KTBB News, Weather, Talk

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.

LONGVIEW – A young boy has been critically injured when hit by a car in Longview. Aaron Christopher Lloyd, 11, of Ore City, was flown to a Dallas hospital with life threatening injuries. He was hit by a car as he tried to cross North Eastman Road just before 11:00 Thursday night. Longview police say the boy was not crossing at a crosswalk and the Gilmer man driving the car was not at fault in the accident.

LONGVIEW — An East Texas man was arrested after an accident causing Friday morning road closures in Longview. According to KETK, H.G. Mosely Parkway and Ruthlynn Drive were closed in both directions following a wreck that knocked power poles down. Longview Police said Luke Austin Hall, 23, Jefferson, told them he left a Longview bar and was driving home when his truck tires hit the curb, pulling his vehicle off the roadway causing him to hit a light pole and a tree. Officers determined Hall was intoxicated and arrested him for driving while intoxicated. He was booked into the Gregg County Jail.

TYLER – Keep Tyler Beautiful has added another newly wrapped traffic signal box in their Beauty and the Box program. The newest box is at the intersection of South Broadway and Loop 323. The artwork features a green-living design, promoting recycling and clean energy. It is being sponsored by Pyramid Homes. This program was launched in 2016 with the wrapping ten traffic utility boxes in the Downtown area. They showcased art designed by local artists. The program since added four additional boxes throughout the city.

FLINT – A Smith County woman is being treated for a neck wound and a suspect in the stabbing is in custody. The stabbing was reported around 12:30 Thursday afternoon off Highway 155 in the Flint area. The victim is being treated at a Tyler hospital. A woman was taken into custody at the scene. Their names have not yet been released. Also arrested at the scene was Allen Keith Bryant. His arrest was because of a parole violation.

TYLER- The Tyler City Council has received a presentation outlining a new Historic Preservation Strategic Plan for the city. The city was awarded, last year, a matching grant from the Texas Historical Commission to conduct a Historic Preservation Strategic Plan. The Lakota Group was hired to formulate and identify specific, realistic and achievable strategies for enhancing the City’s current historic preservation program. A steering committee has been meeting on the plan. There also has been community workshops and multiple Historical Preservation Board review sessions to help refine the plan. You can go to http://www.TylerHistoricPreservation.com to view the digital version of the plan. Continue reading A New Historic Preservation Plan for Tyler

LONGVIEW – A Longview man caught with a large quantity of drugs has drawn a long prison sentence. Brandon Dewayne Bush, 31, who pleaded guilty to possession and delivery of drugs, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. Bush was arrested in May of last year following a traffic stop. They found in his car, a large amount of drugs, including methamphetamine and marijuana. They also found drug paraphernalia, including empty bags and scales, and over than $7,000 in cash.

LONGVIEW – A Longview man is headed to prison for shooting his ex-wife. Jose Isabel Garcia, 41, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The Longview News Journal reports he has been sentenced to 38 years in prison. In July of last year, Garcia shot his ex-wife three times and then pushed her out of a moving car. She was shot once in the face and chest. Police reports say he also tried to choke her after the shooting, but drove away when he saw headlights approaching.

LONGVIEW – You will find out Friday morning why the Texas legislature, four years ago, declared Longview the Balloon Race Capital of Texas. The 40th Annual Great Texas Balloon Race brings to East Texas the best competitive pilots from around the world. Balloon flights begin over Longview Friday morning. On Saturday and Sunday mornings, the flights continue over the East Texas Regional Airport. Friday and Saturday nights you have the balloon glow followed by live concerts. And all of that is coupled with kids land and a variety of vendors, including food vendors. You can go to http://www.greattexasballoonrace.com to get a schedule of the various events.

TYLER — Tyler Police have identified a suspect wanted in a fatal shooting. An arrest warrant has been issued for Aquinas Lamar Dixon (pictured), 32, Tyler. Officers said around 8:50 Wednesday night, a shooting at the Domino Club pool hall left Earnest Dennis, 28, dead. He was found face down in the parking lot across the street from the pool hall on Morris Street. Dennis was pronounced dead at ETMC. Dixon is considered armed and dangerous. He was last seen driving a 90’s or early 2000 dark colored Jaguar with paper tags. Call police with any information.

WOOD COUNTY — A man wanted for the murder of his son was recently arrested in Lubbock County, according to the Wood County Sheriff’s Office. KETK reports, George Wayne Saunders, 62, of Mineola, was indicted in Wood County for murder on May 31. Saunders was first arrested for manslaughter back in 2011 after his son, Loren, died from a gunshot wound to the chest at the Chaney Point RV Park in Alba. At the time of his death, Saunders told investigators he walked in on his 16-year-old son twirling a revolver when the gun fired. The shooting was initially ruled accidental. In May 2011, the Medical Examiner’s Office labeled the death suspicious. An arraignment hearing set for August 4.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — East Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert is glad the U.S. Senate has opted to move forward with repeal and replacement of Obamacare, but he’s voicing frustration with what’s happened since then. Gohmert tells KTBB that senators are saying, “I voted to repeal Obamacare when it didn’t count and we knew it was going to be vetoed by President Obama — but now that it counts, after I had promised in speech after speech we need to repeal Obamacare…I refuse to do it.” Gohmert calls that “mind-boggling.” He added, “The Senate has gotta just get some gumption…repeal Obamacare…and then we can move on and we can do a reform of what needs reforming.”

LONGVIEW – A worker, helping erect a monument at Longview’s Teague Park, was injured when the monument fell on him. The accident happened around 12:30 Wednesday afternoon. Other workers used a tractor and chain to lift the 2,500-pound monument off the man. He is hospitalized at Christus Good Shepherd Medical Center with unknown injuries. A fire department report said the man’s injuries were not life threatening.

TYLER – A Smith County couple charged with sex crimes have a trial date. The Whitehouse couple, Johnny Floyd Crocker, 57, and Angela Elaine Crocker, 41, will be going to trial in Tyler October 2nd. Johnny is facing four counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child. Angela is facing two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and one count of indecency with a child by sexual contact. Arrested near Shreveport in February, they had been on the run as they faced charges a various charges. The pair had been considered to be armed and dangerous. In fact, they had said they would not be taken alive. Johnny is a former law officer and is a registered sex offender.

TYLER – A Tyler teen is in jail for the sexual assault of a child. Being held in the Smith County Jail under a $750,000 bond is Justin Ray Dunford, 17. He is said the have assaulted the girl, under the age of 14, at a home south of the Chapel Hill area. Dunford had been living with the family but was not related to them. The girl had complained of soreness and went to the doctor where she told about the sexual assault. After an investigation, which included interviewing the girl at the Child Advocacy Center, Dunford was arrested.

TYLER – The Smith County Sheriff’s Department is looking for two suspects in an animal cruelty case. The two have been identified as Roderick Johnson and Vanessa Mederos, both are 23. They are wanted in connection with three dogs that were left chained without food or water. One died before they were found. Maderos has a warrant out for her arrest. Multiple warrants has been issued for Johnson. You are asked to contact the Smith County Sheriff’s office if you know where they can be found. Continue reading Two Sought in Animal Cruelty Case

MARSHALL – The Marshall Police Department is asking for the public’s help in identifying a credit card thief. The woman is said to have entered the Central Perks Café last Saturday and stole credit and debit cards from employees purses. She then used the cards at various Longview businesses later in the day. The woman is also a suspect in several similar incidents in Longview and Tyler. Anyone with information about the identity of the woman is urged to call the Marshall Police Department at 903-935-4575. Those wishing to remain anonymous are encouraged to call Marshall/Harrison County Crime Stoppers at 903-935-9969. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through the Marshall/Harrison County Crime Stoppers Facebook page.

GREGG COUNTY — A Longview man faces additional charges after police said they found more than 5 grams of methamphetamine in his possession. According to the Longview News-Journal and KETK, Julio Cesar Banuelos, 34, was held Tuesday in the Gregg County Jail on $10,000 bond, charged with possession of a controlled substance measuring more than 4 grams but less than 200 grams. He also had a warrant for his arrest on a driving while intoxicated charge. Banuelos was arrested on the outstanding warrant about 7 p.m. Monday on Crystal Street after a traffic stop. Police said they found two small plastic bags containing 5.7 grams of meth in his pants pocket.

SMITH COUNTY — A Tyler man has been arrested after he allegedly stole a car Tuesday morning. According to KETK, Jarode Detwin Wilson, 30, was arrested and charged with aggravated robbery. Wilson had asked an acquaintance for a ride around 1 a.m. During the trip, Wilson reportedly pulled a gun and threatened the victim. The victim pulled over and jumped out of the car. Wilson took off in the vehicle but was caught by Tyler Police a short time later. Wilson was booked into the Smith County Jail on $50,000 bond.