KTBB News, Weather, Talk

LUFKIN — Two Lufkin convenience stores were robbed last week and investigators need your assistance to identify the suspects. On December 8th, an unidentified suspect robbed a convenience store located in the 3100 block of Atkinson Drive in Lufkin. On December 12th, an unidentified suspect robbed a convenience store located in the 1900 block of North Timberland Drive in Lufkin.

In both instances, a suspect entered into the convenience stores just before 9:00 P.M., used a handgun to threaten employees of the stores, and demanded money. The employees complied with the suspect’s demands and the suspect fled on foot from the stores. The suspect in both crimes was described as a black male, approximately nineteen years old, average build, wearing a black hooded-jacket, and dark blue or black jeans. His face was covered with a blue bandana. Police believe the suspect was dropped off and picked up in a white Dodge Caravan.

TYLER – A Smith County home has been destroyed by fire. The fire was reported Wednesday night at the Arthur Freeman residence on County Road 21. Arthur and his wife Tammy smelled smoke and fled to a neighbor’s home. Their house was a total loss. They were not injured. The house had experience electrical problems prior to the fire and that may be what caused it. The fire remains under investigation.

NACOGDOCHES — A single engine plane has crashed near the Nacogdoches airport. The crash occurred around 8:00 Wednesday night. The aircraft was flying from LaPorte to Longview when it experienced engine trouble. It crashed about half a mile from the airport, taking out a power line and some trees. The pilot was not injured.

TYLER – A Tyler aggravated assault is under investigation. It occurred just before 1:15 Thursday morning in the 1400 block of West Claude. According to police Sgt. Michael Burge, the victim was cut on the stomach with a sharp object by an unknown black male. They had been involved in a verbal altercation. The victim was not seriously injured. He was treated at Mother Frances Hospital.

TYLER — A Cherokee County man’s conviction for continuous sexual abuse is affirmed by a state appeals court. Bobby Eugene Coker pleaded guilty in 2009. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison. The 12th Court of Appeals found Coker failed to show the statute used to convict him was unconstitutional.

PICKTON — One person has been killed and one injured on State Highway 11 East in Pickton. The accident happened Wednesday morning. The Department of Public Safety identified the dead man as Melvin Bell, 74, of Sulphur Springs. Reports indicate Bell had drifted across the center of the highway and hit an oncoming pickup. This is the second fatal accident on Highway 11 East in as many days. A Tuesday morning crash killed Lou Dickey, 73, of Sulphur Springs.

CUSHING – Nacogdoches County authorities are looking for two men who robbed the Cushing branch of the Longview Bank & Trust Company. It happened shortly after 3:30 Wednesday morning. The men, wearing masks, broke the front glass window and then used a pry bar to get into the tellers’ cash drawers. They were gone within two minutes. Nacogdoches County Sheriff Thomas Kerss say the men, plus the car they were driving, resemble the suspects in a bank robbery in Joaquin last month.

MARSHALL – A 51-year-old Pittsburg woman has pleaded guilty to theft of public money. Tammye Hollins pleaded guilty to theft of public money and health care fraud on Dec. 14 in Marshall before U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles Everingham.

According to information presented in court, on June 1, 2006, through June 30, 2010, Hollins devised a scheme to defraud and steal money from the Supplemental Security Income program and Medicaid by making fraudulent statements and representations by failing to report her marital status and sources of income. As part of her plea, Hollins has agreed to pay restitution and a forfeiture judgment to Social Security Administration in the amount of $35,316 and $5,596.57 to Medicaid. Hollins was indicted by a federal grand jury on Sep. 1, 2010. Hollins faces up to three years in federal prison at sentencing. A sentencing date has not been set.

TYLER – Two Mexican nationals were sentenced to federal prison Wednesday for transporting illegal aliens. The sentences were handed down in Tyler federal court. German Gonzalez-Espinoza, 20, of Mexico City, Mexico, pleaded guilty on May 6, 2010, to conspiracy to transport illegal aliens in furtherance of the aliens’ unlawful presence in the United States and was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Leonard Davis. Sergio Hernandez-Cruz, 30, of Tejupilco, Mexico, pleaded guilty on Apr. 21, 2010, to the same charge and was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison Wednesday by Judge Davis. Upon completing their sentences, the two will be deported.

According to prosecutors, on Feb. 5, 2010, a van being driven by the two defendants from Dallas to Atlanta was stopped in Van Zandt County, Texas. State troopers notified immigration agents, and an investigation revealed that the occupants of the van were Mexican nationals who were illegally in the United States. Gonzalez-Espinoza and Hernandez-Cruz were indicted by a federal grand jury on Mar. 3, 2010, and charged with immigration violations.

TYLER – Two Mexican nationals have been sentenced in Tyler to federal prison for immigration violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales on Wednesday. Juan Gavino-Hernandez, 29, of Tejupilco, Mexico, pleaded guilty on Aug. 18, 2010 to being a criminal alien unlawfully in the United States after having been previously deported and was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Leonard Davis. Oscar Garcia-Cadena, 48, of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, pleaded guilty to the same charge on June 10, 2010 and was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison Wednesday by Judge Davis. Both men will be deported upon completing their sentences.

According to authorities, on May 9, 2009, Gavino-Hernandez was found to be in Anderson Countyafter having been previously deported. Gavino-Hernandez was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 6, 2010, and charged with immigration violations. On Mar. 10, 2010, Garcia-Cadena was found to be in Van Zandt County after having been previously deported. He was indicted by a federal grand jury on Apr. 8, 2010, and charged with federal immigration violations.

LINDALE — The Humane Society of the United States, SPCA of East Texas, and Humane Society of North Texas worked with the Smith County District Attorney’s Office to rescue 50 horses from a Lindale property. According to information from the national humane society and KETK, an investigator with the Smith County District Attorney’s office served a seizure warrant to the owner of the horses Tuesday evening, allowing the rescuers to begin removing the horses Wednesday. Humane society officials say many of the horses on site were severely emaciated and showed signs of neglect. Rescuers say the animals were suffering from a variety of medical ailments including overgrown hooves and parasite infestation. Rescuers also found several dead horses and numerous equine skeletons on the scene.

“These horses may have been struggling to survive for quite some time, but now thanks to everyone involved in this rescue they will receive the care they so desperately need,” said Nicole Paquette, Texas senior state director for The HSUS. “It is the responsibility of every horse owner to provide humane, responsible care for their horses at all stages of their lives.” Rescuers have been removing all of the horses from the property and transporting them to a temporary shelter. Officials say once the horses reach the shelter, they will be checked by a team of veterinarians and given any necessary immediate medical care. Officials add that the horses will be cared for at the shelter until their custody is determined.

PITTSBURG (AP) – A man’s self-proclaimed “journey by faith” through Texas and beyond has been delayed after his covered wagon was hit by a vehicle and two of his mules were killed. Gregory Kuehmichel of Mineral Wells was bound for Tyler when the accident happened between Pittsburg and Gilmer, killing his mules named “Courageous” and “Constance.” The Longview News-Journal reported Wednesday that Kuehmichel was traveling along U.S. 271. The Department of Public Safety says half of the wagon was on the highway when the accident happened Saturday morning. The car driver was treated and released from a hospital. Kuehmichel was not hurt, but his covered wagon was destroyed. He’s vowed to continue his journey, which in 2008 included a trip to Wisconsin, if he can get a new wagon and more mules.

TYLER — Tyler officials say efforts to expand the economic impact of the Rose Season paid off this year with an estimated $2,041,529 spent by attendees at the three-week long event – up from $973,706 in 2009. Hotel-motel occupancy tax revenue during the month of October also rose significantly according to information from the State Comptroller’s Office; revenue grew by more than $20,000 over the same month in 2009.

“Following the Rose Festival in 2009 we formed a committee to look at ways we could capitalize upon the event to attract more visitors to Tyler,” commented City Manager Mark McDaniel. “We already had several longstanding, successful attractions – so it was simply a matter of adding additional activities that appealed to a broad range of visitors and getting the word out across the State. The result was the three-week long Rose Season.”

In addition to the traditional Rose Parade, Queen’s Tea and Coronation, the 2010 Rose Season included Tyler’s first full marathon, the Festival on the Square Texas Music Concert, a self-guided garden tour, horticulture workshops, the Master Gardener Fall Conference and Bulb Sale, an arts and crafts fair and much more. “By expanding the Rose Season into three weekends, we were able to offer a variety of events that were marketable to a cross section of tourists,” added Convention and Visitors’ Bureau Chief Operating Officer Henry Bell. “We focused our marketing efforts on this region as well as the major metro areas such as Dallas.”

Overall, reports from the planners of Rose Season events showed that attendance grew from 57,410 attendees in 2009 to 83,839 in 2010. More than 50 percent of attendees were considered tourists from outside Smith County and overnight stays grew from 1,423 in 2009 to 1,878 in 2010.

Some events that were part of the Rose Season had been held at other times of the year in the past. The Festival on the Square had traditionally been held in September; however, to reach a critical mass, the event was moved to October as part of the Rose Season line up. The concert occurred the night before the Rose Marathon, which allowed for cross marketing of both events, and drew an estimate 2,500 attendees. “The Tyler Rose Marathon was a great addition to the Season’s events,” said McDaniel. “It drew more than 1,800 people and resulted in 302 hotel room nights.” At least 70 percent of the marathon’s participants were from outside Smith County, with six percent coming from other states.

“Planning for the 2011 Rose Season is already underway,” said Tyler Mayor Barbara Bass. “The spirit of cooperation that is growing is positioning tourism as a major economic driver in our community. I have every confidence that we will continue to see growth moving forward.” The year-to-date hotel-motel occupancy tax has grown more than 10 percent as compared to the same period in 2009.

TYLER — A Cherokee County man’s conviction for continuous sexual abuse is affirmed by a state appeals court. According to KETK, Bobby Eugene Coker pleaded guilty in 2009. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison. The 12th Court of Appeals found Coker failed to show the statute used to convict him was unconstitutional.

TYLER — The driver of a Tyler school bus involved in a collision this week is getting some re-training behind the wheel. Two students on board during the crash were taken to a local hospital for precautionary reasons. The driver of the bus was cited for making an improper turn. School officials now say all Tyler ISD transportation employees involved in collisions are required to retrain prior to returning to the job. The training would include toxicology testing, defensive driving and practical behind the wheel assessments.