KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER – Tyler ISD Chief Communications Officer Jennifer Hines announced Wednesday morning that no students were injured after a crash involving a TISD bus occurred around 6:50 a.m. in the 500 block of West 32nd Street. No further details from the district or on-scene first responders were given.

SMITH COUNTY, Texas – Gaye Boynton announced her intention to run for district clerk. Boynton’s multiple leadership roles include her time as President of the Tyler Area Association of Legal Professionals, as well as over a decade in the Women’s Ministry at Green Acres Baptist Church. The role of district clerk is important in maintaining the official records of the district courts, which handle felony criminal and family law cases. Boynton will be on the ballot in the March 3, 2026 election as a Republican primary candidate.

LONGVIEW – The Longview Police Department said that officers were dispatched to the 500 block of Johnson Street Monday night after a shooting report was made. Our news partners at KETK report that officers found a male victim who was shot when they arrived. The victim was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The shooter is still at large and anyone with information is being urged to contact the Longview Police Department.

TYLER — .S. Rep. Nathaniel Moran, R-Texas, voiced his opinion on Senate Democrats rejecting a continuing resolution (CR) that would fund the government until Nov. 21. According to our news partner KETK, Democrats defeated the proposal with a 44-48 vote after initially trying to pass their own government fund resolution earlier this month. Now, the government faces the possibility of going into a shutdown on Tuesday if both parties cannot come to an agreement by midnight EST on Tuesday.

“House Republicans are standing tall with our military, veterans, families and first responders,” Moran said. “House Republicans passed a clean CR to fund the government, but Senate Democrats are blocking it from becoming law, just like the House Democrats tried to do. Democrats would rather shut down the government in pursuit of unreasonable demands like their $1 TRILLION partisan wish list.”

“We are doing well as a country so the last thing we want to do is shut it down, but a lot of good can come from shutdowns, we can get rid of a lot of things we didn’t want,” Trump said. Continue reading Rep. Moran criticizes Democrats for blocking funding

WINNSBORO – A Winnsboro High School teacher has been suspended by the district she reportedly struck a student in the back of the head last week. Our news partners at KETK report that WISD said they reported the alleged incident to law enforcement, the Department of Family and Protective Services, the State Board for Educator Certification and the Texas Education Agency. Interim Superintendent Aaron Nation said an investigation is pending.

MARSHALL – James Patrick Bailey, 41, has been charged with possession of visual material depicting sexual assault and possession of a controlled substance by the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO). This comes after Bailey reportedly possessed “disturbing and inappropriate” videos and photos of children and uploading that material to a social media platform. The HCSO received the case assignment from the North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce on June 23. A search warrant was also conducted at Bailey’s home, which revealed 23 electronic devices, 3.9 grams of suspected methamphetamine and other drug paraphernalia.

PANOLA COUNTY, Texas – Lawrence Williams was arrested by the Panola County Sheriff’s Office and charged with theft of a firearm and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, with additional charges expected. Search warrants were conducted at multiple homes connected to Williams and an investigation into multiple thefts. It was determined that a weapon used in an aggravated robbery from Sept. 19 had not been pawned yet. Investigators said the gun was brandished by Williams during a theft of a radiator. Also found was a handgun, a magazine for another firearm, digital scales, multiple game cameras, assorted ammunition and an air compressor.

Marshall – On Friday, September 26, the Marshall Police Department’s Special Response Team (SRT), working in conjunction with the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office, arrested a man
wanted on serious charges. Florencio Scott Sauceda, II, 23, was taken into custody in Diana, Texas, and transported to the Harrison County Jail. Sauceda was wanted on warrants for Sexual Assault of a Child and Continuous Violence Against Family. Continue reading Marshall Police arrest man for sexual assault of a child

LUFKIN – A vehicle chase in Lufkin resulted in a two-vehicle collision that left one person dead. Our news partners at KETK reported Tuesday that that Wells ISD Superintendent Friday Wright lost his wife, Morgan, in the crash. Morgan was a staff member in Lufkin ISD and a mother to two children. Lufkin Police Department officers received reports of a stolen Chevrolet truck being driven by a 16-year-old minor from Trinity County at around 1 p.m. Monday. Police the minor driving the truck towards downtown Lufkin, leading to a pursuit. Continue reading Lufkin ISD employee dies during chase

TATUM – Our news partners at KETK and the Tatum Police Department report that a fugitive has been arrested and brought back to East Texas after fleeing the state following a warrant for her arrest linked to seven car burglaries. Authorities in Kansas initially pulled over Brittany Ann Ramkelawan for a traffic violation in Dickson County on September 18th. Monday she was eventually transported back to Henderson, where she is currently in custody at the Rusk County Jail. She is charged with engaging in organized criminal activity. Two other suspects, Cecil Ruffin and Amanda Martin, are also at large.

PALESTINE — The Palestine Police Department is warning the community to be aware of scammers that are posing as Palestine Assistant Chief of Police Richard Johnson.

Our news partner KETK is reporting that the scammers are using shady tactics and gave several methods to avoid being scammed:

The Palestine Police Department will never contact people to request their personal banking information.
The only time the department may ask for banking information is when a victim of fraud is filing a report.
Those asked to make a payment with gift cards or Bitcoin are most likely getting scammed.
Never divulge personal information online or over the phone.
Always verify the source and remember, a lot of personal information can be researched online and used against you.
Be cautious of house rental listings on social media. For reliable information, contact a local realtor.
A good rule to remember is if something seems too good to be true, it probably isn’t.

Those who believe they have been targeted by a scam can contact the Palestine Police Department at 903-729-2254.

MINEOLA – A Mineola man was arrested on Thursday after allegedly forcing another man to dig a grave for his dog at gunpoint. According to our news partner KETK, a resident reported that they were driving home on Sept. 8 when they hit a dark-colored animal in the road. The driver stopped to fix their bumper when a silver Ford pick-up truck pulled in behind his vehicle.

The victim reported that the driver of the silver Ford got out of his truck and pointed a gun at him, saying, “I should shoot you now for it.” The victim then pleaded for his life by explaining that he had a family, but the driver, who was identified as Hernandez, commanded the victim to search for his dog.

The victim said he then found the dog in a nearby ditch and was forced to carry the dead animal to Hernandez’s property. Hernandez, who was still pointing the gun at the victim, then demanded that he dig a grave for the dog and bury it, an arrest affidavit showed.

While digging the dog’s grave with a shovel, the victim reported that Hernandez demanded his phone and keys. Once he gave up his phone and keys, Hernandez allegedly went inside his home and came back out with an AR-style rifle with attached optics and magazines. Continue reading East Texas man held hostage after killing dog

CHANDLER – According to our news partner KETK, an accountant at the East Texas heating and air conditioning company, Air Chandler, has been arrested after she allegedly stole as much as $300,000 from the business. Donna Moore, 53 of Chandler, was arrested on Sunday by the Chandler Police Department. The Henderson County District Attorney’s Office began investigating Moore for potentially embezzling from the business after Air Chandler owner Mike Chandler said he turned over months-worth of information to their office in July.

In Moore’s arrest affidavit, a Chandler PD officer states that “Moore adjusted her pay, without consent, receiving unapproved wages. Moore also obtained a company credit card that she used for unauthorized charges.”

“Took me four months of hard work 24 hours a day to save my business from going into bankruptcy because of this woman,” Mike Chandler said. “During the month of July, this information was turned over to the district attorney, and they determined that she is a thief. The very same people that I help and give and do so much for, were stealing me blind the whole time.” Continue reading Air Chandler accountant arrested for embezzlement

SMITH COUNTY — Four people were killed after a Monday morning predawn crash on Highway 31 near the Smith and Gregg County line. An initial investigation by the the Texas Department of Public Safety said a vehicle was eastbound on State Highway 31 East. A second vehicle was traveling west on SH 31 East. The first vehicle drove onto the wrong side of the road, entering into the path of the second vehicle. DPS said it was nearly a head-on collision.

The driver of the first vehicle was identified as 19-year-old Julian Martinez. His passengers were Jonathan Josue Perez, 20 and 21-year-old David Morales Ramos, all were from Kilgore. All three were pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the second vehicle, 40-year-old Nicholas Colby Sanders of Kilgore, was also pronounced dead at the accident site.

Kilgore ISD released the following statement: “Our prayers and thoughts are with all of the families who have been affected by this morning’s car accident on Highway 31,” the district said. “Our KISD Counselors have been made aware of this accident and are available for our Bulldog students and staff.”