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TYLER – A 54-year-old Palestine woman has been sentenced to federal prison for bank larceny. Betty Smith pleaded guilty on July 12, 2010, to information charging her with bank larceny and was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison Tuesday in Tyler by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Schneider. Smith was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $126,664.72. According to information presented in court, from 1991 to 2009, Smith abused her position as assistant branch manager at Capital One Bank in Palestine to steal approximately $165,000.00.

LONGVIEW — The City of Longview Environmental Health Division is encouraging restaurants to ignore fraudulent phone calls from individuals claiming to be restaurant inspectors. Several local retail food establishments claim that they received telephone calls from individuals representing themselves as state inspectors. The caller attempts to schedule food inspections and asks the restaurant to provide the caller with a “code” received from an automated telephone system. The fraudulent caller then provides food establishment operators with a telephone number to call the Texas Department of State Health Services. Restaurants are encouraged to disregard these fraudulent phone calls.

The City of Longview Environmental Health Division is responsible for conducting all inspections for retail food establishments in the City of Longview. The Environmental Health Division does not schedule routine retail food inspections by appointment. In Longview, retail food establishment inspections are conducted randomly without prior notification provided to the food establishment. As a reminder to residents, you can go to http://www.LongviewTexas.gov to view the most recent restaurant inspection scores. For additional information about restaurant inspections, you can call the Environmental Health Division at 903-237-1285.

QUITMAN — The Wood County Sheriff’s Department is continuing to investigate the death of an elderly man, which is now termed a capital murder case. On Friday, the sheriff’s department received a 911 call in reference to a body that had been found. When they arrived at 2460 West Farm-to-Market Road 852, they found the body of Don Randoll Askew, 81, of Winnsboro. The sheriff’s department, assisted by the Texas Rangers began investigating the scene. Wood County authorities say they do have some leads in the case, they’ve sent off DNA evidence for lab testing, and they are looking for a person of interest. Askew’s body was delivered to the Southwest Institute of Forensic Science for autopsy. Authorities say no further information will be released until the autopsy results are released.

LONGVIEW — A former 911 communications administrator, charged with the death of his Longview police officer wife, has been indicted on a murder charge. Harry Goodan, 40, was indicted Thursday. He has been out of jail since Jan. 25 on $75,000 bond. Gregg County officials said the reason Goodan wasn’t indicted sooner was because Longview police had yet to close the books on the investigation of their fallen officer. Ellyn Goodan died after being shot in the head, reports show.

Goodan said he killed his wife during a fight Dec. 11 at their Towne Oaks apartment, according to arrest reports. Goodan originally was held on $500,000 bond; however, District Judge David Brabham ruled the bond was excessive and lowered it to $75,000 after Goodan’s father-in-law, Jimmy Rice, and Goodan’s ex-wife, Jonna Goodan, testified on his behalf at a January court hearing.

He was released from Gregg County Jail on Jan. 25 after spending more than a month in jail for the shooting death of his wife.

Under the stipulations of his lowered bond, Goodan is barred from possessing a gun, alcohol or illegal drugs; must remain home between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. daily; he must wear a monitoring device at all times; and he must report weekly to authorities. Goodan’s trial date has yet to be set in the 124th District Court. Goodan also has a pending civil case for “parent child relationship” in the interest of his and Ellyn Goodan’s son, Nicholas Goodan.

LUFKIN – A warehouse accident has killed an employee of Brookshire Brothers. It happened just before noon Monday at the warehouse behind their corporate office on Ellen Trout Drive in Lufkin. According to a news release from the company, the employee was doing maintenance work when the accident occurred. The company did not release details of the accident or the employee’s name.

MURCHISON — Authorities identify two people involved in a fiery fatal accident in Murchison. The driver of an SUV was killed Monday morning after colliding with a semi on Highway 31. Both vehicles were fully engulfed in flames when state troopers arrived on scene around 2:45 a.m. The driver of the SUV was identified as Eugene Thames, 24, of Bastrop. DPS officials say he lost control of the vehicle, slid across lanes of traffic directly into the path of the oncoming 18-wheeler, and died on impact. The driver of the semi, Anthony Galetka, 45, of Ennis, was not injured.

CANTON — The Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office will br participating in the annual statewide Texas warrant round-up, starting Saturday, March 5th. County authorities are urging people with warrants to take care of them, so officers don’t have to go and hunt them down. The Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office will use its on-duty personnel and Reserve force to complete the task. Class C misdemeanor warrants and traffic-related warrants can be taken care of through the justice of the peace offices by just paying the fine amounts and having them dismissed. If you are unsure if you currently have a warrant from the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office or DPS, call 903-567-4133.

SMITH COUNTY — Smith county officials are investigating a burned body. It was found in a truck Monday morning. The Dixie Fire Department received a call shortly after 5:00am that a truck had caught fire on Patton Lane near Highway 31 West. Firefighters found the body after putting out the blaze. Investigators have not yet identified the person or the victim’s gender.

TYLER — A Tyler dentist accused of secretly filming female tenants has pleaded guilty to burglary of a habitation. According to his attorney, Charles Robinson, 58, will serve 10 years in prison for burglary of a habitation. Other charges are still pending against him, including possession of child pornography and improper visual recording which can carry a sentence of up to 2 years. The burglary of habitation charge was the most serious offense Robinson faced.

TYLER — A Van Zandt County man has pleaded guilty in Tyler federal court to child pornography violations. Jeremy Erwin, 37, of Fruitvale, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography. According to information presented in court, on September 29, 2009, law enforcement agents executed a federal search warrant at Erwin’s residence and seized a personal computer. A forensic analysis of the seized items revealed 600 images or visual depictions of child porn. Erwin was indicted by a federal grand jury on last October and charged with federal child pornography violations. He faces up to 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not been set.

LUFKIN — Lufkin Police investigate a possible injury to a child after hospital personnel reported a suspicious injury. Authorities received a call Saturday morning from an emergency room staff member that Julia Goodwin, 30, Lufkin, brought in an unresponsive 1-year-old child. Testing showed the child may have ingested a dangerous amount of some type of drug. The toddler was taken to Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston for further treatment. The investigation is ongoing and so far no charges have been filed.

AUSTIN — The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) recovered nearly $4 million in fraudulently obtained Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits in Calendar Year 2010. TWC investigates and refers to local district attorney offices cases in which UI benefits are obtained through fraud or deception. These funds will be returned to the Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund from which TWC pays unemployment benefits to those who lose their jobs through no fault of their own.

In addition to restitution orders, individuals who commit UI fraud can be ordered to pay fines, perform hours of community service and some serve jail time. One Upshur County individual was prosecuted for state UI fraud in 2010 and ordered to pay $4,626 in restitution.

TWC’s Regulatory Integrity Division is charged with detecting and preventing fraud, waste and abuse. The division enforces all regulatory statutes within the jurisdiction of the agency, including Tax, Workforce, Trade Act, Skills Development, Self-Sufficiency, Child Care and all other programs that TWC administers. Prevention, detection and elimination of fraud, waste and abuse in the UI program are top priorities, ensuring that funds are available exclusively to those who meet the eligibility requirements.

LONGVIEW — LeTourneau University online education student Jasmine Cierra Starling of Waco has named a Gates Millennium Scholar. Starling has completed all of her coursework toward her teaching certification to teach Early Childhood through sixth grade and is in her final semester of a one-year internship. The award is renewable for up to five years in any undergraduate discipline and throughout graduate school to a doctoral degree in the disciplines of computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics public health or science.

Funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Gates Millennium Scholars Program began in 1999 to provide outstanding African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American, and Hispanic American students with an opportunity to complete an undergraduate college education in any discipline area of interest. The program has awarded more than $630 million and produced more than 14,000 scholars who have attended more than 1,500 institutions of higher education. The program also provides leadership development services, which has helped to achieve a six-year 90% graduation rate over the past decade, which is double the national average of students from similar backgrounds.

LONGVIEW — A lane closure began Monday for the Reel Road Widening Project at Gilmer Road and Reel Road. The outside southbound lane of Gilmer Road will be closed for a few weeks. Traffic detours and delays will continue in the Reel Road construction zone. Please consider alternate routes. This project was approved by voters as part of the Capital Improvements Bond Election in May 2007. This project is being constructed by East Texas Bridge of Longview, Texas.

ATHENS — The Texas Transportation Commission, the Texas Department of Transportation’s governing body, awarded Athens Municipal Airport a grant of approximately $140,000 at its regular meeting last week for the installation of an automated weather observation system. A contract for the project is expected to be awarded this spring. Project costs will be funded through TxDOT’s Aviation Facilities Grant Program, which preserves and improves the state’s general aviation system, and the city of Athens.

This year, TxDOT expects to provide approximately $60 million in funding for planning, constructing and maintaining community airports. Approximately 275 community airports in Texas are eligible for funding. Arrivals and departures from community airports account for more than three million flight hours per year and provide aircraft facilities for agricultural, medical, business and commuter use.

Also this week in Henderson County, TxDOT maintenance crews are scheduled to continue pavement repair operations on State Highway 31 Business and State Highway 19 Business in downtown Athens, followed by the same work on SH 19 south of Athens. A second crew is scheduled to perform edge repairs in various locations on Farm Road 315 between Farm Road 279 and SH 31 in Chandler. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and motorists are encouraged to be prepared to reduce speed and merge in and around the work zone.