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TYLER — The two men accused in the East Texas church arsons last year have signed a waiver of jury trial and will plead guilty . Jason Bourque of Lindale and Daniel McAllister of Ben Wheeler announced their plea intentions in a hearing in 114th State District Court Thursday. Judge Christi Kennedy set the men’s plea hearing for December. They will be back in court January 10th for sentencing.

Bourque, 20, has been charged with five counts of arson. This is for the fires at Tyland Baptist Church, First Church of Christ, Scientist, Prairie Creek Fellowship Church, Dover Baptist Church, and Clear Spring Missionary Baptist Church. Bourque was also charged with three counts of attempted arson. McAllister, 22, has been charged with two counts of arson and two counts of attempted arson.

JACKSONVILLE — One of two men wanted in a weekend shooting in Cherokee County is in custody. His brother remains at large. Officials announced Thursday the arrest of Ruben Rincon, 22. They are still looking for Hugo Rincon, 19.

Over the weekend, David Thomason, 73, reportedly witnessed the men burglarizing his tool shed at his home west of Jacksonville. Thomason says his truck blocked the men from leaving his driveway. According to the victim, that’s when one them walked up to his truck window and shot him twice. Thomason says he was then pulled from his truck and put on the ground before they moved his vehicle and drove away. Thomason is now recovering and has been released from the hospital.

TYLER — An illegal El Salvadoran immigrant has received a life sentence for the aggravated sexual assault of a child. Oscar Antonio Bonilla, 31, was sentenced Thursday. A jury, back in November, found Bonilla guilty. He could be eligible for parole in 30 years. After serving his prison sentence, Bonilla will be deported.

TYLER — Prekindergarten teachers in Tyler ISD were rewarded this week for their dedication to preparing students for kindergarten when their classrooms received Texas School Ready! certification. According to Texas Commissioner of Education Robert Scott, “Strong prekindergarten programs help get at-risk children off to a good start and improve their chances for success throughout their school career. This certification can be used by parents to quickly identify programs that are effectively preparing children for kindergarten.”

The teachers receiving the 2010 Texas School Ready! Certification are: Billy Smoot from Bonner Elementary School; Marcia Trefoil, Yesinia Milan Stephanie Denton, Jackie Jackson, and Tameka Scruggs from Griffin Elementary School; Traci Sanders, Vonda Williams, Bobbie Riddick, and Monica Wood from Jones Elementary School; and Alicia Guajardo and Vicki Haddad from the Bo shears Center.

For prekindergarten classrooms from the 2008-2009 school years, 1,765 classrooms are receiving 2010-2011 certifications through a Texas Education Agency-funded evaluation system operated by the Children’s Learning Institute (CLI) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (Unhealthy).

To achieve certification, teachers at preschools and centers apply to CLI and provide information about their classrooms. CLI then studies information provided by Texas public school districts to assess students’ early reading and social development skills after they advance to kindergarten. The annual certification shows that children who graduated from these prekindergarten classrooms went to public kindergarten with the fundamental skills in place to be successful. Licensed childcare providers, Head Start and public prekindergarten classrooms are included in the voluntary program.

LONGVIEW — Customers now have an additional option available for making utility payments to the City of Longview. The Water Utilities Department has authorized Fidelity Express as a third party payment processor to accept customer bill payments at twenty convenience store locations throughout the Longview area. Fidelity Express will charge a fee of $1.50 for each payment transaction.

Utilizing the Fidelity Express locations, customers may pay their water bill in the form of cash, check, or money order. All water bill payments received through the Fidelity Express locations before 3:30 p.m. will be posted the same business days; payments received after 3:30 p.m. will be posted the next business day. Customers are required to have their bill statement coupon to complete payment.

According to Water Utilities Customer Service Manager Willie Marshall, “We learned that other water utilities had achieved positive results by implementing authorized payment processors throughout their communities, so we decided to pursue the effort for Longview customers. We hope this authorized payment source will be a convenient and fast option for customers that might not have access to the internet or are unable to easily travel to City Hall.”

It should be noted that Fidelity Express is the only authorized third party payment processor at this time. Customers that use other non-authorized third party bill payment services should be advised that those non-authorized payments are not immediate and may result in incorrect payment, delayed processing, late fees, or water service cancellation. As such, customers are encouraged to use only the following authorized payment options:
*By mail to City of Longview, P.O. Box 1952
*In person at City Hall, 300 W. Cotton St.
*Online using care at LongviewTexas.gov
*Over the phone with Steelworks at 903-237-1030
*Through Automatic Bank Draft established at the City Hall
*Using Fidelity Express at 20 Longview area convenience store locations.

LONGVIEW — Law officers in Longview arrest two men on a drug raid. It happened Tuesday around 5:45 p.m. as the Gregg County Organized Drug Enforcement Unit executed a narcotics search warrant at 614 Buchanan Street. Authorities say agents made entry into the residence without incident, and that a quantity of ecstasy and marijuana was located. Toronto Lockridge, 34, of Longview and Sandy Brown, 20, also of Longview, were arrested. Lockridge was arrested on an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon warrant. Brown was arrested on allegations of manufacturing and delivery of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana; he was also apprehended on two assault warrants. Both Lockridge and Brown remain in the Gregg County Jail with bonds totaling $1 million and $27,500 respectively.

TYLER — Tyler Police say they’ve made an arrest in several burglaries at a local apartment complex. Authorities say Darious Thomas, 19, Cedar Hill, was taken into custody. The burglaries happened on, and just before, the Thanksgiving holiday at the Cambridge Apartments 3088 Old Omen Road. On December 1, officers located a large bag of clothing in the dumpster on the property of the apartment complex. The clothing was identified as belonging to several residents that had their apartments broken into. Investigators also recovered a dog stolen from an apartment that was found in possession of another
resident.

Evidence started to point to a specific apartment within the complex that was being leased by three students from Tyler Junior College who are from Cedar Hill outside of Dallas. Investigators have also identified friends of these students who are from the Cedar Hill area who are not students but were involved with the string of burglaries.

Thomas was charged with two counts of Residential Burglary. Thomas, who is not a student, but attended Kilgore Community College at one time, was connected to a burglary that occurred before the Thanksgiving Holiday and one during the holiday. Thomas was associated with the residents who lived on the Cambridge property. Thomas is currently in Smith County Jail. Investigators have also issued three arrest warrants for Residential Burglary for Larry Dwayne Jones, 19, Cedar Hill. Investigators have not been able to locate him and believe he has returned to the Dallas area.

ANGELINA COUNTY — The Angelina County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the suspicious death of a 3-year-old toddler. The boy was taken to a local hospital by his mother and stepfather with serious injuries overnight Monday. He reportedly had bruises, fractures and internal injuries. Needing more specialized care, the boy was then taken to a Houston hospital, where he died Tuesday. The Sheriff’s Office had not released the name of the Central boy or his parents.

TYLER — A faculty member and Ph.D. student in The University of Texas at Tyler Department of Human Resource Development and Technology, Judy Yi Sun, has won an international award for her dissertation proposal. The Li Ning Dissertation Proposal Award is given at the international doctoral proposal competition, which is organized by the International Association of Chinese Management Research.

According to Dr. Harold Doty, College of Business and Technology dean, “This award represents an outstanding accomplishment for Ms. Sun. It shows that although our Ph.D. program has just started, our students are globally competitive. I can’t think of a greater tribute to our students or faculty.”

The winning proposal is entitled “Managerial Career Transition in China: A Grounded Theory Study.” It is the first doctoral dissertation proposal at UT Tyler.

Through grant funding, Sun traveled to Shanghai, China this summer and received coaching and mentoring by world-class management scholars to complete her dissertation research. She holds a master’s of business administration from Peking University and currently serves as a senior lecturer at UT Tyler.

TYLER – A woman has been injured in a vehicle/pedestrian accident in the parking lot of Wal-Mart at 6801 South Broadway. It happened around 4:00 Wednesday afternoon. Investigators say a 62-year-old woman was struck by a van driven by an 80-year-man. The woman was crossing in the pedestrian crosswalk near the garden center of Walmart when the van struck her, knocking her to the ground. She sustained head and shoulder injuries as well as other minor abrasions. The woman was transported to Trinity Mother Francis Hospital for treatment of her injuries. According to Sgt. Robert Phillips, the sun shining in the windshield of the van may have been a factor in the accident. No criminal charges have been filed at this time.

AUSTIN (AP/Staff) – Republican State Rep. Dan Flynn of Van, a conservative and self-described expert in financial management, says he will audit his own spending habits after The Associated Press asked him about thousands of dollars in questionable travel expenses, including more than $11,000 that was billed both to taxpayers and his political campaign. Flynn had no immediate explanation for the bills from fancy hotels and other costs described on expense reports as political travel at one agency and then official state business at another. The lawmaker, a former bank examiner, said taxpayer reimbursements went straight into his personal account via direct deposit. He could not say if he kept the money or reimbursed the private account he used to pay for the travel. If private campaign funds are used to pay for travel and then a lawmaker gets taxpayer reimbursements for the same expenditures, rules require them to pay back the campaign, officials say.

TYLER — Local and federal officials say they’re making big headway in a sweeping fraud case. On July 13, the Tyler PD initiated a joint investigation with assistance from numerous agencies. Those include the U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Attorney’s Office-Eastern District, Smith County Sheriff’s Office, Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, Athens PD, Caney City PD, Longview PD, Mesquite PD, Terrell PD, Waco PD, Corsicana PD, Waxahachie PD, Van Zandt County Prect. 4 Constable, Wal-Mart Stores Asset Protection, and Southside Bank.

According to police, the results of this investigation show that beginning on or about March 1 until August 18, four people committed access device fraud in Henderson and Smith Counties. Three are named as 30-year-old Nathan Paul Michael; his 24-year-old brother, Christopher Scott Michael; and 39-year-old Corey Lee Davis, all of Malakoff. Also named is Elizabeth Anne Pickrell, 24, of Chandler. Authorities say the four obtained goods and services by using fraudulently obtained credit card account numbers to produce counterfeit cards. Victim account numbers were fraudulently obtained from Internet sources or from access devices without knowledge or consent of the account holders. Authorities say this is Identity Theft.

According to a summary from a joint news conference, Elizabeth Pickrell, while employed at Chicken Express, fraudulently obtained hundreds of victims’ card account numbers with an access device located on Old Jacksonville Hwy. This was perpetrated without the knowledge of the account holder or her former employers. Officials say approximately 500 accounts were compromised in Tyler alone by Pickrell.

These individual cardholders also represent several Tyler area banks that officials say would incur loss due to the theft and fraud on the accounts. Nathan and Christopher Michael allegedly obtained the stolen card numbers and reportedly used them to manufacture counterfeit cards for use at merchant locations. Corey Davis allegedly used or facilitated the use of fraudulent cards provided by Nathan and Christopher Michael at the various merchant victims. Property including cash value cards was fraudulently purchased. The merchants were located throughout East Texas and the D/FW Metroplex area.

Police say on August 18, a search warrant served at the Michael residence resulted in the seizure of computers, counterfeit card making equipment, hundreds of counterfeit cards, as well as recovered property, cash value cards, cash from criminal proceeds and drugs. According to authorities, forensic inspection of the equipment revealed that over 6,500 victim entries were fraudulently obtained by the Michael brothers, either by access device or Internet sources.

There are over 100 Financial Institution victims identified, and police say for Tyler area banks alone, fraud loss due to the counterfeit card use is over $100,000. Recovery in property and cash value cards is pending.

A federal grand jury indicted each suspect on eight counts, including access device fraud and conspiracy, and federal arrest warrants were issued. At this time Christopher Michael, Elizabeth Pickrell and Corey Davis have been arrested and placed in federal holding, with the exception of Pickrell, who was able to bond out. Nathan Paul Michael’s federal warrant is still outstanding, and he is believed to be in the Kaufman County/ Dallas County Area, possibly driving a black 2000 Cadillac Escalade, Texas license plate FKS-582. Further indictments are pending in the conspiracy investigation. Anyone with information regarding Nathan Michael’s location is asked to contact Tyler-Smith County Crime Stoppers, Tyler Police Department, United States Secret Service or the United States Marshal’s Service.

JACKSONVILLE — A well-known East Texas piano tuner is in good condition in a Tyler hospital after being shot over the weekend on his property near Jacksonville. Saturday, David Thomason, 73, says he was left for dead on his Cherokee County property after two men stole from him and shot him at least twice. According to law enforcement reports, Thomason was on his land when he noticed two men trying to leave the property. He confronted the pair, and after shots were fired, he was left on the side of the road.

TYLER — After meeting in executive session Wednesday morning to discuss the performance of City Manager Mark McDaniel, the Tyler City Council voted unanimously to rate his performance as “exemplary.” “We are very blessed to have the caliber of leader and municipal manager that we have with Mark,” said Mayor Barbara Bass. “The City Council gave him an exemplary rating for his overall performance and for leading us through the tough economic times we have faced.”

McDaniel’s performance was also recognized by his professional peers when the Texas City Management Association (TCMA) named him Texas Administrator of the Year in June of this year. The TCMA Administrator of the Year Award specifically recognizes the city management professional who has made significant contributions to the field of local government management in the past 18 months. “The City Council is honoring Mark’s request to forgo a salary adjustment despite his tremendous performance,” added Mayor Bass.

According to city staff, key organizational successes in the last year under his leadership include:

• The City ended the year in a positive financial position despite a major shortfall in sales tax collections and produced a balanced 2010-11 budget during a major recession without layoffs or major service reductions.

• The continued implementation of the Tyler 21 Plan including completing utility infrastructure improvements north along Broadway and along the north Loop 323, opening the new Grande Boulevard segments and launching the construction of the new Earl Campbell Parkway.

• Development of a Parks Master Plan, two college area development plans, a transit route study and the Lake Tyler and Lake Bellwood Master Plans.

• Completion of the development of the Industry Growth Initiative using significant outside funding.

• The launch of the next phase of the Blueprint in the form of Tyler Lean Sigma to implement long term cost and time savings, with year two of this program underway.

• Installation and implementation of various traffic congestion improvements throughout the City.