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LONGVIEW — Monday night, Longview business owner Ronnie Horaney was shot at his home north of the city. He died at a local hospital. The Gregg County Sheriff’s Department announced late Thursday afternoon they are looking for a person of interest in the case. In releasing a sketch of the person, they gave no indication how they came to look for him. There was one report that Horaney was shot as he answered the door at his home. Department spokesman Josh Tubb told KTBB he could not comment on the case since the investigation was ongoing. In the news release Tubb said if anyone had information that could assist them in locating this person, they are asked to call Investigator Gary Robinson at (903)237-2536 or call Gregg County Crime Stoppers at (903)236-STOP.

TYLER – An eight year old boy, who could not swim, nearly drowned in ten feet of water in South Tyler. Around 2:00 Thursday afternoon two boys were playing on a dirt mound at a construction site. It is located off Blue Mountain Ridge just east of the Old Jacksonville Highway. The mound started to give way and one of the boys slid into the water. His friend ran to a man who was nearby for help. The man pulled the boy from the water. A police officer, who was nearby, Kerri Long, administered CPR. Police spokesman Don Martin said the boy was taken to a Tyler hospital, where he is in stable condition. Martin said the boy will be fine.

PALESTINE – Thursday’s rains brought reports of flash flooding around Palestine. The city’s Emergency Management Coordinator Scott Parkhurst said minor flooding was reported at one home on Moody Street. The residents did not evacuate. Flooding on Timber Drive, where major flash flooding was reported on April 30, reached the curb of the street before receding. By 1:45 Thursday afternoon the rain let up and the flash floods receded. City personnel will be monitoring these areas closely for flooding during the next few days. Continue reading Flash Flooding Reported in Palestine

QUITMAN – A Wood County man has been arrested in connection with a fatal 4-wheeler accident. The accident happened Wednesday afternoon off Highway 154 near Quitman. Killed when the 4-wheeler she was on flipped over was Michelle Hagger, 52. KETK reports, at the time of the accident, the 4-wheeler was being towed by a vehicle driven by Ted Wayne Morris, Sr., 57, of Quitman. Sheriff’s department investigators say that Morris had been drinking at the time of the accident. He’s been charged with manslaughter and booked into the Wood County Jail.

NACOGDOCHES – Nacogdoches police are looking into an injury sustained by an infant. A mother brought the month old girl to the emergency room at Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital. She said the infant was sick. Police reports indicate the little girl may have suffered a head injury at a home on Pearl Street. No other information has been released as the investigation is ongoing.

LONGVIEW – Some 4th grade students at Longview’s J.L. Everhart Elementary had an end of school experience they will long remember. Teacher Carol Pruitt gave her students an expense paid formal dinner at the Summit Club in Longview. The students dressed in their finest attire and listened to classical music as they dined. And like the correspondent’s dinner in D.C., the students got up and told jokes at the microphone. They were excited to be there. As one student said, “It’s just like on TV!” Why does she do this for her students each year? Pruitt said it introduces the students to etiquette in a formal dinner setting. And she also said, “They deserve it! These students have worked so hard and had such a great year.”

LONGVIEW – A search warrant has led to the arrests in Longview of three convicted felons on drug charges. The warrant was served by Longview Police and the Gregg County Organized Drug Enforcement Unit. The warrant was served Thursday morning at 1108 Rainey Drive. Inside the house, officers found cocaine, marijuana and two firearms. Arrested were Christopher Antonio Dotrey, 35, Christopher Shawn Fields, 39, and Frank Sonny Wade III, 61, all of Longview. They have been charged with manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana. Wade also had an outstanding Class C Misdemeanor warrant on him. They’ve been booked into the Gregg County Jail.

TYLER — Smith County commissioners accepted a grant from the criminal justice department of the Governor’s office on Tuesday. It will fund body cameras for the Smith County Sheriff’s Office. “This system will work in conjunction with the systems that we have in our car, the dash cam equipment,” says Chief Deputy Robert Carlson. According to KETK, it will cost more than $117,180 and the grant will fund about $93,750 of that. The county will be responsible for 20% of the total, which is about $23,400. It will cover everything needed for the camera system as well as training. Continue reading Smith County Sheriff’s Office Awarded Grant for Body Cameras

GREGG COUNTY — Two burglary suspects in Longview and Kilgore were arrested Tuesday after they tried to flee the homes from which police said they were trying to steal from. According to the Longview News-Journal, Robin Bernard Giddings, 55, of Kilgore (pictured) has been charged with burglary of a habitation and resisting arrest search or transport in the burglary of a home in the 1500 block of Post Oak Road in Kilgore. James Earl Pleasant Jr., 25, of Nacogdoches has been charged with burglary of a habitation and evading arrest/detention in the burglary of a home in the 200 block of Skyline Drive in Longview. Both men remained jailed Wednesday on bonds totaling $12,000 each.

TYLER – The Smith County grand jury has indicted a Tyler woman in a fatal wreck last December. The district attorney’s office tells KTBB, Chasity Khan, 32, of Tyler, was indicted on May 12 on one count of intoxication manslaughter. The accident happened just before 10:00pm on December 1st on County Road 2120. Her vehicle ran off the road and hit several trees. Khan was hospitalized. A passenger in her vehicle, Jason David Cook, 37, was pronounced dead at the scene. Khan remains in the Smith County Jail on a $100,000 bond.

CARTHAGE — A Gregg County man has been sentenced to prison for indecency with a child by sexual contact in Panola County. Lewis Lavon Jones, 53, of Kilgore, was accused of molesting an 11 year old boy. After being found guilty, a state district judge sentenced Jones to 15 years in prison.

NEW YORK – There had been some reports that former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel might be missing. But he’s been found and is okay. Concern arose over the weekend when the unemployed quarterback failed to show up for a helicopter ride. He was flying to a family party he was suppose to be hosting in the Hamptons. But he has been found and if you said at a club, you’re correct. He was partying at an upscale New York club. A video of the former Tyler resident appeared on Instagram. Manziel was indicted for a Dallas incident in January. And there are some who say, because of all the controversy surrounding him, there is doubt about his NFL Future.

TYLER – A shoplifter turned robbery suspect has been arrested by Tyler police. Arrested Tuesday after turning himself in to a bail bondsman was Winston Alexander Love, 18, of Tyler. The incident occurred on March 16th at Tyler Game X Change at 4007 South Broadway. Love was accused of shoplifting. But it became robbery when he fought with employees who tried to keep him from leaving. Love remains in the Smith County Jail today. His bond is $100,000.

LONGVIEW — Monday night, Longview business owner Ronnie Horaney was shot at his home north of the city. He died at a local hospital. According to KETK, the Mayor of Longview, Andy Mack, heard the news about his friend and cousin. “This should not have happened. Ronnie was one of the good guys. And he’ll be very very missed in our community,” said Mack. He said Horaney was a well-known business owner, husband, father, and friend to many people in Longview. The 54-year-old and his mother, Betty, own one of Longview’s oldest family businesses, Horaney’s Feed stores in Longview and Marshall. His grandfather, Harry Horaney founded the business in 1940. Continue reading Investigation Ongoing in the Murder of Business Owner

TYLER – Smith County Commissioners have proclaimed May 31st as Bob Randall Day in Smith County. The long time Tyler businessman died May 14th. Members of Randall’s family received the resolution by Commissioner Jeff Warr, who also read it in court. Randall started working For J.C. Penny in 1955. He moved from Dallas to Tyler in 1971, working for J.C. Penney which was then located at the Smith County Courthouse Annex. He helped plan, build and open the first J.C. Penney store in a mall between Dallas and Shreveport in Tyler’s Broadway Square Mall. Randall worked there until his retirement in 1988.

LONGVIEW — The Longview Symphony has announced it has a new director. Jon Cromer, president of the Longview Symphony League Board announced Monday that Dr. Geen Moon is the symphony’s new director. The musical arts director at Stephen F. Austin University, teaches graduate conducting and orchestra administration, coaches chamber groups, opera scenes and oversees student teaching for the string area at SFA. Dr Moon’s doctoral thesis was on the history of the Longview Symphony. The symphony’s artistic committee is now working with Dr. Moon to finalize the 2016-2017 season.

LONGVIEW — A police dog with the Longview Police Department will be getting some body armor. K9 Indio will be getting a bullet and stab protective vest. It is a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. K9 Indio’s vest is sponsored by Amy Dingler of Protecting Pups in Longview. Amy is a retired police chief’s wife. The vest will be embroidered with the sentiment “In tribute to fallen officers.” It is expected to arrive within 8 to 10 weeks.

LUFKIN – Lufkin police continue their investigation into a fake Facebook page and a fake story. The page carried a fake news story about “3 officers killed, 5 wounded in Lufkin shooting.” It came from a website server that appears to be hosted out of Utah, but is registered to a person in the country of Georgia, which use to be part of Russia. Detectives are currently working to trace the origin of the Facebook page. The link directs users to a website called “All News Universe” that contains malware or spyware that can infect computers and compromise personal information. Lufkin police Public Relations Specialist Jessica Pebsworth said “It could take six to eight weeks to trace the IP address of the Facebook page poster, but Facebook is cooperating with the investigation.”

CUNEY – All members of a Cherokee County town’s police force have handed in their resignations. The small town of Cuney, in northwestern Cherokee County, lost their police chief Tuesday. Chief Michael Trawick submitted his resignation to the mayor and board of aldermen. A part-time officer also resigned. Last week, the department’s two reserve officers also submitted their resignation. Trawick told KETK the resignations stem from differences with newly elected mayor, Grace Beal. Police duties in Cuney now rests in the hands of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department.

TYLER – Children looking for summer activities will find a lot at the Tyler Public Library. And this summer, the bus ride to and from the library will be free. Children and teens up to the age of 18 will be able to ride a Tyler Transit bus free with a Tyler Library card. Youth Services Librarian Linda Gray says Children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult, over 18, at all times. And the adult fare with the child is only $1. Continue reading Free Summer Bus Rides to the Tyler Public Library

LONGVIEW – One person has been killed in a Gregg County shooting. According to KETK, the victim was said to be Longview businessman, Ronnie Horaney, owner of Horaney’s Feed Store. Witnesses said he was shot while answering the door at his home around 7:00 Monday night on Tryon Road just north of Longview. No arrests have been made. Details remain sketchy at this time as the investigation continues.

TYLER – Two persons are in custody following a brief Tyler chase. It started around 6:00 Monday evening when officers tried to stop a car that ran a red light at Plauxy and Grande. It ended when the men’s car crashed at Loop 323 and Easy Street. The driver has been charged with driving while intoxicated and the passenger was charged with public intoxication. Their names have not been released.

LUFKIN – A fake social media website is being investigated by the Lufkin Police Department. A Facebook page created Monday called itself Lufkin News Today. It shared a news story “3 officers killed, 5 wounded in Lufkin shooting” around 4:15pm. Public Relations Specialist Jessica Pebsworth said in a news release when the link is followed, it appears to go to a site that has the ability of infecting a computer system with malware. She added “We are working to get to the bottom of who created this page. This is not something we are going to take lightly.” If you have any information about the page or who created it you are asked to call 936-633-0356.

TYLER – One person is in custody following a standoff near Tyler’s Trane plant. It was reported shortly before 12:30 Monday afternoon on Hancock Drive just southeast of Tyler. Arrested was 32 year old Michael Greenlee of Tyler. He is said to have gotten into a dispute with a construction worker and fired a shot into the ground. No one was hit. A negotiator contacted Greenlee and talked him out of his house. He was booked into the Smith County Jail on a charge of aggravated assault.

TYLER — The Literacy Council of Tyler is looking for information about a statue stolen from Southside Park. The statue is holding a stack of books. KETK reports the council was notified by the parks department it was missing on Friday. This is not the first time the statue has been stolen. It went missing around this time last year but was recovered in a nearby creek. The statue was a gift to the park by a donor. If you have any information, contact Tyler police.

TYLER — Sheriff Larry Smith and state Representative Matt Schaefer did their part Monday to honor those who lost their lives in military service. Both spoke at Tyler’s annual Memorial Park observance on Memorial Day. Smith says it’s important to “keep their memory alive and to thank them, thank their families for the ultimate sacrifice they’ve made to make this nation what it is.” He added that everyone should honor fallen military members “all during the year and not just on Memorial Day.” Schaefer says, “Their past sacrifice presents us with a challenge for today: what are we doing with the freedom bought with their blood? Do we value our neighbor’s freedom as much as our own? We must honor their sacrifice with renewed devotion to the values that make america great.”

LONGVIEW – A man is undergoing evaluation at a Longview hospital following a Monday morning incident. Shortly after 7:15 Monday morning police were called to a Village Drive apartment where a man had gotten into a cab. He appeared to have a handgun, which he held to his head, an said he wanted to go to the hospital. The cab driver fled. The man surrendered without incident when police deployed gas into the cab. The gun turned out to be a toy. The man was taken to Good Shepherd Medical Center. Depending on the outcome of the evaluation, charges could be filed in the case.