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Cherokee County officials find 44 grams of crack cocaine
CHEROKEE COUNTY â Our news partner, KETK, reports that two men were arrested on Tuesday after Cherokee County authorities located 44 grams of crack cocaine in back-to-back search warrants.
The Cherokee County Sheriffâs Office and the Jacksonville Police Department conducted a search warrant for a vehicle parked at 704 Sheridan Street. During the search, authorities reportedly found two grams of suspected methamphetamine and a firearm. Following an investigation, a second search warrant was conducted at on a residence on County Road 3509 in Cuney. Officials said they located 44 grams of crack cocaine, 11 grams of methamphetamine and five firearms were seized, one of which was reportedly stolen from Cherokee County. Rickey Lynn Allen, Sr., and Eddie Floyd Dennis were arrested in the investigation. Continue reading Cherokee County officials find 44 grams of crack cocaine
Casino and sports betting companies press for a win in Texas despite Senate opposition
Undeterred by four years of sluggish progress and certain defeat at the Texas Capitol, the gambling industry is plodding ahead with its ambitious bid to legalize casinos and sports betting in a state with some of the most restrictive gaming laws in the country.
For the third straight session, the Las Vegas Sands casino empire has deployed a murderersâ row of high-powered lobbyists to coax the Republican-controlled Legislature into authorizing âdestination resortsâ with casino gambling in Texasâ largest cities.
Also part of the lobbying blitz is the Texas Sports Betting Alliance, a coalition of the stateâs pro sports teams, racetracks and betting platforms â such as FanDuel and DraftKings â that is looking to extend its momentum from 2023, when a proposal to legalize online sports betting squeaked through the Texas House.
Continue reading Casino and sports betting companies press for a win in Texas despite Senate opposition
East Texas residents calling in drug related crimes
HENDERSON COUNTY — In the past two months, the Henderson County Sheriffâs Department has arrested 50 people for drug related charges, many of them have led to arrests made by residents. According to our news partner KETK, recent arrests have involved lengthy investigations that have led to warrants.
Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse spoke about how most of his recent arrests have initially been search warrants allowing them to enter their homes. âMost of them have been through investigations where weâve gotten some information and been able to get a search warrant and go and actually search a house,â Hillhouse said.
Hillhouse has been the sheriff since 2016 and his main focus has been on getting drugs off the street. He has asked residents to call in credible tips to his office, local law enforcement and Crimestoppers, recently those tips have resulted in arrests. Continue reading East Texas residents calling in drug related crimes
Nine sentenced in large-scale drug trafficking ring
TYLER â Nine people have been sentenced in connection to a large-scale federal drug trafficking ring that operated in East Texas. The U.S. Attorneyâs Office Eastern District of Texas announced on Monday that in 2021, law enforcement determined the organization was run by Edgar Garcia, Jr., as the head of the operation. Authorities began the investigation to identify who was receiving methamphetamine from Garcia.
A release from U.S. Attorneyâs Office stated, âDuring the investigation, law enforcement executed residential search warrants, purchased methamphetamine and/or firearms directly from Garcia and other members of his drug trafficking organization, and directed traffic stops to intercept narcotics and firearms being transported for distribution. Ultimately, multiple kilograms of methamphetamine were seized during the operation.â
Continue reading Nine sentenced in large-scale drug trafficking ring
California teen sentenced for making hundreds of âswattingâ calls
LOS ANGELES (AP) â A California teenager was sentenced Tuesday to four years in prison in a case involving hundreds of swatting calls, including to a Florida mosque among other institutions and individuals, federal prosecutors said.
Alan W. Filion, 18, pleaded guilty in November to four counts of making interstate threats to injure the person of another. Swatting is the practice of making a prank call to emergency services in an attempt to get a large number of armed police officers dispatched to a particular address.
The U.S. Attorneyâs Office said Filion made more than 375 swatting and threat calls from August 2022 to January 2024. Those calls included ones in which he claimed to have planted bombs in targeted locations or threatened to detonate bombs and/or conduct mass shootings at those locations, prosecutors said.
He targeted religious institutions, high schools, colleges and universities, government officials and people across the United States, prosecutors said. Filion, of Lancaster, north of Los Angeles, was 16 at the time he placed the majority of the calls.
As part of a plea agreement, he admitted to calls including an October 2022 one to a public high school in Washington state, in which he threatened to commit a mass shooting and claimed to have planted bombs throughout the campus.
He also pleaded guilty to a May 2023 call to a historically black college and university in Florida, in which he claimed to have placed bombs in the walls and ceilings of campus housing.
Another incident involved a July 2023 call to a local police department dispatch center in Texas, in which he falsely identified himself as a senior federal law enforcement officer, provided the officerâs residential address to the dispatcher, claimed to have killed the federal officerâs mother, and threatened to kill any responding police officers.
David Ranckenâs App of the Day 02/11/25 â WalkStar!
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Search continues for wanted man
SMITH COUNTY — The Smith County Sheriffâs Office is searching for a wanted 32-year-old man who has been missing for a year. According to our news partner KETK, the sheriffâs office identified the man as Brantaja Dewaye Holloway-Blevins who is wanted for manufactured delivery of a controlled substance since August 2024. Holloway-Blevins is described as a black man, with black hair and brown eyes, weighs around 160 pounds and is 6 foot 1 inch.
Anyone with information about Holloway Blevins is asked to contact the Smith County Sheriffâs Office at 903-566-6600 or the Smith County Crime Stoppers at 903-597-2833.
Man arrested after girl struck boarding school bus
UPSHUR COUNTY — A man has been arrested for allegedly hitting a New Diana ISD student with his vehicle on Monday while she was crossing the road to board a school bus. According to our news partner KETK, the crash took place at the intersection of FM 726 and U.S. Highway 259 when a driver, who was later identified as Jerry Martin, 56 of Longview, ignored the red flashing lights on the bus and struck the student. Martin was arrested on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and is currently being held in the Upshur County Jail on a $100,000 bond. The student has been treated and released from a local hospital, according to New Diana ISD assistant superintendent Greg Pope.
New Diana ISD is being joined in warning drivers by others school districts like Palestine ISD and Mount Pleasant ISD, theyâve has accidents like this in the past. Both districts are urging drivers to be extra cautious for school busses. Continue reading Man arrested after girl struck boarding school bus
Kilgore men arrested after attempting to steal copper
RUSK COUNTY â Two Kilgore men were arrested on Friday after allegedly attempting to steal copper from a decommissioned mining facility according to our news partner KETK.
The Rusk County Sheriffâs Office along with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Warden responded to a trespassing report on Feb. 7 in the vicinity of Liberty Mine and Luminant Mining property in Rusk County. Surveillance cameras on the property reportedly captured two men unlawfully present at the site. Upon investigation, the sheriffâs office determined that the individuals were attempting to remove copper from a decommissioned dragline, or a large piece of heavy mining equipment no longer in use, without the property ownerâs consent.
Deputies spoke with a man, later identified as Brandon Wright, of Kilgore, and arrested him on criminal trespass, burglary of a building and has since been released from the Rusk County Jail. A second suspect, identified as Kenneth Logan King, of Kilgore, was also taken into custody on the same charges, criminal trespass and burglary of a building and remains incarcerated on a bond totaling $16,000.
Lufkin PD finds dead body while investigating in Louisiana
LUFKIN â According to our news partner KETK, the Lufkin Police Department have found a dead body in a secluded area of Sabine Parish in Louisiana Monday morning. Lufkin PD, the Angelina County Sheriffâs Office and the Texas Rangers were in the area to follow up on a lead they got this morning when they found the body of a dead male. Local investigators and Sabine County law enforcement are currently processing evidence at the scene. Lufkin PD said theyâll update the public after theyâve identified the body and notified any relatives.
Officials said they believe the body is connected to a missing persons case that Lufkin PD is investigating with the Angelina County Sheriffâs Office.
Anyone with information in this case is asked to call the Lufkin Police Department at 936-633-0356, the Angelina County Sheriffâs Office at 936-634-3331 or Deep East Texas Crime Stoppers at 936-639-8477.
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Five arrested following narcotics investigation in Livingston
LIVINGSTON â A routine traffic stop in Livingston led to a narcotics investigation where five people were arrested. According to the Polk County Sheriffâs Office, during the night on Feb. 5, officers stopped a vehicle on Mill Gate Road for a traffic violation.
Officers identified the driver as Justin Martin, 36 of Cleveland, and passenger Holli Pederson, 27 of Livingston. They began to search the vehicle after allegedly smelling burnt marijuana. Officials then determined that Martin and Pederson were in possession of meth and marijuana. Martin was arrested for manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance with a $50,000 bond while Pederson was arrested for possession of a controlled substance with a $15,000 bond.
Continue reading Five arrested following narcotics investigation in Livingston
Chandler train causing traffic delay
CHANDLER — A traffic issue in Chandler, caused by a blocked railroad crossing, is causing traffic delays. A train is reportedly parked on the tracks at FM 315 south. No word on when the train will be moved. Drivers are urged to use an alternate route.
Two East Texas coaches named in TEA fraud investigation
EAST TEXAS — The Texas Education Agency has added the names of two East Texas educators to their growing list of people flagged in a certification fraud investigation. According to our news partner KETK, these teachers, coaches and educators are under investigation to see if they were involved with an alleged Houston-based scheme to falsify TEA certifications for hundreds of people, according to NBCDFW. As of now, there are 163 teachers on the list.
The educator certification is an official recognition indicating that an individual has met all the requirements to work as a certified teacher. With an educator certification, people can potentially receive higher pay and are permitted to work at public schools.
The two East Texas educators added on Tuesday are Reginald Hill with Carthage ISD and Taishia Holt with Lufkin ISD. Carthage ISDâs website lists Hill as a teacher and assistant football coach. Continue reading Two East Texas coaches named in TEA fraud investigation