KTBB News, Weather, Talk

HENDERSON – Our news colleagues at KETK report a 74-year-old is dead and another man is injured after a two-vehicle crash involving a truck tractor towing a trailer on Friday afternoon four miles southwest of Henderson. According to a preliminary DPS report, the truck tractor was traveling southwest on US 79 and had made a U-turn with part of its load still in the southwest lanes when it was struck by a 2002 Toyota Echo. Officials said the Echo struck the load, traveled off the roadway and struck a culvert. The driver of the Echo, identified as James Pinkerton, 74 of Henderson, was pronounced dead at the scene and his passenger, a 79-year-old man, was taken to a local hospital for treatment. The driver of the truck tractor was not reported to have been injured.

POLK COUNTY – Our news partners at KETK report a man was arrested for murder after Polk County deputies responded to a 911 call on Sunday morning and found a body in a private driveway. The call came in around 8:56 a.m. and after arriving at the scene in the 2800 block of Duff Road, it was “quickly determined to be a murder.” Officials identified the victim as 29-year-old Timothy Jacob Neal, of Livingston. “Through the course of the investigation, suspects were located and transported to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office,” officials said in a release. “Toby Wayne Ford, 24 of Livingston, was booked into the Polk County Jail on a charge of murder.” Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Lieutenant Finegan at 936-327-6810.

WHITEHOUSE — The Whitehouse Area Chamber of Commerce said that they’ve filed a police report with the Whitehouse Police Department after alcohol was allegedly thrown out at their Christmas parade on Saturday. According to our news partner KETK, the incident was discussed at length in the Whitehouse Texas, Rants, Raves, & Recommendations Facebook group. Several members of the group reported that the truck was tossing bottles of alcohol and other items out to parade watchers. Ashley Westerfield with the Whitehouse Chamber of Commerce chimed into the Facebook thread to apologize for what allegedly happened: “I am the Admin for the Whitehouse Area Chamber of Commerce. The truck that did this was NOT a registered entry in the parade. He went behind Holloway and snuck into the parade line between floats. A complaint was filed with the Police department as soon as we were told about it. They have a picture of his truck, License plate and the name of his company. This was NOT an approved float. We apologize for anything that was handed out by this individual and his passengers.” Continue reading Whitehouse apologizes after Christmas parade incident

LAKE PALESTINE – The Smith County Sheriff’s Office said that a man was shot in the left hand and upper thigh around 7:15 p.m. on Sunday. According to our news partner KETK a 911 call about the shooting victim was placed from Highway 155 South in Noonday. Officials said deputies found the caller and the victim at a hardware store in the 19600 block of Highway 155 South. The deputies were reportedly able to apply a tourniquet, which slowed his bleeding, before UT Health EMS arrived. The victim is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries at a local hospital. Smith County investigators and the crime scene unit are working to confirm the location of the shooting which officials said might be the boat ramp on County Road 189 which is just east of Highway 155. Officials are investigating the case and have reportedly detained one person of interest.

LONGVIEW – The Longview Police Department said they arrested an aggravated robbery suspect on Saturday. According to our news partner KETK the Mt. Pleasant Police Department reportedly told Longview PD that Lakederic Fletcher, 42 of Longview, was driving a stolen vehicle. Longview PD patrol officers reportedly found the vehicle and Fletcher at a home in the 4500 block of Cannon Street. Longview PD said that Fletcher was allegedly armed and refused to come out of the home. The LPD SWAT team and crisis negotiators were brought out to the scene, and Fletcher was ultimately arrested without incident, according to Longview PD.
Continue reading Man arrested for possession of stolen vehicle

ATHENS – The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office reports that two men were stabbed in the Oak Ridge subdivision near Athens just after midnight on Sunday. According to our news partner KETK, after the sheriff’s office responded to a 911 call about the stabbings, both victims were flown to a hospital in Tyler. Both are listed in serious condition. Kevin Radican of Athens has been identified by the sheriff’s office as a suspect. According to the sheriff’s office, Radican was last seen reportedly leaving the crime scene with Savanah White of Malakoff. Officials are asking anyone whose seen Radican or White to call Henderson County Sheriff’s Office or Henderson County Crime Stoppers.

NEW BOSTON – The New Boston Police Department said that a juvenile was shot near East Lion Drive on Friday night. According to our news partner KETK New Boston PD responded to the 900 block of East Lion Drive around 10:30 p.m. and found a juvenile who had been shot. The juvenile was first taken to a local hospital and then to Dallas to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The juvenile is reportedly listed in good condition. According to a press release, two black males dressed in black carrying a semi-automatic rifle reportedly fired around 35 shots on East Lion Drive. Officials said they’ve collected evidence from the scene including video from security cameras. Continue reading Shooting leaves juvenile injured, suspect at large

TYLER – According to our news partner KETK the Texas Department of Public Safety is reporting that a fatal crash has happened on Toll 49 near Old Jacksonville Highway. Officials are asking drivers to take alternative routes around the area to avoid traffic and to allow law enforcement to work at the scene. This story will be updated when more information is available.

WINNSBORO – A man was arrested on Thursday night Winnsboro after multiple reports of shots fired across town. According to Winnsboro PD and our news partners at KETK, they received the first call of reported shots fired around 8 p.m. and responded to the area where they found shell casings in front of a home in the 400 block of South Post Oak Street. Officials said while they were at the home, officers heard and received more calls in other areas of Winnsboro reporting shots fired, and authorities responded to those areas with assistance from the Wood County Sheriff’s Office. Officers eventually returned to the home on South Post Oak Street where officials said the door to the home was found open and an empty handgun was found on the kitchen counter while they cleared the home. Continue reading DWI arrest after multiple reports of shots fired

TYLER – With December here, that means there are Christmas light displays for you and your loved ones to enjoy. Our news partner KETK has a complete list for you. You can find it here.

LONGVIEW – A Longview middle school student was placed in custody Friday morning after threats were allegedly made against students and staff. According to our news partner KETK, Longview Police say a student allegedly made threats at Foster Middle School Friday mid-morning. A school resource officer looked into the complaint which led to a student being taken off Foster Middle School premises and transported to the Gregg County Juvenile Detention Center. The student was charged with making terroristic threats, which are a third-degree felony.

TYLER – After getting new DNA evidence, Tyler Police Wednesday arrested a man in connection to the 2005 sexual assault of two women. According to our news partner KETK, 40-year-old Jimmie Earl Gamble Jr. of Smith County was arrested and charged with two counts of sexual assault. TPD say the new DNA evidence was given to them by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Gamble is currently in the Smith County Jail on a $600,000 bond.

TYLER — Tyler Animal Control and Shelter is offering a ‘White Christmas Adoption Special” through December. When you make an adoption and donate 12 white towels, the shelter will waive the adoption fees. The standard adoption fee for dogs is $120 and $80 for cats. Animals adopted from Tyler Animal Services are spayed/neutered, micro-chipped and vaccinated. The towels will be used for the animals at the shelter. To adopt, view available animals or submit an application, go to the Tyler Animal Services webpage.

ARP — A man wanted in both Texas and Louisiana was arrested in Arp earlier this month after a pursuit with police. According to our news partner KETK, Arp PD announced on Wednesday that the Smith County Sheriff’s Office pursued a Chevrolet Camaro with a stolen license plate on Nov. 18 but were unable to continue their pursuit. Officials said a short time later an Arp police officer saw the car traveling on Highway 64 E and attempted to stop the car. The officer pursued the suspect for a short time before the Camaro experienced mechanical issues. The driver fled, and police said he was soon caught by the officer. Dealvin Darnell was arrested for evading arrest and possession of a controlled substance between four grams and 200 grams. Continue reading Wanted man arrested following police pursuit

TYLER — The Tyler city council voted on Thursday evening to suspend CenterPoint Energy’s filing to raise its costs. “The city has taken action by law that it can take,” said Tyler City Attorney Deborah Pullum. The city council took only a few minutes to suspend the filing, our news partner KETK reports. CenterPoint Energy gave the city of Tyler a notice of a proposed rate increase of 5.8% that would go into effect on Dec. 4 if no action was taken by the city. Hence why the city council met on Thursday. Pullum said they want to make sure the city and its businesses get to a fair number. “I think it’s important for all parties obviously and important to the customers because they only want to be charged fair rates but they also want to be able to get the services that they need,” added Pullum. Officials said they expect to have ongoing talks with the company and have 90 days to come to a decision with CenterPoint Energy on a rate.

TYLER — According to Smith County judicial records, the State of Texas has decided to not seek the death penalty for Steven Alexander Smith, a man accused of killing two Tyler dentists in 2022. According to our news partner KETK, 59-year-old Dr. Blake G. Sinclair and 75-year-old Dr. Jack E. Burroughs were both shot to death at Affordable Dentures & Implants in March of 2022. At the time, Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith said that Steven was a patient at the clinic when an altercation about dentures started. Steven allegedly went out to his vehicle, came back into the office, and shot Sinclair and Burroughs. “[He] went out and retrieved medium-caliber pistol from his vehicle, returned inside and started shooting,” said Sheriff Smith. Steven was later arrested outside of his home and indicted in May. His jury trial is scheduled for Jan. 22, 2024.

ATHENS — A former Athens school bus driver charged in connection to a fatal crash with a train in 2019 had his charges dismissed. According to our news partner KETK, in a Henderson County court on Nov. 21, 83-year-old John Franklin Stevens had his injury to a child and criminally negligent homicide cases dismissed. He was charged in connection to a January 2019 crash with a Union Pacific train that killed 13-year-old Christopher Bonilla and injured 9-year-old Joselyne Torres. He was driving the bus at the time when it was hit by the train and reportedly was pushed one-quarter of a mile before coming to a stop. Continue reading Charges dismissed for fatal bus crash

SMITH COUNTY — The executive director of the Sheriff’s Association of Texas has resigned in lieu of termination after being accused of misappropriation of funds. According to our news partner KETK, Smith County Sheriff and President of SAT Larry Smith announced on Thursday that Executive Director Steve Westbrook is accused of misappropriating the association’s funds after receiving two tips from employees on Nov. 16. On Nov. 17, Smith received confirmation that the Texas Attorney General’s Office was investigating the case and secured documents. Continue reading Executive Director of Texas Sheriff’s Association under investigation

TYLER – Five people have been found guilty of violating the Anti-Kickback Statue in connection to a $1.2 billion dollar healthcare kickback conspiracy,  U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs said on Thursday. According to our news partner KETK, those convicted were Susan L. Hertzberg, 65 of New York, New York, Matthew John Theiler, 57 of Mars, Pennsylvania, David Weldon Kraus, 65 of Loudon, Tennessee, Thomas Gray Hardaway, 51 of San Antonio and Jeffrey Paul Madison, 48 of Georgetown.
Continue reading Five convicted in $1.2 billion healthcare kickback scheme

TYLER – Our news partner KETK reports that Tyler ISD notified families on Thursday that internet and phone lines are down district-wide as of 11:40 a.m. In a statement, the district said that they are aware of the outage and are working to restore it. No timeline was given for a resolution.

TYLER – Tyler Junior College’s DrumBeat Student Media has earned three Pinnacle awards from the College Media Association in Atlanta. According to our news partner KETK, DrumBeat Student Media placed second for division III periodic newspaper of the year, two-year radio station of the year and two-year TV station of the year. TJC’s student journalists competed with 600 CMA college publications across the United States.
Continue reading TJC’s DrumBeat Student Media receives national honor

TYLER – Three people were indicted in the shooting death of an Army veteran in his Tyler home earlier this year. According to our news partner KETK, Stephanie Brasher, Anthony Taylor and Herbert Simpson were indicted by a Smith County court with capital murder Nov. 19. They’re charged with the February 6 shooting death of 61-year-old Warren Edward Rogers. Tyler Police arrested Brasher, Taylor and Simpson on capital murder charges and they remain in the Smith County jail on a $1 million bond each.

TYLER — The downtown Tyler area is now set for Christmas, but a big part of the celebration will be missing. In a public statement made on Monday, the Tyler Rotary Clubs shared why the Rose City Christmas Parade could not have been rescheduled. Locals were reportedly not happy with the decision, saying the event serves a vital purpose every year. “That parade is kind of important for the downtown businesses and for Tyler at large and for East Texas,” said Tyler resident, Aaron Thomas Hinds. The Rotary Clubs of Tyler released the following statement: Continue reading More details following Rose City Christmas Parade cancellation

LONGVIEW – Longview Regional Medical said Tuesday that one of their cardiovascular surgeons was named to the Diamond Level of the Beating Heart Hall of Fame. According to our news partner KETK, Dr. David Jayakar with the cardiovascular team at the Heart and Vascular Institute at Longview Regional Medical is the 47th person in the U.S, but the first in East Texas, to achieve this level. Dr Jayakar completed more than 1,100 off-pump coronary artery bypass procedures, according to the hospital.
Continue reading Longview surgeon named to Beating Heart Hall of Fame

TYLER – A former Tyler ISD substitute teacher was arrested on Tuesday after middle school student reported he had been sexually assaulted. According to his arrest warrant, and our colleagues at KETK Tyler ISD police were called to Hubbard Middle School on Oct. 27 after a 13-year-old student reported to the principal that substitute Davian Hunter, 29 of Tyler, had followed him into a bathroom. The warrant said district police spoke with the student and the principal contacted human resources “to ask that Hunter not be allowed to sub on any campus pending the outcome of the investigation.” Continue reading Ex-Tyler ISD substitute allegedly assaulted student