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LONGVIEW — A former Longview police officer has received the maximum sentence for sexually abusing four boys over a 30 year period. Michael Patrick Healy, 68, who pled guilty last Friday, was sentenced Tuesday to 30 years in prison. He pleaded guilty to indecency with a child by sexual contact and attempted indecency with a child by sexual contact. They carry prison terms of 20 and 10 years. State District Judge David Brabham assessed the maximum punishment and ordered the sentences to be served consecutively, making it a 30 year prison term. Healy has indicated he will appeal the sentence. According to the Longview News Journal, testimony during the punishment hearing indicated the Longview man sexually abused his now-grown son and at least three other boys, two of them the son’s cousins.

LUFKIN – A grand jury has no-billed a Lufkin police office in a fatal March 1st shooting. Killed was Epthen Lamont Johnson, 40, of Lufkin. Police said Johnson was on top of his victim, Jose Isabel Rodriguez Jr. attempting to cut his throat when Officer Robert Blake Witherspoon, a six year veteran officer, shot him. Authorities said the officer’s verbal commands were ignored when the officer took lethal action. Rodriguez was hospitalized with multiple injuries. Continue reading No Indictment for a Lufkin Police Officer

TYLER – Precinct One Smith County Constable Henry Phillip Jackson, 65, has pleaded guilty to federal tax violations. Jackson pleaded guilty Tuesday to four counts of willful failure to file federal income tax returns before U.S. Magistrate Judge K. Nicole Mitchell. According to federal prosecutors, Jackson, who has served as an elected constable since 1999, received income from 2010-2013 that required him to file federal income tax returns for those years. However, Jackson failed to file those returns and now owes more than $160,000 in taxes. Continue reading Smith County Constable Guilty of Federal Tax Violations

TYLER – Tyler Junior College has done it again. For the 6th straight year, the school has met and exceeded its goal of collecting 50 gallons of blood. Jacque Decker, Carter BloodCare manager of operations and field recruitment says the week long blood drive at the college brought in 54.6 gallons or 437 units of blood. According to the school’s website, since TJC began its “50 Gallon Challenge” six years ago, more than 300 gallons of blood have been collected, potentially saving more than 7,200 lives in East Texas.

TYLER – Smith County jury duty has been cancelled on Wednesday. If you have a Smith County jury summons for duty on Wednesday, you do not need to report to the courthouse. Smith County Jury Coordinator Lisa Bennett said jury duty has been cancelled for all courts. However, if you have been asked to return for jury duty by a specific court, you must still report.

EDOM – Van Zandt County authorities are searching for clues in the death of Sherry Banks, 62, of Edom. She was shot to death sometime between Thursday May 11 at 8:00pm and Friday May 12 at 10:00am. She was shot while driving on Farm Road 279 just east of Edom. After the shooting, her vehicle ended up in a wooded area. Any information can be called into the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office at 903-567-4133 extension 495 or Crime Stoppers 903-567-7867.

TYLER – A warrant out of the 241st State District Court has resulted in the arrest of a Tyler man on child sex charges. Ruben Candelario, 36, was arrested Monday. He is charged with two counts of indecency with a child, sexual contact. The case stems from a report in March of two children being sexually abused. Both were said to be under the age of 18. He remains in the Smith County Jail. His bonds total $200,000.

CROCKETT – A Longview man is scheduled for a sentencing hearing in August after pleading guilty in Crockett to online solicitation of a minor. Alan Ray Brown,57, entered the guilty plea in state distrct court last week. Brown, along with Brent Allred, 51, of Lufkin and Dana Ray Killian, 48, of Palestine, were arrested following a sting operation last August. It was conducted by the the Houston County Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of the Attorney General’s Office Child Exploitation Unit. The online operation targeted adults that solicit minor children for purpose of having sex. During the week-long investigation, 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 in Crockett.

LONGVIEW – A Longview middle school student is arrested with a gun on campus. Longview police arrested the student around 10:00 Tuesday morning on the campus of Foster Middle School. A small amount of marijuana was also found on the student. School officials say no threat was was made and there was no ammunition for the .25 caliber handgun. But Assistant Superintendent Dr. Jody Clements said they “still take matters like this very seriously.” And he added, “We will be working with Longview Police Department’s investigation, and will be following our district procedure with regard to the student.” The student has been sent to the juvenile detention center. Police say the student is being charged with unlawfully carrying of a weapon and possession of marijuana in a drug-free zone.

HENDERSON COUNTY — A routine traffic stop lands a suspected drug dealer behind bars. According to the Henderson County Sheriff, Rebecca Brannon, 25, has been charged with manufacturing and delivery. During a traffic stop around 2:45 Tuesday morning, Brannon was reportedly found with more than 53 grams of methamphetamine. A passenger in the vehicle, Christina Julian, 52, was also arrested and charged with possession.

TYLER — Charges have been filed and bonds set for two suspects in the Friday night robbery of football star Patrick Mahomes of Whitehouse. According to information provided by the Smith County Sheriff’s Department, Mahomes and three others who were with him told deputies that a man that they believed to be armed with a handgun confronted them and demanded personal property from them as they were exiting their vehicle. Deputies located the suspect’s vehicle near County Road 273 and Malisa Circle in Tyler. Michael Blake Pinkerton (pictured), 34, and Billy Ray Johnson, 58, were arrested and taken to the Smith County jail. Continue reading Charges Filed, Bonds Set in Mahomes Robbery

LONGVIEW — Longtime Longview restaurateur Gerald Rodriguez died Monday night, hours after being removed from life support after a May 7 heart attack, his brother confirmed. He was 54. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, Gerald Rodriguez, owner of Tyler Street Bistro and Gerald’s Social Club, adjacent and well-frequented downtown destinations, had been listed in critical condition at Christus Good Shepherd Medical Center since the heart attack, which was blamed on complications from a blood clot. Continue reading Longview Restaurateur Dead at 54

LONGVIEW – A Gregg County man remains in jail following his arrest on numerous charges, including abandoning five children. David Allen Lloyd, 35, of White Oak, was arrested on Friday. He had been indicted by the grand jury in March. The Longview News Journal reports Lloyd has been charged with injury to a child, elderly or disabled person, assault of a family or household member and five counts of abandoning or endangering a child, criminal negligence. Two of the incidents are said to have occurred in March of 2015. The other incidents are said to have occurred in February of this year.

LINDALE – An ongoing feud has resulted in the arrest of a Lindale area man. Arrested over the weekend was Danny Lynn Hobbs. He has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Sheriff’s department Sergeant Darrell Coslin tells KTBB that Hobbs shares a driveway with a neighbor. His neighbors were in the driveway Saturday afternoon when he arrived. He is said to have aimed his vehicle at them and increased his speed. They were able to jump out of the way but their dog wasn’t as lucky. He remains in the Smith County jail in lieu of a $10,000 bond.

TYLER – Peace officers who died in the line of duty have been remembered in Tyler. A ceremony was held on the Tyler square at noon on Monday. In 2016, 145 peace officers died in the U.S. Tyler policeman Don Martin said 19 names were read during the Tyler ceremony. They are the Texas peace officers who died last year. One of the names on the list was 62 year old Gregg County Jailer Robert Ransom. He died on September 30th after suffering a heart attack while helping an inmate who had a medical emergency. As other deputies attempted to revive the inmate Jailer Ransom rushed to retrieve an AED. He collapsed moments later. Both he and the inmate were transported to the hospital where he passed away. The inmate that Corporal Ransom was assisting survived and was returned to the jail.

GILMER – East Texas authorities are looking for the persons who stole some military grave markers. The Upshur County Sheriff’s Department said five of the grave markers were stolen from the Zion Hill Cemetery, on Poppy Road, near Gilmer. Engraved on the brass markers are the names of Hargest, Granville, Lynn, and Tanner. They also contain the service record of the five persons. You are asked to contact Lt. Gary Shirley at 903-680-8231 if you have any information about the missing grave markers.

MARSHALL – The cause of a Harrison County business death has been ruled accidental. The body of Arturo Gonzalez, 42, was found on April 17th stuck in a kiln at Marshall Pottery. Gonzales was a supervisor at the Marshall business and had worked their for 11 years. The Marshall News Messenger reports the final autopsy, which was performed by at Forensic Medical of Texas in Tyler, showed he died from environmental hyperthermia. The autopsy confirmed it was an accidental death.

TYLER — Services were held over the weekend for Steve and Anna Lee of Tyler, killed May 7 in an apparent murder-suicide. The Lees were well-known in the community. Steve Lee was a former radio and TV personality who later collaborated in forming a successful video production and marketing company. The couple met while Anna was director of the TJC Apache Belles. The two were also noted for their involvement in patriotic endeavors, tied in with their deep interest in the Revolutionary War. The incident that took their lives remains under investigation.

SMITH COUNTY — One person has died following a Sunday morning crash in Smith County. According to KETK, it happened around 2:15 on FM 2767, around 7 miles east of Tyler. DPS Troopers said a truck and a car hit head-on. The driver of one of the vehicles, Nathen Stamps, 21, was taken to the hospital were he later died. The driver of the other vehicle, Cesar Duran, 21, was also taken to the hospital and is in stable condition. The cause of the wreck is unknown.

GREGG COUNTY — A Gladewater man has been indicted in connection with a February incident that resulted in a 2-year-old boy being admitted to a hospital with severe injuries. According to the Longview News-Journal, Jeffrey White, 28, was arrested Feb. 5 after his girlfriend told officers he beat her child. He’s being held in the Gregg County jail on $45,000 bond, charged with injury to a child/elderly/disabled person causing reckless bodily injury. White admitted in a police interview in February to repeatedly striking the child with a belt and stick on multiple occasions. Continue reading Man Indicted on Injury to Child Charge

WHITEHOUSE — A Brownsboro man has been arrested after leading authorities on a chase. Marlin Welch, 63, was booked into the Smith County Jail on Saturday. He’s been charged with evading arrest. Bond was set at $3,000. Additional details were not available.

EAST TEXAS — The National Weather Service said Friday that a tornado touched down Thursday evening near Gladewater, one of five twisters confirmed across East Texas. The Gladewater tornado was classified as EF-1 and touched down at about 6:15 p.m. Thursday just west of the city, the weather service said. According to the Longview News-Journal, also confirmed Friday were an EF-2 tornado near Garrison in Nacogdoches County; an EF-0 tornado near Edgewood in Van Zandt County; and an EF-1 tornado near Minden in Rusk County. Another tornado was also classified as an EF-1. The National Weather Service performed damage assessment throughout Friday in Gregg, Upshur, Wood and Smith counties. Those assessments had not been completed as of late Friday afternoon. Continue reading Weather Service Confirms Several East Texas Tornadoes

DALLAS (AP/STAFF) — A Dallas-area military veteran will serve life imprisonment without parole for the 2013 shooting deaths of four women, including his girlfriend and estranged wife. A judge sentenced Erbie Lee Bowser, 48, on Friday after a Dallas County jury deliberated for 10 hours over two days before becoming deadlocked on a death penalty. Bowser was a 1986 all-state football selection while attending Tyler’s Robert E. Lee High School. He was convicted of capital murder on May 5 in the fatal shootings of girlfriend Toya Smith and her 17-year-old daughter, Tasmia Allen, in Dallas. Investigators say Bowser then drove to nearby DeSoto and fatally shot his wife, Zina Bowser, and her 28-year-old daughter Neima Williams. Four other children were wounded. Bowser’s attorneys had argued that he’s mentally ill and suffered concussions playing football. Bowser is a former member of the Dallas Mavericks ManiAAC male dance troupe.

SHREVEPORT – Two damage survey teams from the National Weather Service-Shreveport office are investigating storm-related damage from Thursday’s storms in East Texas. One team is focusing on Smith, Upshur, and Gregg Counties. Another team is focusing on Nacogdoches, Rusk, and Shelby Counties. The strongest of the storms was an EF-2 tornado in the Garrison area of northeastern Nacogdoches County. It had winds of between 111-135 miles an hour. Reports also indicate an EF-1 tornado on the west side of Gladewater and an EF-1 tornado in southeast Rusk County, on the east side of Minden. Continue reading East Texas Storm Damage Being Surveyed

EAST TEXAS – East Texas letter carriers will be doing more that bringing mail to your home Saturday. They will also be picking up food in their annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. The country’s largest single-day food drive provides you with an easy way to donate food to those in need in the community. All you have to do is put bags of non-perishable goods next to you mailbox before tomorrow’s mail delivery. The letter carriers will pick up the food and distribute them to local food agencies. This marks the 25th year of the letter carriers’ annual food drive. You are encouraged to leave a sturdy bag, paper or plastic, containing non-perishable foods, such as canned soup, canned vegetables, canned meats and fish, pasta, peanut butter, rice or cereal, next to your mailbox. You can visit http://www.nalc.org/food to learn more.

ATHENS – The Henderson County sheriff’s office is seeking additional help in solving a couple of cold cases. They are seeking the help of the Sheriff’s Association of Texas Cold Case Review Team. Sheriff Botie Hillhouse said the team will bring “fresh eyes” to old cases. One is the death of Shelly Watkins, who was found floating in the Trinity River just west of Seven Points on Labor Day in 1993. The second death is that of Ricky Gene Herriage. His body was discovered March 8, 1987 under a bridge, next to Walnut Creek. According to Sheriff Hillhouse, they will continue to gather the evidence needed to solve the crimes and bring the suspects to justice.

DALLAS — A Dallas County jury remains sequestered in the death penalty phase of Erbie Bowser’s capital murder trial. Defense attorney Andy Beach said the jury may have rejected the insanity plea, but it cannot ignore Bowser’s brain injuries, mental illness, and anti-psychotic drug prescriptions. The night Bowser killed four women and wounded four children, Beach said, was the night he snapped. Prosecutor Glen Fitzmartin portrayed Bowser as a self-centered, controlling manipulator. He said it’s time for the jury to serve up justice. The jury has two possible results: life without parole or death by injection. Bowser was a 1986 all-state football selection while attending Tyler’s Robert E. Lee High School.

KILGORE – A Kilgore hospital has lost its Medicare certification. Allegiance Specialty Hospital in Kilgore was cited following an inspection by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. They found deficiencies in the building infrastructure. There have been some layoffs as result of the action. The emergency department operated by Christus Good Shepherd Health System and a sub lease to Kilgore College were not affected. Administrator Karen Ross told the Longview News Journal “The hospital will remain open while it awaits the resurvey and completes the reinstatement process.”