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TYLER – A Van Zandt County man is charged with leaving three children alone while he picked up his wife at work. Refugio Flores Lara, 38, of Ben Wheeler is charged with abandoning or endangering a child with intent to return. Tyler police were called when three small children were reported to be walking around a motel on East Gentry Parkway Thursday night. Officers were at the motel when the couple returned. Lara was booked into the Smith County Jail with a bond of $10,000.

TYLER – On Saturday, from 7:00am to 4:00pm, traffic on Rice Road will be diverted between Kinsey Drive and Old Bullard Road. This is because of roadwork and construction. Rice Road will be closed to local traffic between Cloverdale Drive and Briar Cove Drive and closed to truck traffic from Kinsey Drive to Old Bullard Road. It is estimated it will take around 9 hours to complete the work.

LAKE FORK – The second Legacy Class largemouth bass of the 2018 ShareLunker season came out of Lake Fork on Thursday. Angler Michael Terrebonne of Cut Off, Louisiana caught the 13.00lb, 25-inch largemouth bass in 6ft of water during an annual family trip to the lake. The fish, now known as Toyota ShareLunker 572, was weighed and held at a local marina until Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Inland Fisheries staff arrived to verify the catch and transport it to the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center at Athens. The fish is now in the “Lunker Bunker” at the center and is being monitored and cared for by hatchery staff to prepare for spawning.

TRINIDAD – Two Henderson County residents are facing drug charges following a Thursday afternoon traffic stop. Gerald Don Williams, Jr., 50, and Amy Lynn Smith, 37, both of Trinidad, were charged with possession of a controlled substance. Williams was also charged with possession of marijuana. In their vehicle, deputies found three pipes, a baggie containing a crystal-like substance believed to be methamphetamine and another baggie containing marijuana. Continue reading Two Busted for Drugs in Henderson County

TYLER – A Smith County insurance agent is free on bond after being charged with several counts of child sexual abuse. William Ronald Crist, 46, of Flint, was booked into the Smith County Jail Thursday afternoon after being arrested by the Bullard Police Department. He is charged with one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14 and two counts of sexual assault of a child. He was released Friday under bonds totaling $30,000. His lawyer sent a statement to KETK, which says in part, “My client adamantly denies the charges against him. He is currently going through a bitter divorce from his wife and we believe these allegations are being made by his wife for financial reasons and by his accuser for personal reasons. Mr. Crist passed a polygraph exam regarding these allegations.”

AUSTIN – Tyler’s unemployment rate continues to run below both the state and national numbers. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.0% in January. That is just below the national unemployment rate of 4.1%. The annual employment growth for Texas was 2% in January, marking 93 consecutive months of annual growth. Tyler’s unemployment rate for January was 3.8%, just up from the 3.7% figure in December. Longview’s unemployment rate to start the year was 4.6%, up from 4% in December. But it is still way below the city’s 6.6% unemployment rate in January of last year.

UPSHUR COUNTY — A Gilmer woman has been accused of leaving two toddlers home alone. According to KETK, deputies arrested Shaina Workman, 24, of Gilmer. She is charged with two counts of abandoning or endangering a child. Upshur County deputies said they were at her home Wednesday afternoon for 45 minutes before she returned. Workman admitted to going to Longview with another person, leaving a one year old and two year old by themselves. The children were unharmed and have been turned over to Child Protective Services. Workman’s bonds total $60,000.

LONGVIEW – A Spring Hill school district coach has been arrested for an alleged improper relationship with a student. Arrested shortly after 4:30 Thursday afternoon was Jacob Vincent Badgett, 25, of Longview. Badgett is a assistant boys 7th grade basketball coach and an assistant junior high football coach. According to the Longview Police Department, this is an ongoing investigation. He was placed in the Gregg County Jail under a $50,000 bond.

TYLER — The entrance to the old Tyler airport terminal has been reopened after being closed for a time this afternoon due to an accident at Highway 64 West and Airport Drive. Traffic was down to one lane eastbound on Highway 64 West until emergency services gave the all clear.

JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville police are looking for a wanted felon. He is Drayshadrian Hunter, 26, who is also known as “Stinky Butt.” He is wanted on warrants out of the Jacksonville Police Department as well as Smith, Van Zandt and Kaufman counties. Officers were tipped off that he was seen in the area of Lincoln Park Wednesday afternoon. When he saw the officers, he ran into a wooded area between Greely and Grant Streets. Even a police canine team and a DPS helicopter were unable to find Hunter. If you know where he can be found, you are asked to call Crimestoppers at 903-586-7867.

JACKSONVILLE – A Cherokee County teens remains in jail after leading officers on a vehicle and foot chase. Carlos Dominguez, 17, of Rusk, who was named in a variety of warrants, was spotted by an officer. The chase started in Jacksonville, and ended there when his vehicle hit a building on Beaumont Street near Highway 79. He then ran away, only to be found later hiding in a storm drain under Wesley Street. After being treated for minor injuries at the hospital, Dominguez was jailed on numerous charges, including one out of Smith County for possession of marijuana. His bonds totaling $70,000.

TYLER – Tyler police are trying to identify a man posing as a delivery driver. Last December, a man entered a store wearing a uniform that resembled UPS. He asked the employees if they had any outgoing packages of jewelry for him to pick-up. The employee then handed him a pick-up delivery that contained $63,000 worth of jewelry. The man, believed to be driving a Silver Hyundai Elantra, was of medium build and believed to be in his late 40s to 50s. If you can identify him, you are asked to call Tyler police.

TYLER – A Tyler man convicted of aggravated assault on a public servant, had his appeal rejected. The 12th court of appeals in Tyler has upheld the conviction of Gregory Dewayne Tennyson, 43. He was arrested in October, 2015, after leading lawmen on a chase in Smith and Wood counties at speeds topping 100 miles an hour. A Tyler police officer attempted to stop his car on the northwest loop, but he didn’t stop until a state trooper shot out one of his tires. Tennyson rammed four law enforcement vehicles before he was arrested in Mineola. Eight months later a Smith County jury sentenced him to life in prison

TYLER – The Wings of Freedom Tour comes to Tyler Friday afternoon. Some extremely rare aircraft will be flying in around 2:00 o’clock. Included is a B-17, (pictured) one of only 9 in flying condition in the United States. There will also be a B-24J Liberator, the sole remaining example of its type flying in the world. Also coming is a B-25, best known for being used in the daring Doolittle raid. And also on the tour is a P-51 Mustang fighter and a Huey helicopter. The tour will be at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport through Sunday afternoon. You will be able to tour the aircraft and some of you will even be able to fly in them.

TYLER – The Tyler Police Department Crimestoppers coordinator, Jennifer Roberts, has been awarded the Joe Martino Administrator of the Year Award. She received the honor at the 23rd Annual Texas Crime Stoppers campus conference in Houston. Roberts has worked with Tyler-Smith County Crimestoppers for over 25 years. A student at Whitehouse High School, Jarret Carnes, was selected at the conference to represent Tyler/Smith County as a Teen Ambassador for Texas Crime Stoppers.

TROUP – The lone finalist for the Troup school superintendent’s post has been announced. Palestine’s Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Tammy Jones, has been named to the position. She was selected from among 74 persons who applied for the job. Jones will start to work in Troup at the end of next month. She will succeed Stuart Bird, who has announced his retirement. Bird has been with the Troup school system for 46 years.

TYLER – Two more Tyler traffic signal boxes have been wrapped with artwork by local artists. At the corner of Troup Highway and Lindbergh Drive, there is an abstract tree drawing by artist Julia Bradshaw that wraps the traffic box. At Old Jacksonville Highway and Grande Boulevard, a photograph of roses taken by David Di Paolo has been sponsored by Latta Dentistry. The Keep Tyler Beautiful Beauty and the Box program began in 2016.

TYLER – The Tyler Police Department is alerting businesses to a scam which they say they have not seen before. The caller tells the store employee he is in upper management or loss prevention. They convince an employee to handle a clam, like someone falling in the store. They instruct the employee to send them the stores money by gift card or Western Union. They even keep the employee on the phone and walk them through the process. Tyler police encourage employees to ask for a name and number and tell them that you will return the call once you have looked into the claim. Then , contact your management to verify the information.

UNION GROVE — New details have come in on a double murder in Upshur County. According to KETK, a search warrant shows the suspected shooter, Joseph Adkins, had been living in his repair shop since Lisa Moore broke up with him three weeks ago. Deputies were called to Private Road 1999 near Highway 271 in Union Grove. That’s where they found Moore and her son Dylan dead from gunshot wounds. Adkins was arrested in Longview after he and his son Joshua were seen running from his shop. Joshua says he picked his father up somewhere in Upshur county after he said he had a flat tire. He also said he wrestled a handgun from his hands. Adkins is charged with capital murder.

HIDEAWAY – Following closures Wednesday night and Thursday morning, the Interstate Highway 20 westbound ramps and the intersection at Farm Road 849 at Hideaway will again be closed from 7:00pm Thursday till 6:00am Friday for pavement work. Motorists should use alternate routes to avoid delays. An emergency bridge replacement project is ongoing to replace the bridge at FM 849. The project is constructing a new four-span reinforced concrete bridge to replace the old steel and concrete structure which was removed after being struck last November. Work also includes the widening of the bridge approaches and improvements to the I-20 ramps.

TYLER — In a 5-2 vote, the Tyler Planning and Zoning Commission has delayed a decision on a proposed “East-Meets-West” development for Loop 323 near Sam’s Club. A Chinese developer says he plans to spend $1.6 billion over five years on the effort, which city staff says would make it the city’s largest-scale development ever. The plan involves condo-style homes for American and Chinese families. The city voiced concerns that providing services for the new community would create a $7.7 million budget deficit for a five-year period to the General Fund, or operations & maintenance. Project engineers have been asked to submit additional information, and the commission could take up the matter again next month.

TYLER – The police are trying to identify several theft suspects who have been breaking into cars at a Tyler business. The two men and a wman are said to be breaking into cars at Planet Fitness on East 5th street and stealing purses. They take credit cards in the purses and head to Target on South Broadway and use the credit cards. If you can identify them, you are asked to contact Detective Tekell at 903-531-1046 or Tyler Crime Stoppers at 903-597-2833.

AUSTIN – The state comptroller’s office is sending out nearly $671 Million in monthly sales tax revenue. The sales tax allocations for March is just over 8% more than in March 2017. These allocations are based on sales made in January. Tyler and Longview’s figures continue to run ahead of last year’s number. Tyler’s March sales tax allocation tops $3.1 million. That’s up over 10 1/2% over the March figure from last year. For the year, Tyler’s sales tax allocation is nearly $11 million. That is up over 5 1/2% for the period. Longview’s March total is over $2.4 million, an increase of over 14 1/2%. For the year, Longview is running over 8 1/2 percent above the 2017 figure.

TYLER — East Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert describes his Republican primary win Tuesday night as “deeply humbling.” Gohmert soundly defeated two challengers and is now poised for the fall election, in which he’ll again face Democrat Shirley McKellar. Gohmert told KTBB, “I’m inspired to work even harder, and I’m excited about the chances we have to do some additional things right” along with tax cuts that were passed at the end of 2017.

EAST TEXAS — Unofficial Returns March 6th Primary Election:

Regional Returns
Republican Primary Election
Contested Races
187 of 248 Precincts
United States Representative District 1
Louie Gohmert 51,812
Anthony Culler 5,229
Roshin Rowjee 1,693

Regional
Democratic Primary Election
Contested Races
164 of 242 Precincts
United States Representative District 1
Shirley McKeller 6,737
Brent Beal 4,431 Continue reading Election Returns

TYLER — In a hotly contested Republican race, Jacob Putman prevailed over Alicia Barkley and will be Smith County’s next district attorney. He told KTBB he’s very pleased with the outcome, saying it’s very encouraging. He said his family, friends and church had been working really hard on the election and expressed gratitude that the voters “saw the truth.” Putman says there’s a lot of work to do in the next several months, saying, “Between now and January we’ll be getting ready to have a smooth transition so that we can prepare to make Smith County the safest place it can be.” Gregg County will also be getting a new DA, with Tom Watson unseating incumbent Carl Dorrough.

TYLER — The Better Business Bureau of Central East Texas Tuesday announced its 2018 Awards for Excellence Winners. The winner in the large business category was Texas Bank and Trust, United Heritage Credit Union took mid-size business honors, and the small business nod went to Tender Loving Elderly Care. CASA for Kids of East Texas took home the trophy in the nonprofit category. BBB officials say the honors were based on the winners’ ethical behavior and integrity in all aspects of operations. The awards were handed out during a luncheon at the Green Acres Baptist Church Crosswalk Center in Tyler.

GILMER – Authorities have identified three Gladewater residents involved in a fatal Tuesday morning shooting in Upshur County. KETK reports the victims were Lisa Anne Moore, 49, and Dylan Moore, 19. Deputies have charged Josephe Lee Adkins, 53, with capital murder. The sheriff’s office says deputies found the bodies after they were called around 9:00 a.m. to a residence off FM 1844, near Highway 271, in Union Grove. A third person was found injured at the scene. Authorities believe the shooting was connected to ongoing domestic issues between the suspect and victims. The UCSO says Adkins was captured near the intersection of Highway 80 and West Loop 281 in Longview. The Texas Rangers are assisting with the investigation.

TULSA, Okla. – Federal prosecutors have reached a settlement in a lawsuit against an ambulance service with ties to ETMC. The ambulance service was accused of violating anti-kickback statutes with an Oklahoma emergency medical services company. The lawsuit, filed last year, alleges that Paramedics Plus and Emergency Medical Services Authority entered into a $20 million kickback scheme. The Tulsa World reports that the settlement also affects the East Texas Medical Center Regional Healthcare System, an affiliate of Paramedics Plus. Prosecutors said in a February court filing that the parties are “finalizing documents” for the agreement. A memorandum of understanding detailing terms of the agreement has yet to be filed.

JACKSONVILLE – A meet and greet event is planned next week for the two men in line to be Jacksonville’s next city manager. Both men have East Texas ties. Greg Smith is the former city manager of Henderson. He is currently city administrator at Shenandoah, just south of Conroe. Also in the running is Chuck Ewings, who was once assistant city manager in Longview. He is now city manager in Ennis. The meet and greet for the men will be next Tuesday following the city council meeting, which starts at 5:30.