Smith County firefighters respond to 15 grassfires in two days

SMITH COUNTY —Smith County firefighters respond to 15 grassfires in two days Our news partners at KETK report that though Smith County is not under a burn ban, Smith County Emergency Services District 2 is now advising residents against any outdoor burning following an increase of grass fires. According to Nikki Simmons with Smith County ESD2, firefighters responded to six grass or wildland fires on Thursday and nine on Friday not including any structure fires. Due to wind conditions, officials now advise against any outdoor burning. Continue reading Smith County firefighters respond to 15 grassfires in two days

Cherokee County man arrested for assault

CHEROKEE COUNTY – Cherokee County man arrested for assaultOn Tuesday, January 21, 2025, The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call involving an Assault in progress on County Road 3308. Two (2) victims were identified, one being sexually assaulted and both being robbed at gunpoint. The suspect was identified as Michael Deshon Thompson, who fled into the woods upon the Deputy’s arrival. THOMPSON was located and taken into custody by Deputies on the scene. Continue reading Cherokee County man arrested for assault

Man arrested for sexual assault of a child

CHEROKEE COUNTY – Man arrested for sexual assault of a childOn Sunday, January 19, 2025, The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call involving a Sexual Assault of a child. The suspect in the incident was identified as Irving Charles Williams Jr. On Tuesday, January 21, 2025, a warrant was issued by 2nd District Judge Chris Day. Williams was taken into custody by the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office CID and SIU divisions for the offense of Sexual Abuse of a Child-Continuous Victim under 14. During Williams Jr arrest, he was found to have two (2) firearms in his possession and an additional charge of Unlawful Possession of Firearm by Felon. WILLIAMS is currently being housed in the Cherokee County Jail. Williams was arraigned by Justice of the Peace Brenda Dominy setting his bonds at $1,000,000 for sexual assault to a child under 14, and $20,000 for unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

Smith County fire officials investigate deadly house fire

Smith County fire officials investigate deadly house fireTYLER – The Smith County Fire Marshal’s Office said an 87-year-old man is dead after his home caught on fire on Thursday night. According to our news partner KETK, Smith County fire crews were sent to the unidentified man’s home on FM 2908 and Old Kilgore Highway, east of Tyler around 8:45 p.m. on Thursday. The press release from the county said when firefighters arrived, flames already had gone through the roof of the man’s home. Fire crews extracted the 87-year-old, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Although the fire was put out, the house is considered a total loss. The Fire Marshall’s office said while they don’t expect any foul play, they will still investigate for the cause of the fire. The name of the decreased is being withheld until an autopsy can be performed.

East Texas woman arrested following opioid bust

East Texas woman arrested following opioid bustHENDERSON COUNTY — Our news partner, KETK, reports that an East Texas woman has been arrested after a Thursday traffic stop revealed she reportedly had meth and hydrocodone in her truck.

According to the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, officers including a K-9 unit, conducted a traffic stop at around 5:45 p.m. in the 6200 block of Clear Creek Road in Mabank on a black Dodge Ram truck driven by Natasha Ann Longbine. During the traffic stop, an open air sniff of the vehicle was conducted by K-9, Valco, who gave a positive alert for narcotics, initiating a search of the vehicle. “During the search, deputies and investigators were informed by Natasha that she was concealing hydrocodone on her person,” the police department said. “As the search continued Deputy Rodriguez located suspected marijuana inside of the vehicle.”

An officer witnessed Longbine lean on the front passenger side of the vehicle, and reach into the patrol vehicle’s wheel wells. Officers then found a small black zipper bag with a large amount of suspected methamphetamine and baggies used for packaging and distribution of narcotics.

Longbine was arrested for manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance, possession of a dangerous drug, possession of marijuana and tampering or fabricating with physical evidence.

Lance Phillips seeks to change trial venue

Lance Phillips seeks to change trial venue TYLER- Lance Phillips, the son of a Smith County elected official, is seeking to change the location of his upcoming trial due to family prominence. Phillips, 41, of Tyler, is charged with the assault of a peace officer or judge for accusations related to a County Commissioners Court meeting on April 2nd, where he was held in contempt of Court and removed.

Phillips’ attorney asked that the trial, which was set for February 4, 2025, to be postponed so that he may gather evidence to support a venue change. The lawyer cited that Lance Phillips’ parents (former Smith County Precinct 3 Commissioner, Terry Phillips, and current Smith County Clerk, Karen Phillips) are notable figures in the county, as well as the amount of news reports and views of videos involving Lance and his family. The hearing to address the venue change and other issues will be held on February 26th.
Continue reading Lance Phillips seeks to change trial venue

Longview, Gregg County unveil new equipment ensuring community safety

Longview, Gregg County unveil new equipment ensuring community safetyLONGVIEW – On Thursday, a new Command Bus and Bearcat were unveiled after Gregg County and the City of Longview partnered to update old equipment.

The Gregg County Sheriff’s Office and the Longview Police and Fire agencies will be able to use these vehicles. This is the third command center for the city and county. The last time the mobile command post was updated was in 2006 and the last “Bearcat” was updated in 2009.

Longview Police Chief Anthony Boone shared how the new equipment will benefit the city in several ways. “It could be used for natural disasters. It could be used for any type of larger crime scenes. If we have an ongoing active shooter or barricaded subject event, so it will have multiple uses at the city and the county level,” Boone said. Continue reading Longview, Gregg County unveil new equipment ensuring community safety

Man dies after crashing into 18-wheeler in Sulphur Springs

Man dies after crashing into 18-wheeler in Sulphur SpringsSULPHUR SPRINGS- Our news partner, KETK, reports that a 25-year-old has died after he crashed into an 18-wheeler on Thursday, the Sulphur Springs Police Department said.

Police officers were dispatched to the 1100 block of Industrial Drive West at around 8:53 p.m. in reference to a major crash. A preliminary investigation indicates that an 18-wheeler was driving westbound on Industrial Drive West while a 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe was driving behind the 18-wheeler. The police department said the driver of the Tahoe failed to control their speed and struck the rear of the trailer.

Officials said the Tahoe driver, identified as Alfonso Alvarez Jr., 25 of Sulphur Springs, was pronounced dead at the scene by a Justice of the Peace. Two occupants of the 18-wheeler were reportedly not injured. “Please keep all involved in your thoughts and prayers,” the police department said.

Children discover mother’s body in Tyler apartment

Children discover mother’s body in Tyler apartmentTYLER– Records show that two children found their mother’s body and alerted an adult after an apartment shooting on Jan. 6.

According to our news partner, KETK, Tyler Police Department officers responded to an apartment in the 9000 block of Bellwood Lake Road and spoke with Cheyenne Russell’s roommate, who found her dead on a couch underneath a blanket with blood on her face.

The roommate told a Tyler PD detective that Russell had moved into the apartment with her children on Jan. 5. The roommate said she left the apartment at around 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 6, and that she was texting Russell throughout the day. Arrest documents show that Jorian Jackson, 29 of Plano, was at the apartment that day to drop off some Christmas presents to a child of his and Russell’s.

“Russell texted [the roommate] that Jackson was questioning their relationship and why they broke up approximately one year ago,” the documents said. Continue reading Children discover mother’s body in Tyler apartment

Man sentenced for murder of missing person

Man sentenced for murder of missing personHENDERSON COUNTY — An East Texas man was sentenced to 35 years in prison on Thursday for the murder of a missing person, whose body was found in 2022 in a hand-dug grave. According to our news partner KETK, Dalan Clowdus will begin his plea deal prison sentence this week for the murder of missing person, Jimmy Dean Oldfield.

On May 26, 2022, authorities were notified of a missing person’s body and truck that were found at a home off Highway 85 just outside of Seven Points. After officials arrived, they located a truck that was “cut into several pieces” and uncovered a hand-dug grave containing the missing person’s body. Officials identified the body to be Oldfield, who went missing earlier in May, however the sheriff’s office wasn’t notified until May 15.

Dalan was the third man to be arrested for this incident after he turned himself into the sheriff’s office. Along with Dalan, investigators also arrested Steven Clowdus and William Hux. Continue reading Man sentenced for murder of missing person

Asylum-seekers pushed to new extremes in Mexico after Trump’s border crackdown begins

ATOTONILCO DE TULA, Mexico (AP) — When Dayana Castro heard that the U.S. asylum appointment she waited over a year for was canceled in an instant, she had no doubt: She was heading north any way she could.

The 25-year-old migrant, her husband and their 4- and 7-year-old children had nothing left at home in Venezuela. They already had trekked the perilous Darien Gap jungle dividing Colombia and Panama and criminal groups that prey on migrants like them.

Castro was one of tens of thousands of migrants across Mexico with appointments to apply for U.S. asylum at the border scheduled out through February until President Donald Trump took office and issued a series of executive orders to beef up border security and slash migration. One ended the use of the CBP One app that had allowed nearly 1 million people, many seeking asylum, to legally enter the U.S. since January 2023.

“We’re going to keep going. We can’t go home after all we’ve been through, after all the countries we’ve fought our way through, only to give up now,” she said from a small shelter in central Mexico beside a freight train line they were riding north.

Now, migrants like her are adjusting to a new and uncertain reality. Many remain determined to reach the U.S. through more dangerous means, riding freight trains, hiring smugglers and dodging authorities. Some lined up in Mexico’s refugee offices to seek asylum in that country, while others contemplated finding a way back home.

Trump on Monday declared a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border and announced plans to send U.S. troops and restrict refugees and asylum, saying he wants to halt illegal entry and border crime. The measures follow a drop in illegal crossings in recent months.

Supporters of the CBP One app that people like Castro used to try to enter legally say it brought order to a chaotic border. Critics say it was magnet for more people to come.

Adam Isacson, defense oversight analyst for the human rights organization Washington Office on Latin America, said Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration will surely deter migrants in the short term but will also have cascading humanitarian consequences.

People with valid asylum claims may die in their own countries, he said, while migrants fleeing countries like Venezuela, Cuba and Haiti who cannot easily return home may end up floating around the Americas “completely unprotected.” Isacson and other analysts expect Trump’s policies will lead to increased demand for smugglers and push migrants — many of whom are children and families — to more dangerous terrain to avoid capture.

By Tuesday, Castro was wrapping her mind around the fact that continuing on after her Feb. 18 appointment with U.S. authorities was canceled would likely mean putting her life, and the lives of her family, at risk as cartels are increasingly extorting and kidnapping vulnerable migrants.

“There’s the train, the cartels, migration police, and they all make you pay them,” she said as she fed her children bread beside a small shelter where they slept. “But if we don’t put ourselves at risk, we’ll never arrive.”

Along Mexico’s southern border with Guatemala another group of migrants in Tapachula took a different approach.

Cuban migrant RosalĂ­ MartĂ­nez waited in line outside the Mexican Commission for Refugee Aid in the sweltering southern city. Traveling with her child, she had hoped to reunite with her husband in the U.S.

Now, she was biding her time, joining an increasing number of migrants who have sought asylum in Mexico in recent years, either temporarily due to shifting American restrictions or more permanently.

Like many Cubans in recent years, MartĂ­nez was fleeing a spiraling economic crisis.

“I’m going to stay here and see what happens,” she said. But “I’m not going back to Cuba. I’ll become a Mexican citizen, but there’s no way I’m going back to Cuba.”

Others like 42-year-old Jomaris Figuera and her husband want to throw in the towel after years trying to build a life outside Venezuela, where economic and political crises have prompted nearly 8 million people to flee in recent years.

They spent more than four years picking coffee in neighboring Colombia, but struggling to make ends meet, they decided to traverse the Darien Gap. They waited nearly a year and a half for a legal pathway to the U.S. in a wooden shelter in a crime-riddled migrant camp in the center of Mexico City.

But due to Venezuela’s crises, they have no passports. And without money, they fear their only pathway back will be traveling south through Mexico and Central America, and walking days through the same rugged mountains of the Darien Gap.

Anything would be better than staying in Mexico, said Figuera.

“It’s like abandoning everything after everything that’s happened to us,” she said. “But after trying to get an appointment, and this happens, we’ve given up.”

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Clemente reported from Tapachula, Mexico. Janetsky reported from Atotonilco de Tula and Mexico City.

Biker sentenced to life for gang related murder

Biker sentenced to life for gang related murderTYLER – An East Texas man was given a life sentence on Tuesday after being found guilty of street gang activity in connection to the murder of Brandon Edwards. According to our news partner KETK, Kevin Dale Higgins, 58, was sentenced for his role as president of the Ugly Man Cossacks gang. He was arrested in April for allegedly giving orders to an “outlaw motorcycle gang” that led to the death of Edwards in May 2020.

Edwards was identified as a Sergeant at Arms of a local 1%er Cossacks an “outlaw motorcycle gang chapter.” According to the affidavit, the rivalry between the gangs stemmed in part, from “each ‘club’ claiming to be the ‘real Cossacks.’”

Chad Crowell, who was also arrested in April 2024 for his involvement in Edward’s death, is awaiting is trail that is set for March 31.

Arrest following ‘800 files of suspected child porn’ found

Arrest following ‘800 files of suspected child porn’ foundTEXARKANA — According to our news partner KETK, a Texarkana registered sex offender was arrested Thursday morning after “800 files of suspected child pornography” were reportedly traced back to his Google drive account. Police were alerted in December by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) about a report from Google.

The report allegedly showed that “over 800 files of suspected child pornography” had been uploaded to a Google Drive tracing back to a Texarkana address. Detectives identified the account to belong to registered sex offender, 69-year-old Kenneth Davenport.

Officials said that officers searched Davenport’s home and seized several electronic devices. Davenport was then arrested for possession of child pornography. Davenport is in custody at Bi-state jail and his bond has not been set at this time.

East Texas man gets 99 years in prison for drug offenses

East Texas man gets 99 years in prison for drug offensesTYLER – An East Texas man on Tuesday, was sentenced to 99 years in prison after several run-ins with the law regarding drug charges. According to our news partner KETK, Benjamin Clark was pulled over in a traffic stop by Upshur County Narcotics Officers, for not using a turn signal. Officers were informed Clark was on parole for dealing drugs in Diana. A K9 unit led police to hidden compartments in Clark’s vehicle. These compartments contained methamphetamine and mushrooms. He was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance. He was later released from jail on bond.

Because of Clark’s other convictions, the state filed a notice of enhancement forcing him to be given a life sentence or a sentence of 25 to 99 years. On Tuesday, a jury found him guilty of possession of a controlled substance as habitual offender the jury decided to sentence him to 99 years in prison.

In a release from the Upshur County DA, “The jury gave this sentence due to Clark receiving several opportunities of probation, county jail, prison and parole to fix his life decisions- nothing stopped him from continuing to break the law. The jury rejected the defense’s argument for the minimum sentence of 25 years.”