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CROCKETT – An under age sting operation conducted by the Texas Attorney General’s Child Exploitation Unit, and the Houston County Sheriff’s Office, has resulted in the arrest of three East Texas men. Arrested following the week-long investigation was 57 year old Alan Ray Brown of Longview, (pictured) 48 year old Dana Ray Killian of Palestine, and 51 year old Richard Brent Allred, of Lufkin. Investigators, posing as minors, set up individual meetings with the men through online websites. Authorities say all three men thought they were meeting with teenage boys when they were arrested last week in Crockett. Killian is currently free on bond. The other two men remain the the Houston County Jail.

LONGVIEW — Longview officers say someone went on a shooting spree with a BB gun Saturday night, causing thousands of dollars in damage across the city. KETK reports there were 11 reports filed for what appears to be criminal mischief. Officers first responded to locations on Envy Lane and Teer Lane. Police say the incidents happened late at night and mostly involved damage to vehicles. Longview Police Public Information Officer Kristie Brian says, “We’ve gotten about 11 reports of criminal mischief involving someone’s windows being shot out on their vehicles, and we believe those were BB guns.” Brian says people should call the police department immediately if they see any suspicious activity in their neighborhood.

TYLER – A Winona man has been arrested on a warrant out of Texrakana. Charged with engaging in organized criminal activity is Kenneth Travis Crenshaw, 25. He was arrested by Smith County Sheriff’s deputies Monday night and booked into the Smith County Jail. His arrest followed a Texarkana police raid last month on an illegal gambling establishment. Police say Crenshaw was part owner and partner in the business.

NACOGDOCHES — The Nacogdoches Police Department is investigating the death of child Sunday night. According to KETK, officials responded to a hospital after a report that a child had drowned at a private pool on Lee Lane around 8:30. Officials said the boy was found by another sibling who alerted their parents. The child died at the hospital. The boy has been identified as 19-month-old Edgar Rodriguez. His death is believed to be accidental.

LONGVIEW – A Longview man remains in the Gregg County Jail after being charged with with aggravated sexual assault of a child. Arrested was Julio C. Sanchez, 26. He was taken into custody after a 7 year old girl told her grandmother about the the sexual assaults, which appear to have been going on for some time. The assaults are said to have occurred while the girl’s mother was at work. The bond for Sanchez has been set at $125,000 on the sexual assault charge. He also was being held without bond under a detainer from the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.

LONGVIEW – Longview police are investigating a body that was found Monday afternoon around 3:15. The victim is identified as Rene Conejo, 54. The police department’s Facebook page said the body was discovered in the area of Edwin and South Green Street. He may have died as a result of the heat. Justice of the Peace James Mathis told the Longview News Journal, “That’s what it looked like. At this point there is no foul play appearance.” An autopsy has been ordered. Conejo was last seen on Saturday. A missing person report was filed on Sunday.

GILMER – A Gilmer man has entered a guilty plea to drug charge the day before his trial was to start. Brian Lee Stracener pleded guilty to delivery of methamphetamine to a confidential informant. The delivery occurred from his residence off of South Montgomery Street outside of Gilmer. Because of the amount of drugs purchased from Stracener over the course of two days it made the case a second degree felony. Judge Lauren Parish received the plea and sentenced him to 10 years in prison. Had he been tried by a jury, he could have received up to 20 years in prison.

NACOGDOCHES – One person is in custody and one being sought in a Nacogdoches robbery. The robbery occurred at a house on Rigby Road northwest of Nacogdoches Saturday morning. As sheriff’s deputies arrived, they saw Walter Brazille 36, of Oklahoma City, fleeing the scene. After a short foot chase, he was taken into custody without incident. A second suspect fled the scene in a vehicle, later found abandoned in the Garrison area. Continue reading One Arrested in Nacogdoches County Robbery

ATHENS – A Henderson County man is in custody on a sexual assault charge. Charged with aggravated sexual assault is 57 year old Paul Wayne Simpson of Brownsboro. Details surrounding the case have not been released since authorities say they are still actively investigating the case. Simpson was booked into the Henderson County Jail on Saturday. His bond has been set at $100,000.

RUSK – A search warrant for suspected narcotics has resulted in the arrests of 7 Cherokee County residents. The search warrant was first served at a home on County Road 114 in Rusk. Six of the suspects were found there along with marijuana packaged for sale along with additional packaging material and narcotic paraphernalia. Authorities then went to a residence on Martin Luther King where they discovered more marijuana and packaging material. Six of the suspects who are from Rusk and one from Chandler, were booked into the Cherokee County Jail on either class A, B or C misdemeanor drug charges. All but two of the suspects have posted bond. Continue reading Cherokee County Drug Bust

TYLER – Here’s a look at work planned in the Tyler TxDOT District during the weeks of Aug. 8 and 15. This information will remain in place for two weeks. These schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure, or other unforeseen issues.

Motorists who travel through the construction project at the Loop 323/SH 31 intersection should be prepared for delays as work is conducted starting around 1 p.m. Sunday. Use alternate routes if possible to avoid delays. This will be an active work zone that motorists don’t typically encounter during the weekend so please slow down and pay attention. Continue reading TxDOT Project Updates for the Weeks of August 8 and 15

LONGVIEW — Two arson investigations are underway following Sunday morning fires at two locations in Longview. According to KETK, Longview Fire Dept. spokesman Johnny Zackary says the first incident began just before 5:00 on N. Jean Drive near the South High Street intersection. He says when crews arrived, one fire had consumed the master bedroom of the house, while a second was destroying the patio area. No one was home, but three residents have been displaced. Then, just a few miles away at around 5:15, a car fire began at a house on Stonewall Dr. near the Bill Owens Parkway intersection. When crews arrived, the car was fully involved. A neighbor says a loud boom was heard, along with the sound of a motorcycle or sports car leaving the scene. Continue reading Arson Investigations Underway Following Two Longview Fires

SMITH COUNTY — 25-year-old Athens resident Jeremy Robert Lane been arrested in Smith County for a murder in Athens. Officials say the Smith County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by Det. James Bonnette from the Athens Police Dept. at 5 p.m. Saturday regarding Lane and a murder that had occurred around 3:00 Saturday morning. Det. Bonnette said the suspect might be found at a location on CR 1100 in Smith County. Continue reading Suspect in Athens Murder Arrested in Smith County

TYLER — Crews got busy and drivers had to use extra care for a time Saturday evening in Tyler’s Bergfeld Center/Bergfeld Park area. Police reported shortly after 6:30 p.m. that an accident at East 4th and Broadway had severed a utility pole from the ground and power lines had fallen across East 4th. ONCOR sent workers out to make repairs. All traffic west from Roseland to Broadway was closed for a time, as well as the northbound outside lane of Broadway between 5th and 4th. Police report no traffic problems resulting from the accident or the repair work.

TYLER — Police have made three arrests in a Friday aggravated robbery in southeast Tyler. Police say around 2:00 Friday afternoon, Ofc. D.G. Cook located the suspect vehicle at the Varsity Place Apartments on Varsity Dr. A search warrant was obtained, and stolen property from the robbery on nearby Lexington Drive was located and recovered, according to authorities. Police announced Saturday that the investigation resulted in the arrest of 21-year-old Lavina Winston, 20-year-old Darrell Taylor, and 18-year-old Michael Fitts. All three were charged with two counts of aggravated robbery. Continue reading Three Arrested in Aggravated Robbery

TYLER — Tyler police are investigating a motorcycle theft incident at Broadway Powersports on SSW Loop 323. Officers responded to the location on a burglary alarm around 2:31 Saturday morning. During a check of the business perimeter, officers say they saw two people trying to start two motorcycles they had just stolen. The two fled into the woods when officers confronted them. Officers pursued the pair, and they say one was found a short time later lying behind a building. One white male juvenile was taken into custody at this time and charged with theft and evading arrest. Continue reading Tyler Police Investigate Motorcycle Theft

TYLER — Three people have been taken into custody in a Tyler case of assault and burglary. Tyler Police say they responded around 10:35 Friday night to a location on West Bow Street near Bois D’Arc on a report of a burglary in progress. The caller said someone had broken into her house and was trying to take her brother. Responding officers found three people still on scene in a truck. The three were detained and an investigation was conducted. Continue reading Three Arrested for Aggravated Assault, Other Charges

QUITMAN — An investigation is underway after a Wood County inmate died while in custody. On Thursday around 3:30 p.m., while conducting routine 30-minute security checks of the separation cells in the Wood County Jail, detention officers discovered an inmate who was unresponsive. KETK reports the inmate was identified as Robert Sharp, 69, of Holly Lake Ranch. The jail medical staff and detention officers immediately began efforts to revive Sharp and EMS was called, according to authorities. EMS arrived at the jail and took Sharp to a Quitman hospital. He was later flown to a Tyler medical center. At 10:15 p.m., doctors pronounced Sharp dead. Continue reading Wood County Inmate Dies in Hospital

GILMER — Upshur County’s state district courtroom in Gilmer was busy with several cases Thursday and Friday, according to District Attorney Billy Byrd. They included a high-speed chase in which a man threw meat out a car window; a drastically increased sentence for a multiple probation violator; and a child sex assault incident. Continue reading Several Cases Resolved in Upshur County

GILMER — Two suspects who were arrested in the burglary of Trimble Farms in Big Sandy have been identified. KETK reports Edward Morrow was arrested at his residence in Hawkins on July 29, and Terry Wilcox was arrested on Monday, also at a residence in Hawkins. Last weekend, Morrow and Wilcox allegedly stole $1,700 worth of meat and dairy products from the farm. Officials say while one person waited in the car, the other entered the store wearing a mask and began taking items. The Upshur County Sheriff’s Office said one burglar took a large trash can that was on wheels and started to fill it up with a variety of the farm’s products for sale. Investigators were able to recover some of the property stolen from the farm at two different locations in Wood County. The men are being held in the Upshur County Jail on $10,000 bond.

WHITEHOUSE — Whitehouse ISD passed a motion Thursday to call a November 8 bond election. KETK reports voters will decide on an almost $95 million package. There are two propositions on the ballot. The first, worth nearly $88 million, would bring improvements to facilities within the district — including a new junior high building and additional classrooms for the existing high school. The second proposition, totaling slightly more than $7 million, would go towards renovating the athletic complex and for the construction of a multi-use facility.

CANTON — The Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday morning an inmate has died. According to KETK, officials report Jay McEvers, 47, of Canton, was found unconscious in his cell and pronounced dead. He was in a single-occupancy cell when his death occurred. His body has been sent for autopsy, and the Texas Rangers are investigating. Further information wasn’t immediately available.

RUSK COUNTY — Multiple fire departments responded to fires in Rusk County Thursday. According to KETK, county commissioners say the fires broke out near Farm-to-Market roads 782 and 1716. More than 25 acres burned in the area. Officials believe the fires may have started from sparks when a truck hauling a trailer had a chain dragging across the ground. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

LONGVIEW — Three women were arrested in a prostitution sting along East Marshall Avenue on Wednesday after police say they offered to engage in sexual activity for a fee. According to KETK, officials with the County Organized Drug Enforcement Unit arrested Crystal Ann Dangerfield, 35, Stephanie Michelle Wiley, 44 (pictured) and Jamie Lee Marshall, 33, all from Longview. Dangerfield and Marshall were charged with prostitution. Wiley was charged with prostitution third or more offense. All three women remain in the Gregg County Jail on bond: $2,000 for Dangerfield and Marshall, $10,000 for Wiley.

LONGVIEW — A 28-year-old Chicago man was arrested Thursday after reportedly sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl at a Longview apartment and then posting sexually-explicit videos of the teen on Facebook. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, William James Woodall has been charged with sexual assault of a child. He has been booked into the Gregg County Jail on $75,000 bond. Woodall reportedly met the girl using the alias “Wil James” on the social media site Tagged last year. Continue reading Chicago Man Charged with Sexual Assault of a Child

MARSHALL — Chief Jesus “Eddie” Campa and the Marshall Police Department are seeking the community’s assistance in finding one of the agency’s most wanted fugitives. MPD is once again seeking any information related to Antonyo Rivers and his current location. Rivers is wanted by the Marshall Police Department for an outstanding felony warrant for aggravated kidnapping. He’s described as 5’11”, 135 pounds with a thin build. Rivers has black hair and brown eyes and is currently 30 years of age. Rivers has a music symbol tattooed on the left side of his face and also goes by the alias of “AD.” The last known address for Rivers was on Kahn St. in Marshall. Continue reading Marshall Police Seek Suspect in 2015 Kidnapping

TYLER – U.S. Attorney John M. Bales announced Thursday that five individuals have been arrested following a lengthy investigation into drug trafficking in the Eastern District of Texas. On Aug. 4, a combined task force of federal, state, and local law enforcement executed federal arrest and search warrants in Plano, Carrollton, Dallas, and Tyler. That happened as a result of a joint investigation by the U.S. Drug Administration; the Plano Police Department; the Internal Revenue Service; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Smith County Sheriff’s Office. Continue reading East Texan, Others Arrested on Federal Drug Violations

TYLER — After several surgeries and medical rehab following a traffic accident, Sgt. Brian Tomlin is being released from the hospital today. According to a news release, Tomlin and the Tyler Police Department “would like to express our sincere thanks for the community’s thoughts, prayers and kind deeds during this time.” Police encourage motorists to drive carefully, be extra vigilant, and look for motorcycles. They say the extra attention for motorcyclists may save a life. Continue reading Motorcycle Supervisor Being Released from Hospital

TROUP — Three more people, all Troup residents, have been arrested in connection with the July murder of 30-year-old Jordan LaDue in that city. Troup police tell KETK they’re Jana Lang and Casey Luna (pictured), both 28, and Ralph Paul Pressley. Lang was arrested for tampering with physical evidence with the intent to impair and booked into the Smith County Jail on $500,000 bond. Luna was jailed for unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon and a parole violation. Police say they are investigating whether or not the gun found in Luna’s possession is connected to the shooting of LaDue. Lang was booked into the Smith County Jail on $510,000 bond. Pressley was taken into custody on an unlawful possession of a firearm charge. His bond is set at $500,000. Continue reading Three More Arrests Made in Connection with Troup Murder