KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — State Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples stopped at UT Tyler Monday for a signing of his new book, “Broken Borders, Broken Promises.” Staples tells KETK his book explains the importance of securing the Texas border from drug dealers and human smugglers — and he wants the Obama administration to take action. One key suggestion: “using surplus military equipment that American taxpayers have already paid for and deploying those assets to help our law enforcement that are on the border today.”

GREGG COUNTY — Gregg County officials are searching for the owners of a horse that was found on the roadside on the 200 block of McCarver St. near Longview. KETK reports it was found without food and water, was slightly emaciated, and had some bones showing very prominently. It reportedly escaped from a pen on Friday evening. Safe Haven Rescue Mission will evaluate the horse and care for him. If you have any information, you’re asked to contact Gregg County authorities.

LONGVIEW — A Longview retailer has been cited for allegedly selling alcohol to a minor. On Thursday, the Longview Police Department, partnering with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission and Longview Partners in Prevention, conducted off-premise minor stings at area retailers to validate compliance with Texas law prohibiting the sale of alcohol to minors. 20 different alcohol retailers were checked by the undercover team. Police say the location that sold to the minor was at 611 E. Marshall Ave. The individual who allegedly sold alcohol to the undercover minor was listed in an offense report for “making alcohol available to a minor.” That’s a class A misdemeanor, and authorities say the report will be filed with the Gregg County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution. In addition, the TABC issued an administrative citation to the business.

LONGVIEW — Police say a woman suffered life-threatening injuries when she was hit by a car in Longview. On Friday at 11:56 p.m., officers were dispatched to the 1000 Block of East Marshall Avenue. When officers arrived, witnesses said a woman later identified as Lauren Lynn Jester, 29, of Longview, had attempted to cross the roadway when she was struck by a car driven by Melvin Hinchen of Marshall. Witnesses also said that Jester was wearing dark colored clothing and ran out into the roadway in front of Hinchen’s car. Jester was transported to Good Shepherd Medical Center. Hinchen was not injured. The crash remains under investigation.

LONGVIEW — A Marshall teen died Sunday from injuries he suffered in a wreck that occurred in Harrison County about 2:30 p.m. Saturday, according to officials with the Department of Public Safety. KETK and the Longview News-Journal report Christopher C. Willis, 18, was riding in a car driven by 27-year-old Delton Lane when the car, traveling northbound on FM 1997, left the roadway, hitting a fence and a house. Willis was pronounced dead Sunday by Gregg County Pct. 2 Justice of the Peace Arthur Fort at Good Shepherd Medical Center. Lane, also of Marshall, was taken to an area hospital in critical condition.

GLADEWATER — The Gladewater Police Department is investigating after four vehicles were stolen from a local funeral home. According to KETK, the Dearion David Funeral Home reported the cars were stolen sometime after 8:00 p.m. Sunday. One, a 2008 white Cadillac four-door, has been recovered. Still missing: a 2003 white Cadillac Escalade, a 1999 white Cadillac hearse, and a 2005 white Ford Expedition. Police recovered the 2008 vehicle at an oil lease on Shell Camp Road in Gladewater around 6:48 Monday morning. If you have any information regarding the theft of these vehicles, you’re asked to contact the Gladewater Police Department.

GREGG COUNTY — A Longview woman remained jailed after police say she shot her father. According to the Longview News-Journal, Tabetha Christian Evans, 24, seriously wounded her father when she shot him Saturday afternoon in the 900 block of Spring Street in West Longview. Kristie Brian, Longview police spokeswoman, said Evans and her father were taken to Good Shepherd Medical Center. Evans was taken to the hospital for medical clearance before police transported her to jail, Brian said. Evans is being held in the Gregg County Jail under $100,000 bond on a charge of aggravated assault family violence with a weapon. Continue reading Longview Woman Jailed for Allegedly Shooting Father

UNDATED – Here’s a quick look at events and work planned in the Tyler TxDOT District:

SMITH COUNTY – Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform edge and shoulder work on FM 2661 between SH 31 and Big Eddy Road. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic. Continue reading TxDOT Project Updates

VAN ZANDT COUNTY — One person has been killed in a two-vehicle crash Sunday in Van Zandt County. The DPS says it was reported at 9:16 a.m. on FM 47, just north of County Road 2430. According to officials, a motorcycle driven by 41-year-old Jamie Daniel Logan of Mabank was southbound when it entered the northbound lane and was struck by an oncoming minivan. Logan died shortly before 11 Sunday morning at ETMC/Athens. He was not wearing a seatbelt.

LONGVIEW — A Longview woman was jailed over the weekend after police say she shot her father. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, police say Tabetha Christian Evans, 24, seriously wounded her father when she shot him Saturday afternoon in the 900 block of Spring Street in West Longview. Police spokeswoman Kristie Brian said Evans and her father were taken to Good Shepherd Medical Center. Evans was taken to the hospital for medical clearance before police transported her to jail, Brian said. Evans is being held in the Gregg County Jail under $100,000 bond on a charge of aggravated assault family violence with a weapon.

Longview police also responded to a second shooting Saturday afternoon near the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Johnson Street in South Longview. However, Brian said officers did not find a victim or suspect at the scene and no one at area hospitals reported treating any gunshot wounds.

PALESTINE — Anderson County officials say Neches Junior High track coach Lisa Harroff was charged May 30 with improper relations between an educator and student. KETK reports she is currently in Anderson County Jail being held under a $25,000 bond. Further details are pending; we’ll update the story as more information comes in.

NACOGDOCHES — Nacogdoches police have confirmed that two people died in an early morning house fire Sunday. KETK reports a Nacogdoches woman and her grandson died in the fire on Dorr Creek Street near State Highway 21 East. The Nacogdoches Fire Department was called to the scene at 6:52 a.m., and arriving firefighters found heavy fire showing through the roof of the one-story home; the roof had already collapsed. Officials believe that the house had burning for some time, and they have confirmed that the house was destroyed. Continue reading Two Killed in Early Morning House Fire

TYLER — Police in Tyler are seeking suspects in an aggravated robbery that occurred around 2:00 Sunday morning at Club Sky, 900 W. Bow. The victim stated that two black males in their 20s approached him in the back parking lot. One of the suspects displayed a knife and demanded money. When the victim refused, both suspects attacked him. During the altercation, the victim sustained a cut to his left hand. After being injured, the victim ran to his vehicle and drove himself to Mother Frances Hospital for treatment. The suspects fled the scene in an unknown direction. The victim was unable to provide any further details regarding the suspects’ descriptions. Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to contact the Tyler Police Department. This case remains under investigation.

MORRIS COUNTY — A Morris County landmark in Jenkins, Texas, is being restored for historic preservation by fourth and fifth generation descendants of Republic of Texas settlers, John Wingate and Elizabeth J. Robinson Truitt. The Truitt family held its annual reunion Saturday at the Jenkins First Baptist Church. Continue reading Restoration of East Texas Landmark

LINDALE — A Lindale family’s home suffered significant damage after it caught fire early Saturday morning. KETK reports it happened around 1 a.m. in the 400 block of Stewart Street. Lindale Fire officials say they are not sure what started the fire, but about 40 percent of the house was lost. Fortunately there were no injuries to report. The fire is still under investigation at this time.

LONGVIEW — A Longview man died early Saturday morning after troopers say he fell from the window of a moving vehicle. That’s according to KETK and the Longview News-Journal. “Alcohol is believed to be involved,” said Trooper Brant Smith with the Texas Department of Public Safety. Joshua Whitten, 19, was hanging out of the left rear passenger window of a silver BMW traveling at 60 mph when he fell to the pavement about 5 a.m., according to Trooper Smith. The vehicle was westbound on West Harrison Road, and was just east of Cupit Road when the incident occurred. Whitten was pronounced dead at Good Shepherd Medical Center in Longview.

TYLER — Tyler police seek a suspect in a commercial robbery. On Friday at about 11:35 p.m., officers were dispatched to the Rite Track Valero gas station located at 1736 E. Gentry Parkway. Once on scene, officers learned that a Hispanic male entered the business yelling at customers to stop moving while demanding the cashier to give him all the money in the register. The suspect then jumped onto the counter, reached into the cash register, and took an undetermined amount of cash. The suspect exited the business and fled the scene northbound on E. Gentry in a dark colored SUV or compact car. Continue reading Commercial Robbery under Investigation

CHEROKEE COUNTY — Alto Rural Water Supply Corporation customers living in the Linwood community and on FM 851 are urged to boil their water before consumption. KETK reports this is due to conditions that have occurred recently in the water system.

TYLER — Tyler Junior College has received reports of young men approaching homes and businesses in the Whitehouse area, claiming to be selling magazine subscriptions on behalf of the TJC baseball team. TJC is asking that people be aware the college is not a sponsor of any such activity. According to KETK, anyone who encounters these people needs to make note of their physical descriptions and location and to contact the appropriate law enforcement authority.

LONGVIEW — A teenaged bicyclist was seriously injured this week, leading Longview police to issue an advisory on bicycle safety. On Wednesday at 5:25 p.m., officers were dispatched to an accident with injuries near the intersection of Premier and Harrison Roads. When officers arrived, they found that the youth had collided with a vehicle after reportedly failing to stop at a stop sign. 14-year-old Michael David Charles Bonham of Longview had been riding his bike in the area, allegedly failed to stop at the intersection, and collided with a 1999 black Mitsubishi Eclipse driven by 21-year-old Carlos Lopez-Alvarez. Bonham was transported to Good Shepherd Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. He was later transported to a Dallas hospital. Continue reading Young Bicyclist Badly Injured; Bike Safety Urged

LONGVIEW — A Dallas man is being held in the Gregg County Jail on bonds totaling $41,000 after police say he evaded arrest and rammed his car into a police car — all while allegedly drunk. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, police say Bennie Joe Baker Jr., 32, appeared passed out in the driver’s seat of a car parked in the 200 block of West Sycamore Lane, near the Pine Tree Road intersection. A Longview police officer came across the car while responding to a call about a suspicious vehicle, according to police reports. The officer wrote in his report that Baker appeared to be intoxicated and drove away when the officer told him to turn off the ignition. Continue reading Police: Drunk Man Evades Arrest, Rams Police Car in Longview

MARSHALL — A Harrison County grand jury returned two murder indictments in connection with the 2009 murder of a Hallsville man. KETK and the Longview News-Journal report Harley Blake Vaughn and Thomas Dean Richardson Jr. were indicted Thursday for murder in the death of Bobby Joe Inzer. The defendants were both 16 at the time of the crime. Because they are now 20-year-old adults, Harrison County Court-at-Law Judge Jim Ammerman, who presides over juvenile cases, signed an order earlier this month waiving juvenile jurisdiction for both defendants so that they could now be tried as adults in the 71st District Courtroom for the alleged crime. Continue reading Two Indicted in 2009 Hallsville Murder

EAST TEXAS — Texas drivers will soon be able to drive a little faster on country highways. According to KETK, TxDOT says 118 miles of highways in rural parts of Northeast Texas will soon see an increase of speed from 70 to 75 miles per hour. That increase was approved in December, but the department is currently installing new signs to make the limit official. Most rural interstate highway speed limits across texas were increased last year.

NACOGDOCHES – Five adolescents, between the ages of 12 and 15, are behind bars. They’re accused of burglary in Nacogdoches County. it happened on County Road 804 last weekend. Sheriff’s deputies tell KETK they found evidence at the teens’ houses that linked them to the crime. All five have been charged with burglary of a habitation.

LONGVIEW — Longview police are trying to identify two suspects who burglarized and damaged the Alpine Laundry. And they are asking the public for help. The two suspects broke into the laundry in April and again in May. They are said to have caused extensive damage. If you can supply some information, contact Detective Gary Shirley at 903-237-1199. If you wish to remain anonymous, contact Gregg County Crimestoppers at 903-236-7867.

HENDERSON — The Department of Public Safety has identified the Henderson woman killed in a Rusk County ATV accident. Killed in the Tuesday afternoon wreck was Diana Sue Drake, 54. The DPS reports her ATV was hooked up to a tow strap and pulled by another ATV. As they were both going down hill, her vehicle passed the other ATV and her rear wheels got caught in the tow strap. Her vehicle overturned. She died about an hour later at a local hospital.

JEFFERSON — The help wanted sign is out in the Jefferson school district. School Superintendent Dr. Sharon Ross has resigned to accept the superintendent’s job in the Mexia school system. Earlier this week the Mexia school board named Ross the sole finalist for the position. Her last day on the job in Jefferson will be on Monday. In an emergency meeting on Tuesday, the Jefferson school board named former assistant superintendent Sandra Spencer as the district’s interim superintendent.

Dr. Ross has been the school superintendent in Jefferson for the past five years. Before that she was assistant superintendent of curriculum at Crockett ISD for nearly two years. The school district’s web site says Dr. Ross has also served as an elementary teacher in Lindale ISD, an elementary principal in Lindale ISD,Lufkin ISD and Overton ISD, and a middle school principal in Tyler ISD.

TYLER — A five-car pileup blocked some eastbound loop traffic for about an hour on Thursday afternoon at the intersection of Loop 323 and Old Jacksonville Highway. KETK reports the accident happened around 12:30, after one driver reportedly did not stop at a red light and caused a chain reaction with four other cars. Eight people were involved in the accident, but only two were taken to a local hospital, with unknown injuries. The driver who allegedly caused the accident was given a sobriety test after officers said that they smelled alcohol and that a 12-ounce container of beer was found in the car. The driver passed the sobriety test but was cited for the wreck and allegedly having an open container. .

HOUSTON (AP/Staff) – A Canadian company that is building a pipeline to carry tar sands oil to the Gulf Coast says it is repairing parts of the duct in Texas — mainly in Wood County, according to KETK and the Longview News-Journal. TransCanada spokesman Shawn Howard says in an email that inspections of the pipeline revealed “small imperfections.” He says nine sections totaling about 81 feet will be repaired. He says 75% of the pipeline in Texas is complete. Howard says it will be in operation by late 2013. When done, the pipeline will run through much of East Texas, including eastern Smith County. Continue reading Repairs Done on Portions of Oil Pipeline in Texas

TYLER — The Smith County Commissioners Court cut the ribbon Thursday, officially opening the new Smith County Election Administration Office and the R. B. Hubbard Center. The new facilities are located at 302 and 304 E. Ferguson, respectively. Officials say the new Elections facility offers customers ample parking, ground-level entry, and a spacious early voting area. The adjoining R. B. Hubbard Center, or as it has come to be called, “The HUB,” is a multi-purpose facility designed to suit public needs. Officials say it can be used for large gatherings, town hall meetings, or jury pools. The HUB was named for the fifteenth governor of Texas, Richard B. Hubbard, whose homestead was once located in the area that is now East Ferguson.