KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER – Here’s a look at work planned in the district during the Week of January 9th. These schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure or other unforeseen issues.

Night work is scheduled for Monday, January 9, on the Loop 323/SH 31 construction project in Tyler. The contractor will be applying hot mix to the roadway from 7:00pm to 6:00am. Avoid this location if at all possible. More information is available in the Smith County section of this report.

Barricades will go up this week as the contractor prepares to start a widening project on Loop 281 at FM 1845/Pine Tree Road in Longview. The project limits are from US 80 to Shofner Drive. Barricades will be installed on January 9th with construction set to start on January 16th. The contractor is Longview Bridge and Road. Additional information is available in the Gregg County section of this report. Continue reading TxDOT Road Projects Update

TYLER – A hit and run accident in Smith County has left one person dead. It was reported shortly before 9:00 Saturday night about six miles south of Tyler on State Highway 155. Dead at the scene was Jesse Copeland, 22, of Flint. First reports were a person was hit by an unknown vehicle which was south bound. No word on what type of vehicle hit him.

KILGORE – With the help of a witness, a Longview man has been arrested for burglary by Kilgore police. Heath Duelle Clary, 45, charged with burglary of a coin-operated machine and burglary of a building. Just after midnight Thursday, a caller told police of suspicious activity at a car wash on Karolina Street. Officers found Clary burglarizing a coin-operated machine in one of the car wash bays. They later found where he had broken into another building on the property and burglarized five other machines. Detectives are interviewing him about other recent burglaries in Kilgore. He’s being held in the Kilgore Municipal Jail on $35,000 bond.

LONGVIEW – Arthur Ray Thompson, 46, of Dallas, is accused of throwing a two-by-four at a tractor-trailer’s windshield on Interstate Highway 20 in Gregg County. The Longvew News Journal reports Thompson was arrested Thursday just after noon at mile marker 583 on the eastbound side of I-20. A witness told a sheriff’s deputy he saw Thompson throw the six foot long piece of wood at the truck. Thompson is said to have told the sergeant he “threw the object intentionally so the police would get called, and the police could give him a courtesy ride to the next county line.” Thompson has been charged with criminal mischief causing damage between $750 and $2,500 and deadly conduct. He remains in the Gregg County Jail.

LONGVIEW – The Harrison County Sheriff’s Department has arrested a student on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Hallsville High School student James Ray Braxton, 17, of Longview, is accused of shooting and pistol-whipping a man who was trying to sell him marijuana at a vacant house on Conroe Street. The victim told police he tried to punch Braxton and get the gun away from him, but was shot him in the arm. When he fell to the ground, Braxton is said to have pistol-whipped him as he tried to get back up. Braxton is currently fee on a $100,000 bond.

EAST TEXAS – Ice has been reported on sections of Interstate Highway 20 in Van Zandt County. It has been reported on bridges and overpasses mainly in the northwestern portion of the county. TxDOT is reporting emergency operations have been implemented in Van Zandt County. Crews are treating roadways with ice rock and salt as snow falls and ice starts to form. Thin layers of ice are forming on bridges and overpasses on the interstate and State Highway 19. In Wood County, the bridge over Lake Fork is covered with snow but no ice at this time. In Anderson, Cherokee, Gregg, Henderson, Rusk and Smith Counties, no issues reported at this time. Continue reading Ice Reported On Some Area Roads.

FRANKSTON – A house fire has killed an elderly Anderson County woman.It was reported around 2:30 Thursday afternoon on County Road 4365, south of Frankston. The woman’s name has not been released. Investigators from Anderson County and the State Fire Marshal’s office are working to determine the cause of the fire.

TYLER – Tyler police continue looking for the man who robbed the Game Room on South Vine Street. It was robbed late at night on December 28th. An employee reported she was robbed by an Hispanic male about 5’10 with a heavy build. He was wearing a face mask, hooded shirt and shorts. He left the business on foot with an undisclosed amount of money. There were no injuries. Continue reading Game Room Robbery Investigation Continues

TYLER — The queen of the 2017 Texas Rose Festival is Emily Kaye Evans, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Lenville Evans, Jr. The announcement came Thursday evening at the 25th Winter Gala benefiting the Tyler Rose Museum, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Emily is a freshman at Belmont University in Nashville, majoring in music business. She graduated from All Saints High School in Tyler. Duchess of the Rose Festival is Caroline McGinley Bertram, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Kenneth Bertram. Continue reading Rose Queen Introduced at Winter Gala

GLADEWATER — Multiple fire departments contained a large structure fire in downtown Gladewater. According to KETK, the massive blaze caught several adjacent businesses on fire around 10:15 Wednesday night. Gladewater Police Chief Robert Vine said firefighters battled the fire at Tony’s Old South Restaurant, formerly known as The Fork Restaurant, which then spread to a business next door. Tony’s was only open for about a month before it burned down. Vine said the origin of the fire is a building on the corner, adjacent to Tony’s. The building was empty when the fire began. The Gregg County Fire Marshal’s Office said the ATF will take over the investigation. Continue reading ATF Investigating Downtown Gladewater Fire

LONGVIEW – A Longview man, Kedric Lamar Handy, 24, is facing a variety of charges following a Wednesday traffic stop. He was arrested on the 9 outstanding warrants against him. Then, officers found a semi-automatic handgun on the front passenger side floor of the car. The handgun was found to have been stolen during a vehicle burglary. Besides the warrants, Hardy was also charged with possession of a stolen firearm and unlawfully carrying a weapon and taken to jail.

TYLER – A ribbon cutting ceremony was held today at the city of Tyler’s new Animal Shelter on the Chandler Highway, just outside the Tyler Loop. The city purchased the land and the old church building in 2013. The cost was $550,000. The renovated building will now house animal control, clinic, exam space, holding facility and an adoption center. It will house 103 dog kennels and 65 cat kennels. And the shelter has room to grow, both inside as well as outside.

MARSHALL – A Harrison County woman has drawn a lengthy prison sentence for a December 2015 murder. On Tuesday, Marilyn Kirkland, 26, of DeBerry, pleaded guilty, and Thursday a jury deliberated around an hour and a half before sentencing her to 40 years in prison. She had been charged with the shooting death of Clinton Wayne Saizon, 36, of Waskom. His body was found by his family at his mobile home. He had died from a single gunshot wound. Kirkland was arrested a few days later.

EAST TEXAS – The Texas Department of Transportation is preparing for possible winter weather conditions in the area.TxDOT crews Thursday morning pre-treated Interstate Highway 20 with brine and are prepared to treat bridges and other areas as warranted. Crews around the Tyler District’s 8-county maintenance section are getting equipment and materials ready should they be needed. TxDOT spokesperson Kathi White says the pre-treating is based on forecasts that show slight wintry precipitation accumulations could occur along the I-20 corridor and the northern portion of the district in Wood County where crews are treating elevated structures. Continue reading TxDOT Prepares for Possible Winter Weather

MARSHALL – Two Marshall runaways have been found. The Harrison County Sheriff’s Department yesterday said they were looking for Jordan Enriquez, 14, and Gavin Nunis, 15. Both had walked away from HeartLight Ministries in Hallsville, sometime during the day Tuesday. The Sheriff’s Department reported today the two boys are now back at HeartLight Ministries

NACOGDOCHES COUNTY — An East Texas pilot was able to walk away from a crash site with no injuries. According to KETK, the plane went down around 4:00 Wednesday afternoon off Highway 7, near the A.L. Mangham Jr. Regional Airport. The M20K fixed wing single engine is registered to Donald Keith Irby of Cushing. Officials say Irby began to have engine failure before gliding into the field. He was not seriously injured in the crash.
Irby said he had flown from Nacogdoches to Longview to get his yearly inspection. On the way back, he had engine failure. Continue reading Pilot Walks Away from East Texas Crash

MOORE STATION — One person was killed and another injured after a car slammed into cows Sunday night. According to KETK, it happened around 10:30 when a vehicle headed south on FM 314 hit two cows in the south bound lanes. DPS officials said the driver, identified as Susan Alexander, 55, Chandler, was pronounced dead at the scene. A passenger in the car, who survived the accident, was identified as 54-year-old Michael Johnson of Larue. The crash remains under investigation.

TYLER — With the new year comes a store closing in Tyler. It will be Macy’s. Last August, Macy’s announced it would be closing 100 stores, but did not say which ones. The company announced Wednesday the locations of those stores they plan to close down in 2017. Tyler’s Macy’s store is on the list. The 100,000 square foot store opened across from the Broadway Square mall in 1981. It has 65 employees.

WASKOM – The cause of death of a Harrison County man has been established. It has been ruled he committed suicide. The man, whose name has not been released, was found dead by his sister Monday afternoon. He was face down on the floor with a knife in his chest. His body was sent to a Tyler lab for autopsy. The autopsy confirmed the preliminary findings of a suicide.

LONGVIEW – For the first time, the Longview Municipal Court is conducting an amnesty program. Through the end of the month, when you pay in full, warrant fees will be removed. If you can’t pay in full, they will work out a payment plan that each person can afford. Municipal Court Administrator Sally Forbus says they are trying to clear a backlog of around 10,000 warrants, dating back to 2009. She says they don’t want to put people in jail, they just want to see them to be in compliance.

MARSHALL – Harrison County authorities are trying to locate two teens who ran away from HeartLight Ministries in Hallsville. They walked away sometime during the day Tuesday. Both were residents of the program. The boys do not have transportation and should be on foot. It is believed they could be in the Longview area. One boy is identified as Jordan Enriquez, 14. He’s about 5’8” with black hair and brown eyes and has an athletic build. He was last seen wearing a grey sweatshirt and grey pants. Continue reading Missing Teens Sought in Harrison County

GILMER — An Upshur County man was killed Tuesday night by law officers answering a wellfare call. It happened around 8:00pm on Cottonwood Road. Killed was Dale Hightower, 53, of Gilmer. Department of Public Safety Spokeswoman Jean Dark says arriving officers heard screaming coming from the residence. She said, when Hightower came outside and pointed a rifle at an Upshur County deputy and a state trooper, the officers shot him. He died at the scene. A woman found inside the residence was unharmed. The Texas Rangers are investigating the shooting.

TYLER — A Tyler man was hospitalized after running through a light pole and crashing. According to KETK, officers believe he was intoxicated. They say 33-year-old Matthew Dean was driving north on Broadway when he drove through the pole. After the crash, witnesses went to help Dean. That’s when we’re told, he punched a woman who was trying to help him. Both northbound lanes of Broadway were shut down while crews cleared the scene. Dean is expected to be arrested once he’s released from the hospital. By the way, this is not the first time he’s been accused of driving under the influence.

TYLER — An East Texas trio has been indicted in connection with a September 22 murder. According to KETK, the Smith County District Attorney’s Office says Rebecca Bond (pictured), 38, of Tyler, was indicted for murder. On September 23, Bond was arrested in connection with the death of Luis Martinez, 62, whose body was found in a cemetery in the Antioch community. Following the discovery, law enforcement surrounded a residence on County Road 383, near Littlefield Drive. Laurie Perry, 56, of Chandler, and Stanton Pearce, 52, of Tyler, were also indicted; they’re accused of tampering with physical evidence in connection with the case.

SMITH COUNTY — Travauski Tyka Dunlap, 20, has been indicted for sexual assault of a child. The offense was allegedly committed on May 15, 2016. Arraignment is scheduled for February 3, in the 241st District Court of Judge Jack Skeen, Jr. A plea docket agreement is set to follow on March 2, with a jury trial scheduled for March 6. Details concerning the reported crime were not available. Dunlap’s bond has been set at $100,000.

LONGVIEW – A call to 911 lands a Longview man in jail. Randy Linwood, 62, of Longview, made the call because of an issue he had with a man up the street. When officers arrived at his home on Nowlin Street Monday afternoon, no one was home. The Longview News Journal reports, when the officers walked inside, they saw a large amount of marijuana spread out on a makeshift table in the living room. When Linwood returned a few minutes later, he was charged with possession of marijuana measuring between four ounces and five pounds. He is currently free on a $5,000 bond. The paper said Linwood told officers he knew about the marijuana inside the house because he grows it in his backyard for personal use.

LONGVIEW – A Longview man is arrested after being accused of choking a nurse at Good Shepherd Medical Center. Weston Colt Johnston, 33, has been charged with assault of an EMS personnel providing service. The Longview News Journal reports Johnston had become upset and had put his hands around the nurse’s throat hard enough so she could not breathe. He remains in the Gregg County Jail under a $15,000 bond.

QUINLAN (AP) – The bodies of a father and his 5-year-old son have been recovered after a boating accident on an East Texas lake when a fast-developing storm ended a duck-hunting trip. Authorities identified the dead as 26-year-old Corey Saunders and his 5-year-old son, Nathan Saunders. Both were from Quinlan. Searchers found the man’s body Tuesday in Lake Tawakoni, 50 miles east of Dallas, after recovering the boy’s body late Monday. The Hunt County Sheriff’s Office was contacted Monday night by a relative who reported the pair never returned home after a trip on the lake. A game warden, Capt. Steve Stapleton, says the father and son were in a small boat, loaded with hunting gear, when a storm blew in and likely contributed to the accident.

TYLER – Smith County commissioners have taken action that could lead to the sale of the old Carlton Hotel in downtown Tyler. Public information officer Casey Murphy said the commissioners court authorized, at Tuesday’s meeting, the advertisement and receipt of sealed proposals for real estate brokerage services for the sale of the building. She said this is designed to gauge the public’s interest in the building at the corner of Broadway Avenue and Elm Street. Built in 1954, the building had housed county offices until 2013. The county rejected a $475,000 offer for the building a couple of years ago.