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TATUM — A Tatum man was arrested on drug charges Monday night after officials say they found methamphetamine and prescription pain pills. According to Rusk County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Viki Penny, Mark Russell Stewart, 37, was arrested at about 9:30 Monday night near the intersection of County Road 2132 and Farm Road 1716 near Tatum. Penny said the sheriff’s deputy noticed a pickup truck in the parking lot of an oil lease on CR 2132, which he thought was suspicious for the area. After stopping the vehicle, the deputy smelled an alcoholic beverage on Stewart’s breath and requested that he exit the vehicle because there was a rifle in the vehicle with him. During a search of Stewart, deputies found 10 pain pills and 3.3 grams of suspected methamphetamine. A small amount of marijuana was found as well. Stewart remained jailed Tuesday on bonds totaling $12,500, charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance.

ANGELINA COUNTY — A Lufkin woman was arrested Saturday evening on a driving while intoxicated charge after crashing her car into the back of a hayride full of children in the Central community.

Rita Maxie, 47, was southbound on Farm Road 2251 around 8:00pm when she rear-ended the hayride stopped at a stop sign at Farm Road 2021, according to a Texas Department of Public Safety report. The hayride, carrying 22 adults and kids, was part of a baseball team party. The kids on the hayride ranged in age from 2 to 14, according to the DPS report.

Maxie was taken to the Angelina County Jail, where she posted a $1,500 bond hours later. Her Ford Mustang was towed from the scene.

KILGORE – The Department of Public Safety has released the names of the victims of a Friday afternoon accident in Gregg County. The accident happened just before 5:45 Friday afternoon on Goforth Road, just east of Farm Road 3053.

The DPS reports a pickup driven by Latrisha Harrod, 30, of Kilgore was east bound when it left the road and overturned. Harrod and a passenger, Jaina Kitchens, 13, of Kilgore, were killed in the crash. Three children were injured in the crash. Two were taken to LSU Medical Center in Shreveport where one was listed in serious condition and the other in good condition. The third youngster injured in the wreck is in good condition at Longview’s Good Shepherd Medical Center. The DPS report said the two youngsters listed in good condition were the only ones wearing their seat belt.

RUSK — With recent rains bringing some extra moisture to the area, many residents want to see burn bans lifted. And Tuesday, the Cherokee County Commissioners Court will decide whether to cancel its burn ban. County Judge Chris Davis tells KETK if the ban is lifted, good sense will be the most important factor. According to Davis, “You can’t fix stupid,” and if people don’t use their heads, there’ll be fires whether there’s a burn ban or not.

TYLER – Funeral services are scheduled Wednesday for the pastor of Tyler’s Lanes Chapel United Methodist Church, Lou Gary Thomas. Thomas, who was 64, passed away Friday at Tyler’s Mother Francis Hospital. A memorial service for Thomas will be held on Wednesday, November 2, at 3:00pm at the church. A private burial will follow.

According to the obituary from the Stewart Family Funeral Home, Thomas taught and coached in many different elementary, Jr. High and Sr. High Schools throughout East Texas. He was dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ in ministry for over 40 years. On 3 different occasions his church received the Kenneth Copeland Award for Evangelism which is given for church growth through new believers. Thomas served in many churches including, Spurger UMC, Fairview UMC of Nacogdoches, Bonita UMC of Central Heights, Laird Hill UMC of Kilgore, First United Methodist Church of Harlingen, St. Marks UMC of Center, St. Andres UMC of Carthage, First Untied Methodist Church of Mt. Enterprise, Concord United Methodist Church, Bethlehem UMC of Hudson and the final 22 years at Lanes Chapel UMC of Tyler.

FRANKSTON — A man is behind bars after a string of vandalism Saturday in Frankston. According to Frankston city officials, Joshua Bradley Mundell was arrested for his alleged connection with the destruction of property over the weekend. According to KETK, four places were hit including Van’s, Dixie House BBQ, a propane gas facility, and a private residence. Among the property destroyed was a truck at Van’s in Frankston, several buildings, and also a church in Henderson County. Mundell was caught by a man at the private residence when he was found allegedly carrying items out of the home. The homeowner held Mundell at gunpoint until police arrived. Mundell was arrested for burglary of a building and is awaiting further charges. His bail is set at $25,000.

JACKSONVILLE — Three men have been arrested in connection with the Jacksonville Wal-Mart robbery on October 2. Police have taken into custody Maurice DeShun Jones, 28, Willie Duane Rogers, 23, and Jonathan Rashard Brown, 19. All three are charged with engaging in organized criminal activity. Police tell KETK a Crime Stoppers tip lead to the arrest of Jones and Rogers, while Brown turned himself in to authorities. The three are accused of stealing nearly $10,000 from the store in two money bags. One suspect is still at large.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Louie Gohmert (TX-01) released the following statement Monday regarding the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s decision to grant the Palestinian bid for full membership:

“Today’s vote made by UNESCO to grant the Palestinian bid for full membership to the United Nations is not only outrageous, it’s utterly offensive. This vote will bolster the fraudulent Palestinian bid for recognition as a state by the United Nations without requiring it to recognize a nation in being and disclaim the goal of Israel’s destruction. It offers further evidence of the United Nations’ embrace of a radical political agenda.

“I applaud the U.S. State Department for its necessary action made today – to halt a $60 million transfer due in November to the UN cultural agency. The United States should not fund a United Nations bent on bestowing statehood to a Palestinian government run by Hamas, an Islamist terror group devoted to annihilating our strong ally, Israel. Desiring peace in the Middle East is noble, but granting statehood to Hamas, the Palestinian arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, is foolhardy and does not advance the cause of peace in the region.”

AUSTIN — Young Conservatives of Texas (YCT) congratulated Representative David Simpson of Longview for earning the Rookie of the Year in their ratings of the 82nd Texas Legislature with a session score of 91. “YCT is especially pleased to announce that David Simpson earned the highest score of all the freshmen on our ratings for this session,” said Jeff Morris, YCT Vice Chairman.

“I am grateful to receive the Rookie of the Year award from Young Conservatives of Texas. For YCT, it isn’t enough to call yourself ‘conservative’ — you have to back up your words with actions. The voters of the district that I serve sent me to Austin to do what’s right and not to ‘just play along,’” Representative Simpson said. “By God’s grace I did my best to honor their trust.” On top of earning YCT’s Rookie of the Year for the Texas House, Simpson also ranked among the most conservative members of the legislature on the organization’s Honor Roll for the session.

ALTO — An Alto man has been arrested in connection with a series of burglaries. That’s according to KETK. At around 3:15 p.m. Friday, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at a house on the 300 block of West San Antonio Street in Alto in reference to several burglaries in the area. During the search of the singlewide mobile home, officers found a small caliber pistol believed to have been taken during the recent burglary of the Pearman Dodge Motor Company located on U.S. Highway 69 in Alto. Investigators also arrested the suspected burglar, 20-year old Craig Anthony Wilkins. Wilkins had two prior arrest warrants for burglary, which were issued after several weeks of investigations and surveillance.

Wilkins was charged with the following:
1) Burglary of a Building (Alto High School); Bond: $20,000
2) Burglary of a Building (Pearman Motor Company); Bond: $20,000
3) Burglary of a Habitation (July 20th residential burglary); Bond: $30,000

TYLER — Officials with Judge Floyd Getz’s office have told KETK, Mark Nathaniel Anderson’s Jury trial will begin November 14th with jury selection. The case has been moved to Judge Jack Skeen’s courtroom in the 241st District Court. This comes after the October 24th trial date was continued to October 31st. Anderson has been indicted in the case of his sister’s murder. Amanda Anderson, 19, was found shot to death in their Chapel Hill home back in September of last year. A short time later, then 15 year old Nate Anderson was taken into custody in connection with the murder. Anderson’s bond was raised to $1.5 million dollars.

WOOD COUNTY — A suspected robber has been jailed. Wood County Deputy, J.W. Williams, arrested Travis Herrera Holder, 21, for a Burglary of a Habitation Saturday. It happened after several guns that had been recovered and link back to Holder from more than one burglary in Wood County. The owners of the guns were able to get their property back. Holder is being held on a $10,000 bond in the Wood County Jail.

GREGG COUNTY — A Gladewater man remained jailed at last report after police said he shot out the window of a vehicle and attempted to rob the driver. Sylvester Kelly, 37, was charged with aggravated robbery, and bond was set at $20,000. He also had an outstanding warrant for a traffic violation at the time of his arrest. Police spokeswoman Kristie Brian said Kelly shot a bullet through the driver’s side window in an effort to rob the driver. The bullet exited through the front windshield. Brian said Kelly stole the victim’s wallet and driver’s license, but no one was injured in the robbery. Police said the robbery happened about 3:15 a.m. Sunday in the 2700 block of Estes Parkway.

PALESTINE — A 33-year-old Palestine man who earlier pleaded guilty to robbing Walmart Supercenter last year has been sentenced to serve 70 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for his role in the crime. Terrance Levar Williams, 33, Palestine, was also sentenced to serve 10 years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. His sentences will be served concurrently.

SABINE COUNTY — A Hemphill woman died in a Beaumont hospital Sunday after a one-vehicle accident in Sabine County hours earlier. Jordan Stallard, 19, died at 8:05 a.m. at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Beaumont, according to a Texas Department of Public Safety accident report. She was the passenger in the accident that happened around 6:00 Sunday morning on U.S. 96. According to the DPS, the driver, Drew Woods, 19, of Hemphill, veered off the road and the vehicle, a 1994 Mercury Marquis, overturned.

According to the Lufkin Daily News, Stallard was ejected. It appears she was not wearing her seat belt, according to the DPS report. Woods, who was wearing a seat belt, was taken to Jasper Memorial Hospital following the crash and was in stable condition. Stallard is the daughter of Gary Stallard, the Angelina College sports information and marketing director who writes regularly for The Lufkin News’ Sports section.

JONESVILLE – A driver, who was not wearing a seat belt, has died in a one vehicle wreck in eastern Harrison County. Killed around 3:00 Saturday morning in the one vehicle accident was Gerardo Munoz, 21, of Waskom. The Department of Public Safety reports he was east bound on U.S. Highway 80 near Jonesville when he lost control of his vehicle and it left the road and hit several trees.

TYLER – A two story home in Tyler has been extensively damaged by fire. It was reported shortly after 5:45 Sunday afternoon at 1604 North Bois D Arc, near the intersection of West Vance Street. Fire Marshall Paul Findley says arriving firemen reported fire on the upper floor of the two story residence. Initial findings indicate that the fire may have started in an upstairs bedroom near a space heater. There were no injuries reported and the fire remains under investigation.

LONGVIEW – A space heater that had fallen over is responsible for a fire that destroyed a Longview home. The fire at 318 Gum Street was reported around 11:45 Friday night. No injuries were reported.

TYLER – Two members of the Tyler Police Department were promoted Monday morning. Police Chief Gary Swindle promoted Robert Lee Plymail, a graduate from Hawkins High School in 1983, from sergeant to lieutenant. He served in the United States Marine Corps from 1983 to 1986 when he was honorably discharged. He graduated from the East Texas Police Academy in 1986. Lee worked for the Smith County Sheriff from 1987 to 1993. He has been with the Tyler Police Department since 1993. In 1998 he was promoted to Sergeant and served as a patrol Sergeant until 2008. In 2008 he moved to investigations as the Youth Crimes Sergeant.

Plymail received the Certificate of Merit bar in 2002 and the Police Commendation bar in 2004. He has Master Peace Officer certificate through TCLEOSE and has been a TCLEOSE Instructor since 1998. He has instructed Family Violence, Penal Code and Arrest and Search and Seizure classes in the basic academy. He has also instructed Intermediate Arrest Search and Seizure for in service training. Lee has been a member of the Special Operations Team since 2008

Also at the ceremony, Officer Paul Robeson was promoted to Sergeant. Robeson began working for the Tyler Police Department in May of 2002, and currently holds an Advanced Peace Officer license. In 2003, Paul was chosen as the Rookie of the Year. That same year he worked as a cross-trained Investigator in Property Crimes. He also joined the Honor Guard that year and has been an active member since then. Within a few years of being hired, Paul was chosen as an FTO where he served for several years. He also became part of the Police Department’s Accident Investigation team as well as a TCLEOSE instructor.

In 2006, Robeson was selected to work in the Criminal Investigation Division as a Crimes Against Children Investigator. While working within this division he received several awards including: Plain Clothes Officer of the Month, Unit of the Year, East Texas Crisis Center Hope Award, and several other Volunteer awards given through the Childrens Advocacy Center.

In December 2007, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from UT Tyler. And, in May 2009, Paul transferred into the Traffic division where he has been working up to this point. Since obtaining his Peace Officer license, he has received hundreds of hours of specialized training furthering his knowledge. He has been trained as an intermediate crime scene officer and has processed numerous major scenes. He has also received advanced training in accident investigations. He has attended 100’s of hours of investigation related courses.

AUSTIN (AP/Staff) – East Texas native Beryl Pickle, widow of longtime Texas congressman Jake Pickle, has died. Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home in Austin said that Pickle died last Thursday. She was 93. Pickle was born in Rusk and grew up in Jacksonville. She attended Lon Morris College. She and Jake Pickle, whose first wife died in 1952, were married in 1960. Three years later, he won a seat in Congress. The congressman, who served in Washington for 31 years, died in 2005. Longtime aide Paul Hilgers told the Austin American-Statesman that Beryl Pickle had a keen sense of humor and kept her husband grounded. Stepdaughter Peggy Pickle says she came to politics reluctantly, “but once she got into it, she came to enjoy it.” Services will be this Thursday at First United Methodist Church in Austin.

SMITH COUNTY — The bridge on County Road 3111 (Joy Wright Mountain Road) north of FM 1252 has been reopened to traffic. The bridge was shut down Thursday for repair according to Smith County Road and Bridge Administrator Doug Nicholson. Also, County Road 46 near County Road 411 has been temporarily closed by the Texas Department of Transportation for Loop 49 construction.

TYLER — Witnesses on the scene of a four-vehicle accident Friday afternoon in Tyler say a motorcycle and a car collided, sending the motorcycle into the ditch. According to KETK, the man on the motorcycle went to the hospital. The extent of his injuries is unknown, but they are reportedly not life-threatening. According to the driver of the car, the man on the motorcycle was in her blind spot before they hit. At least two more cars rear-ended the first in the process.

TYLER — Tyler Police officials tell KETK a six-vehicle accident at Troup Hwy. and Loop 323 in Tyler was caused when a car ran a red light just before 2:00 Friday afternoon. Officials say a black Grand Prix was headed north on Troup when it drove through the red light and kept going. Several other cars were crossing on the Loop and ran into each other to avoid the Grand Prix. Six people were sent to the hospital with unknown injuries. Witnesses did not get a license plate number on the Grand Prix, whose driver is still sought by authorities.

TYLER – On Thursday, the Texas Education Agency corrected Dogan Middle School’s accountability rating, naming the campus Academically Acceptable. This correction is in response to an appeal filed by Tyler ISD on July 29, 2011.

In July of this year, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) released preliminary campus and district accountability ratings. At that time, Dogan Middle School was listed as Academically Unacceptable. After researching the issue, Tyler ISD discovered a flaw in the way the results were calculated at Dogan and brought it to the attention of TEA. TEA reviewed the information submitted by the district, granted the appeal, and changed the rating to Academically Acceptable.

“We are pleased that TEA corrected our rating to ensure it reflects accurate performance results,” Dogan Middle School principal Masud Shamsid-Deen said. “Dogan students, teachers, and administrators are proud of the improvements we have made thus far, and we will continue to strive to achieve top results.”

Officials say Dogan Middle School has made great gains on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS), which is currently the test used to determine accountability ratings. In the 2010-2011 academic year, Dogan students achieved improvements in math scores ranging from four to nine points, and science scores were seven to 32 points higher than the previous year. In addition to meeting state standards, Dogan exceeded federal school improvement requirements.

This is the final year that TEA will utilize TAKS to determine accountability ratings. Beginning in 2012, all Texas school districts will be measured on the more rigorous State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR).

NACOGDOCHES (AP/Staff) – A county-wide burn has prompted Stephen F. Austin State University to adorn its homecoming bonfire structure with electric lights instead of torching it with flames. SFA dean Adam Peck says the college has traditionally set a bonfire structure ablaze for homecoming but the state’s prolonged drought made that “inadvisable” this year. The Daily Sentinel reports that in the absence of a bonfire, students dropped plans to burn shirts printed by other colleges as they’ve done in the past. Peck said school officials would collect the shirts and donate them to the needy instead. The university’s torchlight parade went on Friday night as planned but with lanterns, glow sticks and other portable lights guiding the way to the bonfire site instead of lit torches.

LONGVIEW — Two Gregg County Jail staffers were injured – one hospitalized – after an altercation with an inmate, authorities said Friday. That’s according to KETK and the Longview News-Journal. Cedric Duwayne Ward, jailed since Oct. 1 on $10,000 bond for two assault charges, was formally charged on two counts of assaulting a public servant. Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace B.H. Jameson set bond at $50,000 on each charge.

According to arrest reports, Cpl. Ryan Waldow and Detention Officer Aaron Medlin responded to Ward’s jail cell at 7:48 p.m. Thursday after reports that an inmate was “causing problems” and was a “potential breach of security.” Officers tried to remove Ward from his cell to restore order, but he began to resist, shoving Waldow into a table while hitting Medlin on his upper right leg and left ring finger. Ward also bit the officers, reports showed.

Wadlow was transported to Good Shepherd Medical Center for treatment. Medlin was treated by jail medical staff. Ward, 33, of Longview, remained jailed on $110,000 bond.

JACKSONVILLE — Some Jacksonville residents may sleep a little better knowing that police have arrested nine individuals selling drugs in the city over the past two months and they say it’s only the beginning. Authorities say the recent busts are primarily due to the community alerting them to areas where drug deals might potentially occur. They say many of the raids they’ve done have been at individuals’ homes, and that they even raided a business. They say all told they’ve confiscated around fifteen thousand dollars in cash, crack cocaine, marijuana, a few cars, and even some weapons.

LONGVIEW — A Longview man was charged early Thursday morning with driving while intoxicated after police said he hit two parked vehicles and ran his vehicle through the garage of a Longview home. Police spokesman Kristie Brian said officers were dispatched to the 500 block of West Cheryl Street around 3:20 a.m. in connection with a car that struck a residence.

Brian said Sky Paxton Cass, 21, was traveling down West Cheryl Street when he lost control of his vehicle, hit multiple parked cars and ran his vehicle through the garage of a home. Rayvin Morales, who lives in the residence , said she was asleep in the house with her three children when the crash occurred. Morales said no one was injured in the crash, “only startled.”

Cass was arrested after failing a field sobriety test. He was transported to Good Shepherd Medical Center to be examined before police booked him into Gregg County Jail.

MARSHALL – A Harrison County jury has sentenced Renrick DeCarlos Taylor, 22, to 99 years in prison for murder. It took the panel on Thursday only five minutes to reach a decision. The same panel, on Wednesday, deliberated around 2½ hours before convicting Taylor of the 2009 murder of LaShun Rena Jenkins, 30. Taylor is the first of the two co-defendants to be tried in the case.

LONGVIEW — Eleven persons are the latest to graduate from the City of Longview Citizen’s Police Academy. They join the ranks of the over 500 citizens who have completed the academy during the past twenty years. During the past 7 weeks, the students attended classes twice a week and learned about the inner workings of the police department. Academy courses were taught by current police officers and other guest speakers, including the District Attorney, Agents from the County Organized Drug Enforcement Unit, and a demonstration by the SWAT team.

Students were also given the opportunity to participate in the Police Department’s firearms simulator. This program is used to train officers how to react in different situations. The exercise allowed Academy students to experience, firsthand, the type of training Longview Police Officers complete on an annual basis. Students also had the opportunity to participate in the Department’s ride-along program. The ride-along program allows the individual to accompany and observe an officer as he or she performs daily patrol duties. The class is offered every September and is free of charge.

The current graduates are:
1. Lisa Clark
2. Charlotte Erickstad
3. Roger Erickstad
4. Tiffany Ethridge
5. Steve Hunt
6. Evelyn Jackson
7. Everett Johnston
8. Hans Manhave
9. Debbie Hanhave
10. Stacey Martinez
11. Brenda Nutter