KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER – Beginning this month, the state’s campus carry law has been expanded to include community and junior colleges. Tyler Junior College has a policy in place which allows a person, with a concealed handgun permit, permission to carry the gun on the campus. Dr. Tom Johnson, Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs at TJC, says there are a few areas where the concealed handguns are not permitted, and those areas are marked by large signs. He says you can go to the TJC website and type in concealed handgun policy in the search section to view the policy.

LONGVIEW — Burglary suspects Steven Williams and Robert Blackshear, both 19 years-old of Longview, have been arrested. They were on their way to the hospital, for some unknown reason, when they had a accident at Methvin and Fifth Streets. That’s where they were arrested for breaking into a home on South Mobberly Avenue to steal items from Jaun Richardson, who police say they stabbed in back. He is in the hospital. The teens are in the Gregg County Jail, charged with burglary of a habitation. Each is under a $50,000 bond.

HENDERSON COUNTY – An Arp man has been arrested for possession of meth. Trinity Driver, 28, was pulled over for a traffic violation south of Chandler around 1:30 this morning. A Henderson County Deputy searched his vehicle and found a pipe and meth hidden in a cigarette box. Driver was booked into the Henderson County Jail on a possession charge.

SMITH COUNTY — Eighteen Texas sheriffs, including Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith, have signed up to participate in a federal immigration enforcement program that checks the immigration status of inmates in the county jail. Under the program, sheriff’s office personnel are trained so that people jailed locally and found to be in the country illegally can be held until federal agents decide if deportation is appropriate. ICE now has 60 active agreements, which is nearly double the number of active programs in 2016.

TYLER – The City of Tyler has launched a new podcast series called Roses and Weeds. It’s designed to keep residents up to date with current events and news about the city. The first episode is streaming on iTunes and Soundcloud. It is covering such topics as the city’s updated noise ordinance, the Rose Complex Master Plan and the city’s Half Cent Sales Tax program. You can hear the podcast at https://soundcloud.com/rosesandweeds or find it on the city’s homepage.

TYLER – Tyler Junior College’s Dr. Juan E. Mejia has been named recipient of the Nelson Administrative Leadership Award by the Texas Association of Community Colleges. Mejia, provost & vice president for academic and student affairs at TJC, received the award at the recent TACC Conference in San Antonio. The award was established in 2003 in memory of Carl M. Nelson, who served as president of Texarkana College.

TYLER – Dr. Larry K. Lowery has been named a 2017 University of Texas System Board of Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award recipient. Dr. Lowry is professor of occupational and environmental health sciences in the School of Community and Rural Health and is also director of environmental health graduate programs in the department of occupational health sciences at UT Health Northeast. He will received his award in Austin August 23rd.

LINDALE — An East Texas man has been caught after putting several neighborhoods in Lindale on edge Friday evening. Officers tell KETK they got calls about 38-year-old Dustin Youngman, who they say had broken into a house and was still inside. Officers say Youngman ran when they arrived. A notice to the public was sent out asking people to stay inside and lock their houses. After a two- hour search, Youngman was found and arrested. No one was injured.

ATHENS – 16-year-old Justin Gardner of Athens is listed as missing on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children website. He was last seen July 21st and they feel he may still be in the area. He is said to be 5’8′, and weighs 185 pounds. If you know where he can be found, you are asked to call you local law enforcement agency.

TYLER – Two persons wanted in a Smith County animal cruelty case have been arrested. Authorities have arrested Roderick Johnson and Vanessa Mederos, both are 23 and both are from Tyler. They had been wanted in connection with three dogs that were left chained without food or water. One died before they were found. Both suspects remain in the Smith County Jail. Continue reading Two Tyler Residents Charged with Animal Cruelty

MARSHALL – A Harrison County teen has been arrested following a day long manhunt. Perry Brown Jr., 19, had been sought after breaking into a home on Saturday and being scared away by the owner. He is then said to have stolen a car and wrecked it after being chased by the car’s owner. Authorities arrested him after a short foot chase. The Marshall News Messenger reports he is said a suspect in numerous burglaries in the area.

TYLER – Tyler’s Bill Baker is the winner of Longview’s 40th Annual Great Texas Balloon Race. He also won the Texas State and the Southwestern Regional championships, which were being held at the same time. Baker also won the Longview race in 2003. The event started Friday and ran through Sunday in Longview.

TYLER – There’s plenty of roadwork planned in TxDOT’s Tyler District this coming week. The nighttime project on Beckham Avenue in Tyler continues between Oakwood and Fifth Streets, with work resuming at 7:30 Sunday. Schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure, or other unforeseen issues. You’re reminded to slow down and pay attention when traveling through work zones. Go to http://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/media-center/local-news/tyler/040-2017.html for a complete rundown of Tyler District work for the next several days.

HARRISON COUNTY — 31-year-old Marlon Moore of Marshall was killed Saturday night in a head-on collision on U.S. 80 between Hallsville and Marshall. The Department of Public Safety says Moore was driving west in the eastbound lane when his vehicle hit a pickup. The pickup driver was taken to the hospital with unspecified injuries.

TYLER — Six pets have been killed in a Saturday night fire on East Fifth Street in Tyler. Investigators tell KETK the homeowner escaped as fire crews arrived, but her parrot, cat, and four dogs died from smoke inhalation. Crews contained the fire before it could spread from the rear of the house.

TYLER — 24-year-old Nhi Tran of Tyler has been killed in a Saturday night wreck on State Highway 31, about 11 miles east of Tyler. DPS Sgt. Jean Dark says an eastbound Nissan tried to turn left into a private drive and collided with a westbound Jeep. Tran, a passenger in the Nissan, was pronounced dead a few hours later at ETMC-Tyler.

MADISONVILLE (AP/Staff) – 31-year-old Bridget Cast of Longview, arrested for driving while intoxicated, is in bigger trouble for driving off in a state trooper’s patrol car. Madison County authorities say Cast was involved in a one-car accident Friday night near Normangee, was handcuffed, and in the front seat of the trooper’s car when she managed to slip her arms from behind and drive away while the trooper was outside. He jumped into a deputy’s car and they chased her about 3 miles. The trooper fired several shots at her. No one was hurt. Cast is jailed on evading arrest and unauthorized use of a vehicle charges, along with DWI.

LONGVIEW — Beginning Monday, as part of ongoing roadwork, Center Street in Longview will be closed between Tyler and the alley 150 feet north of Methvin. Beginning Tuesday, the two westernmost lanes of High Street at the underpass will be closed from Tyler Street to Cotton Street. Two-way traffic will continue, but left turns will not be allowed at Cotton or Tyler. Drivers are asked to use caution or seek alternate routes.

DALLAS — 11-year-old Aaron Christopher Lloyd of Jefferson is in stable condition at Dallas Children’s Hospital after he was hit by a car Thursday night in Longview, suffering life-threatening injuries. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, police said Aaron remains in the hospital’s urgent care center. Police said the boy had been crossing North Eastman Road near Hinsley Park and that the driver was not at fault.

VAN — A 3-year old is okay after being pulled from a well by his grandfather. KETK reports the young boy fell through the concrete cover early Saturday morning in Van. Firefighters say the young boy had walked over the well cover, which is said to have been brittle, when it collapsed on him. The grandfather was nearby and was able to go inside the well and pull the young boy from it. The boy did not need medical attention. Following the scare, the city is asking people to be aware of their surroundings and keep a close eye on well covers. Continue reading Van 3-Year-Old Saved; Fell into Well after Cover Collapse

LONGVIEW — Longview police are searching for a missing man who suffers from early stage Alzheimer’s. KETK reports officials are looking for Robyn Tyrell Allmond, 50, who was last seen on Wednesday at around 9 a.m. at the Hiway 80 Rescue Mission. Allmond is described as 5 feet 7 inches, 140 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information on Allmond is asked to contact the Longview Police Department at 903-237-1170 or your local law enforcement agency.

LINDALE — A man has been arrested in Lindale after leading law enforcement on a chase Friday night. According to KETK, a Lindale PD Facebook post published around 9:45 p.m. says police asked residents living near the Conoco gas station on Highway 69 to stay indoors as they searched for the man. He was arrested around 10:30 p.m. His identity and charges were not immediately known.

TYLER — Every student athlete in the Tyler ISD will be subject to drug testing when school resumes next month. Our news partner KETK reports that TISD is hiring a certified drug testing laboratory to test student athletes for use of substances including marijuana, prescription pain medications, cocaine and other drugs. Testing will be used to determine player eligibility. Consequences for a positive test will range from verbal and written warnings to counseling, community service and suspension from school athletics.

BULLARD – A Bullard area resident is being charged with theft after some $20,000 worth of jewelry was stolen in Cherokee County. Sheila Ardry Jones, 49, is accused of taking the jewels after going into a neighbor’s home while the neighbor was gone. Some of the items were found in several different pawn shops. Jones was was arrested on the theft charge earlier this week. She is currently free on a $15,000 bond.

DALLAS – A Wood County College student has been killed in a Dallas drive-by shooting. Patrick Powell, 18, was shooting basketball in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas when he was shot Wednesday night. He died the next day. The police say they don’t believe that Powell, who was to be a sophomore at Jarvis Christian College in Hawkins, was the target of the shooting. Two boys, ages 13 and 14, have been arrested and are facing murder charges in the case. A GoFundMe campaign has been started to raise money for Powell’s funeral.

PALESTINE – A Smith County Sheriff’s deputy has been bypassed in the search for Palestine’s new police chief. The Smith County Sheriff Department’s public information officer, Sgt Darrell Coslin, was one of four finalist for the post. Palestine City Manager Mike Alexander is said to have selected Dallas Police Dept. Lt. Andy Harvey for the post. Alexander will not confirm he has picked Harvey. He will only say that he has selected a finalist and that the city council will discuss the selection August 14th. Harvey has been with the Dallas Police Department for 22 years. He is currently in the department’s crime scene response section.

TYLER – Bond has been set at $1.25 million for a suspect in a Tyler shooting death. That’s after an exchange of gunfire between two men resulted in one person dead and the other in jail. Aquinas Lamar Dixon, 32, turned himself in at the Tyler Police Department Thursday morning. He had been wanted in the shooting death of Earnest Dennis, 28, around 8:45 Wednesday night. Dennis was found in a parking lot across the street from the Pool Hall Domino Club on Morris Street. He was pronounced dead at East Texas Medical Center. Investigators say the two men exchanged numerous shots at each other based on the number of shell casings they found. Dixon was booked into the Smith County Jail on a murder charge. He was later also charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

LONGVIEW – Priscilla Kay Solomon, 41, of Longview has been charged with the possession of a prohibited weapon. She was booked into the Gregg County Jail on a $5,000 bond. A police officer first had stopped her for having an expired registration sticker. On the back seat, the officer saw a “sawed off” double barrel shotgun. When it was found the barrel was too short, Solomon was arrested. She also had an outstanding city warrant for failure to maintain financial responsibility.

LONGVIEW – The start of the Great Texas Balloon Race in Longview did not get off the ground Friday morning. The hot air balloons had been scheduled to fly over Longview, but wind conditions forced the flight to be cancelled. Other events got underway Friday afternoon at 4:00 at the East Texas Regional Airport.