KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER – Tyler firefighters responded to a two alarm fire at the Plantation Pines apartments at 2715 South Broadway. It was reported just before 8:00 Friday night. Investigators have determined that the fire originated in the area of the clothes dryer and was contained at the appliance. There were no injuries reported and no structural damage occurred. Additionally, there were no occupants displaced as a result of the fire.

LUFKIN – The former manager of a Lufkin business will spend some time in prison for improper photography. Nathan Scott Kesler, 36, was sentenced yesterday to two years imprison by State District Judge Gerald Goodwin.

Kesler, the former manager of a Dollar King store in Lufkin, pleaded guilty in October to improperly photographing his employees in the store’s restroom. Police say he put his cell phone on a bathroom cabinet of the business in a position to photograph the toilet using a spy camera application. Two store employees were photographed in the restroom when the application, which uses motion detection, took the photos.

NEW BOSTON (AP) — A man accused in the shooting death of a northeast Texas sheriff’s deputy has been indicted on a capital murder charge. Tucker Strickland of Texarkana is charged with shooting Bowie County sheriff’s Deputy Sherri Jones with her own gun in April. Jones was escorting Strickland from a court hearing.

QUITMAN — A man has been arrested in Wood County in connection with his son’s death. Officials say George Saunders was located and arrested at the Wal-Mart store in Mineola. According to KETK and the Wood County Sheriff’s Office, Saunders was arrested for an outstanding warrant for manslaughter in the death of his son, Loren Saunders.

George Saunders was originally scheduled to turn himself in to the Wood County Sheriff’s Office with his attorney. However, authorities say Saunders failed to show. A Crimestoppers tip indicated that Saunders was staying at a residence on Patten street in Mineola. Mineola Police Officer Carolyn Tanner located his vehicle at the Wal-Mart store at Loop 564 and State Highway 37. Further information indicated that Saunders was at Wal-Mart. Saunders is currently in custody in the Wood County Detention Facility.

Lab results conclude Loren Saunders, 16, was shot by his father, 56, in the chest on January 18. In May, Wood County officials said the circumstances surrounding the teen’s death were suspicious after he was found with a single gunshot wound to the chest. Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a residence at Chaney Point RV Park on County Road 1590 after Saunders’s father reported his son had been shot and he was doing CPR on him.

The case was turned over to the Wood County District Attorney’s Office for further investigation after the medical examiner’s office said evidence didn’t add up to the death being considered accidental. At the time, investigator William Burge said Saunders’s cause of death was ruled accidental, because Saunders’ father told authorities he caught him playing with the handgun.

LONGVIEW — Police have arrested three people in connection with the November 1 robbery and beating at an east Longview motel. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, authorities are holding Jordan Lynn Garrett, 21, and Eric Eugene Christian, 30, on $50,000 bond. Garrett is charged with robbery and Christian charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. A third suspect, Candace Lynn Cranford, 25, was arrested Wednesday on a criminal trespass charge. According to Longview police, all three suspects were identified by a victim and witness to a robbery and assault at the American Dream Inn, in the 2000 block of East Marshall Avenue.

Longview police on November 1 spoke with two men, including Victor Villasenor, who said that he met a prostitute later identified as Garrett at one of the motel rooms. Garrett then called another woman, later identified as Cranford, to the room, according to arrest affidavits. Later in the evening, Villasenor noticed $300 was missing from his pants. When he confronted Garrett and an argument ensued, Christian entered the room along with Villasenor’s friend, Miguel Gonzales, who was in the parking lot. Christian hit Gonzales several times in the face before jumping into a vehicle with the two women, records showed. Christian then retrieved a tire iron and approached Gonzales and Villasenor again, but Villasenor retrieved his tire tool from his vehicle. Christian then got back into his car and left the motel.

A witness, who arrived at the motel and was unloading groceries during the assault, identified Christian and Cranford in photo line-ups, according to Gregg County Assistant District Attorney Stacey Brownlee. Garrett, of Gilmer, was arrested Tuesday at the Palace Inn in the 2100 block of East Marshall Avenue. Christian was arrested November 17 and remains jailed on $57,500 bond, also charged with outstanding warrants for possession of a controlled substance and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Bond had not been set for Cranford at last report.

LONGVIEW — One person has been killed and one injured in a two-vehicle accident in Longview. The victim is identified as Joe D. Hightower, 49, of Kilgore. The fiery crash occurred Thursday evening around10:00. Investigators say the two vehicles collided near the intersection of South and High Streets. One driver was heading eastbound on South Street and ran into a vehicle turning left onto South Street from High Street. The car making the turn caught fire. Hightower was pronounced dead at the scene. Officials had to extract the other driver from his vehicle. He was transported to Good Shepherd Medical Center with unknown injuries. Officials have not yet released the injured 54-year-old man.

LONGVIEW — Law officers are seeking a man who robbed a Longview bank. On
The bank alarm went off just before 10:45 Friday morning in the 3100 Block of H.G. Mosley Parkway. When officers arrived, bank employees told them a white male possibly in his 30s, wearing blue jeans, a navy or black jacket, a dark ball cap, and small rimmed glasses, walked into the bank. He walked up to a teller window and handed the teller a note. He also showed the teller a semi-automatic handgun. The teller handed the suspect an undisclosed amount of money. He then left the bank in an unknown direction.

If you have any information in reference to this or any other crime, you’re asked to call the Longview Police Department Detectives at 903-237-1110 or report your information anonymously to Gregg County Crimestoppers at 903-236-STOP. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is also offering a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect.

TYLER — Law enforcement is looking for three young men who attacked a UT-Tyler student on campus late Thursday night. According to KETK, UT-Tyler police say at around 10:00 p.m., a student was assaulted while walking near the fountain in front of the Cowan Center. The victim said he observed 3 young black men, approximately late teens to early 20’s, standing nearby. One of the men asked him for a cigarette, and he replied he did not have any. At that point, the victim said that the men approached him and began striking him in his head with their fists. The victim states that he began running from the assailants and they stopped pursuing him. He then went to his house and notified university police.

The victim came to the UTT police department to provide a statement. The investigating officer observed redness and slight swelling in the area around the victim’s ear. At this time, the motive for the attack is unknown. The victim stated that he had no previous encounters with these men. Officers were able to verify through video evidence that the victim was approached and pursued by 3 black men at the fountain in front of the Cowan Center. Clothing description on the suspects are as follows:

(1) Gray pants with navy or black shirt, white or light colored tennis shoes
(2) Red pants, dark shirt or jacket with possible horizontal stripes, white tennis shoes
(3) Dark or black pants, dark shirt, white tennis shoes

The victim in this case did not seek medical attention and his injuries do not appear serious. Officers are continuing to search the area for the suspects. Students, staff, and faculty are advised to be observant and aware of their surroundings. If possible, walk with a friend or in a group. Report any suspicious persons or activity immediately to the University Police Department by dialing (903) 566-7300 or by dialing 9-1-1. Anyone with information concerning this crime, please contact University Police.

TYLER — A Mexican National has been sentenced to federal prison for failing to register as a sex offender. Concepcion Baldelamar, 49, was sentenced to six months in federal prison Wednesday. According to information presented in court, in April, Baldelamar was found to be in the United States after having been previously deported to Mexico following a conviction in Camp County for indecency with a child by sexual contact. Baldelamar failed to register as a sex offender, as required, upon his illegal re-entry to the United States in March 2009. Baldelamar will be deported following his release from prison.

MINEOLA – A woman indicted in a fatal Wood County accident has surrendered to authorities. Connie Reed Young, 57, of Golden, turned herself in Friday morning and immediately bonded out. Her bond was set at $25,000. A Wood County grand jury indicted her in connection with the fatal hit and run accident of a Mineola teenager. The indictment was returned in mid November, but the information was not released until Thursday.

Young was indicted for causing an accident resulting in death. She was accused of hitting Jacob Burrell, 15, on October 4th. He was walking along U.S. Highway 69 North when the accident occurred. The Department of Public Safety reported that Young moved to the shoulder of the road to let another vehicle pass, and that was when the teen was hit. He later died in a Tyler hospital from his injuries.

TYLER — A Gilmer man has pleaded guilty in Tyler Federal court to possession of pseudoephedrine with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine. Authorities say Charles David McWhorter, 37, purchased cold pills containing pseudoephedrine at a Drug Emporium store in Longview. On that same day, he made three additional purchases at other stores in the area, all in furtherance of his methamphetamine manufacturing activities. McWhorter was indicted by a federal grand jury on Apr. 6, 2011. McWhorter faces up to 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not been set.

SMITH COUNTY — Inmates in the Smith County Jail can no longer smoke. Smith County Sheriff J.B. Smith estimates about 99% of the prisoners smoke. As of December 1st though, their cigarettes are taken away, forcing inmates to quit cold turkey. Sheriff Smith said smoking was not banned in the past because the old jail made it difficult to enforce. Sheriff Smith also said that smoking is something you can take away from inmates. He added that they can only take away so many things, from visitation to commissary and smoking. Sheriff Smith said all tobacco products have been banned.

NACOGDOCHES – Nacogdoches County authorities have detained 11 illegal aliens discovered during a traffic stop. The van they were in was stopped Thursday night on U.S. Highway 59 near Highway 7. The mini van was going around 40 miles an hour, which is under the speed limit. But the deputy said, with that many people in the van, there were not enough seat belts for every one. Following the traffic stop he discovered that the 11, ten men and one woman, were illegal aliens.

ATHENS – An Athens home was extensively damaged when it became a garage for an 18 wheeler. The truck was westbound around 8:30 yesterday morning when the driver blacked out. The Department of Public Safety identified the driver as Gary Wayne Derrick, 40, of Mississippi. He received minor injuries. The couple living in the house, who were at home when the accident occurred, was not injured.

TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper strongly suggested Friday that politics was behind the Obama administration’s recent decision to delay a proposed oil pipeline from Canada, days before he planned to visit the White House.

Harper travels to Washington on Wednesday where he and Obama are expected to announce an agreement to enhance border security. Harper is also expected to urge Obama to approve the Keystone XL pipeline to the Texas Gulf Coast. The proposed route of the pipeline takes it through Eastern Smith County.

Last month, the U.S. State Department decided to delay the project until after the 2012 presidential election, to allow the project’s developer to figure out a way around Nebraska’s Sandhills. The ecologically sensitive region stands atop an aquifer supplying water to eight Great Plains states.

PALESTINE — Anderson County sheriff’s authorities seized more than a dozen cows and a donkey from a landowner in the Neches area Wednesday. Anderson County Sheriff Greg Taylor said representatives of his agency seized the animals from property located in the 7600 block of U.S. 79 North in the Neches area Wednesday, stemming from an investigation which initially began this past spring. The animals were seized after officers obtained a warrant signed by Anderson County Justice of the Peace James Todd, according to the sheriff.

There was no hay on the property and only a small bucket of water when the deputy visited the property Monday, according to the sheriff. The sheriff said the case will ultimately be forwarded to the Anderson County district attorney’s office for possible criminal prosecution. A disposition hearing regarding the cows and donkey has been set for 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 8 at the Anderson County Courthouse Annex.

LUFKIN — Lufkin Police responded to a call in the 100 block of Parkview Circle about a man who entered his neighbor’s apartment through a window to investigate an unidentified male fleeing from the complex. According to police reports, Jerry Joe McClain, 47, said when he saw the male fleeing the apartment complex, he noticed that his neighbor’s window was open and wanted to check it out. The neighbor said she heard a loud bang in the back of her apartment and that is when she discovered McClain standing inside her apartment. McClain was arrested for criminal trespass and two misdemeanor arrest warrants.

ZAVALLA — Zavalla mayor Greg Fletcher turned in his resignation Tuesday, according to city officials. The decision comes one month after he announced in a special meeting that he would not resign. Attempts to reach Fletcher for comment Wednesday were unsuccessful. Councilman Carlos Guzman will act as mayor until the council discusses the situation in its Dec. 12 meeting. In last month’s council meeting, rumors of Fletcher being under investigation by the county attorney for using a city account to purchase tires were addressed by a roomful of citizens, including Fletcher’s father, Jimmy Davis.

ANGELINA COUNTY — A two-vehicle accident between a Lufkin school bus and a van sent two people to the hospital Wednesday afternoon. Richard Dial, 54, of Groveton, was northbound in a van hauling car and trailer around 2:00 on Denman Avenue when he changed lanes at a red light. His vehicle rear-ended a school bus. The bus driver, Latanya Brown, 41, of Lufkin, was taken to Memorial Medical Center-Lufkin by Lufkin Fire paramedics, but three teenagers aboard the bus were uninjured, according to Lufkin ISD Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources.

Dial, who is able to drive his van with wheelchair-accessible equipment, was also taken to Memorial. His passenger, Curtis Shaver, was uninjured. None of the injuries reported in the accident appeared to be life-threatening. Dial was cited for failure to control speed.

HENDERSON — Several candidates have filed to run in the Rusk County Republican primary for county offices, but Sheriff Danny Pirtle, pictured here, and County Tax Assessor-Collector Matt B. Gabriel are not among them.

Pirtle, who recently underwent open-heart surgery, announced earlier this week that he plans to continue as sheriff until his term ends in December of 2012, but will not be seeking re-election. Gabriel, who has been a county employee for 48 years and in her current position for almost 20 years, announced earlier this year that she will be retiring at the end of her current term.

The only contested election within the party thus far is for Constable of Precinct 4. Incumbent Constable David Guy, 70, has filed for the position; as David Roberts III, 49, a local realtor.

ALBA — The father of a Wood County teen killed earlier this year by a gun shot wound has agreed to turn himself into authorities. Lab results conclude Loren Saunders, 16, was shot by his father George Saunders, 56, in the chest back on January 18. George Saunders no longer lives in Wood County, but agreed to surrender on a warrant for manslaughter.

Back in May, Wood County officials said the circumstances surrounding the teen’s death were suspicious after he was found with a single gunshot wound to the chest. Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the residence at Chaney Point RV Park on County Road 1590 after Saunders’ father reported his son had been shot and he was doing CPR on him.

The case was turned over to the Wood County District Attorney’s Office for further investigation after the medical examiner’s office said evidence didn’t add up to the death being considered accidental. At the time, investigator William Burge said Saunders’ cause of death was ruled accidental, because Saunders’ father told authorities he caught him playing with the handgun.

GREGG COUNTY — A Gregg County jury acquitted a Longview man Wednesday of aggravated kidnapping charges. Jurors deliberated nearly six hours before finding 50-year-old Anthony Marquis Shepherd not guilty of the first degree charge, which carried between 5 and 99 years or life in prison upon conviction. Prosecutors said Shepherd held a woman against her will in a South Longview home and beat her with the intent of sexually assaulting her on June 26, 2010. Shepherd was painting the interior of a home in the 500 block of Aden Drive and had gotten permission from the homeowner to allow the woman to help him with the job, Gregg County Assistant District Attorney Chris Botto said.

The woman, identified as Tonya Wilson, said Shepherd burned her toes, injured her arm and slammed her against the floor. She broke a glass and caught the attention of a passer-by for help, prosecutors said. A witness for the defense, Richard Pendarvis, said Wilson infliced the injury to her hand herself, defense attorney Kathy Colvin said.

Despite the verdict, Shepherd remained jailed Wednesday without bond, because a grand jury indicted him earlier this year on a May 21 offense of forgery of a financial instrument. A hearing in the case has not been set.

HOUSTON (AP) – The insurer of a $1.2 million sports car that plunged into a Galveston Bay lagoon two years ago is accusing the owner of driving into the marsh deliberately to collect on a $2.2 million insurance policy. A lawsuit filed by Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Co. is pending against Lufkin auto dealer Andy House in federal court in Galveston. The insurer accuses House of intentionally driving his Bugatti Veyron EB into 3 feet of salt water in La Marque, 36 miles southeast of Houston. The lawsuit also alleges House ran the car engine for 15 minutes after the November 2009 splashdown, damaging the 1,000-horsepower engine. House told police the car capable of reaching 253 mph traveled into the lagoon when he swerved to avoid a seagull.

LONGVIEW — A Longview man escaped a blaze late Wednesday that totaled the two-apartment duplex he moved in to Monday. Longview Fire Investigator Jimmy Purcell said Michael Taylor suffered only a minor burn and refused treatment following a structure fire in the 200 block of East Culver Street. Firefighters responded to the fire at 11:59 p.m. Two tenants lived in the duplex; one upstairs, and Taylor downstairs. The upstairs tenant was not home at the time of the fire. Taylor is living with a relative who he as staying with until Monday, when he moved into the Culver Street apartment, Purcell said. Firefighters had the blaze under control before 12:45 a.m. Tuesday.

TYLER – A shooting in Tyler has left one person dead. The incident happened shortly after 7:15 Tuesday night at the Varsity Place Apartments, 3400 Varsity. Brandon Raynard Willis, 19, of Dallas, has been charged with manslaughter. The victim was identified as Daveon Johnson, 18, also of Dallas. Investigators say four young men from the Dallas area, including the suspect and victim, are leasing an apartment at Varsity Place Apartments. Willis is currently enrolled at Tyler Junior College and Johnson is a former student of TJC.

Investigators were told that Willis had pointed a 38 revolver at Johnson and was reportedly explaining how he had been shot in the past and pulled the trigger several times thinking the weapon was unloaded. It discharged striking Johnson. Johnson was shot in the upper rights side of his back and was pronounced dead at East Texas Medical Center at 8:08 last night. An autopsy is scheduled at Southeast Forensics.

According to a statement issued Wednesday by TJC, “We are saddened for the loss of life and the devastating effect this has had on the others involved. Our hearts go out to these young men, their friends and families. We ask that our entire college community keep these families in their thoughts and prayers at this difficult time.”

TYLER – A Smith County woman, brutally beaten during a drunken brawl on Thanksgiving, has died. Her husband has been charged in the case. Kelly Gage, 49, was originally charged with aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury. That will be upgraded to a first degree murder complaint.

Investigators say Patti McHugh Gage, 48, was taken to Mother Francis Hospital around 1:00 last Friday morning with severe brain stem damage and no brain activity. Hospital personnel say she died around 1:00 yesterday morning after being taken off life support. Gage remains in the Smith County Jail. His bond has been set at $500,000.

TYLER — A 39-year-old Mesquite, Texas woman has been sentenced for federal violations in East Texas. Stacie Yancey Taylor pleaded guilty on July 8, 2011, to Conspiracy to Commit Access Device Fraud, and was sentenced Tuesday during a hearing before U.S. District Judge Leonard E. Davis to 30 months in federal prison.

According to information presented in court, between December, 2010, and December, 2011, Taylor allegedly used fraudulent credit card numbers in an attempt to purchase gift cards and other merchandise from various retailers. A 4-count federal indictment was returned on March 2, 2011.

TYLER – The Salvation Army of Tyler gets some good news about its annual Angel Tree project. According to a statement from the agency, “Thanks to the generosity of Broadway Square Mall and our Corporate Sponsors, The Salvation Army is excited to announce that we are extending the deadline for Angels to be adopted through Sunday, December 11, instead of the previous deadline of Monday, December 5. There is a huge need in Smith County this year for children who may have to go without a Christmas and this extensions provides more opportunities for all our Angels to be adopted. There are still over 1500 angels available and with your help we can bring this number down to 0. Thank you for the wonderful support and generosity of the Tyler community and we wish you a blessed Christmas.”

Here’s a rundown of 2011 Angel Tree Locations:

Hideaway Lake Clubhouse- 101 Hideaway Lane, Hideaway, TX 75771
Wal-Mart Supercenter- 6801 S. Broadway, Tyler, TX 75703
Austin Bank of Whitehouse- 100 Horton, Whitehouse, TX 75791
TJC- 1400 Fifth St., Tyler, TX 75701
Regions Bank- (various locations) 100 E. Ferguson ,Tyler, TX 75701
Wal-Mart #1022- 3820 Hwy. 64 West, Tyler, TX 75704
Toyota Mercedes– 3274 Professional Dr., Tyler, TX 75701
UT Tyler- 3900 University Blvd., Tyler, TX 75701
Rose Heights Church of God- 2120 Old Omen Rd., Tyler, TX 75701
Woodcreek Athletic Club- 6110 S. Broadway, Tyler, TX 75703
Broadway Square Mall- 4601 S Broadway, Tyler TX 75703
Bank of America-(Four Locations) 4601 S. Broadway Tyler 75703
Suddenlink-1001 ESE Loop 323 Tyler 75701
Citizens National Bank-2217 Grande Blvd. Tyler 75703

TYLER — An Upshur County man has been sentenced for drug violations in the Eastern District of Texas. James Michael Havner, 49, of Gilmer, pleaded guilty on August 24, 2011, to possession of a List 1 chemical, with intent to manufacture methamphetamine. Havner was sentenced Wednesday to 120 months in federal prison during a hearing in Tyler before United States District Judge Michael H. Schneider.

According to prosecutors, Havner purchased cold pills containing pseudoephedrine at a Wal-Mart store in Longview on January 24, 2009, and made three additional purchases at other stores in the area the same day in furtherance of his methamphetamine manufacturing activities. Havner was named in an 82-count federal indictment returned on April 6, 2011.

TYLER – United States Attorney John M. Bales has announced that Candido Patino was sentenced in Tyler for structuring and assisting in structuring transactions with a domestic financial institution in the Eastern District of Texas. Patino, 46, pleaded guilty to a violation of 31 U.S.C. § 5324 (structuring) on June 1, 2011. Tuesday, during a hearing before United States Judge Leonard E. Davis, Patino was sentenced to 24 months imprisonment, a fine of $10,000, and a term of supervised release of 2 years.

Financial institutions are required to file a Currency Transaction Report (CTR) with the Internal Revenue Service when a customer conducts a currency transaction (i.e., a deposit or withdrawal) in excess of $10,000. Making cash deposits or withdrawals in amounts or in a manner to cause the financial institution to fail to file a CTR is referred to as “structuring” and is prohibited by federal law.

According to information presented in court, Patino operated a money transmitting business out of a restaurant he owned in Kilgore. Individuals who wanted to transfer funds to Mexico typically paid cash to Patino for such services. Patino then deposited the currency into a bank account at a federally-insured credit union. Between July 2008 and October 2009, Patino, who was aware of the credit union’s reporting obligation, made over 300 structured cash deposits in a manner intended to evade the CTR requirement.