood sponsored the measure. Hall says “these camera systems have little effect on road safety — and have been shown by numerous studies to actually increase the risk of certain types of collisions for drivers in the state.” Governor Abbott is expected to sign the bill into law. He called for the ban in 2018.

LONGVIEW (AP) — Actor Matthew McConaughey has finally received his high school diploma, more than 30 years after graduating. McConaughey was given his original diploma Friday night when he returned to his Texas alma mater to address the class of 2019. A Longview High School spokeswoman told the Longview News-Journal that graduates normally receive diploma holders during commencement ceremonies and that the actual diplomas must be picked up later. She said McConaughey never got his. The 49-year-old graduated from Longview in 1988. He responded to receiving his diploma with one word: “proof.” Continue reading Matthew McConaughey Receives Original High School Diploma

BEN WHEELER – The victims of a Van Zandt County shooting that left two dead and one injured have been identified. The suspect is identified as Fernando Ruiz, 35 of Ben Wheeler. Taken to a Tyler hospital for treatment were Ismael Lugo-Cervantez, 57, and Amanda Dawn Roberts, 33, both of Ben Wheeler. Cervantez later died at the hospital. Roberts is in stable but critical condition. Sheriff’s deputies responded to the home in answer to a disturbance call. The suspect is said to have shot at deputies, who returned fire. The suspect was later found dead behind the house. The investigation is ongoing. Heading up the investigation are the Texas Rangers.

TYLER – The Smith County Sheriff’s Department is looking for two women charged with aggravated assault/causing serious bodily injury. They are Maquesha Renee Henderson, 26, and Akia Saleece Mosley, 19. Warrants have been issued for their arrest. If you know where they may be found, you are asked to contact Detective Hill at 903-566-6600. Continue reading Two Assault Suspects Sought

TYLER – Tyler’s Breckenridge Village held a ribbon cutting Friday for three new homes. Each will offer a long-term home to adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities. This phase of the campus construction started in 2017. Among those providing assistance throughout the building process has been the Texas Baptist Men, led by Bill Pigott. One of the homes was dedicated and named in his honor. The other two homes were posthumously dedicated and named for Pierre deWet and Paul Powell. In addition to the ribbon cutting at each residence, butterflies were released at the homes.

AUSTIN — You’ve seen the jokes on TV: having to go to the DMV to get your driver license renewed and mess with the long lines. Could things soon change in Texas? Legislation from state Senator Brian Birdwell and Marshall state Rep Chris Paddie (pictured) is making its way through the legislative sausage grinder. It would do things like increase the term of a DL from six to eight years. The House is considering the plan. It has to survive one more Senate vote. Another provision is to take licensing operations from the Department of Public Safety and move them to the Department of Motor Vehicles — which means Texas drivers just might have to go to the DMV.

TYLER – It was graduation walk time Friday for some seniors at John Tyler High School. The school’s Advancement Via Individual Determination seniors visited elementary campuses Friday as part of their annual Graduation Walk. It’s the 4th year they visited every elementary school in their attendance zone. Next week the seniors will walk a stage at Chistus Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium and get their diplomas. Graduation day for Seniors at Robert E Lee will be next Friday evening at 8:00. John Tyler Seniors Graduate the following night at 8:00.

LONGVIEW – A Longview school will be shuting down at the end of the school year. Citing a lack of enrollment, East Texas Christian School will be closing after 25 years of operation. It is located on Farm Road 5621, just south of Interstate Highway 20. It is next to the main campus of New Covenant Church, whose lead pastor and wife, Chuck and Diana Warnock, founded the school. The Longview News Journal reports, according to an email from the Head of School, Renee Sawyer, the decision to close was made final during the school board meeting on May 7th.

MARSHALL – Marshall police have released the name of the officer injured in a Monday evening chase. Officer Zach Lastra was running after a man who was accused of threatening a woman a 3 small children. During the chase, the officer and suspect crashed into an apartment window. The officer was taken to a Longview hospital where he underwent emergency surgery to repair injuries to his arm. He is expected to make a full recovery. The suspect he was chasing, Antonio Dejuan Trammel,34, of Marshall, was arrested the following day. In addition to a parole warrant, Trammel was charged with evading arrest or detention causing serious bodily injury and evading arrest or detention with previous convictions.

TYLER – A road in south Tyler will be temporarily closed this week. East Cumberland Road between Wilder Way and Paluxy Drive will be closed for base repairs starting Monday. Construction will begin each morning at 7:00 and work will stop each evening at 6:00. The work will run through Friday. Cumberland Road will be closed to through traffic and only residents will have access. Motorists can expect major delays, so it is important to use an alternate route.

EAST TEXAS – A multijurisdictional sex sting operation in the area has resulted in 4 arrests. Authorities in Smith and Gregg counties, along with state and federal authorities, conducted the operation on Wednesday and Thursday. The suspects were arrested when they arrived at an undisclosed location after soliciting sex online with investigators posing as minors. They were arrested for online solicitation of a minor. They were identified as Rayme Everrett, 18 of Tyler, Manuel Huerta, 28 of Bullard, Randall Earl Powell, 55 of Longview and Gary Dean Tennison, 54 of Henderson. All were booked into the Gregg County Jail.