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MANGUM, Okla. (AP) – A defense attorney has asked a 12-member jury to find the wife of a former prison warden not guilty of helping a convicted killer escape almost 17 years ago. Defense attorney Garvin Isaacs made the request Wednesday as he wrapped up his opening statement in the Oklahoma trial of Bobbi Parker. Parker is accused of helping Randolph Dial escape from the Oklahoma State Reformatory in Granite in August 1994. Parker’s husband, Randy Parker, was deputy warden of the prison at the time. Isaacs says Bobbi Parker was drugged, kidnapped, beat and repeatedly raped by Dial while they lived in Texas for more than a decade. They were discovered at a Shelby County, Texas, chicken ranch in 2005. Prosecutors allege Bobbi Parker fell in love with Dial and helped him escape.

TYLER – A Gregg County man has been sentenced in Tyler federal court to federal prison for drug trafficking violations. Nathan Lee Hogan, 20, of Gladewater, pleaded guilty on November 30, 2010, to possession of pseudoephedrine with intent to manufacture methamphetamine and was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison yesterday by U.S. District Judge Leonard E. Davis.

According to information presented in court, from December 1, 2008 to June 5, 2009, Hogan purchased 203.52 grams of cold pills containing pseudoephedrine with intentions to manufacture methamphetamine. Hogan was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 6, 2010 and charged with federal drug trafficking.

MINEOLA — More than twenty train cars left the track Wednesday morning during a derailment about seven miles east of Mineola. Union Pacific Railroad officials said that no one was injured and no hazardous materials were spilled. Twenty three cars were on the ground after the incident, which occurred between 3:30 and 4:00am on the portion of track running along County Road 2790. Ronnie Burgess of Union Pacific’s mechanical department said the cause of the derailment had not been determined. “Until we start getting the pieces picked up we really don’t know what we’ve got,” Burgess said. He said the cars, which began derailing from the fourth car after the engine, included sand hoppers, empty tankers and carloads of paper. “Nothing hazardous” was in any of the cars, Burgess said.

LONGVIEW — Police in Longview seek four people who injured a homeowner during a vehicle burglary. On Sunday at 2:42 a.m., officers responded to a vehicle burglary in the 1200 Block of South Fredonia Street. Upon arrival, the victim told Police she heard voices outside her home. The victim went outside and observed four black males. One of the suspects was in her vehicle, and she described him as a heavy set or muscular black male, approximately 27 to 30 years old, wearing blue athletic shorts with a white shirt on his head. The other three suspects were described as being between 14 and 17 years old. All were of a thin build and were wearing blue shorts. These three had white t-shirts on their heads as well.

The victim stated she hit her car panic button and yelled at the four to get away from her car. She heard a gunshot, felt something hit her near her eye, and fell to the ground. She heard several more shots and realized the suspects were shooting a BB gun in her direction. At that point she called the police. The victim was taken to a local hospital for non life threatening injuries.

The Longview Police Department encourages anyone who witnesses a crime to call the Police and not put himself, herself, or anyone else in harm’s way. If you have any information on this crime you are encouraged to call the Longview Police Department at 903-237-1199. Information may also be reported anonymously by contacting Gregg County Crime Stoppers at http://www.greggcountycrimestoppers.com or calling 903-236-STOP.

LONGVIEW — Three retailers are cited during the latest Longview alcohol sting effort. On July 1, the Longview Police Department, partnering with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) and Longview Partners in Prevention (PIP), conducted off-premise minor stings at area retailers to validate compliance with Texas law prohibiting the sale of alcohol to minors. Of 28 retailers checked, police say three sold alcohol to the undercover minors. The locations that allegedly sold to minors were:

1. 408 N Spur 63 “A” – Mi Casita
2. 102 Lehigh – The Butcher Shop Inc.
3. 4208 Loop 281 West – Longview Bingo Center

At these locations the individuals who allegedly sold alcohol to the undercover minor were listed in offense reports for “making alcohol available to a minor.” This offense is a class “A” misdemeanor, and the reports will be filed with the Gregg County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution. In addition, the TABC issued and administrative citation or citations to each business.

LUFKIN — Lufkin police say they now have a name to go along with the face of a woman they believe stole a credit card at the Lufkin Mall. Police say the woman saw surveillance video of herself on Crimestoppers and called investigators, but no charges have been filed at this time.

Authorities say the suspect used the card at a Lufkin Mall business only minutes after the card was stolen from the dressing room of another Mall business. The victim briefly left her purse unattended in a dressing room while she went back to the clothes rack for a different size. When the victim went to the cash register to make her purchase, she realized that someone had stolen her wallet from within her purse.

The victim immediately reported the theft to Lufkin Police Department and to her credit card issuer, but the card had already been used to make four purchases. Authorities say the suspect shown here spent $79 at GNC in Lufkin Mall, and then the card was used for two purchases, totaling $186, at Rue21 in Lufkin and to purchase $43 in fuel from TexasStar Gas station in Lufkin.

LONGVIEW — Arraignment is set for today for a Gilmer woman charged with drunken driving with child passengers twice during a six-week period. Karla Sanchez Castaneda has been in the Gregg County Jail on bonds totaling $45,500 since June 7. She is being held on a litany of drug, alcohol and child endangerment charges. Authorities also believe the 20-year-old has tampered with physical evidence and stolen property, resulting in six bookings in Longview and Tyler jails since May 28.

ATHENS – One person is in custody in connection with an Athens shooting that left one person dead and one injured. The shooting occurred Monday night in the 300 block of Jonathan Street. Killed was Desiree Dijon Brown, 18, of Palestine and injured was Cody Jamar Fillmore, 18, of Athens. Charged in the case is James Garfield Marshall, 19, of Athens.

Athens police say Marshall was involved in a verbal altercation with another person. Marshall left the house, only to return and fired numerous shots into the crowd as he drove by. He later surrendered peacefully to Athens police.

HENDERSON – Henderson authorities are still trying to sort through evidence in a shooting that left two persons injured. One of the men is being treated at East Texas Medical-Henderson while the other was flown to Tyler’s East Texas Medical Center. The shooting occurred Tuesday morning at a home in the 400 block of Overton Street.

CANTON (AP) — The Texas Department of Public Safety says no alcohol was found in the blood of the driver of a car that veered into a pair of motorcycles on an East Texas highway, killing four motorcyclists. DPS Trooper Landon Corbett tells the Houston Chronicle that Jose Luis Pena of Rosharon had no alcohol in his system when the crash happened Sunday afternoon on two-lane Texas Highway 19, about four miles north of Canton.

Nevertheless, the 30-year-old Houston-area man remained in the Van Zandt County Jail in Canton late Tuesday, charged with four counts of criminally negligent homicide. Bonds totaled $2 million. Pena, his girlfriend and her 3-year-old son were returning to Rosharon after visiting relatives in East Texas when the crash happened. Each motorcycle was carrying a Dallas-area couple.

TYLER – Charges are pending against a man who kicked in a door to a Tyler home. The incident happened around 9:30 Tuesday night in the 200 lock of Savannah Drive. The 26 year old man told the residence of the house that he had been shot and was seeking help. EMS personnel, who examined the man, said he did have minor cuts and scrapes to one of his hands but he had not been shot. Investigating officers feel he had taken an unknown drug and was hallucinating. Charges are pending against the suspect.

AUSTIN – A Gregg County woman is one of two persons appointed by Governor Rick Perry to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. Named to the posts are Michelle Skyrme of Longview and James LaFavers of Amarillo. Their terms expire February 1, 2017. The board makes parole decisions for Texas prison inmates, determines conditions for parole and mandatory supervision, and makes recommendations on clemency matters to the governor.

Skyrme is executive administrative assistant for the Gregg County Health Department, and a former adult probation case clerk for Gregg County Community Supervision and Corrections. She is a member of the Texas Association of Local Health Officials, and a board member of the Gregg County Medical Reserve Corps and Sabine-Neches Resource Conservation and Development Board. She is also a past administrative program director at Sabine Valley Regional Mental Health and Mental Retardation Center, a past board member of the Gregg County Crime Stoppers, and a volunteer for the Longview-Gregg County Emergency Operations Center.

TYLER – A 42-year-old Flint man has pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking and firearms violations in the Eastern District of Texas. Jerry Gilstrap pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of pure methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime Tuesday in Tyler before U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith K. Guthrie.

According to information presented in court, on February 16, Gilstrap was found in possession of a Ruger LCP .380 semi-automatic pistol while in possession of 50 grams of pure methamphetamine which he intended to distribute in the Eastern District of Texas. Gilstrap was indicted by a federal grand jury a couple of months later and charged with federal drug and gun violations.

Gilstrap faces a minimum of 10 years in federal prison for the narcotics charge and a consecutive 5-year sentence for the gun violation. A sentencing date has not been set.

GILMER — Upshur County officials have confirmed that a Big Sandy man is jailed on murder charges in connection with a Saturday afternoon shooting that left a 52-year-old woman dead. According to Lt. Freddie Fitzgerald, Glenn Wade Myers Jr., 54, remained jailed on bonds totaling $356,000, charged with murder and an outstanding Wood County warrant for driving while intoxicated.

Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched around 4:00 Saturday afternoon to the 1900 block of Nutmeg Road west of Gilmer in connection with a shooting. Fitzgerald said when deputies arrived at the home, Cindy Espinoza, a mother of two, was found dead with a single gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene by Justice of the Peace Lyle Potter, and an autopsy was ordered. Funeral services for Espinoza will be this afternoon at 2:00 at Croley Funeral Home in Gilmer.

TYLER — Authorities in Smith County release the after-action report from their most recent multi-agency No-Refusal DWI campaign, July 1st through July 4th. Total DWI arrests for the No-Refusal initiative for all agencies were 20. DPS had 9 DWI arrests, Tyler PD had 8, Bullard PD had 2, and Whitehouse PD had 1. The total number of search warrants for blood obtained was 4. DPS obtained 2 search warrants for blood, and Tyler PD obtained 2.