KTBB News, Weather, Talk

LIBERTY CITY — The pastor of Liberty City’s First Baptist Church says he is increasing security after the destruction of three buses by fire in the church parking lot. According to our news partner KETK, the vehicles caught on fire about 5:00 Monday morning. The Sabine Fire Department quickly put out the flames. An official cause was not immediately released, but Pastor Paul Michael Vacca says he has no reason to believe it’s a hate crime.

JACKSONVILLE — A brutal beating was caught on camera over the weekend at Mud Nationals in Jacksonville. According to our news partner KETK, in the video, a single mom is savagely attacked by several men in a mud pit. That information and the video come from Tees N Things, the Louisiana company she works for. The company identified the woman attacked as Chelsea Swain. She posted a picture of herself getting treatment, asking for help in finding the persons responsible for the injuries. The company is offering a $500 reward for the arrests of those responsible. Mud Creek Off Road Park confirmed the violent video. Park officials say they will assist assist law enforcement to the best of their ability as requested.

RUSK COUNTY — An East Texas man has been sentenced to prison for a sex crime against a child. According to KTBB’s news partner, KETK, Jerry Lyn Vinson, 61, was convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child on Tuesday. Vinson elected to waive his right to a jury trial and accept a plea of 30 years in prison. The defendant was arrested for the crime on December 28, 2016.

TYLER – The Ms. Texas Senior Classic Pageant is returning to Tyler. After being held in the Metroplex for 20 years, the pageant was held in Tyler the past two years. At a news conference Tuesday morning, the pageant’s State Director, Peggy Wagner of Plano, announced it will be returning to Tyler this September to the Holiday Inn on South Broadway. While in Tyler, the pageant has grown so, they had to add additional seating last year. The pageant is all about changing the image of aging. It is for women ages 60 and older. Continue reading Senior Pageant Returns to Tyler

TYLER – Several Smith County employees were recognized, during Tuesday’s Smith County Commissioners meeting, for their years of service to the county. One of those was fire marshal, Connie McCoy-Wasson. She was honored for 25 years of service. She has held her current post since November 2015. She is the first woman to hold the post of county fire marshal. Prior to that she served as deputy fire marshal for more than 20 years. McCoy-Wasson wears many hats. She is also the county’s emergency management coordinator, chairwoman of the Local Emergency Planning Committee and treasurer of the Smith County Volunteer Fireman’s Association. This is a far cry from 1993, when she was hired as secretary by the late Fire Marshal Charles Shine. Since then she has gone to school and earned her certifications to become a firefighter, investigator and inspector, as well as earning her peace officer license.

KILGORE – A Rabies infected bat has been found on the Kilgore College Campus. Our news partner KETK reports the bat was found last week near the fine arts building. The test results that came back on Monday showed the bat tested positive for rabies. Students who touched the animal will be given the rabies vaccine injections. Kilgore police say it is unusual for nocturnal animals to move about during the day. Their warning is, don’t touch wild animals. If an animal appears to be sick, it probably is, so, don’t touch it.

EAST TEXAS – Threats against schools in Longview and Palestine have surfaced. Two Longview High School students have been suspended after threats surfaced on Instagram. Some students reported the posting, which has since been deleted. So far there have been no arrests and school officials say the students were suspended indefinitely. Meanwhile, at Palestine High Shool, a lockdown has been lifted after a threatening note was found on the campus. The entire campus was searched, including the students’ backpacks. When no weapons were found by 12:30, classes returned to normal following lunch. Longview and Palestine police are continuing their investigation of the two incidents.

HIDEAWAY — The FM 849 bridge over I-20 at Hideaway is now open to traffic following a ribbon cutting Tuesday morning. TxDOT says remaining work will continue on the project. The effort got underway in early December after an emergency contract was expedited following a November incident in which the bridge sustained major structural damages. Due to the magnitude of the damages, a complete new structure was constructed rather than making costly, less efficient repairs, according to a news release. The $4.6 million project is expected to be completed this spring.

HENDERSON COUNTY — Three people were arrested Monday night following a game room raid in Seven Points. James Nelson 59 (pictured), and Lodia Thomas, 51, were charged with engaging in organized criminal activity and illegal gambling. More than 90 gambling devices and over $13,000 cash have been seized from the Can Depot game room on Cedar Creek Parkway. The game room was shut down. Michael Ruff, 32, was arrested and charged with possession of methamphetamines. All other patrons found gambling at the Can Depot were cited for illegal gambling.

KILGORE – A standoff with Gregg County sheriff’s deputies just outside of Kilgore had a successful ending Monday night. A man, whose name has not been released, has been taken to a hospital for observation. It started around 5:00 Monday afternoon with a report of a man, who was disturbed, firing shots from inside a home on Danville road. No injuries were reported and the road, which had been closed during the incident, has been re-opened.

TYLER – School trustees at Monday night’s meeting approved attendance zones for the 2018-2019 school year for its 17 elementary schools. A news release from the school district quotes school superintendent Dr. Marty Crawford as saying that adjusting the elementary school attendance zones will balance enrollment projections, continue to offer neighborhood schools, provide efficiencies in resource allocation and allow administrative tools to be deployed prior to considering a tax referendum. Zoning information for all TISD schools is available at https://www.tylerisd.org/zones Letters from the district containing zoning information will also be sent to each Tyler ISD household by April 1.

LONGVIEW – A Monday recount has affirmed that Easton Mayor Shannon Brown won the March Democratic Primary for Gregg County Commissioner in Precinct 4. The recount total showed Brown with 1,047 votes to Kasha Williams’ tally of 1,042. Those are the same vote results shown election night. The Longview News Journal reports Williams may challenge the results and is seeking legal advice. The paper says the issue centers around mail-in ballots that pushed Brown to victory.

TYLER – Tyler police continue the investigation into a Sunday morning shooting that involved a Smith County sheriff’s deputy. Two off duty Smith County Sheriff’s Office Deputies were working security at Whataburger on Gentry Parkway. They heard several gun shots. Then, a second round of gunfire erupted that involved one of the deputies. The details of what occurred are still being investigated. Treated and released from a Tyler hospital was Khalil Collins, 22, of Hawkins. Still in the hospital with non-life threatening injuries is Brandon Woods, 22, also from Hawkins. Continue reading Deputy Involved Shooting Under Investigation

NACOGDOCHES – A suspect is in custody in connection with a threat made against a Nacogdoches School. Mike Moses Middle School Principal Stephen Autrey posted on Facebook Sunday the threat was made against his school on the social media. The investigation resulted into the arrest of the suspect before lunch time on Sunday. No details were released about the nature of the threat or information about the suspect. Autrey said in his posting, “With the individual in custody, we do not feel that a threat to our school remains.”

TYLER – Beginning Monday, TxDOT started traffic counts in the Tyler district’s 8 counties. Motorists will notice road tubes at 6,400 locations around the Tyler district. The traffic data will be collected 24 hours a day on all system roadways through April 26th. Contract personnel are collecting the data for TxDot in Anderson, Cherokee, Gregg, Henderson, Rusk, Smith, Van Zandt, and Wood counties. The data is used for planning, funding distribution and pavement and bridge design. Other counts are also conducted annually by TxDOT’s Traffic Data Collection Programs.

MINEOLA – The Mineola Police Department is looking for two men who burglarized a convenience store early Monday morning. The two two broke into Young’s Chevron on East Broad Street. They left after loading a large amount of cartons of assorted brands of cigarettes into large trash cans. If you recognize the suspects, you are asked to contact the Mineola Police Department.

Second Suspect

MARSHALL – Two northeast Texas schools have signed an articulation agreement. The agreement has been signed by the school president’s of East Texas Baptist University in Marshall and Northeast Texas Community College in Mount Pleasant. The agreement will ensure that eligible graduates of NTCC will be able to seamlessly transfer approved courses, receive priority for admission and scholarships at ETBU. The University will also offer $11,000 each year in academic support to Phi Theta Kappa students.

KILGORE – A church van has been stolen in Kilgore. It belongs to Old Path’s Tabernacle on Green Hills Drive. It was reported stolen Monday morning. It’s a 2002 Dodge van, white in color, with Old Path’s Tabernacle decals. The license plate number is BM9-L570. If you see this vehicle you are asked to contact Kilgore Police.

TYLER – Here’s a look at work planned in the district during the Week of March 26th. 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, the new FM 849 Bridge at Hideaway is scheduled to open to traffic this week. A ribbon cutting event is scheduled for 9 a.m., Tuesday, March 27, on the bridge. Work on the project will continue. Additional project information is available in the Smith County section of this news release. Work on the NETRMA’s Toll 49 Lindale Relief Route project will necessitate the contractor closing the left lane of the eastbound mainlanes to traffic Monday through Wednesday, March 26-28. The closure will be in place from FM 849 to FM 411. Local law enforcement will be assisting with work zone traffic control. For more information, visit TXDoT’s Webpage: http://www.txdot.gov/

TYLER — Tyler ISD trustees will vote Monday evening on a complete revision of elementary school attendance zones. That follows recent approval of new middle and high school attendance zones for the next school year. Several elementary schools have split zones dating to TISD’s days under a federal desegregation order that has since been lifted. Officials say the current situation puts some students far away from their schools, making for some excessively long bus trips. Officials also point out that demographics have changed significantly since the 1970 desegregation order, with the district now about 72 per cent minority. Continue reading Tyler ISD Board to Consider Revamped Elementary School Zones

HALLSVILLE — A student at Hallsville ISD’s fourth-and-fifth grade campus is facing criminal charges after the child threatened to “shoot up” the school, according to Superintendent Jeff Collum. According to the Longview News-Journal, officials declined to identify the student because of his age. The student faces a charge of terroristic threat. Collum said Friday that the student’s threat was overheard Thursday by another person. Continue reading Hallsville ISD Student Faces Felony Charge after School Threat

GREGG COUNTY — A Longview man remained jailed Friday after police said he stabbed a man in his home. According to our news partner KETK and the Longview News-Journal, Carlo Demond Young, 39, was held on $100,000 bond, charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Lakeport police arrested Young at 12:42 p.m. Thursday at Texas 149 near Jaguars club. The victim told officers that on March 10 a man named “Joe” had stabbed him, sending him to the hospital with two wounds to the back of his upper torso, according to a warrant for Young’s arrest. At the time, the victim told officers the man assaulted him over a $20 debt and then left the scene.

MOUNT PLEASANT (AP/STAFF) — Authorities have identified a Tennessee trucker and four members of an Illinois family who died in an East Texas traffic accident. The Department of Public Safety on Saturday said investigators are trying to determine why a big rig rear-ended a minivan stopped on Interstate 30 as an earlier unrelated wreck cleared. Sgt. Sylvia Jennings says 64-year-old Wanda Gebhart of Pikeville, Tennessee, died at the scene Friday on eastbound I-30 at Mount Pleasant, 100 miles northeast of Dallas. Jennings says 41-year-old Jessica Brokish of Savoy, Illinois, and her three children were also killed. DPS didn’t immediately release names of the boys — ages 9 and 6 — plus a 2-year-old girl. The woman’s husband was driving. He has since been released from the hospital.

MARSHALL – One person has been seriously injured in a vehicle/pedestrian accident in Marshall. It happened Shortly after 5:15 Wednesday afternoon. The person ran across several lanes of traffic from the west side of East End Boulevard and ran into the path of a southbound vehicle. The person was first taken to a Marshall hospital and later transferred to a Tyler hospital where he remains in ICU. The accident remains under investigation.

KILGORE – Pending board approval, D’Wayne Shaw has been named Kilgore College’s new Dean of Public Services and Industrial Technologies. He succeeds Randy Lewellen who retired earlier this year after almost 28-years at the school. Shaw has most recently served as KC’s Technical Dual Credit Coordinator since August of 2017 and has also served as the Technical Department Chair at KC since 2011. He was first hired at Kilgore College in 1999 where he served as an automotive instructor.

GLADEWATER – Funeral services have been scheduled for the former mayor of Gladewater and a longtime trustee at Kilgore College. James Walker was 82 when he died Thursday. According to the obituary from Croley Funeral Home, services will be Monday morning at 11:00 at the First United Methodist Church in Gladewater. Burial will follow services at Gladewater Memorial Park. The family will receive friends Sunday afternoon from 4:00 until 6:00pm at Croley Funeral home in Gladewater.

MARSHALL – A man wanted in connection with a Marshall shooting has been arrested. The warrant for Demetrius Tranell Williams was issued shortly after the March 7th shooting. It started with a fight near the playground at the Belaire Manor Apartments on West Rusk Street. A man received a non-life threatening gunshot wound. Officers found Williams on East End Boulevard shortly after 2:45 yesterday afternoon. He was arrested without incident. He is now in the Harrison County Jail, charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and and unrelated charges of manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance.

AUSTIN – Unemployment in the state and East Texas held steady in February. The state’s unemployment was placed at 4.0%, the same as it was in February. The nation’s jobless figure is 4.1 %. The state’s economy added 40,500 jobs, the 20th straight month of employment growth. Tyler’s unemployment rate in February was 3.8%, the same figure as January. Longview’s jobless rate for February was the same as January, 4.5%. And the jobless rates in Tyler and Longview are far below where they were a year ago.

TYLER — An enticing a child charge against a former East Texas high school volleyball coach has been dismissed due to “insufficient evidence.” According to records obtained by KETK, the Smith County District Attorney’s Office dismissed the charge against ex-Brook Hill volleyball coach Ricky Clements, 64, of Flint, on Friday, March 16. Clements, aka “Papa Ricky,” was arrested by the Bullard Police Department on October 21, 2015, after they said he was sending inappropriate text messages to a 16-year-old boarding school student. The DA’s office said due to the “unique facts” of this particular case, they did not have sufficient evidence to prove the element of “intent to interfere with lawful custody” as required by the statue.