KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — From Saturday, March 1, through March 31, Tyler will be participating in a statewide warrant sweep. Agencies will work together during this time to make arrests and collect fines for outstanding warrants. More than 250 agencies are participating in this statewide round-up. Tyler Municipal Court offers extended hours during the sweep, 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday. Any persons with warrants for their arrest are encouraged to contact their local court to pay the warrants before an arrest is made. In Tyler, you can pay online at http://www.CityofTyler.org or at the physical Court located at 813 N. Broadway. Also, you may call the court for more information at (903) 531-1266.

TYLER — Tyler Junior College breaks ground on its new energy center. KETK reports the Wednesday ceremony ushers in a 51,000-square-foot facility set to open in the fall of 2015. Recent reports cite jobs in the energy sector as plentiful these days, with most grads getting jobs straight out of college. Many of those have benefits and only require a two-year degree. The price tag for the new facility was roughly $7 million.

TYLER — The Tyler Junior College Criminal Justice Students Association will host a debate for candidates in the upcoming elections for District Attorney and 321st District Court Judge in Smith County. The debate will be held at 7 p.m. tonight in the Apache Rooms, located in Rogers Student Center on the TJC main campus. Doors open at 6 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Parking will be available in Lot S-4, located at the corner of Lake Street and Baxter Avenue. Candidates in both races have agreed to participate. Continue reading TJC to Host DA, District Court Candidates’ Debate Tonight

SMITH COUNTY –A Tyler man has been sentenced to prison following an arson conviction. Cantrell Sash, 30, was sentenced to 48 years after a jury found him guilty of setting fire to an apartment complex. It happened May 24th of last year, 701 Kennedy in Tyler. At the time of the fire, responding officials were notified of an altercation in the front of the building. Several men were struggling with a male subject, later identified as Sash. The group of men told officials that Sash had set the fire. Authorities said evidence gathered at the scene and through subsequent questioning showed that Sash had deliberately set the fire in his own apartment. Sash was arrested for arson of a habitation and was booked into the Smith County Jail. No injuries were reported but the fire did cause extensive damage to the structure. He’ll be eligible for parole after serving 12 years.

HENDERSON — Like other jurisdictions around the state, Rusk County is conducting a warrant roundup — knocking on the doors of people who have outstanding warrants. KETK and the Longview News-Journal report that authorities in the county are willing to work with people who don’t have the funds to pay off their warrants. Officials say community service is one option. Doing library work or helping out at the county dump are just two possibilities.

TYLER — Attorney General and leading GOP gubernatorial hopeful Greg Abbott makes a campaign stop at Tyler’s Loggins Restaurant. Abbott told KETK and a crowd of supporters, “The freedom I’m fighting for is something that was instilled in me, in part, right here in the Piney Woods of East Texas, where I grew up in Longview.” Abbott is a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights — and an equally strong opponent of Obamacare. Abbott said, “Already I have filed thirty lawsuits against Barack Obama and his administration, and I am not done yet.” Abbott also characterized Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Wendy Davis as a flip-flopper who is not ready for office.

QUITMAN — Wood County officials have put out an alert concerning a missing elderly man. KETK reports Robert Searer, a 77-year-old white male, was reported missing at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday. Searer stands 5’9″ and weighs around 170 pounds. He has brown eyes, gray hair and wears glasses. He was wearing a light colored shirt and brown khaki pants. He is reported to have been driving a 1998 Dodge gray truck with Texas plate number BN4-5243. If you have information on Searer’s location, you’re asked to notify the Wood County Sheriff’s Office.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP/Staff) – A judge has struck down a Nebraska law that allowed the Keystone XL oil pipeline to proceed through the state. Lancaster County Judge Stephanie Stacy issued a ruling Wednesday that invalidated Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman’s approval of the route. Stacy says the decision should have been made by the Nebraska Public Service Commission, which regulates pipelines and other utilities. The ruling could cause more delays in finishing the pipeline, which would carry oil from Canada to Texas refineries. But it’s a win for Nebraska-based pipeline opponents. They’ve argued that Heineman exceeded his authority when he approved the route in January 2013. Oil began flowing last month through the southern leg of the pipeline, which passes through much of East Texas, including eastern Smith County.

TYLER – A 52-year-old Farmersville man has been sentenced to federal prison for firearms violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales Wednesday. Charles Alan Curington pleaded guilty last Oct. 3 to attempting to sell a machine gun. Curington was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison on Feb. 18 by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Schneider of Tyler. Continue reading Collin County Man Sentenced for Federal Firearms Violations

CHAPEL HILL — Voters in the Chapel Hill school district will see a smaller bond option on their May ballots after voters said no to last November’s bond. KETK reports the district called for a $21 million bond at Monday night’s meeting. The bond focuses on increased security, enrollment issues, and increased academic opportunities for students. After the November bond failed, district officials sent out surveys to find out what voters would be willing to vote for in a new bond proposal. Now officials say they’ve trimmed it down, and that the items listed on the proposal “are the definite needs of the district and…lined up with what the public says they want.” The proposal is roughly $10 million less than the bond proposed in November.

TYLER — Changes to the Smith County policy for other postemployment benefits (OPEB) in 2005 and 2012 have netted more than $17 million in savings, County Judge Joel Baker announced in Commissioners Court Tuesday. According to a county news release, many state and local governmental employers provide OPEB as part of the total compensation in addition to pensions that is offered to attract and retain the services of qualified employees. Other postemployment benefits include postemployment healthcare and life insurance, when provided separately from a pension plan. “We had situations where an employee may have worked 18 years in another county before transferring to Smith County for two years and then retiring. Upon their retirement, the employee collected postemployment healthcare benefits from Smith County for the rest of his or her life,” Judge Baker said. Continue reading Baker: County Policy Saves $17.7 Million

MARSHALL – Authorities say a 45-year-old Mexican national illegally residing in Marshall has been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas. Melicio Nunez-Duque, also known as La Burra, of Coyuca de Catalan, Guerrero, Mexico, pleaded guilty on Jan. 30, 2013, to possession with intent to distribute and distribution of methamphetamine. He was sentenced in Marshall to 108 months in federal prison on Feb. 18, 2014, by U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap. Nunez-Duque was also ordered to pay a money judgment in the amount of $20,000 to the United States as part of his sentence. Continue reading Mexican National Sentenced for Trafficking Methamphetamine in East Texas

MARSHALL – A 42-year-old Mexican national illegally residing in Marshall was sentenced to over 18 years in federal prison for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, according to U.S. Attorney John M. Bales. Apolinar Carbajal Abelardo, of Guerrero, Mexico, pleaded guilty on Feb. 18, 2013, to possession with intent to distribute and distribution of methamphetamine. He was sentenced to 225 months in federal prison on Feb. 18, 2014, by U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap of Marshall. Abelardo also agreed to forfeit a truck, several firearms, $13,650 in U.S. currency and a money judgment in the amount of $20,000 to the United States as part of his sentence. Continue reading Authorities: Illegal Alien Sentenced for Drug Violations in Harrison County

LONGVIEW — A former janitor in Longview public schools is sentenced to 7 years in prison after he confessed to sexually assaulting a mentally disabled boy in January 2012. KETK and the Longview News-Journal report 54-year-old Bobby Ray Jackson pleaded guilty to engaging in various sexual acts with the boy. The boy told police the assaults started in late 2010, when he was 13 years old, and took place at Jackson’s apartment. He said Jackson threatened to hurt him if anyone found out about their relationship.

KILGORE (AP/Staff) – Investigators are trying to determine if a domestic dispute led an East Texas man to kill his sister-in-law before exchanging gunfire with police, resulting in his death. Autopsy results are pending on 32-year-old Elizabeth Vinson and 37-year-old Randy Vinson, both of Kilgore. Four Kilgore police officers and a Gregg County sheriff’s deputy are on paid leave. Continue reading Probe Continues after Police Kill Man Sought in Slaying

TROUP — The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office has arrested an East Texas man on multiple indecent behavior charges. According to KETK, on Friday, authorities arrested Bruce Alan Thomas, 40, Troup, on several counts of indecent behavior with juveniles. He’s accused of providing five boys with pornography, sex toys, nude photos and videos of himself on numerous occasions. The activity dates back to 2009 when the boys were 7 to 10 years old and continued until this year when it was reported by a parent of one of the victims. Thomas was booked into the Caddo Correctional Center on a bond of $101,438. The investigation is still ongoing.

KILGORE — Kilgore College announces that the KC Board of Trustees has unanimously approved the resurrection of the Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree in Criminal Justice, which will begin the next fall semester at KC. The program was eliminated in 2005 at KC because of a short-lived push by the Commission on Law Enforcement in the early 2000s to try to require a baccalaureate degree for basic licensure. “That requirement met great resistance from around the state, especially from small and rural law enforcement agencies, because of the already-existing difficulty in finding qualified applicants willing to work in those agencies,” said Michael Ferguson, Deputy Director of the East Texas Police Academy. “Many administrators feared that adding an additional barrier to employment would make it well-nigh impossible for them to find officers.” Continue reading Kilgore College Resurrects Criminal Justice Degree

TYLER — The University of Texas at Tyler continues its tradition of excellence in parliamentary debate by earning another top spot in competition and a place in the national championship, Dr. Martin Slann, College of Arts and Sciences dean, announced. UT Tyler sophomore political science major Kaitlyn Bull of Powderly and freshman social sciences major Sam Cook of Flint placed second overall at the Point Loma Nazarene University tournament, held in San Diego, Calif. Bull also received an award that recognizes the top five speakers at the tournament, which is considered one of the premier National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence events during the spring semester and showcases some of the best debaters in the country, according to a UTT news release. Continue reading UTT Earns Top Spot at Debate Tournament, Prepares for National Championship

SMITH COUNTY — Two people killed in a fiery two-vehicle Smith County wreck have been identified. DPS tells KETK Bobby Lee Phillips III, 27, of Gladewater, and David Marshall Southerland, 63, of Tyler, were killed at the scene of the wreck which happened around 6:00 p.m. Monday on Highway 271 just north of Farm to Market Road 16. Phillips was driving a truck northbound on Hwy. 271 when he merged over into the southbound lane, hitting Southerland’s car head-on.

CANTON — Andy Flowers, president of the Van Zandt County Crime Stoppers, is asking concerned citizens of the county to consider serving on the Crime Stoppers board to help the organization gain more visibility and do more to help fight crime. Flowers said he would like to add at least six members to the Crime Stoppers board, which now has nine members. The board meets once a month to determine cash rewards for anonymous tips that have led to arrests of criminals, and occasionally takes part in local festivals and events to get its crime-stopping message out to the public. Continue reading Van Zandt Crime Stoppers Seeks to Expand Board

TYLER — Tyler Police are searching for a man wanted for an aggravated assault that occurred the night of February 6 at the intersection of Tyler Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard. Officials also said he shed his clothes while running from police early this morning. According to KETK, police have identified the man as Daniel Cobb, 25. They say he ran away from officers when they attempted to conduct a traffic stop. Authorities have been searching in the area of 33rd Street for the suspect, who was last reported to be unclothed and on foot. If you know of Cobb’s whereabouts, you’re asked to contact the Tyler Police Department or your local authorities.

TYLER — A young bicycle rider is hit by a car just outside Tyler shortly after 4 p.m. Sunday. KETK reports the victim is now identified as nine-year-old Sergio Moreno Jr. DPS troopers say it happened near the intersection of Loop 323 and Morningside Drive. Officials say Moreno didn’t yield to the car. He was first taken to a local hospital, then flown to Dallas. No word on his condition at last report.

TYLER — Early voting for the March 4 Primary Election began today. If you live in Smith County, visit http://www.smith-county.com to view sample ballots or look up your voting precinct. You can get additional information at http://www.smith-county.com/Government/Departments/Elections/Default.aspx or call the Smith County Elections office at 903-590-4777. Continue reading Early Voting Underway

TYLER – The Tyler ISD Board of Trustees is asking for the community’s input in the naming of two new facilities scheduled to open in the fall of 2015. These facilities include a new middle school located near Three Lakes Road in south Tyler and a Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center located at the corner of Earl Campbell Parkway and Bennett Drive. Continue reading Tyler ISD Seeks Community Input in Naming New Facilities

TYLER — A landmark lumber company in East Texas has announced it will close its doors after nearly nine decades in business. On Monday, Gulf State Lumber publicly revealed it will be going out of business April 1. The locally owned and operated lumber yard has been in business selling retail, commercial, and residential lumber since 1928. Larry Hussey, the president of the company and employee of 26 years, tells KETK the staffers are sad to be going out of business and they appreciate all the friends they have made over the years. “We are closing due to the drastic change in the economy,” said Hussey. The company, which is owned by Sam Wolf and employs nine people, is located at 302 East Line Street in Tyler.

LONGVIEW — Police in Longview are continuing to investigate after a missing man was found dead late last week. Police officially confirmed the death of Gaylon Bradley Jr. and say they’re seeking help solving the case. Bradley’s body was found in a creek in the 1200 block of Pegues Place on Friday. Bradley’s family had reported him missing February 12, telling police he had last been seen on February 9. Toxicology results are pending. According to the Longview News-Journal, preliminary autopsy reports show Bradley, who was legally blind, sustained “no lethal injuries.” Anyone with information is asked to call the Longview Police Department at 903-237-1199 or Gregg County Crime Stoppers at 903-236-7867.

KILGORE — Sheriff Maxey Cerliano and the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office request assistance in a theft and criminal mischief case that resulted in a huge loss to a local business. Sometime between Wednesday, February 5th, and Wednesday, February 12th, officials say an unknown person or people entered buildings belonging to Sunoco Logistics at 143 Landfill Road in Kilgore. Whoever was responsible stole materials and caused damages in excess of $525,000. Continue reading Suspects Sought in $525,000 Theft from Area Business

TYLER — The trial for accused mall shooter Ricky Neal, Jr., has been postponed again due to the fact Neal still has not hired an attorney. Neal is charged with killing a 23-year-old, Chris Mass, outside the Broadway Square Mall in Tyler on February 9, 2013. KETK reports the trial was originally slated to begin August 5, 2013, but was first pushed back to October 7, after the district attorney’s office refused to accept Neal’s plea bargain. Continue reading Alleged Mall Shooter’s Trial Postponed Again