KTBB News, Weather, Talk

GLADEWATER — The city of Gladewater has asked that residents not burn outdoors until further notice. In a news release online, Fire Chief Wayne Smith warned that dry and windy conditions in the next few days could contribute to fire danger. According to the Longview News-Journal and KETK, the fire department will not issue burn permits until conditions are deemed safe. Rusk County officials released a statement about crews working several fires in the Overton and New London areas Monday.

LUFKIN — One man has been killed in a two vehicle wreck in Lufkin at the intersection of Raguet Street and Old Mill Road. Police said, around 6:30 Monday night, Jesus Acosta, 69, turned onto Raguet Street and was struck by another vehicle. According to KETK, Acosta was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. The other vehicle was driven by Alton Dixon, 29. Dixon is a P.E. teacher/coach at Lufkin ISD, according to the school’s website. He also played football at Texas A&M. Dixon was flown to a Tyler hospital with unknown injuries. The wreck is under investigation.

TYLER — Tyler Water Utilities will be making repairs below the Rieck Road bridge from today to Thursday of this week. The Rose Rudman walking trail south of the bridge will be closed until repairs are completed. If you have any questions, contact the Water Service Center at (903) 531-1285.

DALLAS (AP/STAFF) — Johnny Manziel’s ex-girlfriend says he hit her so hard during a late-night confrontation that’s being investigated by police that she lost hearing in one ear. An affidavit filed by Colleen Crowley was obtained by KXAS-TV. Crowley won a protective order last week against Manziel, of Tyler, the Cleveland Browns quarterback who is being investigated on allegations of domestic violence. Continue reading Attack Left Manziel’s Ex-Girlfriend Deaf in 1 Ear

LONGVIEW – A traffic stop in Longview has led to the arrest of a gang member. The SUV was stopped Sunday in the area of Mobberly and Myrle Avenues. After the driver gave permission to search the vehicle, officers found a handgun covered by a tan rag. The gun was in the back seat where Bron’quivius Gray, 20, of Longview was sitting. Officers say he is a documented TYB gang member. Charged with unlawfully carrying a weapon, he was booked into the Gregg County Jail. Bond was set at $250,000.

Longview Police are trying to track down some smash and grab suspects. Several suspects are thought to be involved in the incidents that have occurred at stores selling tobacco products. The suspects are wearing masks, gloves, and clothing concealing anything to identify them. These suspects are in and out of the stores very quickly, in less than one minute on most incidents. A video of their vehicle shows a dark colored four door or extended cab truck with black rims. You can see some pictures and more information at the Longview Police Departments Facebook page. Anyone with any information about these crimes please call Detective Gabe Downs 903-237-1168 or Gregg County Crime stoppers at greggcountycrimestoppers.org.

NOONDAY — High winds are believed to have been the cause of a fire that destroyed a Smith County home Monday. According to KETK, the Smith County Fire Marshal’s Office says crews were called out to the fire on Highway 155 South in the Noonday area around 11:00 a.m. No injuries were reported, but officials believe the fire could have occurred when the homeowner’s son was burning materials in the front yard and high winds caused the flames to spread. The homeowner in fact says that is exactly what happened. A wind advisory and wildfire risk were posted in Monday’s weather forecast, and those advisories continue today.

TYLER — Tyler police are investigating a fatal accident in which vehicle struck a church. Around 11:54 Sunday night, officers were sent to a West Glenwood location and found that a pickup had left the roadway and struck the northeast corner of Dale Chapel Baptist Church. The badly damaged pickup was occupied by 67-year-old Banelle Bagwell. Ms. Bagwell was unconscious and was pinned in the vehicle. Tyler Fire Department personnel arrived and began rescue efforts using the jaws of life and other equipment. Ms. Bagwell was quickly freed from the vehicle and transported to East Texas Medical Center by EMS. A short time later, she was pronounced dead. The cause of the accident is unknown. No one was inside the church at the time of the accident.

TYLER — The Tyler Museum of Art ushers in its 45th anniversary with “Chihuly: Works from Texas Collections,” showcasing the work of glass master Dale Chihuly. Museum Executive Director Chris Leahy welcomed a large crowd at an opening reception — and expects more strong attendance, pointing out that Chihuly is “probably the best known of glass sculptors.” Leahy also lauded the work put into the exhibit by its curator, Caleb Bell; Derek Frazier, who arranged it and did the lighting; and interns from UT Tyler. The exhibit continues through May 15. The show opened Sunday and continues through May 15.

TYLER — One woman has been killed in a wreck in Tyler last night. Vannelle Bagwell, 67, Tyler, was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Tyler Police responded to the wreck on Glenwood around 11:55 Sunday night. Officers said Bagwell’s truck crashed into Dale Chapel Baptist Church, pinning her in the vehicle. The jaws of life were used to remove Bagwell from the truck. The cause of the crash is under investigation. No other injuries were reported.

CHAPEL HILL – One person is killed and one injured in a Smith County accident. The wreck occurred on Farm Road 850 four miles east of Chapel Hill. Dead at the scene was Samantha Briann Stanley, 31, of Kilgore. Injured was the car’s driver, Rio Joretta Alexander, 20, of Whitehouse. She is in stable condition at Tyler’s Mother Francis Hospital. The Department of Public Safety reports the accident occurred when Alexander’s car left the road and hit a tree shortly before 4:00 Sunday morning.

TYLER – Here’s a look at work planned in the district during the week of February 8. These schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure or other unforeseen issues.

SMITH COUNTY – Tyler Maintenance crews plan to conduct work at several locations around the county including replacing a culvert on Farm Road 2015 near Farm Road 14 on Monday with flaggers directing traffic; base repairs on State Highway 155South for the remainder of the week with the roadway reduced to one lane. Another crew will be performing ditch maintenance around the area as well as culvert work at the SH 31/Spur 164 intersection. Expect the outside lane of SH 31 to be closed during this work around the middle of the week. Continue reading TxDOT Road Projects

TYLER – Three men are being sought in a Tyler robbery. The victim tells officers, around 2:00 Saturday afternoon he was walking along West Bow Street when three men passed him. They then attacked him from behind. One of the men was armed with silver-colored brass knuckles. They stole some property and fled. The first suspect had a thin beard, a fade haircut, and was wearing a purple shirt, blue jeans, and a gold hoop earring in his left ear. The second suspect was wearing a gray shirt and blue jeans. The third was wearing black pants, a black shirt with white writing, a black jacket, and white sneakers. The victim is in stable condition at Mother Francis Hospital.

NACOGDOCHES – One person has been killed and two injured in a two vehicle accident near Nacogdoches. The head-on collision happened around 8:00 Friday night on State Highway 21. Dead at the scene was Charlotte Creel, 52, of Nacogdoches. She died when her car was hit by a pickup driven by Joshua Pierson, 22, of Pollock. The Department of Public Safety says Creel was passing another vehicle in a no passing zone when the accident occurred. Pierson, and a passenger in his vehicle, Derek Stewart, 23, of Woden, Pierson is listed in critical condition and Stewart is in serious condition. Neither was wearing their seatbelts.

TYLER – A fire just north of Tyler has destroyed a home, damaged four others and a truck. The Saturday afternoon fire was reported in the 3300 block of Mary Ann Street. Neighbors told KETK two people, including a small were in the house when the fire started. No one in the homes were injured. One firefighter became overheated and was treated at the scene. The cause remains under investigation.

LONGVIEW – A Longview drug raid has resulted in three arrests. The raid occurred Friday morning at a house in the 100 block of Cummings Street. Arrested on drug charges as well as outstanding warrants were Brandon Reese, 25, (pictured) Clifford Nelson, 44, and Damian Nelson, all from Longview. Police say in the house where the men were arrested they recovered some narcotics.

LONGVIEW – A Longview woman was robbed as she left work around shortly before 7:45 Friday night. She was leaving a business in the 1000 block of W. Loop 281 when a man came out from behind a dumpster and came up behind her. He is said to pushed her down and took the store’s money bag. He then fled in an unknown direction. She was unable to tell the gender of her attacker, who was said to have been wearing gloves, a ski mask and a yellow poncho.

TYLER –- Leadership Tyler has announced Brian Brandt as the 2016 Distinguished Alumni Award honoree. The Distinguished Alumni Award is given annually to a Leadership Tyler alum nominated by his or her peers and chosen by past award recipients. Mr. Brandt will be honored at the annual Leadership Tyler Reunion, which will be held on February 26th at the Hollytree Country Club. Brandt is a member of Leadership Tyler Class 19. He is the CEO of Core Insights, a company which influences individuals and organizations through training, strategic planning, coaching, keynotes, and leased employees.

GILMER – An Upshur County man has drawn a long prison term for sexually assaulting two boys. Tylor Lynn Charette, 22, of the Bettie Community, pleaded guilty Friday to counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child. State District Judge Lauren Parish sentenced him to life in prison plus an additional 30 years. According to a news release from Upshur County District Attorney Billy Byrd, Charette was a baby sitter for the boys. He is said to have repeatedly assaulted them and then told the boys, if they would keep quite about it he’d give them prizes. The mother of the two elementary students heard them crying one night and they told her of what had happened. She called authorities.

TYLER – Tyler’s Broadway Square Mall will be named on Tuesday a StormReady Supporter by the National Weather Service. This becomes the first mall in the ArkLaTex region, and one of 30 around the country, to be recognized as a StormReady Supporter. Bill Parker, Warning Coordination Meteorologist with the National Weather service in Shreveoprt,says, this shows the Tyler mall has put in place practices to ensure the safety of their employees, tenants and customers when severe weather strikes. Continue reading Tyler’s Mall a StormReady Supporter

CLEVELAND (AP/Staff) – Johnny Manziel’s agent has dropped the quarterback and Tyler native following two police investigations in Texas last weekend. Erik Burkhardt released a statement to media outlets Friday saying “with deep regret” he has ended the business relationship. Manziel will be released by the Cleveland Browns next month. Burkhardt says he will remain supportive of the 23-year-old player. The agent adds that he and Manziel’s family have gone to great lengths to outline steps to help him. Continue reading Manziel’s Agent Drops Quarterback after Police Inquiries

HENDERSON COUNTY — The Henderson County Fire Marshal has identified the cause of a fire resulting in the deaths of two people Tuesday night in the Coffee City area. According to KETK, Fire Marshal Shane Renberg says the fire inside the Briarwood Bay subdivision was caused by an exploding propane tank. The incident has been ruled accidental. Investigators determined the cause of the fire was due to a propane leak inside the residence. The mobile home had no electricity, and the two residents are believed to have been using a propane stove for heat. Investigators believe during the late evening on the 2nd, a small leak in a gas line allowed propane to fill the residence, causing an explosion when one of the residents tried to light the stove to heat the residence. The two victims have not yet been identified due to pending notification of kin.

TYLER — Bill O’Donnell has been named the next vice president for business affairs at The University of Texas at Tyler effective Feb. 1. O’Donnell most recently served as vice chancellor for administrative and fiscal affairs at Indiana University – South Bend. At UT Tyler, O’Donnell is responsible for management of the university’s facilities, financial services, recruiting efforts, and human resources, according to a news release. UTT President Rodney Mabry cites O’Donnell’s “experience and devotion to excellence at each of his former positions.” Continue reading UT Tyler Announces New Vice President for Business Affairs

LONGVIEW — One person has been arrested in connection to a fire in Longview. The fire was set at a vacant building on Eden Drive Tuesday night. According to the Longview Fire Department, a juvenile was booked into the Gregg County Juvenile Detention Center. Officials said that particular arson has no relation to the other fires, at least ten, thought to also be intentionally set. Authorities said eyewitnesses helped with the investigation and encourages the public to come forward with any information on fires they may have witnessed.

TYLER — UT Health Northeast held a news conference to address the concerns of the mosquito borne Zika Virus in East Texas. “We first were alerted to a documented case in Harris County about the middle part of January so this is all a new occurrences” George Roberts, Chief Executive Officer of Northeast Public Health District of Tyler, said. According to KETK, this week CDC confirmed the first sexually transmitted case of Zika, from a patient who sex with someone who returned from Venezula. Continue reading East Texas Heath Officials Address Zika Virus

TYLER – An elderly reported missing has been found. Tyler Police said James Lowell has been located and reunited with family. Lowell was reported missing Thursday morning from a Rice Road assisted living facility.

LONGVIEW – Two Longview men have been busted on drug charges. Rickey Don Woods, 27,(pictured) and Cody Len Bartlett, 36, were arrested a hotel room in the 3100 Block of Estes Parkway. They were arrested after the County Organized Drug Enforcement Unit, along with several Longview police officers, executed a narcotic search warrant. Besides being booked into the Gregg County Jail on charges of possession of a controlled substance, they were also charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.