KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — Firefighters are staying busy in East Texas, with several grass fires emerging as hot, dry conditions persist. KETK reports that while things are off to a late start this year, crews do expect to be fighting fires all the way through October. “The rain pushed it back,” says Kelcey Trotty, fire commander at the scene of one fire in Smith County. “We had all that rain for a little while. (It) kept everything nice and wet, and once it shut off we had pretty heavy vegetation growth. Now that it’s all shut off, we still have the vegetation without the water.” Texas is not in a drought but firefighters expect Smith County to consider a burn ban soon, especially if we don’t see more rain. Even if that burn ban doesn’t happen, officials advise East Texans to be extra careful when burning trash or debris. That way, we can avoid flames getting out of control in drier areas.

LUFKIN — An over hour long chase that started with a Lufkin traffic stop has resulted in two arrests. Taken into custody was Richard Kay, 27. His passenger, Dennis Arceneaux, 35, of San Jacinto, who was let out of the vehicle, was arrested by Cherokee County authorities. During the chase, which at times exceeded 100 miles an hour, Kay is said to have done donuts in a highway median and a field, thrown chain saws at officers and even swerved at an Angelina County sheriff’s deputy. Even after a state trooper shot out one of his tires, Kay is said to have continued driving at 70 miles an hour into oncoming traffic. Continue reading Two Arrested Following Three County Chase

TYLER — The City of Tyler Monday began converting its disinfection process to free chlorine. The process will end on September 30th. According to a news release from the city, generally, there are no noticeable changes in water quality as a result of this temporary conversion. However, some individuals may notice taste and odor changes and a slight discoloration to the water. The City will implement directional flushing, combined with routine water monitoring, as measures to remove iron particles from water lines and to maintain the highest water quality for our customers during the conversion. Continue reading Tyler’s Water Disinfection Process

TYLER – Here’s a look at work planned in the district during the Week of August 3. These schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure or other unforeseen issues.

SMITH COUNTY – Tyler Maintenance crews are joined by one of the Special Jobs crews this week to conduct seal coat operations on I-20 service roads and overpasses at Joy Wright Mountain Road, Philpot Road and Howell Lake Road. A second crew on Monday continues base repairs on State Highway 135 between Troup and Arp but on Tuesday moves to Toll 49 just south of Interstate Highway 20. On Wednesday, the crew returns to State Highway 135. Expect the work at each of these locations to be reduced to one lane with flaggers providing traffic control. Continue reading TxDOT Road Projects

GREGG COUNTY — A former Longview middle school employee has been indicted by a Gregg County grand jury on a charge of online solicitation of a minor. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, Joey Huddleston, 35, was arrested April 27 on East Loop 281 after police say he made arrangements to meet with a 15-year-old boy on Airline Road. Police said Huddleston was aware of the boy’s age before the meeting. Huddleston had been communicating with the boy through online messages and traveled to meet the boy “with the intent of engaging in sexual conduct,” according to police. He is a former Foster Middle School teacher.

LONGVIEW — The son of a woman found beaten to death this week in Longview is now being held in the Gregg County Jail on a charge of murder. KETK and the Longview News-Journal report Daniel Basor Kadima, 31, was arrested Wednesday on a charge of walking on the wrong side of the road. A charge of murder had been added with a $1 million bond. Hauwa Esther Kadima, 61, was found by Longview police officers during a check welfare call Tuesday morning in an apartment in the 700 block of Gilmer Road. She had fractures to her skull with laceration of the brain because of blunt impact to the head, according to initial autopsy findings. Continue reading Son of Longview Woman Found Dead Held on Murder Charge

SULPHUR SPRINGS (AP) – Authorities say a 46-year-old pilot from Nebraska has been critically burned in the crash of his small plane at an East Texas airport. David German of Ogallala, Nebraska, was at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. Sulphur Springs police say the crash happened Thursday night at Sulphur Springs Municipal Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration says the single-engine O’Dell Aeromaster crashed and burned while taking off. Police Chief Jay Sanders says authorities are trying to determine whether German’s plane had engine trouble. German was alone on the aircraft. A hospital spokeswoman said German was in critical condition and provided no additional information on his injuries.

LUFKIN (AP) – A Lufkin teenager faces up to 10 years in prison for shooting a postal worker in the leg as she delivered mail last fall. The Lufkin Daily News reports 17-year-old Jaylon Carroll Wortham pleaded guilty Thursday to assault in a plea deal. Lufkin police say Lindsey Guthery was wearing a U.S. Postal Service uniform when she was shot last November while walking her route. She was treated for a wound to her left leg. Wortham initially denied targeting the carrier and told police he used an air rifle to shoot at a bird or a squirrel. Wortham, who was tried as an adult in the felony case, pleaded guilty to assault against a government employee and awaits sentencing.

PALESTINE — The City of Palestine is under a burn ban and will not issue burn permits until further notice. The burn ban took effect last Friday. According to a city news release, Fire Marshal Kyle Betterton says weather conditions are not currently favorable for burning. Officials say the hot, dry conditions make any spark potentially dangerous. You’re urged not to throw cigarette butts out of vehicles or onto grassy areas, and to maintain engines and machinery properly to stop random sparking. You’re also asked to be careful with outdoor grilling, which is deemed a potential hazard though it isn’t currently banned. Betterton says to be sure that when you are done grilling, extinguish all coals and don’t leave anything burning.

TYLER — Tyler police are reporting the arrest of two men from New Mexico around 10 p.m. last Sunday for possession of 176 pounds of marijuana. Police say the drug was located in the toolbox of the men’s pickup while they stayed at the La Quinta Inn on WSW Loop 323. K-9 Officer Steve Black says he saw the men in the parking lot standing next to a pickup acting suspiciously and that a strong odor of marijuana was soon detected coming from the truck. According to a police news release, Black found 160 individual packages of marijuana. 30-year-old Trey Bailey Bissett of Las Cruces, New Mexico, and 22-year-old Shawn C. Yelton of Dona Ana, New Mexico, were arrested and jailed on marijuana possession charges.

LONGVIEW — The city of Longview is requesting dismissal of a lawsuit filed by the family of Kristiana Coignard. The parents of a teen shot dead after charging officers with a knife are seeking $10 million in damages in the suit. They are seeking damages for the violation of Kristiana Joy Coginard’s Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure. The victim was killed in the Longview Police Department lobby January 22. Continue reading Longview Seeks Dismissal of Coignard Lawsuit

LONGVIEW — Friday was the final day on the job for Longview Police Chief Don Dingler. The Longview native served the city 42 years. He had been police chief since 2011. Assistant Chief Mike Bishop will serve as interim police chief. A set schedule has not been determined for filling the police chief’s post. According to the Longview News-Journal, Dingler began his career with Longview as a police officer in 1973. Over the years, he \worked assignments in patrol, traffic, training, jail services and narcotics. As a command level officer, he served as the commander in all major components of the police department.

TYLER — A defendant has been found guilty in Smith County of continuous sexual abuse of a child. According to the district attorney’s office, Thomas Baker, 38, requested that Judge Kerry Russell assess his sentence, and a sentencing hearing has been set for Sept. 18. The range of punishment is 25 years to life in prison with no possibility for parole. Prosecutors say the now 10-year-old victim testified about a pervasive pattern of sexual abuse beginning when she was 8 years old and continuing over a year and a half. It took the jury about an hour and a half to return the guilty verdict. Russell raised Baker’s bond to $600,000 pending the outcome of the sentencing hearing.

LONGVIEW — Community activist and former State Senator Jack Strong died Tuesday in Longview. He was 85. According to the Longview News-Journal and KETK, the Carthage native served in the Texas Senate from 1962 to ’71 after working as an assistant committee clerk in the Texas House and graduating from the University of Texas School of Law. Strong also served eight years on the State Board of Education. Strong also volunteered at Longview Community Ministries. In 1984, Strong founded Longfellows, which was aimed at enhancing the cultural environment of Longview. Visitation for Strong is set 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 6 at Rader Funeral Home in Longview. A memorial service is planned 3 p.m. Aug. 7 at First Methodist Church.

MOUNT PLEASANT — A Titus County pastor has been killed in a motorcycle accident. Dead at the scene was Kevin Allen Sneed, 46, pastor at the Mount Pleasant Church of the Nazarene. The Department of Public Safety reports he was heading west on Interstate Highway 30 when he drove off into the center median and lost control. The motorcycle then hit a cable barrier support in the median and he was thrown from the vehicle. The accident happened around 6:00 Tuesday evening about 7 miles east of Mount Pleasant. A memorial service will be held at 10:00 Saturday morning at Bates-Cooper-Sloan Chapel. The family will receive friends from 6:00 to 8:00 Friday evening at the funeral home.

TYLER — What started out as a shoplifting case has turned into a Tyler robbery. It happened around 1:30 Wednesday afternoon at the Wal-Mart at 6801 South Broadway. Loss Prevention Officers from the store reported they had confronted a man attempting to steal two air conditioning units. As they tried to detain the suspect, he is said to have hit one of the loss prevention officers with his fists. The suspect then fled the scene before Tyler police arrived. Continue reading Tyler Robbery Suspect in Custody

TYLER — A 38-year-old Lake Charles, Louisiana, man has been convicted in Tyler federal court in a Nigerian mail fraud scheme. Heesham Broussard, also known as Sudan, was found guilty by a jury for conspiracy to commit mail fraud, two counts of mail fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft following a four day trial before U.S. District Judge Michael H. Schneider. Federal prosecutors say Broussard, who was indicated in January 2014, participated in a Nigerian-based mail fraud scheme that distributed counterfeit postal money orders and checks. The scheme targeted victims throughout the United States. Victims of the scheme were led to believe that they were working as mystery shoppers. Broussard served as a re-shipper or dispatcher of counterfeit postal money orders and checks. As part of the scheme, he sent packages to more than 600 intended victims and sent counterfeit items bearing a face value of more than $1 million. Continue reading Louisiana Man Convicted in Nigerian Mail Fraud Scheme

LONGVIEW – LeTourneau University and the Longview Independent School District have announced a new partnership that they say will lower the cost of a private college education for qualifying Longview High School students. The information comes in an LETU news release. Officials say Longview’s incoming 9th grade students this fall will be able to attend college classes at LETU free of charge, as part of LISD’s new Early College High School, which will provide the costs of their tuition, textbooks, and transportation to the university campus. The program will expand each year to include sophomore, junior, and senior students, according to officials. Continue reading LETU, LISD Announce Early College Partnership

SMITH COUNTY — Local and federal law enforcement officials are continuing to investigate marijuana fields in northern Smith County. KETK reports that on Wednesday, Smith County Lt. Gary Middleton said authorities have found more than 8,000 marijuana plants in one field. The other fields are currently in the process of being counted and removed. “I personally have never seen fields like this. One thing that makes it unique is that we do run across small patches of marijuana fields out in our woods in East Texas because it’s a great place to hide it, but as far as the irrigation system and the tents where the people were living to take care of the plants, that was pretty unusual,” said Middleton. Continue reading Authorities Continue to Investigate Marijuana Fields in Smith County

TYLER – Drivers who use Toll 49 should plan for minor delays during the evening and overnight hours beginning Wednesday, July 29, and continuing for 8 to 9 days. According to a news release from the North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority, the location of maintenance activities will be on the west side of Toll 49 from approximately SH 31 to I-20. There will be lane closures while maintenance is performed, but officials say one lane will remain open at all times to keep traffic moving. The work will be performed from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. nightly, during non-peak hours.

LONGVIEW — An initial autopsy shows a woman found dead Tuesday in her Longview apartment had a fractured skull. KETK and the Longview News-Journal report the body of Hauwa Esther Kadima, 61, was found by officers during a welfare check call Tuesday morning in an apartment in the 700 block of Gilmer Road. She had fractures to her skull with laceration of the brain due to blunt impact to the head, according to initial autopsy findings. The manner of death is listed as homicide. Gregg County Justice of the Peace Pct. 2 Tim Bryan ordered the autopsy.

AUSTIN – The Texas Workforce Commission reminds people affected by severe storms in five counties that the deadline to apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) is 11:59 Wednesday night, August 5. The help is offered under a Presidential Disaster Declaration. The five counties are Cherokee, Harrison, Bowie, Ellis, and Brazoria. Continue reading Unemployment Help Filing Deadline Approaching for Five Counties

LONGVIEW — Longview police say a high-risk registered sex offender has been arrested for reportedly sexually assaulting a male in the dressing room of a store in the Longview Mall. According to KETK, Public Information Officer Kristie Brian says police responded to the call and arrived while the assault was happening, allegedly at the hands of Lester Levelle Reedy, 41. Officials say Reedy is also a cross-dresser and goes by a female alias at times. Authorities say Reedy has a criminal record that spans 25 years and was convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy in 2004.

LONGVIEW — A Gregg County man has been killed after a vehicle fell on him. Around 5:00 Tuesday afternoon, sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the Highway 300 Mobile Home Park north of Longview. They found trapped under a vehicle he had been working on Ismael Guerra Mendez, 25. He was pronounced dead at the scene by Justice of the Peace Pct. 2 Tim Bryan.

HOUSTON — U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas announced Tuesday that longtime conservative activist JoAnn Fleming of Smith County will become the Texas Tea Party Chairwoman for Cruz for President. On his campaign website, Cruz calls Fleming “one of Texas’ most experienced activists” with “a long record of leading the fight for conservative principles.” Also on the Cruz website, Fleming calls Cruz “a consistent fighter” for the rule of law, for the American people, and against a big government. Fleming says she’s proud to take on her new role. She’s a former Smith County Commissioner who’s now the executive of the activist group Grassroots America – We the People.

VAN — Republican state Representative Dan Flynn of Van says licenses and benefits for same-sex couples are still illegal in Texas, and he’s asked Attorney General Ken Paxton for an opinion. Flynn argues that the state Legislature has not changed the Texas definition of marriage — which says it is only between a man and a woman. A critic of Flynn’s suggestion says any ruling by the attorney general would be non-binding. A Paxton aide said any opinion would be based on the law and should not be pre-judged.

TYLER — Smith County Commissioners hold one more public hearing today to gather community input as the county considers implementing Election Day voting centers in November. According to a news release, the centers would allow residents to vote at any polling location on Election Day instead of being restricted to their precinct. One hearing was held this morning during Commissioners Court; the second one is set for 6:30 p.m. at the R. B. Hubbard Center (The Hub), 304 E. Ferguson. Only one public hearing is required. Following tonight’s session, the elections department will send in its application to participate in the state’s Countywide Polling Location Program. Continue reading Public Hearings Today on Voting Centers

WINNSBORO — The death of a Winnsboro toddler has been ruled a homicide. That’s the findings of the autopsy report from the Dallas County Institute of Forensic Sciences in the death of 16 month old Madison Cannon. The youngster died of blunt force trauma to the head. The youngster was found unconscious on April 9th. She was declared “brain dead” at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas and pronounced dead on April 11th. KETK reports there are persons of interest in the case, but no names have been released and police stated there is no reason to believe someone outside the home would have harmed the child. The investigation continues.

HARLETON — A single-vehicle accident in Harrison County has left one person dead. The wreck occurred just before 5:30 Sunday afternoon on Farm Road 2208 near Harleton. Killed was Ricky Bradford, 53, of Longview. The Department of Public Safety report said Bradford was driving dangerously on his motorcycle when he entered a curve on the crest of a hill and lost control of his bike. He was killed when thrown from the vehicle.

WHITEHOUSE — Whitehouse Police Chief Craig Shelton has resigned. After a couple of months of controversy, Shelton submitted his resignation Monday, saying he was taking a job in the private sector. In a letter to Interim Whitehouse City Manager Stefani Wright, Shelton said, “It is with a heavy heart that I wish to inform the Mayor, City Council and you that, effective immediately, I am retiring from my position as Police Chief to accept a job in the private sector.” He said he felt it was in the best interest of the city and his family that he move on. Continue reading Whitehouse Police Chief Resigns