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SMITH COUNTY — Smith County officials report several stolen items have been recovered after four burglary suspects were caught. Officials say the alleged thieves were involved in at least two burglaries on Thursday between the hours of 8:00 and 11:00 a.m.

Coby Robert Gordy, 17, (pictured) and James William Gullette, 32, were booked into the Smith County jail. They are each charged with two counts of burglary. Bond was set at $30,000 each. Two juveniles were also taken into custody. Officials say Gordy and Gullette may be linked to other crimes in the area. The case is under investigation.

The first burglary occurred in the 17000 block of County Road 15, where a woman noticed a suspicious vehicle in the area. Later that day, her next door neighbor and family member realized his home had been burglarized and she described the vehicle, a white Avalanche, to the authorities. A vehicle matching the description was located later that day on Morningside Dr. in Tyler.

Inside the vehicle, officers found four men, including two juveniles, along with several of the items said to be stolen from the house on CR 15. The items were verified as the stolen property by the homeowner’s name which was etched on many of his belongings. Among the stolen items were guns, electronics, and DVDs. Also found in the car was property which was found to belong to another household which was burglarized that morning on the 8200 block of County Road 1161.

DIBOLL — A worker was taken by medical helicopter to a Tyler hospital following an industrial accident at ATCO Structures this morning. Around 10:00, a wall fell on a 44-year-old man while working at the facility at 1106 N. Temple Drive. Lufkin Fire Department and Diboll first responders transported the man from ATCO Structures to the helipad at Temple-Inland’s corporate headquarters. The company did not release any details immediately after the accident citing the need for further investigation. However, Lufkin Fire Chief Ted Lovett said a sheetrock wall fell on top of the man, and “he had some significant bleeding from the ear area.”

TYLER — A water main that caused conjestion at the intersection of 5th and Broadway has been repaired. However, City of Tyler officials say Elm will be closed down all day tomorrow between Broadway and Spring so they can repair a broken water line.

GREGG COUNTY — A Longview man was charged with aggravated assault after police said he was involved in a robbery at a motel. Eric Eugene Christian, 30, remained jailed Thursday on $50,000 bond, charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was arrested early Thursday on charges stemming from an assault November 1, at America Dream Inn on East Marshall Avenue.

According to reports, a man at the motel told police that he went to the motel looking for a prostitute. The victim said he met with another man, who called a woman to the hotel room. While in the hotel room, the victim realized that $300 and the keys to his car had been stolen. The victim said he confronted the woman, she tried to run away, and they began arguing, police said. During the argument, Christian entered the room and started hitting the victim in the face several times.

GREGG COUNTY — Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Jean Dark said troopers are looking for a silver or gray 2001 Dodge Durango or Dodge Dakota in connection with the hit-and-run that killed Cesar Cruz about 8:15 Monday night. Dark said the vehicle was traveling northbound on Texas 149 when the motorist struck Cesar, who was most likely in the road.

“The vehicle may have damage to the right front area, with damage to the fog lamp, headlights as well as the turn signal,” Dark said. Officials were not releasing details on the suspect they had interviewed regarding the child’s death. Investigators found parts of a headlamp at the scene that helped them identify the make and model of the vehicle involved.

Deputies were called to the boy’s residence about 6:45 p.m. Monday after family members reported him missing. Cesar’s mother, Brandie Sieger, said she had left the house to take her father to the store. Her mother was at the house watching her four children when she was notified Cesar was missing. Gregg County Sheriff’s Office deputies, responding to reports of the missing boy, found his body in a ditch on Texas 149 near Younger Road, about a mile from where he went missing.

TYLER — Tyler ISD voted to join a class-action lawsuit against the state during their regularly scheduled school board meeting on Thursday night. School officials tell KETK, the vote was unanimous, 6-0, with one member not present. Tyler now joins several East Texas school districts, and hundreds of others from across the state, that are a part of the lawsuit. The lawsuit is a challenge to the Texas funding system for public schools. Supporters of the lawsuit are hoping it will bring more equality to the way funding is distributed to schools. East Texas school districts already involved in the lawsuit include Diboll ISD, Lufkin ISD and Union Grove ISD.

ANGELINA COUNTY — A Diboll mother was air-lifted to a Tyler hospital and her husband has been arrested after she suffered a severe head wound. Arthur Brown, 34, is behind bars on a $100,000 bond. His wife, Candace Brown, 29, was seriously injured from falling off the trunk of their car along Highway 59 south Wednesday afternoon.

Brown told Angelina County Sheriff’s Office investigator Seth Stover he was in fear for his life when he hit the gas Wednesday afternoon instead of stopping. Because his actions caused his wife to fall off the trunk of their Cadillac sedan, he is being charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon/family violence.

Candace was airlifted from the scene and taken to East Texas Medical Center in Tyler with a severe head injury.

LINDALE – Two Lindale area burglary suspects are in custody today. The two had been spotted rummaging through farm equipment on property near Hideaway Lake on Farm Road 16 west of Lindale. As officers were talking to the suspects they were able to escape and run into some near by woods.

Dustin Myles Adams, 22, of Lindale, pictured here, was later arrested after leading law officers on a manhunt. The second suspect, Timothy Robin Nelson Jr., 26, of Lindale, was taken into custody while walking down FM 16. They have been charged with felony theft, felony possession of fire arms and evading arrest.

TYLER – A Tyler jury has sentenced a woman to prison for using a deadly weapon during the burglary of a habitation. It took the jury in 241st State District Court about an hour yesterday to sentence Maricela Aguilera Rodriguez, 52, to 30 years in prison. The panel had earlier deliberated several hours before convicting her.

Seven months ago, Rodriguez, who was who was disguised as a man, complete with hat and fake moustache, broke into an apartment to collect $15,000 for her vehicle. Following her arrest she told officers she broke into the wrong apartment.

Once in the apartment Rodriguez then tied up a woman and her three daughters with duct tape. They were able to free themselves and escape through a bedroom window. They were not seriously injured.

LONGVIEW – The director and two employees of the Longview Housing Authority have been reprimanded. The action came after an investigation turned up a culture of favoritism and strong-arming.

The Longview News-Journal reports Housing and Community Development Director Anji Johnson, pictured here, Housing Supervisor Cheteva Marshall and senior caseworker Tonya Pierce threatened at least two property owners and made other exceptions for the benefit of Longview Housing Authority client LaTonya Ivory.

The three employees were placed on six months’ job probation, while Johnson and Marshall served two-day suspensions without pay. Marshall returned to her job yesterday.

MT. ENTERPRISE – Electrical wiring around a cooler is thought to be responsible for a fire that destroyed a Rusk County convenience store. The fire started sometime after 4:00 yesterday morning at Jeanie’s Corner Exxon and Pizza Pro convenience store at the intersections of Highways 259 and 84. The store was not open when the fire started and no injuries were reported.

MARSHALL — One person has been killed after two tractor trailers collided on Interstate 20 in Harrison County. Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Sylvia Jennings said troopers were dispatched at about 6:00 yesterday morning to the crash near Farm Road 31 west of Marshall. Dead at the scene was Andrew Mayfield, 35, of Beckville No word this morning on the person injured in the accident.

Officials say the wreck happened when one 18-wheeler hit the back end of another, and in the process, damaged a bridge support column. According to KETK, eastbound lanes on I-20 were closed and will remain so until the bridge can be repaired. TxDOT expects the project to take several weeks.

KILGORE — Kilgore police say seven people have been indicted in a local drug trafficking ring. According to police, in May of 2011 the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) joined in the efforts of local law enforcement agencies, the Kilgore Police Department and the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office, to bring down a methamphetamine trafficking organization. According to KETK, police say the organization was responsible for the purchasing, selling and distribution of large quantities of crystal methamphetamine (ICE) in the Kilgore and Rusk County Areas. In November of 2011, after an extensive investigation, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas indicted the following alleged members of the trafficking organization:

David Christopher Wheeler, 29, of Kilgore
Raelene Dawn Ferguson, 26, of Kilgore
Bret Glynon Bates, 49, of Kilgore
Terri Rhea Young, 49, of Kilgore
Matthew Dean Willis, 24, of Kilgore
Devyn Leigh Quada, 19, of Jefferson
Harold Burgess Dickens, 41, of Mesquite

They were each indicted on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of pure methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. All seven have been arrested on the indictments and are currently awaiting trial.

LONGVIEW – No charges have been filed in a Longview accident in which a man was hit by a car. It happened around 6:00 Wednesday evening in the 3400 block of Gilmer Road. Officers arrived they found Kirk Foreman, 58, of Ore City, lying in the roadway. He had been struck by a car driven by Vicki Johnson, 59, of Longview. Foreman was wearing all black clothing in an area not well lit and was attempting to cross Gilmer Road near the intersection of Nikki Drive when he was hit. He was taken to Longview Regional Hospital where he is being treated for serious injuries.

CANTON — Van Zandt County Crime Stoppers has designated another $1,250 in rewards for the latest anonymous tips that led to the arrests of three individuals on various charges in the county. One of the tips, which alerted deputies to the sales of methamphetamine, led to the arrest of a Canton woman on charges of selling and distributing drugs. Crime Stoppers set aside $450 for that anonymous caller. Two other tips led to the arrests of a Wills Point man whom deputies had sought on a felony theft warrant and a Mineola man who was wanted on a robbery warrant. Those two tips yielded the anonymous callers $400 each.

“Crime Stoppers continues to generate good tips that are helping deputies and police throughout the county catch criminals,” said Andy Flowers, president of Van Zandt County Crime Stoppers. “We are more than happy to keep paying out generous rewards to keep those calls coming in to 903-567-STOP. Everybody wins when callers can get no-questions-asked cash rewards for helping put criminals away.” Calls to the Crime Stoppers tip line, 903-567-7867, are always kept completely anonymous. Callers are given a code for their tip, and when the arrest is made, they can collect the reward for their tip. “With the holidays coming, it’s a good way for people to pick up some extra money for gifts,” Flowers said. “We say, turn in a criminal and have a merrier Christmas.”

Crime Stoppers always offers cash rewards for anonymous tips that lead to the arrest of a criminal offender who has either just committed a crime or is wanted on a warrant. The Crime Stoppers number is 903-567-STOP (567-7867). Rewards of up to $1,000 are financed by criminal court fines and donations. More information about Crime Stoppers is available online at http://www.vanzandtcrimestoppers.org or on Facebook.

KILGORE — The City of Kilgore is looking to expand its city limits. According to KETK, officials are considering annexing 261 acres northeast of town. It’s also known as the Fredonia community. With both Kilgore and Longview growing, Kilgore wants to get the land before Longview. Kilgore annexed 260 acres earlier this year after stressing the need for more housing options. The Fredonia land could be annexed as early as mid-December.

LUFKIN — A convicted Nacogdoches murderer turned himself in Monday as a suspect in a Lufkin rape. Rickie Griffin, released on parole in October 2002 for the 1988 stabbing death of a man, was taken into custody after a woman he knows told police he raped her Oct. 30.

Griffin is being charged with second-degree felony sexual assault. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison on the new charge. He was to be on parole until 2021 on the murder charge, according to public information.

ANGELINA ANGELINA COUNTY — A Lufkin woman remains hospitalized after her car was crashed into by a man who authorities say admitted to being drunk and high on methamphetamine Tuesday night.

Kaley Linton, 20, is now recovering at Woodland Heights Medical Center with a broken pelvis and back after Marshall Lucas Jr., 27, reportedly ran a red light and struck her driver’s side door around 11:00 Tuesday evening. Linton had to be cut out of her mangled Ford Mustang by Lufkin Fire paramedics while Lucas hopped into the back of a squad car and asked to be taken to the hospital. Lucas then jumped out of the vehicle and told the officers not to take him in. He then reportedly resisted arrest. Lucas remained in the Angelina County Jail on a collective $3,000 bond.

LONGVIEW – A Longview man is accused of the sexual assault of a four year old girl. Taken into custody is Jon Allen Hughes Jr., 30. He was arrested at his home on State Highway 300 after the girl told a family member Hughes had sexually assaulted her. He was booked into the Gregg County jail and bond was set at $50,000

QUITMAN – The Wood County Sheriff’s Department is for asking the public’s help in locating a missing woman. Marquita Gutierrez, 55, of Alba, was last seen on October 14th. She reportedly borrowed her mother’s pickup to go to Canton for a doctor’s appointment but never showed up at the doctor’s office. Her mother’s pickup is described as a white Ford F250 with Texas license plate AX47520. Authorities say the woman has an extensive medical history. Contact the Wood County Sheriff’s Office with any information.

TYLER — Tyler Junior College and science officials announce an exhibit of the world’s largest oriented pallasite meteorite. Following its stay at the TJC Center for Earth & Space Science Education through May 2012, the meteorite will embark on a world tour beginning in Australia. Officials say it will likely not be on view again in the United States for another 10 years. Also in attendance were approximately 100 students from Moore MST Middle School. Speakers were Dr. Tom Hooten, director of the Center for Earth & Space Science Education at TJC, and Phil Mani, owner of the meteorite.

Weighing in at 1,430 pounds, the world’s largest oriented pallasite meteorite fell to Earth about 10,000 years ago and was excavated from a field in rural Kansas in October 2005. It’s called the Brenham meteorite, after the Kansas town where it was found. According to science officials, when meteorites enter the earth’s atmosphere, they may be traveling at speeds as high as 17 miles per second. Some meteorites break up under the force of atmospheric pressure, while others spin as they approach the surface of our planet. Very few meteorites maintain the same orientation as they burn through the atmosphere and acquire a conical, rounded or bullet-shape as a result of melting and ablation. These shield or rocket nose-shaped meteorites are extremely rare, and are described as “oriented.”

Pallasites are an extremely rare class of meteorite, accounting for only about 1 percent of all known meteorites. Pallasites are packed with translucent crystals of olivine (the semi-precious gemstone peridot) suspended in a nickel-iron matrix, and are thought to have formed at the core/mantle boundary of an ancient celestial body. The Brenham meteorite is the largest pallasite ever recovered in the United States, along with being the largest oriented pallasite in history. For more information, call 903-510-2312.

TYLER —The Texas Department of State Health Services has advised the Northeast Texas Public Health District that a skunk submitted for analysis tested positive for rabies. The skunk was found near 18000 County Road 4116 in the Lindale area on Tuesday. Officials say the known individuals with possible exposure have been identified and addressed. This is the first laboratory confirmed case of rabies in Smith County for 2011. Smith County had 1 rabid dog, 2 rabid skunks and six rabid bats reported last year. Officials say rabies remains a public health threat.

Citizens are advised not to handle bats, skunks, raccoons, or other wild animals. Officials say it is important for children to tell their parents of any contact with wild animals or any sick animals. Anyone who knows of a person being bitten by an animal must report the bite incident to the Smith County Rabies Control Authority for proper investigation.

The Smith County Rabies Control Authority advises all citizens to confirm that their dogs and cats are currently vaccinated for rabies. City of Tyler Ordinance and Smith County Ordinance require annual rabies vaccinations for all dogs and cats. According to officials, preventive immunization for rabies is the only effective defense against this always fatal disease. Anyone with questions on rabies control may contact City of Tyler Animal Control at 903-535-0045.

QUITMAN — The Wood County Sheriff’s Department is asking the public’s help in attempting to locate 55-year-old Marquita Gutierrez. According to KETK, she has an extensive medical history. Gutierrez is from the Alba area in Wood County. Marquita was last seen on October 14, when she borrowed her mother’s white Ford F250 bearing Texas license plate AX47520 to go to a doctor’s appointment in Canton. Marquita never arrived at the appointment and has not been seen since that date. The Wood County Sheriff’s Department is requesting that anyone who may have seen Marquita or her vehicle please contact the CrimeStopper tip line or the Sheriff’s Department.

TYLER — The University of Texas at Tyler’s Texas Allergy, Indoor Environment and Energy Institute officials held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the TxAIRE Homes project Wednesday. The event featured Jonathan W. Taylor, director of the Texas Emerging Technology Fund, which awarded UT Tyler a grant to establish the institute and monies for the homes’ construction. “We are extremely happy with the project and believe that what we are demonstrating here will have a significant impact upon how houses are built and operated,” said TxAIRE Executive Director John J. Vasselli. More than 50 local companies have participated in the design and construction of the TxAIRE houses, while technology products from more than 35 Texas-based companies are showcased within the two, he added. Construction began in June.

According to officials, the TxAIRE Research and Demonstration Houses have been designed to serve as realistic test facilities for developing and demonstrating new technologies related to energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and sustainable construction materials and methods. The TxAIRE Houses are said to be fully instrumented testbeds that make possible full testing and analyses of roof, wall, window, and slab building envelope components. TxAIRE was established in 2007. According to the UTT website, “The overarching focus of TxAIRE is upon high performance buildings, with key elements being indoor environmental quality as it relates to human health, and building systems design and performance, with particular emphasis upon energy efficiency.” You can go to http://www.uttyler.edu/TxAIRE/ for more information.

TYLER — Mediation begins in a Tyler courtroom for a lawsuit against former Gregg County Constable Robbie Cox. A mother accuses the constable and others of wrongful eviction from an Easton home she rented from the constable’s wife. According to KETK, the mother claims the constable threw her belongings, including clothes and furniture, outside in the rain on Christmas Eve 2006. She says her appeal of the eviction is still pending at this time.

TYLER — The Tyler City Council has voted unanimously to purchase playground equipment for City Park, Glass Recreation Center, Griffith Park and Lindsey Park from Game Time Playground Company. In June, the City Council approved a donation in the amount of $60,000 from The Spangenberg Family Foundation to be used for the purchase of playground equipment at City Park and Glass Recreation Center. Because the City of Tyler was able to secure matching grant funds through Game Time Playground Company, a member of the US Communities Purchasing Cooperative, the City will be able to purchase additional playground equipment for Griffith Park.

Additionally, the Parks Department was approached by Tyler Soccer Association (TSA) regarding purchasing playground equipment to be installed near the soccer fields at Lindsey Park. In grouping this purchase with the others and securing further grant dollars from Game Time Playground Company, as well as a generous donation from the Tyler Soccer Association in the amount of $17,808.35, Tyler will be purchasing playground equipment for Lindsey Park as well.

“This is a great gift for our City,” said Mayor Barbara Bass. “Parks play an important role in our community. They are a place where children can enjoy themselves and parents can get to know one another which is the foundation of a strong neighborhood.”

TYLER — The Tyler City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to grant the City Manager the authority to forgive demolition and weed/debris liens up to $10,000 when it is in the best interests of the City to do so. State law grants local municipalities the authority to assess a civil penalty against a property owner for failure to repair, remove or demolish a substandard building declared a public nuisance. In certain situations, this penalty can be imposed through a lien on the land on which the building stood (stands) and is tied to the City’s actual expenses to clean up the property. “The action taken by Council today provides the City Manager the discretion to waive these liens when it makes sense to do so,” explained Mayor Barbara Bass (pictured) Wednesday. “If it means getting the property back on the tax roll, it may be prudent to waive the liens assessed on the property.”

Certain criteria must be met to be eligible for the waiver, including:

* The applicant must make improvements to the land in question at least equal to the value of the lien.
* The applicant must not be the same owner as when the lien was assessed.
* The applicant must pay a $50 processing fee along with the fee for filing the lien release.
* Taxes on the tract are current.
* The applicant must comply with all City ordinances on required permits and has completed improvements that have been approved by the Development Services Department.

“This process is intended to encourage the redevelopment of some of our vacant infill properties where nuisance structures once stood,” added Mayor Bass.

TYLER — The Tyler City Council has unanimously voted to amend city ordinances related to Lake Tyler and Lake Tyler East in accordance with the Lake Tyler Master Plan. Revisions to the ordinances include:

* Requirement for building permits, issued through City of Tyler Building Department, for new construction after Nov. 16, 2011 on Lake Tyler leased lots and construction over the waters of the lakes
* Prohibition of encroachment into existing easements and rights-of-way
* Combined annual inspections of piers, boathouses and on-site sewage disposal systems
* Coordination of inspections with lease holders and property owners (Lake Tyler East)
* Prohibition of floating boathouses, piers and other on-water facilities
* Modifications to fees assessed for services provided and annual leases
* Approval requirements and fees for misting systems and insecticides
* New rental rates for leases created after Nov. 16, 2011
* Elimination of barge lot leases

“The Lake Tyler Master Plan came about from concepts laid out in the Tyler 21 plan to help make the lake more enjoyable for the residents of Tyler,” said Mayor Pro Tem Sam Mezayek, chair of the Lake Tyler Roundtable. “The changes in these ordinances are the first steps to putting this plan in motion.”

In addition to these changes to the code of ordinances, the City Council also unanimously adopted an ordinance extending the current extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) to include all City-owned property in and around Lake Tyler and Lake Tyler East that are not located in another city’s ETJ. “By making this property part of the City’s ETJ, we will be able to ensure that our property at Lake Tyler is developed in the same manner as property within the Tyler city limits,” said Mayor Barbara Bass. “The Lake Tyler Master Plan is vital to ensuring that we are creating the best possible amenities at the lakes for all of our residents; making this property part of our ETJ will help make this a reality.”

TYLER — Tyler businessman Randy Stevenson has announced his intention to run for the District 9 seat on the State Board of Education, a seat he held during the 1990s. Stevenson is the owner of Stevenson Capital Wealth Management, a retirement planning and investment brokerage firm. As a former State Board member, Stevenson says he recognizes the hurdles facing the public education system in Texas and feels he can be part of the solution. “We have a challenge before us to stop the downward trend of the quality of education provided to the children of this great state,” says Stevenson. The incumbent, Tom Ratliff, was elected to the board last November. Go to http://www.randystevenson.org to find out more.

UPSHUR COUNTY — Officials with the Gilmer Fire Department report two vehicles were destroyed during a house fire on the 3000 block of FM 49 in Upshur County. At least half the home burned in the blaze, which is said to have originated in the garage. Authorities say the fire began around 3:00 Wednesday morning. A family, including a man, woman and small child, were sleeping in the home when the smoke alarms woke them up. No injuries were reported. The cause is under investigation.