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QUITMAN — An East Texas woman is taken into custody for a North Texas slaying that occurred over 28 years ago. KETK reports that on Tuesday, investigators with the Collin County Sheriff’s Office obtained arrest warrants for Alonzo Grayson, Jr., of Dallas, and Tina Ann Taylor of Mineola for first degree murder. Both are accused of murdering Bobby Ray Taylor, the brother of Tina Taylor.

On January 4, 1984, Bobby Taylor was reported missing to the Frisco Police Department. His body was found 3 days later at a rock pit near Preston Road and Eldorado Parkway in Collin County. He had been shot 5 times and hidden behind a large rock. Originally Grayson and Taylor were interviewed and claimed they witnessed Rogelio Elizondo commit the murder. Mr. Elizondo was arrested but no-billed by the grand jury, and the case went cold.

In October of last year the Sheriff’s Office received information about the murder that was not available during the initial investigation. An investigator was assigned the case, and with the new information, obtained additional information that led to the confessions of Grayson and Taylor, according to authorities. Officials say the two also admitted to falsely accusing Rogelio Elizondo. Elizondo died in March of this year. Tina Taylor, 45, is currently in Wood County jail. Grayson, 45, is being held in the Collin County Detention Facility. Both are held on $100,000 bond.

TYLER — One student has been injured in a large fight that took place near a Tyler ISD Campus. Tyler Police tell KETK the student suffered minor injuries in the brawl in the Big Lots parking lot on Loop 323 in Tyler, which is near Robert E. Lee High School. Police say up to 300 teens gathered in the parking lot, but not all participated in the fight; some were reportedly spectators. The teens are believed to be students at Robert E. Lee. Once police arrived on scene, everyone scattered. Nobody was taken into custody. A similar size fight took place toward the end of the school year last year.

AUSTIN — Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples Thursday announced the Texas Department of Agriculture has awarded $150,000 in federal funds to the city of Overton for a downtown revitalization project made possible through the Texas Capital Fund. According to Staples, the award will help upgrade sidewalks to comply with ADA standards and support other projects that ultimately will create new economic development opportunities for the city.

Staples also announced the ag department has awarded $150,000 in federal funds to the city of Mount Vernon for a Main Street Improvement project through the Texas Capital Fund. The award will help support infrastructure projects to develop sidewalks and improve city lightings. The Texas Capital Fund, federally funded through the Texas Community Development Block Grant program, provides more than $8 million in competitive awards each year to boost economic development in small Texas communities.

TYLER — A Tyler man has been arrested and charged with one count of aggravated assault following a shooting. Johnathan Daniel Johnson, 27, has been charged with one count of aggravated assault following a shooting. Johnson’s bond is set at $150,000. The late Wednesday night incident in Smith County left a man nursing his wounds at a local hospital. It happened shortly before midnight on the 20,500 block of County Road 26. Authorities tell KETK Kevin Brantley, 35, was shot in his lower abdomen. According to law enforcement, Brantley’s wife and Johnson’s fiance were arguing when Brantley tried to break them apart. For unknown reasons, Johnson allegedly pulled a gun from his waistband and shot Brantley once. The investigation is ongoing.

SMITH COUNTY — Two 17-year-old boys lead authorities on an early morning chase. The incident began Wednesday night at Emerald Bay on Lake Palestine when a security guard noticed two suspicious people. According to KETK, when the guard approached the duo, they jumped into a truck and drove away. After receiving reports of the stolen vehicle, a Smith County deputy spotted the truck in Tyler around 1:30 and a chase began. The chase went through Flint, Bullard and back into Tyler and ended in the 2700 block of South Broadway when officers used spike strips. Daniel Bennett, Bullard, (pictured) was arrested and charged with evading arrest and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Christopher Hamrick, Bullard, was arrested and charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.

TYLER — A May court hearing for a Rusk County constable accused of manufacturing and selling illegal drugs was continued. Benjamin Thomas Ferrell, 36, of Henderson was scheduled for a pretrial hearing May 14 in U.S. District Court in Tyler. According to the Longview News-Journal, Ferrell was arrested in March and charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and delivery of a firearm to a felon. He was freed on $10,000 bond after his arraignment on the charges.

Ferrell, who is seeking re-election, represents Precinct. 2, which is Tatum and northeast Rusk County. Richard Parsons, a spokesman for the Secretary of State’s Office, said the indictment against Ferrell “does not impact his candidate status unless or until there is a final felony conviction.”

Ferrell’s wife, Amanda Gayle, faces a state jail felony charge of manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance. Her charge is connected to the federal counts her husband faces, after a joint investigation by Rusk County authorities and the FBI. She, too, was freed on $10,000 bond after being charged.

Ferrell has a continuance until August 13. The judge set a deadline on August 27 to notify the court if there is a plea agreement. A pretrial conference is set on September 5.

SMITH COUNTY — Smith County DPS officials are reporting a dump truck has rolled into a ditch on Farm Road 1253, just north of Farm Road 16 in Smith County. According to KETK, the rollover wreck was caused by a blowout. The driver was hauling dirt to a job site in the area of the 18,500 block of FM 1253 when his tire blew, causing the vehicle to roll. The driver was taken to local hospital, treated and released.

JACKSONVILLE – Nearly all employment at Lon Morris College has been furloughed. An e-mail sent to employees by Chief Restructuring Officer Dawn Ragan says “all employment by the College is hereby terminated…subject to confirmation where appropriate, excluding a minimal core group.” While the email says the employees were terminated, Jack Nelson, vice president of the Lon Morris College board of trustees, tells the Jacksonville Daily Progress that they were furloughed. Miles McCall also tendered his resignation as college president. Trustee Tim McRae says McCall was told negotiating with creditors would be easier if McCall stepped down.

The school has experienced financial problems and has missed its last three payrolls. In the e-mail, obtained by our news partner KETK, Ragan tells employees the due to insufficient cash flow, the college cannot continue to employ them.

The e-mail continues, “Moving forward, the College and the restructuring professionals are working together with lenders and various stakeholders to facilitate short term aid which would provide extremely limited funding for a period of approximately 30 days. During that time frame the professionals are exploring and investigating multiple options that could permit the College to continue to operate on a go forward basis in some form.

“At the present time, in the absence of information to the contrary, we are assuming there will indeed be a Fall semester which we will gear up for once the 30 day assessment has been completed and alternatives have been analyzed. Accordingly, it is anticipated in the third week of June we will be able to provide an update relative to the future of the College and the Fall semester.”

LONGVIEW – A child playing with something flammable is said to be responsible for a fire that damaged a Longview home. It was reported around 11:00 Wednesday morning in the 1800 block of Holly Street. A mother and the youngster were able to escape the house without injury. The fire damage was contained to a bedroom and attic with smoke damage in the remainder of the home.

TYLER – A Tyler elementary student has won a walking contest and has given the prize away to a fellow student battling cancer.

Fifth grader Mark Costanza, seen here on the left, laced up his tennis shoes and walked around the track at Andy Woods Elementary School as part of the early morning walking club. In the past six weeks he walked a total of 123 laps, or 12.3 miles around the track, making him this year’s walking club winner.

As a reward for his hard work, Mark received $100 to go shopping with the coaches to buy a new pair of shoes. But, instead of keeping the money he gave it to second grader Jordan Samples, on the right in the photo, who was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor last year. Over the past few months, Jordan has made huge progress through multiple surgeries and therapy, and Mark wanted to reward him for his hard work.

Last week Mark and Jordan, along with family members and coaches from Andy Woods, went shopping at Academy Sports and Outdoors and helped Jordan pick out his new shoes.

TYLER — Congressman Louie Gohmert stops by the KTBB studios and discusses his amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act. The act, passed in the wake of 9/11, gave the president sweeping military powers. Gohmert says under the amendment, the president could not detain a legal U.S. resident indefinitely in a military installation without certain conditions. The suspect would first have to be brought to a federal district court for a writ of habeas corpus hearing. From there, says Gomhert, if authorities can’t bring charges, the suspect would be freed. The amendment is officially called the Gohmert-Landry-Rigell-Duncan-Barletta amendment. It passed the House this month and is working its way through the Senate.

TYLER — The North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority (NET RMA) announces another road closure due to construction of Toll 49 Segment 3B. The construction has moved to the north end of the project to the point where the bridge for CR 411 will be temporarily closed as of May 23. There have been static message signs placed to remind traffic and area residents of the impending closure. Motorists are urged to use an alternate route to avoid the closed bridge while construction is taking place. NET RMA officials say construction on the toll road “is progressing rapidly.”

TYLER — Tyler Mayor Barbara Bass says things are going “great” in her annual State of the City address to the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce. Bass says, “Tyler is a tremendous place to live, and it’s because we have public-private partnerships. What that means is that you and I are working together; we can do great things by working together.” Bass also noted challenges for the future, pointing to a report expected next month on a new convention and/or events center. She says residents will have to keep working together to make that project happen.

HOUSTON (AP) – The convictions and death sentences of two men for murdering small children in East Texas have been upheld by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Blaine Milam, pictured here, was condemned for the 2008 beating death of his girlfriend’s 13-month-old daughter at his trailer in Rusk County. Evidence showed the child was bitten some 30 times and beaten with a hammer. In the second case, Demontrell Miller, 25, was sent to death row for the 2008 beating death of his girlfriend’s 2-year-old son while he was babysitting the boy and his own 5-month-old son at a Tyler apartment complex. The court Wednesday rejected what attorneys for the convicts said were 20 errors at Milam’s trial and 28 at Miller’s trial. Neither man has an execution date and both could pursue federal appeals.

ANDERSON COUNTY — Anderson County officials have arrested the woman wanted for running over three people outside a club in Tyler earlier this month. Earlier today, Tyler Police were notified by the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department that they had Brittany Michelle Barrett, 22, in custody. Authorities say they received a CrimeStopper’s tip on her whereabouts in Anderson County.

Barrett will be transported to the Smith County Jail and charged three counts of aggravated assault. Her bond is set at $225,000.Tyler Police have announced that they have obtained three arrest warrants for second degree aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for Brittany Michelle Barrett, 22. Barrett’s bond was set at $225,000.

Authorities said the assault happened May 14 and was retaliation after a fight at the club.

LUFKIN (AP) – Lufkin-area authorities say a parolee has been arrested after employees at a convenience store say he wore a towel around his face as a mask and used a rake as a weapon during a robbery this week. A surveillance video at the store showed the robber Sunday afternoon getting into a car that later was located by Lufkin police and linked to Calvin Rushing, 43. The Lufkin Daily News reports the towel and rake were found in the trunk of Rushing’s car. Records show Rushing was released on parole last September after he was sentenced in 1993 to 40 years for aggravated robbery. He also has a record for felony escape and burglary. He’s now jailed in Angelina County under $100,000 bond.

NACOGDOCHES — A split jury means a mistrial for Steven Lynn Skidmore, who is accused of burning down his then girlfriend Tammy Gilbert’s home December 17, 2010. According to KETK, in Nacogdoches County Tuesday, the jury forewoman said after just under four hours of deliberations, three votes and much discussion, there was no hope of reaching a unanimous verdict. Following a motion by Skidmore’s attorney, Gene Caldwell, Klein declared a mistrial, paving the way for another trial at a later date. While the jurors declined to comment after the mistrial was declared, one was overheard telling another juror, “My gut feeling is he probably did it.”

MINEOLA — Wood County Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace Neil Moseley has died of an apparent heart attack. According to KETK, Mineola Police and emergency crews found Moseley in his vehicle Tuesday night while responding to a call about an unresponsive man at the Capital One Bank. CPR was performed but Moseley was pronounced dead at ETMC-Quitman. He was 61 years old.

TYLER — If you haven’t voted by now, you still have time to cast your votes before Memorial Day weekend. If you want to vote early, Friday is the last day to do it for the entire state of Texas. On Tuesday, KETK talked to people who say they’re casting their votes before they travel this holiday weekend. And they’re not alone, according to the Smith County election’s office. As of Sunday, more than 6,000 people chose to vote early this year. That’s a big turnout compared to last year at the polls. Karen Nelson says because the primary election is being on May 29th, after a holiday weekend, she’s not surprised people wanted to get it out of the way before they left town. May 29th is the date for the Primary Election. Early Voting ends tomorrow evening at 7:00.

LONGVIEW – Members of a Longview church have voted to leave their national denomination over its decision to allow ordination of non-celibate homosexuals. The action was taken Sunday by members of First Presbyterian Church. Their action will create a new church that will be called Evangelical Presbyterian Church Longview.

According to the Longview News-Journal, over 370 members of First Presbyterian turned out for a congregational meeting Sunday evening. The vote was 282 in favor of leaving the Presbyterian Church of the USA and joining Evangelical Presbyterian Church; 84 in favor of remaining with the denomination, and six voting to stay with the property regardless of denomination affiliation.

LONGVIEW — A weekend house fire in Longview has been ruled arson. It happened on the 1700 block of Lafoy Lane around 4:00 a.m. on Saturday. According to KETK, there were no injuries involved. Fire officials are still investigating.

DALLAS (AP) – A Tyler man arrested in Mississippi has admitted to robbing 11 banks across North Texas. Steven Ray Milam pleaded guilty Tuesday to 11 counts of bank robbery in federal court in Dallas. Prosecutors had said the 44-year-old was the “Handsome Guy Bandit” described by tellers at the banks he robbed. The name came from the mask tellers said the robber wore. A statement from the U.S. attorney’s office in Dallas says Milam can receive from 32 years to life in prison when U.S. District Judge Sam Lindsay sentences him on Sept. 17 in Dallas. Milam was arrested Jan. 3 after Jackson County Sheriff Mike Byrd shot out a tire on the vehicle Milam was driving during a chase on Interstate 10 in Mississippi.

LINDALE — State Representative Bryan Hughes announces that Governor Rick Perry will be visiting today the newly redrawn House District 5, marking the governor’s first time in Lindale. In a sweep throughout East Texas, Perry will arrive at 2:00 at the Miranda Lambert Store, located in downtown Lindale, 100 East Hubbard Street. Hughes will welcome Perry, who will speak on his “Texas Budget Compact.” According to Perry, that’s a plan to bring more conservative fiscal sense into the state’s budget and tax system in the upcoming session. The general public is invited to attend a one-hour reception, while The Deli, located on the downtown square, will serve gelato to all attendees.

Additional parking will be available in the east parking lot of First Baptist Church-Lindale, located southeast of the Miranda Lambert Store. For more information and to RSVP for the event, email Holly D. Rand at [email protected] or contact Project Progress, 903-780-7969.

TYLER — A woman and her two children have been taken to a Tyler hospital for observation after escaping a fire that destroyed their mobile home. According to KETK, the three were able to get out of the home after seeing smoke inside. They were taken to the hospital as a precaution. One of the children has asthma. Crews responded to the blaze Tuesday morning on the 4400 block of Morningside Drive, on the outskirts of Tyler. A vehicle also caught fire.

CHANDLER — Chandler adds its name to the list of towns considering alcohol sales. John Camper with the Chandler Chamber of Commerce is part of the “Buy Chandler First” committee the chamber has put together. According to KETK, Camper says there had been no real plans to put beer and alcohol on the ballot until Smith County JP2 announced their petition drive. They realized they could be in serious trouble if it ends up passing.

“You have upwards of $25,000 to $150,000 a week in beer and wine sales in grocery stores. If it were to pass in JP2 we would lose that potential revenue gain for our local businesses,” Camper said. Camper says the petition aims to put 2 separate items on the ballot packaged beer and wine sales for convenience stores and beer, wine and mixed drink sales for restaurants.

“Neither one of these proposals is for liquor stores. So there won’t be any liquor stores in Chandler. And the way it’s set up, there can’t be a bar either,” Camper said.

Camper tells KETK there is already somewhat of a public outcry. He says Faith Baptist Church has asked them to drop them as a member of the chamber because of it.

WOOD COUNTY — Wood County investigators Thursday arrested a woman on a drug charge months after being severely burned in the explosion of a meth lab. Shanda Gail Simmons, 29, of Yantis bonded out of the Wood County Correction Facility Friday, according to a Wood County Sheriff’s press release. Her bond was $25,000 on a manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance charge.

ETMC Quitman Hospital notified the sheriff’s department Dec. 31 that a woman was being treated for severe burns she said she received in a meth lab explosion near her residence. Simmons was later transported to Parkland Hospital in Dallas for treatment.

The Wood County Sheriff’s Department later identified the woman as Simmons. Simmons had been dropped off by her boyfriend, 38-year-old Russell Allen Love. Love was arrested later that night after police responded to his residence on County Road 2150 in the Clear Lakes area. Upon officers’ arrival, Love was detained for investigation after giving written consent to search his residence. According to KETK, deputies said they found a functional meth lab in the kitchen.

The Wood County narcotics team responded to the scene for processing and collected numerous items, including drug paraphernalia and two containers which tested positive for methamphetamine, investigators said.

LONGVIEW — The murder trial for a former 911 supervisor has been delayed. Harry Goodan is charged with killing his police officer wife in December 2010. On Monday, court officials said the trial was postponed and re-set for June 18. According to KETK, Goodan was arrested in December 2010 when he summoned police to the Tryon Road apartment he shared with his wife, Jamie Ellyn Goodan , and son, Nicholas, now 9.

A police report of the incident said Goodan told officers he had shot his wife, a Longview police officer since 1998. The report, partially released under an open records request, says the couple had been fighting and that the husband struck Goodan to the ground. It also says he didn’t recall shooting her.

Goodan faces up to life in prison on the murder charge. Goodan was freed in January 2011 after his initial $500,000 bond was reduced to $75,000.

GULFPORT, MISS. (AP) – A federal judge has delayed the armed bank-robbery trial of a mother and daughter while decisions are made on whether to consolidate similar charges in two other states for prosecution in Gulfport, Mississippi. Evie Mearlene Herrin, 57, pictured here, and Amelia Darci Crew, 30, both of Cleveland, Texas, were set for trial June 4 on an armed bank robbery charge in the March 26 holdup of a Gulfport bank. The women have since been indicted in the robberies of two Louisiana banks, and a similar charge is pending in Henderson, Texas. According to court documents, a BB gun was used in the robberies. U.S. District Judge Walter J. Gex III on Monday agreed to continue the Gulfport trial, and set a new date of October 1.

MARSHALL — Authorities say a blown tire was responsible for an accident that killed an off-duty Arp police officer. Richard Wayne Johnson, 37, died after his vehicle blew the tire, then flipped on Interstate Highway 20. According to the Department of Public Safety, Johnson was traveling westbound in Harrison County near Highway 80, when he lost control of his vehicle, veered into oncoming traffic and overturned his vehicle just after 1:00 Sunday afternoon. KETK reports, two juveniles were also in the vehicle with Johnson at the time of the wreck, but were not injured. Johnson was not wearing a seatbelt.

Johnson had been with the Arp Police Department for about three years, and was also the Arp ISD school resource officer.

LONGVIEW – One of four persons injured in a Longview wreck is said to have received life-threatening injuries. The two vehicle accident happened on Alpine at Loop 281 shortly before 5:30 Monday afternoon. According to Longview police, a car failed to yield the right-of-way and was T-boned by another vehicle. Two people were transported to Longview Regional Medical Center and two to Good Shepherd Medical Center.