KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER – Traffic is blocked on a street north of downtown Tyler. Officers are working a traffic accident involving a tractor trailer that hit a power pole at North Broadway and East. Berta. This is just north of Gentry Parkway. Traffic going north and south on North Broadway at the accident site is blocked by the truck and it is not passable at this time in either direction. Motorists are advised to avoid this area by using alternate routes. No injuries were reported in the accident.

TYLER – The 34 Annual Taste of Tyler comes to Harvey Hall Tuesday evening from 6:30 to 8:30. You will be able to sample the food and beverages from over 40 Tyler restaurants. Along with the food and drink there will also be entertainment. Advance tickets to the Taste of Tyler are available at Papacita’s Restaurant, The Diner and at the Junior League office. Advance tickets are $25. If tickets remain, they will be available at the door for $30. This city-wide event raises money to support a High School Culinary Education Program across the area. Also Tuesday night, it’s the 36th annual Taste of Longview.

MARSHALL — Officials Monday released more information on a fatal Sunday morning shooting at Harrison County’s Sabine River Rats ATV park. According to our news partner KETK, deputies and DPS troopers responding to 911 calls around 1:30 a.m. say they found 22-year-old suspect Blayne Anderson (pictured) in a truck, apparently either asleep or passed out. Deputies say he was arrested without incident. 25-year-old victim Keith Carr was found several feet away, and a pistol was recovered. Officials were told Anderson shot Carr multiple times following an altercation some three hours earlier after Anderson reportedly assaulted Carr’s ex-girlfriend. Anderson was jailed with no bond immediately set.

ALBA — Three East Texans have been killed in a wreck in Alba. DPS Sgt. Jean Dark reports troopers responded to the one-vehicle mishap around 2:35 Sunday morning on U.S. Highway 69. According to Dark, preliminary crash investigation shows that the driver of the Dodge Ram, 22-year-old Kenneth Louis Lewers of Alba, was traveling southeast at an unsafe speed. Lewers traveled on the improved shoulder and overcorrected to the left, causing the vehicle to go into a side skid. The vehicle then traveled across the roadway and into the northeast ditch, where it struck a large tree. Lewers was pronounced dead at the scene along with two passengers: 18-year-old Dawn Lee Fitzpatrick of Alba and 16-year-old Hayley Fitzpatrick of Winnsboro. All occupants were wearing their seatbelts.

GILMER — The Upshur County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the discovery of a woman’s body in a wooded area Sunday afternoon. According to our news partner KETK, the body was found around 3:30 Sunday afternoon off FM 726, just north of Highway 154, by people riding recreational vehicles. No identification was immediately released. Authorities say the condition of the body indicates that it had not been at the location for more than a very few days. Area law enforcement agencies have been notified to contact Upshur County S.O. if they have had a person reported missing recently. Officials say more information will be released as the investigation continues.

SAN ANTONIO — It was ten years ago this week that a small army of state and federal law enforcement descended upon a sprawling West Texas ranch, making international headlines. The Yearning for Zion Ranch in Eldorado, at the time, was run by a breakaway sect of the Mormon church called the FLDS, which promoted polygamy and child brides. The sect’s spiritual leader, Warren Jeffs, was eventually sent to prison in East Texas for abusing little girls. One of his former wives, Flora Jessop, says a decade later, he’s still in charge. According to Jessop, “He’s the one doing the orders, he is still moving families around, he is still dictating lives, he is still destroying lives.” The only difference, she says, is that Jeffs is not mobile. He’s stuck in a prison cell at the Louis C. Powledge Unit near Palestine. Meanwhile, that ranch is still up for sale. Continue reading West Texas Ranch Raided a Decade Ago

SMITH COUNTY – It is time for the bi-annual Smith County cleanup program. It starts Monday and runs through Saturday, May 5th. Smith County residents can use vouchers to redeem at the landfill on the Old Kilgore Highway. The vouchers are available at the courthouse annex and all JP and constables’ offices. You can take 3 cubic yards of solid waste, which fills the bed of a regular sized pickup, and/or bulk items to the landfill. Among the many items that will be accepted include furniture, toys and tree trimmings. Items not accepted include: hazardous waste, pesticides, herbicides, solvents, gasoline, oils, paint, acid, batteries, Asbestos, wet paint, Freon, whole tires, televisions, computers, refrigerators and freezers.

TYLER – Smith County is conducting a free symposium on how county government works generally across the state and specifically in Smith County. The symposium will provide a general overview of the county government structure in Texas, the role of various elected county officials and legislative restraints on how county government operates. Smith County Auditor Ann Wilson will speak about government finance and County Judge Nathaniel Moran will talk specifically about Smith County government. The session is Monday morning from 9:00 to 11:45 at the R.B. Hubbard Center on East Ferguson.

TYLER – Here’s a look at work planned in the district during the week of April 2nd. Schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure or other unforeseen issues. Slow down and pay attention when traveling through work zones.

In Smith County, I-20 westbound will be closed Monday evening for work on the FM 849 Bridge Replacement Project at Hideaway. Traffic will be moved to the ramps from 7:00pm, Monday, until 6:00am, Tuesday. Use alternate routes to avoid any slow-down at this location. Additional project information is available in the Smith County section of this news release.

In Gregg County, night work is set to begin Monday on the State Highway 149 at Sabine River project. Work will be performed from 7:00pm to 5:00am for the next two weeks. Alternate routes are recommended. Continue reading TxDOT Roadwork Update

TYLER – A Smith County man, accused of making threats against several witnesses who are scheduled to testify during his son’s upcoming murder trial, is in jail. Picked up in Mississippi on Saturday was Martin Wesley Reynolds Sr., 45. On Wednesday evening, Smith County authorities tried to serve the warrant on him at him residence in Whitehouse, but he was not there. He will now be extradited to Smith County. Reynolds’ son is one of three suspects in last November’s shooting death of Andrew Carpenter, 19. He was shot to death at a residence on Deerwood Drive.

PALESTINE – Guns and drugs have been recovered as Palestine police arrest two persons. The early Thursday morning arrests occurred as officers served a warrant at a home on Old Elkhart Road. The home is located in a in a drug free zone. About 30 grams of cocaine and two firearms and money were seized. Facing drug charges are two Palestine residents, Jarious Williams, 24, and Cheyenne Rodriguez, 23. Williams is also charged with possession of a firearm by a felon. Both were booked into the Anderson County Jail. Continue reading Two Busted for Drugs in Palestine

NASHVILLE – This fall, three persons will be inducted into the County Music Hall of fame. One of them is Tyler native Johnny Gimble. He was born in Tyler in 1926. Gimble, a western swing fiddler, was selected in the Recording and/or Touring Musician active prior to 1980 category. He was an in-demand session player. His fiddle work would be heard on many classic hit recordings over the years. He toured many years with Bob Wills and toured a couple of years with Willie Nelson’s band. Gimble died nearly three years ago. The hall of fame induction ceremony will be held this October.

OVERTON – Two persons have been injured fighting a fire at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center in Overton. The fire, which was reported before 7:00 Friday morning, was in a maintenance building at the research center on Farm Road 3053. Overton, Arp, New London, Sabine and Jackson Heights departments all responded to the fire. Our news partner, KETK, reports a firefighter suffered a medical emergency while fighting the fire and another was injured when he fell. The Overton Fire Department says both should make a full recovery. No word on how the fire started.

KILGORE — In a followup to a story we brought you earlier this week, four young women at Kilgore College are getting a series of rabies shots after they picked up what they thought was a sick, baby bat crawling on the ground. It turned out to be a rabid, full grown brown bat. BJ Owen, Director of Special Services for the City of Kilgore said the teeth are so sharp and tiny that’s it’s possible to be bitten and not know. The women were told it would be in their best interest to get a series of rabies shots. Owen says there are estimates that indicate about half of the bat population is infected with rabies but don’t show symptoms and don’t get sick.

EAST TEXAS — A Hallsville man who pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor online has been sentenced to 10 years probation. According to our news partner, KETK, Shane Jeffery Chapman, 33, was arrested May 22 on charges of online solicitation of a minor during a sting operation in which the Child Exploitation Unit of the Texas Attorney General’s Office collaborated with the Arlington Fugitive Apprehension Unit and the Longview Police Department. Chapman pleaded guilty to the second-degree felony charges in January. Chapman also will pay a $10,000 fine and spend 20 48-hour periods in the county jail in the next year. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for 10 additional years after the end of his probation.

TYLER – A man accused of recording a woman who worked at the same business as him, while she was in the restroom, has been indicted by the Smith County grand jury. Charged with invasive visual recording in a bathroom/dressing room is Victor Antonio Cruz-Castellanos, 29, of Tyler. Tyler Police Detective Andy Erbaugh told our news partner KETK that the incident happened in December. Cruz-Castellanos, who was arrested on December 12th, remains in the Smith County Jail under a $100,000 bond.

TYLER – A new sci-fi move has the touch of a Tyler Junior College professor. The movie, which comes out this weekend, is “Ready Player One.” TJC computer-animation professor Justin Sullivan will see some of his art work on the big screen. Sullivan created a digital extra for the movie. Digital extras are similar to background actors in live-action movies. They don’t have speaking parts or any other role than to fill in the background of a scene. Besides some technical specifications, Sullivan’s only real rule for creating a digital extra was that it couldn’t be a character from the book. It had to be original. So, he imagined this character and created a backstory for her. He says he has no idea where she will actually appear in Steven Spielberg’s new sci-fi adventure.

TYLER – The Smith County Sheriff’s Office has secured an arrest warrant for 45 year old Martin Wesley Reynolds Sr. He is accused of tampering with a witness. Sheriff’s department detectives have information that Reynolds made threats against several witnesses who are scheduled to testify during his son’s upcoming murder trial. Wednesday evening they tried to serve the warrant on him at him residence in Whitehouse. He was not there and is believed to be in hiding. When Judge Kerry Russell signed the warrant, he set his bond at $200,000. If you know where can be found you are asked to contact the sheriff’s department.

KILGORE – Kilgore College has brought home awards from the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association convention in Dallas. The Flare Magazine won first in Overall Excellence and The Flare newspaper and The Ranger Yearbook won second in Overall Excellence. The Flare newspaper staff received an Honorable Mention in the Best of Show, Division 2. The Flare newspaper staff received first place in Overall Design. The school’s student publications staff won 33 awards: 17 for production; 10 for visual reporting and six for narrative reporting. The Flare newspaper staff also brought home a second and third place in newspaper headline writing. Among the awards, sophomore Lucas Strough of Longview took home first place in Print News Writing. More than 400 students, representing 44 schools from Texas, competed head-to-head in 30 events during on-site contests.

JACKSONVILLE — A brutal beating that was caught on camera over the weekend at the Mud Nationals in Jacksonville is now under investigation. The video shows Chelsea Swain being attacked by several men. She posted a picture of herself getting treatment in Tyler and asking for help in finding the persons responsible for the injuries. Initially she said she did not want to file a report with authorities. But, earlier this week she contacted the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department and made a report. They say the incident is now under investigation.

TYLER – Tyler police have announced additional charges against two men accused of planting gas card skimmers. Now charged with engaging in organized criminal activity are Yoan Marquez Ramos, 28, of Haltom City and Jordan Adrain Borroto, 23, of Mansfield. The men were arrested in February after a card skimmer was found in a pump at a Bullard gas station. They were arrested following a chase when they realized officers saw them trying to remove the skimmer. They were already under an investigation which had found out this criminal organization had previously made 780 fraudulent transactions on at least 187 different credit cards in 29 cities and 3 different states. They remain in the Smith county jail, each under bonds of over $1.75 million. Continue reading Card Skimming Suspects Face More Charges

TYLER — The Tyler City Council Wednesday approved a $105,000 donation from the Smith County District Attorney’s Office to the Tyler Police Department to provide additional safety and operational equipment for officers. Police Chief Jimmy Toler says the equipment will include thermal imaging monoculars to help them find people at night and a mobile spectroscopy that will identify substances with minimum exposure to the officer. Toler says he’s thankful for the partnership with the DA’s office. The City Council also approved the purchase of 100 Lenovo in-car computers to be used in the Tyler Police and Fire Departments’ vehicles, replacing outdated equipment, according to a news release from the city.

TYLER — The Tyler City Council has voted no to renovations at the Rose City Complex. According to our news partner KETK, the upgrades would have included a conference center and hotel, which officials have discussed for years. Space and money were the two main concerns. One councilman says there is a discrepancy on how much the city is willing to spend, but the mayor reiterated a firm budget of $19 million. The number one goal is putting the convention center and hotel in the right place.

HENDERSON COUNTY — A 42-year-old woman, suspected of selling methamphetamine, has been arrested following a traffic stop. Hollie Jo Grimes, Jacksonville, was stopped on Highway 155 near Frankston shortly after midnight Wednesday. Her vehicle was searched after a Henderson County deputy said she was acting suspiciously. The deputy found 6 baggies containing meth, a digital scale and a loaded .32 caliber handgun. Grimes was charged with manufacturing and delivery of a controlled substance. Her vehicle was impounded. She also faces charges for unlawfully carrying a weapon.

NACOGDOCHES – The Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Department is looking for a woman wanted for interference with child custody. She is Carie Ann Durrett, 38. She was ordered by a court to surrender her 8 month old child. She refused and Sheriff Jason bridges says she is on the run with the child. It is believed that Chevie Durrett is in danger. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to contact the Nacogdoches County Sheriff Office. Continue reading Child Said to Be in Danger, Mother Sought

ELKHART – There has been another school lockdown in Anderson County. On Tuesday it was at Palestine High School. On Wednesday, and identical situation surfaced at Elkhart High School. A hand-written note taped above a water-fountain said “I’m gonna’ shoot up this school. Check your bags before 2:00.” The note was found just before 10:00. After a thorough search of buildings, students and their backpacks, the lockdown was lifted just over an hour later. As a precaution, two sheriff’s deputies were posted on the campus for the rest of Wednesday and will be there all day Thursday.

EAST TEXAS – For the second time in three months, federal immigration and customs officers have made arrests in North Texas and Oklahoma. The 89 criminal aliens and immigration violators ranged in age from 19 to 60. Most those arrested during the operation had criminal histories. Twenty three of the people arrested had illegally re-entered the U. S. after having been previously deported. Seven of the arrests were made in Tyler and six were made in Longview. The three day enforcement action ended last Thursday.

LONGVIEW – Gregg County has received money for some road improvements. The members of the North East Texas Regional Mobility presented county commissioners Wednesday with a check for $400,000. This is for reimbursement for the improvement work on U.S. Highway 259 at Hawkins Parkway. The county becomes the first recipient of the NET RMA’s Priority Project Program funding. The money was set aside in 2015 for the counties to fund their priority projects. The money was unused, so the agency was able to supply the Gregg County with two years of funding.

LONGVIEW – A Longview School District employee has been put on administrative leave pending an investigation. He is assistant band director Brandon McFarland. Our news partner KETK reports he was put on leave following allegations stemming from a school-sponsored trip to Florida over the spring break. The investigation stemmed from the educator bragging to students about an incident that happened during the trip. The school stressed there was no physical contact between any student and McFarland. A Spring Hill High School graduate in 2011, McFarland was hired by the Longview school system last June.