KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — The Cotton Patch Cafe in Tyler is closed for the rest of the day following a grease fire in their kitchen that happened around 3:45 p.m. on Sunday. According to our news partner KETK, an employee said the restaurant will be closed for Monday and they are awaiting approval from a health inspector to hopefully reopen by Tuesday. Tyler Police Department confirmed that the fire started in one of the restaurants deep fryers and was put out by Tyler Fire Department. Officials said that no one was injured in the fire.

BULLARD – The City of Bullard has issued a stage 3 water conservation notice in order to conduct emergency water well maintenance. The City decided to issue this notice and ration water following a declaration of emergency due to the needed “emergency water well maintenance. ”This notice puts the following water restrictions in place: Residents having even numbered addresses are permitted to water outside only on Sunday and Thursday. Residents having odd numbered addresses are permitted to water only on Saturday and Wednesday. Continue reading Bullard issues stage 3 water conservation notice

CHAPEL HILL — Chapel Hill ISD announced the distribution of nearly $40,000 to honor its long-serving staff members. $38,250 was given out to employees who have been with the district from five to 25 years during the district’s End-of-the-Year Ceremony on Friday. The district said it expresses deep appreciation for the staff’s exemplary service and lasting contributions to the district’s mission. “Chapel Hill ISD recognizes the unwavering commitment and valuable contributions of its staff. The loyalty stipends serve as a token of gratitude for their remarkable dedication in shaping the educational landscape of the district,” the district said in a release.

SMITH COUNTY – Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith announced on Thursday that he will be seeking reelection in 2024 setting the stage for a second Republican Primary showdown with Chris Green in March. Smith, 59, told a crowd of more than 80 supporters, including elected officials, friends and family inside the Smith County Courthouse, he would run on his three-year performance as sheriff and 39-year record in law enforcement. He started his career in the Gregg County Sheriff’s Department and later worked for the Drug Enforcement Agency before serving 22 years in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. If elected, Smith will begin his fourth term as sheriff. He said in 2022 that he will try to be sheriff as long as his health allows and as long as the people of Smith County want him to be.

TYLER — The City of Tyler is accepting applications for City Boards and Commissions until Friday, Aug. 4. The City Council will make appointments at the Wednesday, Aug. 23 meeting. Those appointed will serve voluntarily and without pay for two-year terms. The boards and commissions include: Continue reading City of Tyler accepting applications for boards and commissions

LONGVIEW – The Longview Economic Development Corporation approved a $2.8 million expansion plan for the Dallas Plastics Jordan Valley Road facility on Thursday. Our news partner reports that the proposed expansion will invest $2.8 million into the facility by building material storage space and adding production equipment. On top of the new storage space and production equipment, the expansion will also create 19 full-time jobs, according to LEDCO.
Continue reading $2.8 million Dallas Plastics expansion approved in Longview

SMITH COUNTY – According to our news partner KETK Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith announced on Thursday that he will be seeking reelection in 2024. Smith has served the county as sheriff since being sworn-in in 2013. If elected, Smith will begin his fourth term as sheriff. He said in 2022 that he will try to be sheriff as long as his health allows and as long as the people of Smith County want him to be.

SAN ANTONIO – A man authorities in Henderson County have been seeking for over a year has been added to Texas’ Most Wanted List. According to our news partner KETK, 44-year-old Steven Clay Leifeste has been wanted since March of 2022 for two counts sexual assault of child. He also by sought by Bexar County authorities for evading arrest and a probation violation. Leifeiste is 5’11”, weighs 215 pounds, has tattoos on his back and left shoulder and scar on his left cheek. Law officers consider him to be armed and dangerous. A reward of up to $5,000 has been offered if you have information that leads to his apprehension.

NASHVILLE — William Clark Green, who calls Flint home, made his first appearance at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry May 16. According to news our partner KETK, the invitation to perform at the legendary Nashville venue caught him off guard. Green said “It became something I never thought I was going to do… I didn’t think we were even on the radar,” Green’s latest album “Baker Hotel” has gotten good reviews from CMT, Wide Open Country and Blue Situation.

LONGVIEW — One person is dead after a shooting in Longview on Thursday morning. Around 11:25 a.m., police responded to a shooting in the 1300 block of Twelfth Street. Upon arrival, police found a victim identified as 45 year old Martin King lying on the side of the road with a gunshot wound. Police said the Martin was pronounced dead at the scene. According to Longview Police, 42-year-old Michael DaShaun Jackson was booked into the Gregg County Jail.

MARSHALL – A man has been arrested after abusing his dog, according to the Marshall Police Department. Jacob Edwards, 30, was observed kicking his dog and then hanging it from a leash on a door of a business on East End Boulevard. Edwards was arrested and booked into the Harrison County Jail on the charge of cruelty to non-livestock animals and the dog has been taken to a local adoption center to be examined by a veterinarian. The dog is expected to recover but is not available for adoption at this time. “The swift action of the witnesses and the responding officers saved this animal from further suffering. We encourage people to call police if they see something like this,” Marshall Police Chief Cliff Carruth said.

TYLER – The University of Texas at Tyler’s latest poll shows a stark divide between Texans when it comes to the governor’s handling of the Texas-Mexico border.  Our news partners at KETK reports that when asked if they approve or disapprove of how Gov. Greg Abbott is handling immigration at the Texas-Mexico border, 47% of respondents said they approve and another 47% said they disapprove. 6% answered that they neither approve nor disapprove. Biden’s border policies seem less polarizing than Abbott’s, with only 27% of respondents saying they approve of how Biden is handling the border, and 65% saying they disapprove.
Continue reading UT Tyler poll: The border, guns and inflation highlighted

From our news partner KETK.Traffic is backed up about five miles eastbound on I-20 due to a fire to an 18-wheeler.The backup is from the 545 eastbound mile marker and extends back to the 540 mile marker. Currently one lane is open as clean up crews are at the accident site.

OVERTON — A substitute teacher at Overton ISD said she was watching over the in-school suspension students on Tuesday when she said the unthinkable happened on a trip out of the classroom. “I look over and the other student was directly behind the resource officer,” said Candy Russell, substitute teacher and parent at Overton ISD. According to our news partner KETK, Russel claims at that moment the 11-year-old reached for the school police officer’s gun. Without thinking, she said she yelled his name and ran towards him. Immediately, she said a report was made to the administration. “I said, ‘I need you to go in the office and rewind the video a minute or two and see what just happened.’ I couldn’t even spit the words out of my mouth,” said Russell. Continue reading Overton substitute teacher says 5th grader reached for school officer’s gun

TYLER — Tyler Police are searching for two suspects believed to be involved in a shooting Monday. Officers responding to a shots fired report at an apartment complex on north Broadway Ave. found that several vehicles and at least one apartment had been hit. A potential suspect, Kerick Johnson, 18, was taken to the hospital with a gunshot wound to his torso. He was treated and released. Detectives later determined that Johnson, along with Marqus Gray, 21, were the shooters. Arrests warrants have been issued for the two. Johnson and Gray  are wanted on charges including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, with a $400,000 bond, and deadly conduct, with a $100,000 bond. Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to contact Tyler Police at 903-531-1000 or Tyler-Smith County Crime Stoppers at 903-597-2833.

TYLER – A Chandler man is dead after a hit-and-run crash with a truck as he was riding his motorcycle. According to our news partner KETK, on Tuesday, around 3:45 p.m., Tyler Police responded to a traffic crash involving a pickup truck and a motorcycle on Highway 31 W and Patton Lane. Charles Main, 55, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the truck, later identified as Jeremy Cisneros, 20, reportedly drove away from the scene. Cisneros was located by officials and was interviewed and released. Detectives obtained a warrant on Cisneros for accident causing serious bodily injury or death, with a $75,000 bond. He turned himself in and was booked into the Smith County Jail.

 

TYLER – Authorities will be out in full swing this Memorial Day weekend. According to our news partner KETK, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC), the Texas Department of Public Safety and Tyler Police Department have announced that they are ramping up public safety efforts for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. The TABC said in a release that they will be conducting operations throughout the state during Memorial Day weekend that include open and undercover inspections to deter violence and over service of alcoholic beverages and “will also include underage compliance operations (UCOs) to identify businesses selling alcohol to persons under 21.” The release also stated that businesses caught violating the state’s alcohol laws could face a fine or temporary suspension of their license to sell alcohol. Continue reading Law enforcement ramping up patrols for Memorial Day weekend

TYLER – Keep Tyler Beautiful received a Gold Star Affiliate Award from Keep Texas Beautiful for the 17th year. According to our news partner KETK, that award along with their Sustained Excellence award, highlights their efforts on beautification, litter reduction, maintaining public and private partnerships and educating the community. Out of 300 affiliates, 82 were honored with a Gold Star status. “Our affiliates are the backbone of our organization,” said Suzanne Kho, Executive Director of Keep Texas Beautiful. “We are proud to honor those going above and beyond to keep their communities clean and beautiful. Our Gold Star Affiliates are educating and engaging community members, actively recruiting and managing volunteers, hosting cleanup and beautification events throughout their community, and so much more.” Keep Tyler Beautiful attributed their success to support from city leaders and dedication of board members and volunteers.

TYLER — Tyler police are investigating an early morning shooting that left one man dead and one man injured. Officers responded to West Oakwood following a report of a shooting around 12:30 Wednesday morning. Officers located a white sedan, and found a man, later identified as Kenneth Ray Dorsey, 34, Tyler, dead from a gunshot wound. A second man was found inside the vehicle with a gunshot wound, but was said to be awake and alert. He indicated that the suspects, who were unknown to them, shot at them from another vehicle and left the area. The unnamed victim was taken to a local hospital and is reportedly in critical condition. Contact Tyler Police 903-531-1000 or Tyler-Smith County Crime Stoppers at 903-597-2833 with any information.

SMITH COUNTY — A Whitehouse woman was sentenced to six years of probation with 600 hours of community service after being found guilty by a jury of felony bodily injury to a child. According to our news partner KETK, Cheryl Layne, 46, and her husband Mark Layne, were initially arrested on multiple child abuse charges in 2019 after two of their children told a school resource officer they had been abused. According to arrest documents, the children told authorities one of them had his head slammed against a wall by Cheryl who then hit the other boy with an archery arrow on his back. Continue reading Whitehouse woman sentenced to probation following child abuse conviction

TYLER — With the school year coming to a close for Chapel Hill ISD, before they head out for summer break, seven teachers were surprised with grants for next year’s innovative projects. Our news partner KETK reports that the Chapel Hill ISD Education Foundation gave out nearly $9,000 in grants Thursday. The money is going to teachers throughout the district. Continue reading Chapel Hill ISD teachers receive surprise grants

SMITH COUNTY – Investigators are on the scene of an aggravated assault involving a gunshot in Smith County as of 8:35 p.m., according to Smith County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Larry Christian and our news partner KETK. Officials responded to a call on Red Bird Lane regarding an aggravated assault dispute between two adults. During their dispute, Christian said that someone in a pickup truck drove by and fired shots at the residence. This case is still under investigation.

MINEOLA – A three-part docuseries released on HBO Max on Tuesday is taking a look at a swingers club sex scandal that made headlines in Mineola in 2005. According to our news partner KETK, the documentary details the accusations, following trials and the aftermath the case left on the East Texas community. Six people were sentenced to life in prison after the children, who were under 7-years-old at the time, and others told a jury that they were made to attend a “kindergarten” where they learned to dance provocatively and were forced to perform at an alleged swingers club. Two of the men convicted in the scandal had their convictions overturned by a Texas appeals court, and the accusations became highly scrutinized over the years due to a lack of evidence beyond the children’s testimonies of what happened. Continue reading Docuseries on 2005 Mineola swingers club sex scandal debuts on HBO Max

TYLER – Two people were hospitalized after a crash on Sunnybrook Drive in Tyler on Tuesday morning. According to Tyler Police Public Information Officer Andy Erbaugh, an SUV and a pickup truck were racing from Sunnybrook going north. A jeep that pulled out onto Sunnybrook was hit by the pickup, causing it to spin across the median into the southbound lanes, Erbaugh said. The single occupants of the Jeep and pickup were each taken to a Tyler hospital. The case is still being investigated.

MARSHALL — An East Texas jail is coping with drug-laced mail coming to inmates. Some officers at the Harrison County Jail in Marshall have reportedly been overcome from their skin coming in contact with Fentanyl on the envelopes. Jail Administrator John Hain says inmates would tear the mail into strips to share them with other inmates. The Harrison County Jail started scanning the mail and providing it to inmates electronically. Now, the county has hired the phone service for jail inmates, City Tele Coin of Bossier City, Louisiana, to scan the mail, taking that risk away from sheriff’s personnel. Hain says other counties, including Tarrant and Denton Counties, have started similar systems.

ANDERSON COUNTY – A man was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after officials say he was trying to run over his father with his truck. Our news partner KETK reports that on May 15, Anderson County officials responded to a family disturbance call on FM 2054. A witness reported Rance Graham, 65, was using his truck to chase his father Billy Graham, 92, in an attempt to run him over.

Billy told police that Rance was trying to run him over and he had to run away to avoid getting injured. Rance was arrested and booked into the Anderson County Jail for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon/family violence.

ANDERSON COUNTY – According to our news partner KETK $32,000 worth of stolen hay and livestock feed was recovered by the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office. On May 18, the Texas & Southwest Cattle Raisers Association (TSWCRA) and Anderson County officials located and recovered a large amount of hay and livestock feed that was reported stolen out of Hubbard. The stolen items included around 225 bales of alfalfa hay and 10 pallets of bag feed.

“This recovery was part of an ongoing criminal investigation by the TSWCRA in which fraudulent credit cards were used to purchase the items.” Anderson County Sheriff’s Office

TYLER — No injuries were reported after a car crashed into a Tyler dental office Monday morning on Old Grande Boulevard. According to our news partner KETK, the car struck and damaged the brick wall outside of East Texas Dental Group, but officials with Tyler police said the driver and people inside the office were not injured. Police cleared the scene and the car was towed.

TYLER – Authorities report a single vehicle accident early Sunday morning killed three persons and injured three others. According to our news partner KETK, Law enforcement said the accident happened on FM 2661 just north of CR 110. DPS Sgt. Adam Albritton confirmed that 19-year-old Raven Clewis of Dallas, Jumija Clewis, 17, of Elkhart and 17 year-old Sherie Butler of Palestine, were all pronounced dead at the scene. 17-year-old Jaylah Spurlock of Palestine, Brianna Price, 17, of Palestine and 16-year old Chimsi Okonkwo were taken to Tyler hospitals with injuries.

Officials said the car was traveling north on the road when it left the roadway and struck a tree. Texas DPS said the investigation is still continuing.

TYLER – One person is in custody after several reports of gunshots near a local apartment complex. According to Tyler PD Public Information Officer Andy Erbaugh, police received several calls of gunshot sounds near the Liberty Arms apartment complex located in the 2600 block of North Broadway Avenue in Tyler. There are no injuries to report at this time but several shell casings were found at the scene. Several cars and apartments were struck by bullets. The investigation is an ongoing.