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TYLER – Abel Keith Fulton, 19, has pleaded guilty to the unlawful possession of ricin. The plea was entered on Tuesday in an appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge John D. Love. Prosecutors say from August to September 2016, Fulton possessed ricin at his home. Ricin is a biological toxin that can be fatal if ingested, inhaled, or injected. There is no known antidote or cure for ricin poisoning. Fulton made the ricin using supplies that he purchased online. He now faces up to 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.

MARSHALL – Three Marshall residents have been arrested for auto theft. Booked into the Harrison County jail for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle were Richard Parrott Jr., 29, (pictured) Renae Pack, 24 and Vernon Williams, 29. They are said to be responsible for the theft of three vehicles from Garrett’s Automotive Center on East East End Boulevard last Sunday. Two of the vehicles were recovered in Marshall and the third was found in Harrison County. The case remains under investigation.

TYLER (AP/STAFF) — A Tyler man on death row for the slaying of a 93-year-old woman during a robbery at her home has received an execution date. State District Judge Christi Kennedy signed an order Monday setting Clifton Williams, 34, for lethal injection June 21 in Huntsville. The execution is for the fatal beating and stabbing of Cecilia Schneider at her home in Tyler in July 2005. Evidence showed Williams entered through a back door, attacked her and then set her body and bed on fire. He fled with her car and her purse containing $40. Authorities said he wanted money for drugs. Defense attorneys argued he was mentally impaired and ineligible for the death penalty. Williams came within hours of execution in July of 2015 when the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals halted his scheduled punishment.

TYLER – Robert E. Lee High School senior, Fritz Hager III, has been named one of six finalists in the National Endowment for the Arts 2018 Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge. This is a national songwriting competition where the winner receives $25,000. The finalists, five individual composers and one pair, will each have their songs published by Samuel French. They will find out late next month who gets the top prize. The winner will be announced in New York during a weekend of workshops with well-known musicians, singers, songwriters and producers. Continue reading Lee Student Finalist in National Songwriting Competition

CHANDLER – A Henderson County couple is accused of exposing a baby to drugs. Arrested over the weekend were Christian Alexander David Hart, 25, and Katie Lynn Sheppard, 22. During a CPS investigation, the Chandler couple and a 10 month old child each tested positive for methamphetamine. Both have been charged with endangering a child. Hart is also charged with violation of bond or a protective order. Both remain in the Henderson County Jail. Continue reading Infant Tests Positive for Drugs, Couple Arrested

MARSHALL – Marshall police are trying to locate an armed robber. Just before midnight on March 13th, the man held up the Alon Food Fast Fina on West Grand Avenue. Armed with a handgun, he demanded money and cigarettes from the clerk. He later fled the business in an unknown direction. The suspect is described as a black male who was wearing a mask, red hoodie, blue jeans and dark colored shoes. The store’s employee was not injured. Continue reading Marshall Armed Robbery Suspect Sought

SMITH COUNTY – Wednesday is Texas Tobacco Free Kids Day, and some students have a message to pass along. At least 70 students and faculty at 5 Smith County schools will be wearing shirts about standing up to tobacco. The number 70 represents the number of people who die every day in Texas from tobacco related deaths. The activity is an awareness event to encourage students to live tobacco-free lives. It also serves as a way to encourage schools to participate in efforts to help kids achieve this goal. High schools taking part in the campaign are John Tyler, Robert E Lee, the TISD Early College High School as well as high schools in Chapel Hill and Whitehouse.

SMITH COUNTY — Sheriff Larry Smith and the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Bullard Southern Baptist Church, are offering “free active shooter training” to the public. The training, “Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events”, teaches what happens during an event. The training will be Thursday March 22nd, at 7:00 p.m. at the Bullard Southern Baptist Church, 716 N. Houston Street, in Bullard. This subject is graphic and some portions of the training may not be suitable for children. Parents are strongly encouraged to “not” bring children younger than 13 to the training. For more information on the Smith County Sheriff’s Office visit http://www.smithcountysheriff.com. The Sheriff’s Office also has a Facebook page and can be followed on Twitter at @SmithCSO.

TYLER — Tyler Police are searching for a man accused of impersonating an officer. Around 12:30 this morning, a woman said she was pulled over at the intersection of South Broadway and FM 2813 by a dark colored SUV with red and blue dash mounted lights. The victim said a white male, in his 30’s, with scruffy facial hair, approached her vehicle and demanded money from her purse. After showing him she had none, he grabbed her by the head and slammed her face on the steering wheel, causing minor injuries. He fled the scene on FM 2813. The suspect was wearing a black hat, black gloves and blue jeans. Anyone with information is asked to contact Tyler Police at 903-531-1000.

PALESTINE – The University of Texas at Tyler will invest around $600,000 to make safety renovations to the Innovation Academy STEM charter school facility in Palestine. School officials made the announcement Monday night at a town hall meeting in Palestine to parents of students attending the school. There had been some concern the school may have to close. The Innovation Academy closed its primary Palestine building last summer after the state fire marshal flagged safety concerns. A short-term facility solution was using Mathis Hall on UT Tyler’s extension campus in Palestine, which allowed classes to continue this academic year. The renovations will begin soon as possible. No date has been set on completion. The charter school has over 200 students from second through 11th grades. Continue reading Renovations Announced For a Palestine Charter School

TYLER – Independent candidate Neal Katz kicked off his campaign Monday for Texas House of Representatives District 6. He will be on the ballot in November against incumbent Matt Schaefer, the winner of the March 6 Republican primary. No Democrat is on the ballot for that race in November. Katz says he’s running because he believes Smith County needs stronger and more effective representation in the Texas House. He says his focuses include the future of neighborhood schools, smarter planning and funding to expand roads, and actual relief for the property taxpayers.

GILMER – Gilmer police are seeking the name of a man taking pictures of children at a playground in the city. The photographer is a white male, who appears to be in his 40s, and had a baby at the playground of the Yamboree Grounds. He was said to have been driving a Chevrolet Silverado pickup. He was taking pictures of girls going down a slide. A witness said it appeared the man was attempting to take photos up the dresses of the children. If you know who was driving this truck, you are asked to contact Gilmer police.

LONGVIEW – The Sabine River Authority of Texas will award the City of Longview a Community Assistance Program Grant. The $10,000 will be used to assist the city to build a pond on the city’s arboretum site at 706 West Cotton Street. The city says this will help prevent run-off and improve drainage.

TYLER – A Tyler man is heading to prison on child porn charges. Benjamin Andrew Cole, 34, pleaded guilty in state district court in Tyler Monday morning. He pleaded guilty to child pornography charges and an online solicitation charge. He was sentenced to 8 years in prison. Cole was arrested last August 17th following an extensive investigation by the Department of Public Safety. He has been in the Smith County Jail since his arrest. The child porn charges stem from incidents which investigators say occurred on August 17, 2017, and September 25, 2017. The online solicitation charge is said to have occurred on August 17, 2017.

KILGORE – Two drivers have been killed in a two vehicle accident in Kilgore. It happened just before 4:00 Sunday afternoon on U.S. Highway 259 near Farm Road 349. One driver, 19 year old Dakota Patrick Harris, of Kilgore, later died in a Tyler hospital. The other driver, 79 year old Mary Virginia Cameron, of Overton, died in a Longview hospital. Police reports indicate Cameron’s car drove into oncoming traffic, for unknown reasons, and hit Harris’ car head-on. The accident remains under investigation.

HARRISON COUNTY — A Marshall woman has died after she was hit by a semi. According to the DPS report, around 12:30 Saturday afternoon, Lea Celeste Williford, 32, was walking on the shoulder of I-20, 7 miles west of Waskom. Officials said she ran into the path of the tractor trailer. Williford was pronounced dead at the scene. No other injuries were reported and the incident remains under investigation.

TYLER – Here’s a look at work planned in the TxDOT Tyler District during the Week of March 19. Among the highlights: expect some changes in lane closures on the U.S. 175 project between Larue and Poynor. Also, a Wednesday night closure of I-20 westbound moves traffic to the ramps for work on the FM 849 bridge at Hideaway. You can check http://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/media-center/local-news/tyler/012-2018.html for a complete rundown.

TYLER — This month, Visit Tyler and Downtown Tyler joined efforts to launch two new websites that will complement each other in order to reach a broader audience, according to a Visit Tyler news release. Staffers say the new sites will feature user-friendly designs and layouts as well as highlight attractions, amenities, events, and facilities. The websites will also be compatible with mobile devices, according to the news release. Go to http://www.VisitTyler.com or http://www.DowntownTyler.net to view the new sites.

TYLER — The city of Tyler has issued a rundown of work planned for the weeks of March 19 and March 26. Among the highlights: the Runway 4/22 Rehabilitation Project 4 at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport, which has been delayed due to wet weather. Work is due to continue in March and April. The contractor has given 45 days’ notice to enter phase 3 of the project, which includes beginning the critical work in the intersection of Runway 4/22 and 13/31. Work also continues on the Legacy Trails project from Old Jacksonville to Cumberland Road and Gresham. Crews started on the east trail at Three Lakes Parkway and Old Jacksonville, where 3,800 linear feet out of a total of 7,900 linear feet are substantially complete. You can go to http://www.cityoftyler.org/News.aspx for more details.

LONGVIEW — A bicyclist riding Friday night on McCann Road in Longview was left with serious injuries after colliding with a car, police spokesman Sgt. Shane McCarter reported. KETK and the Longview News-Journal report details of the collision were not immediately available. McCarter said the cyclist was driving north about 7:40 p.m. near Fire Station No. 6 when the vehicle “struck her.” The woman was taken to a local hospital. “The last I heard, she is fine,” he said. “She had some serious injuries, but it looks like she will be all right.”

CANTON — Legal proceedings are moving forward after 60 dogs and puppies suffering from various health issues were rescued from a possible puppy mill. KETK reports the SPCA of Texas and law enforcement officers took them from a property in Canton on Wednesday. The SPCA says twelve dead dogs were also found wrapped in plastic bags in the kitchen freezer. The animal owner let investigators know that dogs on the property were being sold for profit. It wasn’t immediately clear if the owner is properly licensed. The surviving animals are being cared for by the SPCA until a March 23 custody hearing. “It’s possible this case could go on for another week to another several weeks,” said the SPCA’S Maura Davies.

TYLER — Tyler police are investigating a Friday night fight in which gunshots were reported at the Shiloh Pines mobile home park on East Shiloh Road. Police say they responded shortly after 10 p.m. after numerous callers reported a large fight at the mobile home park and at least 4 gunshots. While officers were headed to the scene, it was reported that a car was involved and fleeing the scene. Officers say they stopped the car in the parking lot of the Valero gas station at Paluxy and Shiloh. Several juveniles and a .45-caliber handgun were found in the vehicle. Several .45-caliber shell casings were found around the pool area at the mobile home park. One of the juveniles was placed under arrest for unlawfully carrying a weapon. There were no injuries.

TYLER — Smith County authorities have arrested a suspect in a bomb threat. On March 5, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office received an email in which the writer made threats referring to blowing up the building. On March 6, detectives followed a lead to Sabine County and obtained a search warrant for a home there. On March 7, they executed the warrant, seized several items of evidence, and arrested Heather Janea George, 32. She was jailed in Sabine County on a charge of tamper/fabricate physical evidence during the warrant execution. On March 13, detectives obtained another arrest warrant for George for terroristic threat/influence of state government, a 3rd degree felony. George was arrested at her home the following day and is now held in the Smith County jail on $250,000 bond. Authorities say the investigation is active and ongoing.

TYLER – Traffic on Rice Road in Tyler is being diverted until 4:00 this afternoon between Kinsey Drive and Old Bullard Road due to roadwork and construction. Rice Road will be closed to local traffic between Cloverdale Drive and Briar Cove Drive and closed to truck traffic from Kinsey Drive to Old Bullard Road. A city news release says the work should take around nine hours to complete.

ATHENS – Three men are facing drug charges following their arrests southwest of Athens. They are Ricky Hurt (pictured), 60; Gerald Loden, 65; and Bradley Lowe, 25. The three were arrested at a property on County Road 1208. Sheriff Botie Hillhouse said they had received information from citizens about possible drug activity in the area that started the investigation that led to the arrests.

LONGVIEW – A fatal Longview fire appears to be arson. The fire in a duplex on Cherie Lane the night March 9th killed Randall Russell and his daughter, Lisa Russell Tesmer. The fire department says the investigation into the fire continues. The Longview News Journal, quoting a search warrant, says the police are investigating the fire as arson. It also says Kimberly Nicole Bruton, 32, is a suspect in the fire. She is currently free on a $1,000 bond after being charged with arson. She was arrested as she stood outside the burning home holding bottle of charcoal lighter fluid.

TYLER – Tyler Police are asking your help in identifying the suspect who stole several Coach items. The expensive items were taken from the Dillard’s store in the Broadway Square Mall. If you can identify this man, you are asked to contact the Tyler Police Department.

JACKSONVILLE – A felon wanted by Jacksonville police has been arrested. Last week we told you 26 year old Drayshadrian Hunter, who is also known as “Stinky Butt, was being sought. He was wanted on warrants out of the Jacksonville Police Department as well as Smith, Van Zandt and Kaufman counties. Friday, acting on a tip, the police went to a home on Talley Nichols Drive, where they found Hunter hiding in a closet. He was arrested without incident and booked into the Cherokee County Jail.

TYLER – Two Smith County residents are accused of trying to smuggle items into the county jail. They are Brittney Chene Boyd, 25, of Lindale and Andria Michelle Smith, 20, of Tyler. They are charged with a prohibitive substance or item in a correctional facility. Each is under a $25,000 bond. A deputy was patrolling the jail perimeter when she saw two women attempting to pass cigarettes over the wall. One was standing on top of the other one. They were immediately arrested. Continue reading Accused Jail Smugglers Arrested