KTBB News, Weather, Talk

LONGVIEW – On Thursday, Industrial Drive in Longview will be closed between Marshall Avenue, U.S. Highway 80, and Cotton Street. It will be closed to through traffic from 8:00am to 5:00pm. The Railroad Crossing on Industrial will be closed to all traffic for railroad track maintenance. Drivers are encouraged to use Eastman Road as an alternate.

LONGVIEW – A Longview man finds himself back in jail on, among other things, forgery charges. In the Gregg County Jail under bonds totaling $138,500 is Mark Sebren Greer II, 34. He is also charged with fraud and theft of property. The Longview News Journal reports he is accused of passing counterfeit $100 bills at several businesses. He is also accused of using a Fort Worth man’s identification to buy a $97,000 car last month. Surveillance video and witness statements led authorities to Greer, who is a convicted felon.

TYLER – The Better Business Bureau has presented its annual Awards for Excellence during a ceremony in Tyler. Over 30 businesses were nominated in 5 categories. The winner in the nonprofit category was Champions for Children. The small business winner was SEO Skyrocket. The recipient for the Mid-Size Business Category is The Original Evans Air Conditioning and Heating. The large business winner was Encore Multimedia. And, this year for the first time, the BBB recognized outstanding veteran-owned businesses. That award went to Dean Waskowiak with Encore Multimedia. The BBB say the awards went to organizations who exemplify ethical behavior and display integrity in all aspects of their operations.

TYLER – More information has been released about the arrest of a T.K. Gorman High School assistant coach. Ja’Keal Latrenton Lockett, 24, was arrested last week by the University of Texas at Tyler police. He has been charged with burglary of a habitation with intent to commit a sex offense. Our news partner KETK reports the arrest warrant says Lockett stole his girlfriend’s master key card and PIN code that allowed him to access to any apartment in her complex. His girlfriend is a resident assistant at the complex, which houses UT Tyler students. Lockett remains in the Smith County Jail under a $250,000 bond. The school says he had been put on administrative leave until the case worked its way through the courts.

SMITH COUNTY — A reminder is going out to those who’d been expecting a Wednesday trip to the Smith County Courthouse. The county has cancelled jury duty for Wednesday, March 13. Smith County residents who were planning to report for jury duty on Wednesday with their yellow cards don’t have to make the trip to the courthouse. However, if you have been asked to return for jury duty by a specific court, you must still report.

SMITH COUNTY – A sinkhole is causing TxDOT to shut down all eastbound traffic on Interstate Highway 20 at Caney Creek in Smith County near mile marker 544. As a precaution, Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) crews have closed the eastbound lanes of the highway until repairs can be made. Repairs are expected to take 2 to 3 days. Traffic is being detoured at Van onto southbound Farm Road 314, eastbound Farm Road 1995 and northbound State Highway 110 back to I-20. Motorists traveling eastbound I-20 should expect delays or take alternate routes.

AUSTIN – Two largemouth bass over 13 pounds were caught by anglers in Texas over the weekend, bringing the total number of “Legacy Class” Toyota ShareLunker entries up to four for the selective breeding program’s 2019 donation season ending March 31. The fish were caught out of the top two ShareLunker producing lakes of 2018, Lake Fork and Lake Conroe. Barry Prince of Lindale caught 13.73 pound ShareLunker 579 from Lake Fork Friday evening on a shallow diving crankbait in 4.5 feet of water. Prince said this is the first double digit bass he’s ever caught in more than 30 years of fishing.

SMITH COUNTY – A man has been arrested after fleeing from a traffic stop in Smith County. Arrested was Dakota Allen, 26, of Tyler. A Smith County Sheriff’s Patrol Sergeant first stopped the man’s truck on Lavender Road, north of Tyler late Monday morning, after seeing him speeding and weaving in and out of traffic. He was acting extremely nervous as the officer talked with him. When asked to get out of the vehicle, he sped away. He was arrested after he crashed into a tree. Officers found a zippered bag with about two pounds of crystal meth, various instruments used for the sale of narcotics and over $7,000 in cash. Allen has been charged with manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance, evading arrest or detention w/vehicle and tampering with physical evidence. He was booked into the Smith County jail under bonds totaling $105,000.

SMITH COUNTY – The Sheriff’s department were using jail personnel and trustees to round up a large group of loose cattle in eastern Smith County. The cows have been loose on Big Oak Bay Road near Lake Tyler. Two of the cows were hit by motorists. Sheriff’s department public information officer Larry Christian says the owner of the cattle has been found, the fence breach was repaired and the cows are now back home.

KILGORE – Kilgore police used a dog and a drone to look for a registered sex offender. The police went to were they were told he was working. As they approached, he climbed over a fence and ran down the railroad tracks behind Walmart. They set up a perimeter and brought in a K-9 And a drone to look for Richard Marcus Miller, 39. When he was spotted hiding in some thick underbrush, the dog was brought to the location. When he heard the dog approaching, he surrendered to the officers. With at least 15 prior arrests, he was wanted on failure to ID as a fugitive from Kaufman County, a bond forfeiture on a DWI charge and a parole warrant out of Gregg County. Kilgore police have also charged him with evading arrest.

LONGVIEW – A Fire has damaged a Longview club. The fire at J’s Place, on East Marshall Boulevard, was reported around 3:30 Sunday morning. The fire department’s Facebook page says arriving units found the roof on fire. They were able to contain the fire to the roof and attic with heat, water and smoke damage to the inside only. Since the building was closed at the time, there were no injuries. The fire is still under investigation but foul play is not suspected at this time.

HALLSVILLE – Federal authorities are continuing their investigation into a plane crash in Harrison county that authorities now say killed four persons. The plane went down around 7:30 Saturday night three miles south of Hallsville. Dead at the scene was the pilot, William Robert Kendrick, 51, of Huffman. The passengers were identified as Rebecca Marsh Kendrick, 47, of Huffman, and two Farmers Branch residents, Kaycee Ann Kendrick, 27, and Coty Ray Shrum, 25. The Department of public safety reports the Cessna T337C was traveling from Dallas to New Orleans when the pilot possibly encountered severe weather. The aircraft lost altitude and crashed.

MARSHALL – A two vehicle accident near Marshall has killed one person and seriously injured two. Wesley Sherard Timmins, 30, of Marshall was pronounced dead at the scene. A passenger in his car, and the other driver, Jerry Allen Wood, 78, of Karnack, were injured. The report from the Department of Public Safety says the accident occurred when Wood’s pickup crossed the center stripe at hit Timmins pickup. The accident happened shortly after 7:30 Sunday night on U.S. Highway 80.

TYLER – Tyler’s water taste and odor issues have been remedied. The Golden Road Water Treatment Plant came back online last Friday. Customers should no longer be experiencing a strong odor or earthy taste to the water. When the plant went down on February 4th, that left the Lake Palestine Water Treatment plant the sole provider of treated water. At the same time there was a spike in a taste and odor compound coming from Lake Palestine to the the plant. Now that both plants are online, the blending of the water will aid in eliminating the taste and odor issues. The city says, if you are continuing to experience strong “earthy” taste and odor in your area, you are asked to contact Tyler’s Water Service Center at 903-531-1285 to report your location.

LONGVIEW – Some Gregg County dads have learned the hard way, don’t get behind in child support payments. Around 4:00 Monday morning, a multi-agency operation began looking for men that have outstanding warrants for non-payment of child support. The teams received the information from the Texas Attorney General’s office. The warrant roundup teams arrested six men. One of them was arrested four years ago during a similar operation. They are continuing efforts to locate the persons who were not arrested during this first warrant sweep.

HARRISON COUNTY – The FAA has headed to the scene of a fatal Saturday plane crash near Hallsville. According to our news partner KETK, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed one person was on the plane and is confirmed dead. According to Harrison County Chief Deputy B.J. Fletcher, the general area of the crash is around FM 968, FM 450, Waldron Ferry Road, and Hut Horton Road, but he says the wreckage is in the woods, far off any roadway. Deputies initially responded to reports of a loud boom, but didn’t find anything. The crash was discovered in the woods by hunters Saturday evening. No information about anyone on board was immediately available.

TYLER – An unprecedented number of aspiring artists from local schools will have their first opportunity for a full museum exhibition with the Tyler Museum of Art’s 15th Annual High School Art Exhibition. It opens Sunday, March 31, and continues through May 5 at the museum, on the Tyler Junior College main campus. Admission is free. According to information from the museum, this year’s juried competition tops the previous record of 2018, featuring 109 students from a best-ever 20 high-school campuses in Tyler and nearby cities. You can check the April 2 entry on the ktbb.com Calendar of Events for additional information.

AUSTIN — State Representative Chris Paddie of Marshall has filed legislation linked to a fatal accident in August 2017. Three Boy Scouts were killed on Lake O’ The Pines when their boat’s mast came in contact with a 12,000-volt power line. According to our news partner KETK, electric utilities in Texas are currently not required to establish regular maintenance programs or carry out routine inspections of power lines and poles. In addition, the Public Utility Commission does not require utility companies or cooperatives to provide reports on accidents involving power lines. Paddie’s bill addresses both issues and some other requirements. Upshur Rural Electric Cooperative, the power source in the area of the accident, recently announced that the power lines responsible for it have been buried in an underground tunnel.

TYLER — Two men are dead following a head-on crash early Sunday on Toll 49 in Tyler involving the men’s pickup and a charter bus from Bullard’s Brook Hill School. 22-year-old driver Jeffrey Dalton Aynesworth of Rusk and 24-year-old passenger Payton Joseph Raymond of Flint were dead on police officers’ arrival. Police got the call shortly after 4 a.m. about the crash, a quarter-mile east of Broadway. The bus was returning from a trip to Orlando, Florida, with 32 people on board, including 25 students. Among the bus occupants, the driver, two other adults, and two students went to the hospital with minor injuries. Continue reading Two Men Dead in Crash Involving Charter Bus from Brook Hill School

LONGVIEW — A Longview police officer has been deemed at fault in a crash involving a motorcycle on East Loop 281 in Longview. According to the police department’s Facebook page, Officer Tyler Stroschein was in his patrol car facing a green light as he made a left hand, northbound turn onto Eastman Rd. shortly before 6:30 Friday evening. The motorcycle, operated by 35-year-old Jonathan Stephens of Longview, was westbound on the Loop. Stephens was taken to a local hospital with what are termed non-life-threatening injuries. Police say an accident investigator with the police department determined that Stroschein failed to yield right of way.

TYLER – There was a brief pretrial hearing in Tyler Thursday for a capital murder suspect. Gustavo Zavala-Garcia, 26, appeared in state district court. Legal proceedings are moving toward his trial, which is set for July 15th. They are still waiting for some DNA results in the case. They are expected to be in sometime next month. His next pretrial hearing is scheduled for April 4th, at which time his attorney will be filing several motions. One is to seek a change of venue in the case. Zavala-Garcia is accused of kidnapping 10 year old Kayla Gomez from a Bullard church in November of 2017. Her body was found days later in a well on the man’s property. According to an arrest affidavit, a witness said they saw the man with Kayla shortly before she disappeared.

TYLER – There is no mascot change at the University of Texas at Tyler. For about a year, U-T Tyler has been considering the possibility of selecting a new mascot. But, Friday morning, school president Dr. Michael Tidwell announced Swoop will remain. School officials saw how much the students and community loved the eagle mascot, so they decided not to make a change. But Swoop will be getting an outfit update this spring.

LONGVIEW – A 2018 aviation graduate from LeTourneau University has received a $10,000 scholarship. Meyeon “Cecelia” Kim received the Air Wisconsin Airlines Airline Transport Pilot Certificate Training Program Scholarship through Women in Aviation. The scholarship is for classroom and simulator training required to be eligible to take the Airline Transport Pilot knowledge test. The training is provided by Air Wisconsin to four winners from flight programs around the country. She will attend the Women in Aviation conference in Long Beach, California, next week, to be presented with the scholarship. Kim is currently training to become a flight instructor.

LONGVIEW – Several agencies have been investigating massage parlors in Longview. The investigation has led to several arrests. The investigation began after the police department received numerous complaints on the businesses. Thursday, officers visited the six businesses. They checked to see if the employees were licensed as massage therapists. They also checked to see if the business had the appropriate license to operate as a massage parlor. Three persons were arrested for operating without a massage license. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation will open additional investigations on several of the locations due to record keeping. The information was forwarded to the city’s Developmental Services for consideration on removing the certificate of occupancy from several of the locations. Continue reading Joint Operation On Massage Parlors

AUSTIN – Area unemployment has gone up slightly. The Texas Workforce commission reports Tyler’s January unemployment rate was 4%. It was 3.8% in December and 4% in January a year ago. For Longview, the unemployment rate went from 3.8% in December to 4.4% in January. But, it was 4.7% a year ago. The state’s unemployment rate rose to 4.2%. January marked the 105th consecutive month of annual growth for total non farm employment in Texas.

ARP – One person has died as the result of a one vehicle accident that occurred Tuesday morning near Arp. Paul James Wade, 47, of Arp died at a Tyler hospital two days after the accident. The Department of Public Safety reports his pickup was heading north west on County Road 294 when it left the road, hit a tree and overturned. Wade, who was not wearing his seat belt, was partially ejected from the vehicle.

ATHENS — A clerk for Justice of the Peace Precinct Four in Henderson County has been arrested. According to our news partner KETK, Dana Work is charged with abuse of official capacity. She was arrested on March 4. She is facing felony charges. No other details were immediately available on what her charges are connected to.

LONGVIEW — The Cuney police chief has been released from the Gregg County Jail without bond. According to our news partner KETK, jail records say Gregory Sinkfield was booked into jail Monday on two felony warrants for tampering with government records. He was released with the disposition going to the criminal justice information services. No details were immediately available on the nature of the charges.