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LONGVIEW — Longview fire officials are investigating the cause of an early morning house fire in the 400 block of East Birdsong Street. According to the Longview News-Journal, the fire started about 3:55 a.m. Saturday and was about 20% involved when the first unit arrived, Longview Fire Department battalion Chief William Edwards said. The occupants of the home were displaced. Officials could not say Saturday if arson is suspected.

SMITH COUNTY — One person was killed, another injured following a one vehicle rollover near Tyler. According to KETK, the wreck happened just after midnight Saturday on State Highway 31, about 10 miles west of Tyler. DPS Troopers said the driver, Ponciano Aguilar, 32, lost control and ran off the road. His truck then flipped multiple times ejecting him and his passenger, Israel Alvarez, 20. Aguilar died at the scene. Alvarez was taken to the hospital, his condition unknown. Troopers are investigating the cause of the accident.

LONGVIEW — A Gregg County grand jury indicted a woman on Friday for an arson that occurred in 2015. According to the Longview News-Journal, the jury indicted Jacoda Young, 24, of Longview, for a residential fire just before 10 a.m. on Nov. 3 at 1110 Chappell Street in Longview. The fire displaced the family and caused heavy fire damage to the residence. No injuries were reported. Young is currently held in Gregg County Jail.

LONGVIEW – Three Longview police officers involved in a shooting last August have been no billed by the Gregg County grand jury. The shooting occurred at a convenience store on South Mobberly Avenue. Injured was Joshua Thomas, 17. He was shot after officers say he pulled from his waistband what appeared to be a handgun. It turned out to be a CO2 pistol, a fake gun that resembles a semi-automatic weapon. No charges were filed against Thomas, whose injuries were non life threatening. The three officers, who had been on administrative leave, were returned to duty 5 months ago. Continue reading Grand Jury No Bills Three Longview Officers

LUFKIN – A Lufkin man is free on bond after leading police on an unusual chase. The ten minute chase late Thursday afternoon started with two men fleeing from officers on a go cart. They had earlier been reported running stop signs on Weaver Street. When officers pulled up behind the two in a driveway, the men ran and tried to hide behind a tree. When officers spotted them, they ran again. Officers were able to catch Lester Charles Jones, 24, who is facing a variety of charges, including possession of marijuana. The other man got away.

WILLS POINT — A huge class-action lawsuit has been filed against a worldwide religious organization based in Wills Point, claiming the group is fleecing the flock. The lawsuit says only a fraction of the hundreds of millions of dollars raised by Gospel for Asia makes it to the needy. Instead, the suit claims the group is lavishing itself with a 350-acre, multi-million-dollar compound in Van Zandt County. The website pleads for donors to select a project for their money, usually something in India. Attorney Tom Mills says Gospel for Asia misdirects most of its money to the group leaders. Mills says, “If they were solicited to send money to make water wells in areas where they needed water, and they go to the documents in India, they don’t find that any such thing was done.” Gospel for Asia has not responded to a request for comment.

PLANO — A missing East Texas teenager has been located by a Dallas-area police department. According to KETK, the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office said, Paiglynn Raymond was found Thursday night by the Plano Police Department and will remain in their custody until a legal guardian can pick her up. Sgt. David Roberts reported Paiglynn went missing for the second time in a year on Monday, February 8, and had not been heard from since. Officials considered her a runaway. Continue reading Rusk County Runaway Found in Plano

TYLER — One man has been taken into custody after crashing his truck into a restaurant. According to KETK, around midnight this morning, Reginald McDaniel, 45 wrecked his truck into the the Bruams at 3635 Troup Highway. McDaniel was arrested for DWI. No injuries were reported and the damage to the building is minor.

TYLER – A Tyler man has been convicted in federal court in Tyler of drug trafficking charges. Jose Maldonado Barragan, 23, was found guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, aiding and abetting, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm while illegally in the United States, and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. The jury deliberated less than two hours before reaching a verdict following a three-day trial before U.S. District Judge Michael H. Schneider. Barragan faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison when he returns to court for sentencing. Continue reading Drug Conviction in Federal Court

TYLER (AP/Staff) – The Smith County Sheriff’s Office announced the discovery of a woman’s body at the site of a deadly SWAT standoff. The Sheriff’s Office says the body apparently belongs to Frances Nix Barton, who was the mother of Kenneth Barton. KETK reports the body was found in a freezer. Kenneth Barton, a 61-year-old man authorities suspected in the 2014 disappearance of his mother, is dead after the standoff at his home beginning when deputies tried to serve a search warrant Wednesday. Sheriff Larry Smith says autopsies will be performed on both bodies. Continue reading Woman’s Body Found Following SWAT Standoff

WACO (AP/STAFF) – A woman, now living in Athens, has repaid $100,000 and put on probation after stealing from the Texas High School Rodeo Association. Leigh Ann Flores, who was sentenced Wednesday, pleaded guilty in December to theft from the Center-based nonprofit group from March 2007 to September 2014. While living in McLennan County, she was secretary for Region 10 of the high school rodeo association. Audits determined money had been stolen and Flores acknowledged the theft when confronted by association officials. Her attorney has presented a check to prosecutors. Flores must serve eight years of probation and do 300 hours of community service.

ATHENS (AP) — The Texas Department of Public Safety says that a suspect in a shooting has been shot and killed by law enforcement following a standoff in rural Henderson County. Department spokesman Sgt. Lonny Haschel said that authorities responded to a home around 7 a.m. Wednesday after a resident reported that they had been shot by a neighbor. The resident was transported to and released from a hospital. The department said that law enforcement spent several hours trying to negotiate with the suspect who was inside a home. Authorities say that according to a preliminary investigation, the suspect fired at law enforcement during the standoff. According to the department, law enforcement returned fire, killing the suspect. The Texas Rangers are investigating the incident.

CHAPEL HILL — Two Chapel Hill students have been arrested on drug charges. Bayle Russell, 17 (pictured) and Emmannette Rojas, 18, were both charged with possession of marijuana in a drug free zone. Russell was also charged with possession of a dangerous drug. According to the Smith County Sheriff’s Department, deputies were conducting their weekly training with area K9 officers from Palestine PD, Whitehouse PD, Smith County Constable Pct. 5, Brownsboro PD and Tyler PD, when the K9s alerted on seven different vehicles in the high school parking lot. All searches were conducted by High School Administrator’s Principal Mr. Jeff Hogg and Assistant Principal Mr. Mark Dahlgren. Both teens were booked into the Smith County Jail.

TYLER – Spring enrollment at Tyler Junior College is up 2%. Enrollment in the spring 16-week semester is 10,654, an increase of 200 students from the same period last year. Dr. Tom Johnson, TJC Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs says he sees enrollment continuing to increase because of some new programs they will be adding. TJC officials are working through the accreditation processes to begin offering a Bachelor of Science degree in dental hygiene in fall 2016. This will be the first four-year degree to be offered in the college’s history. Plans are also in the works for a veterinary technology program at TJC-Lindale.

HOUSTON – Tyler Congressman Louie Gohmert picks up a plum endorsement in his re-election campaign. U.S. Senator and Presidential candidate Ted Cruz is backing the veteran Tyler-based lawmaker as he faces Angelina County rancher Simon Winston in the GOP primary. In a statement, Cruz says, “With so much at stake, now is not the time to send an unproven representative to Congress. Louie is a committed conservative who has stood up to the liberal Democrats in Washington and delivered conservative results for East Texas.” Gohmert says he’s very pleased with the endorsement. In his words, “To have an ally like Ted, that’s a big deal.”

TYLER – A woman has lost her money in a Tyler purse snatching. It happened around 1:00 Wednesday afternoon as the woman got out of her car at Rusk Avenue and College Street. The woman had earlier cashed check at Walmart on the West Loop and drove to work. Two men in a silver car are said to have followed her and when she got out of her car they grabbed her purse and fled. She was not injured. The purse was recovered a about a block away. But the money was missing. The vehicle that may have been used by the suspects has been found but there is no trace of the men.

LONGVIEW – For the second day in a row a threat has closed a Longview business. Workforce Solutions East Texas at 2430 South High Street received a threatening call Tuesday morning. The caller threatened to harm someone. It’s not known if the threat was directed to a person visiting the business or to an employee. As a precaution, the business closed. The business received another threatening call Wednesday morning, as a precaution, the business closed again.

SMITH COUNTY — An East Texas man who was wanted for allegedly soliciting realtors is in custody. According to KETK, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office says Michael Minnich, 39, was arrested by the Smith County Precinct 4 Constable’s office on Wednesday morning. Minnich was also wanted on a parole violation. On Tuesday, the sheriff’s office released a statement saying Minnich and his wife, identified as Felicia Garland, were contacting realtors and claiming they were “cash buyers and needed to close quickly.” He reportedly also was asking to meet realtors at properties. Smith County officials were in close contact with the Longview Police Department during the investigation. According to judicial records, Minnich is being held in the Smith County Jail on no bond.

HENDERSON — An East Texas teenager who was missing for seven months in 2015 has left home again. According to KETK, the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office says Paiglynn Raymond left her home Monday and has not been seen or heard from since. The teenager left home in April 2015 after being dropped off at Sabine High School. Investigators with the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office said she left the campus, was picked up by a truck driver, and was dropped off at a bus station near Dallas. She reunited with her family around Thanksgiving. Continue reading Long-Missing Teen Who Returned Home Is Missing Again

TYLER – Tyler police said the two teens reported as runaways have been returned home around 4:30 Tuesday afternoon. Officials had been looking for the two teens who were described as “frequent runaways.” The siblings are identified as Hayden Gray,a 14-year-old male, and Taylor Sanchez, a 16-year-old female. They were last seen on Sunday. Sanchez has diabetes and is thought to be out of her supply of insulin.

CLEVELAND (AP/STAFF) — The Browns say Johnny Manziel was diagnosed with a concussion late in the season by an independent neurologist, countering an NFL Network report they lied about the injury to cover up the troubled quarterback showing up intoxicated for practice. The team issued a statement Tuesday saying Manziel, who is from Tyler, reported to the team’s facility on December 30, three days after a loss to Kansas City, complaining of concussion symptoms. The Browns say Manziel was tested by the neurologist and was entered into the league’s concussion protocol. The team says he wasn’t cleared from the protocol until January 12. Continue reading Browns Deny Lying About Johnny Manziel’s Concussion

LONGVIEW – A Gregg County murder suspect has been released from jail on a reduced bond because of a mistake by the district attorney’s office. Gary Murphy, 52, of Kilgore, was arrested last September. He was being held in the Gregg County Jail under a $250,000 bond. Jail records show he was released on a $10,000 bond on February 2nd. According to the Longview News Journal, he was released on the lower bond because the grand jury indictment was handed down one day after the 90-day allotment for indictments. Continue reading Mistake Leads to Murder Suspect’s Release

LONGVIEW – A fugitive who fled Longview police last month, has been arrested. Charles Hordarius McNeary, 18, of Longview, had been named in an outstanding warrant. It stemmed from an armed suspect call on January 22nd. Officers found McNeary in a vehicle during the traffic stop. He ran away and officers were unable to find him that night. Through jail photos, officers were able to identify him and a warrant was issued. McNeary was located Monday night and arrested on the warrant for evading arrest with a prior conviction.

LONGVIEW – A threatening phone call has caused a Longview business to close. The call was received Tuesday morning at Workforce Solutions East Texas at 2430 South High Street. The caller threatened to harm someone. It’s not known if the threat was directed to a person visiting the business or to an employee. As a precaution, the business closed and extra precautions are also being taken at the Quitman location of the business.