KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — Gateway to Hope, a new day resource center for Tyler’s homeless population, opened Monday at 601 East Valentine Street. Gateway to Hope officials say homelessness affects adults and children, and they specifically point to its effects on veterans. The resource center’s mission is “To provide the needed resources and training to help people find and obtain employment and thus end homelessness.” Gateway to Hope offers photo IDs, mailboxes, a message center, computer access, a barber shop, showers, laundry facilities, and opportunities to network with social and job agencies. Go to http://www.gatewaytohopetyler.org or call 903-752-9343 to learn more and find out how you can help.

TEXARKANA (AP) — Texas A&M University-Texarkana is searching for a new school president. The Texarkana Gazette reports that the campus has formed a 19-person search committee. The previous president, C.B. Rathburn III, resigned last month due to health reasons. The committee expects to identify and hire a new president by early next year. The branch campus has an enrollment of nearly 2,000 students.

TYLER — Here’s a quick look at work planned in the Tyler District of the Texas Department of Transportation.

TYLER — The Texas Department of Transportation’s Tyler District announced it had let three projects totaling $16 million in August and has plans to let an additional $43 project in September. The project scheduled to let in September calls for expanding US 79 in Anderson County to four lanes between Palestine and the Trinity River. Crews will be building the new lanes adjacent to the existing lanes, then swapping traffic to rebuild the existing lanes. “Most of this project should be pretty pain-free,” said TxDOT spokesman Larry Krantz. “But it will have its moments, particularly as we make room for and build the new lanes closer to Palestine’s Westwood High School and the industrial district on the south end of town. In the end, though, this project is sorely needed and we’re excited about being able to finally get off the starting line.” The project is scheduled to take approximately four years to complete.

In Wood County, construction contractor Longview Bridge and Road, Ltd., of Longview, was awarded a $2.8 million contract to replace the State Highway 154 bridge just west of Quitman with a larger structure. This project is in conjunction with a second project which calls for adding 10-foot shoulders to SH 154 between State Highway 37 in Quitman and the Lake Fork Reservoir Bridge just north of Farm Road 288. The second project, which has an estimated cost of $6.5 million, is scheduled to let in October, with work beginning during the winter. The work on bridge portion of the project is scheduled to last approximately nine months. “Planning for the bridge replacement was tricky since we had to keep one lane open in each direction,” Krantz said. “The lanes will be pretty narrow, and it may cause some traffic backups, but it will be open with the exception of some daytime lane closures. Once it’s all finished, the bridge will have shoulders that match the width of the shoulders being added in the second project.”

In Van Zandt County, contractor A.L. Helmcamp was awarded a $6.7 million contract to begin the second project to add passing lanes on State Highway 64 between Tyler and Canton, this one running from Farm Road 314 at the west end of the current project, and ending at Farm Road 858 in Ben Wheeler. Preliminary work on this project is scheduled to begin over the winter.

In Henderson County, contractor APAC-Texas, Inc., was awarded a $6.3 million contract to add passing lanes on State Highway 19 between Athens and the Anderson County Line. Preliminary work will begin over the winter.

HENDERSON COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform base and pavement repair operations on Farm Road 1615 southeast of Athens. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

WOOD COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform base and pavement repairs in various on U.S. Highway 69 in Alba and on Loop 564 at Cap Ranch Road in Mineola. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two-lane areas.

LONGVIEW — A wanted Smith County sex offender has been arrested. The arrested followed a stakeout by officers. Taken into custody on Interstate Highway 20 was Michael Shannon Stephens, 40, of Henderson. Officers had earlier watched him go into a room at an East Marshall Avenue motel and then later leave the room. When served with the Smith County warrant, officers found six rocks of cocaine in his shirt pocket. He has now been charged with possession of a controlled substance. He was booked into the Gregg County Jail under bonds totaling $170,000.

LONGVIEW — A man accused of stealing metal valves is jailed in Longview. Thursday afternoon at 5:00 p.m., police were dispatched to a suspicious activity call in the 5000 Block of West Loop 281. The victim told police he saw the suspect, identified as 35-year-old Jason Scott Coleman, take several stainless steel valves from his property. According to authorities, Coleman and a female took the stainless steel valves to a local scrap yard and sold them. The victim went to the scrap yard and identified his property for police. The valves were valued at approximately $3500.

Coleman, a Longview resident who has prior convictions, was arrested for theft of property and an outstanding felony theft warrant issued by Harrison County. He was transported to the Gregg County Jail without incident. The female and a child passenger in the vehicle were released at the scene. The valves were returned to the owner.

NEW LONDON — An East Texas student is stabbed in the back on campus. That’s according to West Rusk CCISD Superintendent Tommy Alexander. The student was released from the hospital Friday and is expected back in school next week. Earlier, an official with the school district confirmed that there was a “situation” at the district’s junior high school Thursday. The assistant superintendent for the school district said the event was isolated, and had been resolved, but the school district sent a letter home with sixth- through twelfth-grade students. According to KETK, the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office said the incident is being investigated and New London police had transported a juvenile to the Juvenile Detention Center in Longview in connection with the assault.

TYLER — The Tyler Salon owner accused of practicing medicine without a license will spend the next 18 years behind bars. KETK reports Carmel Foster was sentenced to 8 years on the first count, and 10 years on the second. The sentences are to be served consecutively. She will also have to pay $29,000 in fines. Foster was accused of injecting an unknown gel into a woman as part of a breast augmentation. Foster owns the Queen Divas salon in Tyler, where the injections allegedly took place.

On February 19, 2012, Tyler Police were contacted by family members of a victim who said she had a breast augmentation procedure performed on both her breasts at Foster’s salon. The victim, Sheena Bradford of Longview, was admitted into a Longview hospital for severe chest pains and spent some time in the hospital. Tyler Investigators determined that the procedure was conducted for a fee in a back room of Queen Divas Hair Salon in Tyler. Carmel Foster pleaded guilty to the charges. However, soon after, she called the KETK newsroom, claiming her attorney, O.W. Loyd, misrepresented her. There’s no word on whether that claim will be pursued.

CHEROKEE COUNTY — Four marijuana patches in all have been located in Cherokee County by authorities investigating a huge pot farm spotted in an aerial search. According to the sheriff’s office, the farm is in a heavily wooded area near the banks of the Angelina River, approximately 1.5 miles south of FM 343, on the eastern border of the County.

Throughout the night Thursday and Friday, law enforcement personnel from Cherokee County and DPS Narcotics continued removing plants in the biggest patch. By daylight, that location had been cleared, with a count of 7,500 plants. Officials say the three remaining patches were cleared throughout the morning hours, and investigators left the area with two 16-foot trailers and a pickup truck loaded with all the plants. They were brought to an undisclosed location where the plants were incinerated. The total number of plants recovered from the 4 patches was 18,288. Texas DPS Narcotics estimates the value of a plant at roughly $1,000. That brings the total street value to $18,288,000.

As for the investigation, camping and irrigation equipment was seized, as were the firearms, ammunition and other items of potential evidentiary value. Officials say because of the nature of this type of investigation, locating who is responsible for the grow operation is difficult. Investigators said they would make contact with the landowners to make them aware of what was found, and continue following any leads that may develop. No arrests have been made at this time.

TYLER – A 28-year-old Dallas man has been sentenced in federal prison in Tyler for drug trafficking violations. Rafael Maciel pleaded guilty in May to possession with intent to distribute cocaine. He was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Schneider. According to federal prosecutors, on January 26, Maciel was in possession of around 3 kilograms of cocaine which he intended to deliver to others in East Texas. Maciel was indicted by a federal grand jury in March.

CHEROKEE COUNTY — Cherokee County Sheriff officials tell KETK Precinct 3 Constable Eddie Lee is involved in a pursuit of a person near Cherokee County Road 3115 in the Lake Jacksonville area. The person was on a dirtbike when Constable Lee attempted to pull him over around 9:00am Friday, but he or she drove away, resulting in a chase. Officials say the person eventually wrecked the bike and ran into the woods. The pursuit continues on foot at this time. Sheriff officials do believe the person may be armed, as a related call about a reported gunshot came in not long before the chase. The gunshot has not yet been confirmed by officials, but they are treating the situation with caution.

LUFKIN — An Angelina County grand jury indicted a Lufkin man in the stabbing deaths of his girlfriend and her brother. According to KETK and the Lufkin Daily News, Terrance Demound Barnes, 31, was indicted on a charge of capital murder, according to county records. Barnes confessed to stabbing Rosa and Pepe Pina to death July 26 at the home they shared on John Kolb Road east of Lufkin, according to Angelina County Sheriff’s Office investigators. Following a 20-hour manhunt on state Highway 103 east, Barnes was found hiding under a log inside a hunting lease off Farm Road 1669, 10 miles from where the murders took place.

TYLER — The Tyler Police Department will participate in the “No Refusal” enforcement campaign for this Labor Day Holiday. Since January 1, the department has arrested 256 drivers for DWI. Law enforcement agencies in Smith County will be out in force during the Labor Day Holiday, on the lookout for intoxicated drivers on streets, highways, and lakes. Again, officers won’t be taking “no” for an answer once again. The No-Refusal initiative got underway today and continues through Monday.

A multi-joint effort involving the Smith County District Attorney’s Office and police agencies from all over the county will participate. Upon the arrest of a suspected drunk driver, he or she will be asked to blow into a breath-test instrument or take a blood test. If the driver refuses, officers will obtain an immediate search warrant signed by an on-call judge to have blood drawn by a certified nurse on staff at the Smith County Jail. The blood will then be analyzed to determine whether the driver’s blood-alcohol concentration is 0.08 or higher, the legal limit for driving in Texas.

Police say it is the intent of all law enforcement agencies that this joint effort will act as a deterrent, persuading people to avoid driving while intoxicated because they know that police officers will be determining sobriety with or without the driver’s consent.

TYLER — A 44-year-old San Bernardino, California man has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges. Reginald Lavann Eastern faces up to 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not been set. According to information presented in court, on March 1, Eastern was in possession of about 1 kilogram of cocaine which he intended to deliver in East Texas.

SMITH COUNTY — The parents of 2-year-old Jacob Kimbley, who was found dead near his home last week, have been indicted and arrested on charges of child endangerment. Sabrina and David Kimbley were arrested during a hearing in a Smith County courtroom on Thursday. According to KETK, they were charged with 13 counts of child endangerment/abandonment. They are currently in the Smith County Jail. Bail is set at $1.3 million a piece.

Officials with Child Protective Services cited “neglectful supervision” of so many children, which resulted in Jacob’s death, as the reason for the indictment. Earlier reports said Jacob went missing during a game of hide-and-seek.

The Kimbleys’ five remaining children have been in foster care since the incident, and will stay in foster care during the course of the hearings. KETK has been told that the children are doing fine, and are undergoing medical check ups. The Kimbleys will not be allowed to visit their children during this time. Officials say there will be several more hearings over the next few months.

DALLAS (AP) — Ashes of celebrated car designer Carroll Shelby have finally been buried in East Texas after months of bickering between his children and wife over how to bury him. A family statement to The Dallas Morning News says the Wednesday burial was in a family plot in Leesburg, in Camp County.

Shelby died in a Dallas hospital May 10 at 89. His three children say their father signed a document giving them permission to have his body cremated, but his last wife Cleo said the document was a forgery. Late last month, the family finally reached agreement to cremate Shelby’s body and divide the remains five ways between his children, his wife and Wednesday’s burial.

Shelby built souped-up versions of the Cobra, Mustang and Viper sports cars.

CANTON — Van Zandt County authorities say two people have been caught but another remains at large following a pair of burglaries earlier this month. On Friday, August 10, a residence in Van Zandt County was burglarized; numerous electronic devices, jewelry, and a spare truck key were stolen. The burglars took the spare key and later stole the victim’s truck from his job. The suspects have been identified as Christopher Deweese and Michael Schwankner, also know as Big Mike. Deweese was arrested on Wednesday for burglary of a habitation. Bond has been set at $50,000.

On Friday, August 24th, two additional residences in Van Zandt County were burglarized; several guns, electronic devices, and money were taken. The suspects were identified as Crystal Jordan and Michael Schwankner. Jordan was arrested on Tuesday for burglary of a habitation times two. Bond is set at $50,000 for each charge.

Michael Schwankner is still at large. Schwankner has several felony warrants from Van Zandt, Kaufman, and Hunt counties. According to authorities, he is known to carry a firearm on him at all times and is considered to be armed and dangerous. Anyone with information is asked to contact the sheriff’s office or Crime Stoppers in Van Zandt County.

CANTON — Van Zandt County officials report an arrest in a motor vehicle theft. On Monday, August 13, a Van Zandt County resident filed a report of the crime. The vehicle was recovered on August 22 in an undercover sting operation by the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office. The suspect, Andrew Mark Harris of Grand Saline, was arrested and charged with theft of property on August 26. Bond has been set at $50,000.

TYLER — Tyler police seek help identifying a burglary suspect. Police say an unknown white male with tattoos and a thin beard burglarized the coin operated machines at Pit Stop Car Wash, 5030 Hwy. 31 West, on August 15 and August 17. According to police, the suspect was driving a pewter color 4 door GMC or Chevrolet pickup. You’re asked to call Tyler police or Crimestoppers if you have any leads.

TYLER — Tyler police are continuing their investigation of the death of a youngster who died after drowning in a bathtub. Nine month old Charlotte Rodriguez was found at a home on Hollyoak, just off South Broadway, around 4:15 Wednesday afternoon. Tyler firemen and EMS personnel worked on the youngster. She was taken to Mother Frances Hospital. According to KETK, a neonatal unit from Children’s Medical Hospital in Dallas came to Tyler to pick her up, but her condition was deemed too unstable for her to be transported. Charlotte died at 10:31 Wednesday night.

Investigators say the child’s mother had placed Charlotte in the bathtub with her 22-month-old sister with the shower on, the drain open, and toys in the bathtub. Police say the mother then left the bathroom briefly. According to authorities, when she returned, the bathtub was filling up with water and Charlotte had gone under. Police say the mother believes that the toys or the drain stopper got stuck in the drain and blocked it, causing the bathtub to fill with water. Charlotte’s father was at work when the drowning occurred.

The 22-month-old sibling has been placed with family by CPS until the investigation is complete. They will determine if any charges will be filed at that time. Police say they have been to the Rodriguez residence before on a domestic disturbance call.

TYLER — A new section of roadway extending from Loop 323 to State Highway 155 was opened Thursday in Tyler at a special ribbon cutting ceremony featuring football legend and Tyler native Earl Campbell. “We are so proud that we could honor Earl Campbell in this way,” said Tyler Mayor Barbara Bass. “His legendary contributions are something the entire community can be proud of.”

Earl Campbell Parkway extends approximately two miles. There are four traffic lanes, two bike lanes, a raised landscaped median, and sidewalks along the stretch of roadway. To beautify the corridor, 230 trees and hundreds of roses were planted. In addition, curb, gutter, and a sidewalk were added along Old Noonday Road, and the entire road was repaved as part of the project. A traffic signal was also added at Old Noonday Road and Earl Campbell Parkway. The project began on August 20, 2010 and opened to traffic Thursday afternoon. The construction cost was $14,100,000, which was paid for in cash with Half Cent Sales Tax funding. You can go to http://www.cityoftyler.org/ to read more.

TYLER — A mistrial has been declared in the case of an alleged attempted kidnapping in Tyler. According to KETK, the incident happened on January 26 shortly after 4:15pm at the FRESH by Brookshire’s parking lot, on the 6900 block of Old Jacksonville Highway. A woman told police a gunman, later identified asWilliam Easley, 34, of Flint, tried to force her back into her vehicle. After the woman screamed for help, two customers came running to her aid. Police say Easley ran from the victim’s vehicle and jumped into a car, speeding away. The next day, authorities caught the accused kidnapper at his house. Easley is charged with attempted kidnapping and faces up to 10 years in prison. After hours of deliberation in a Tyler courtroom this week, jurors were unable to reach a verdict.

NACOGDCOHES — A series of small fires along Nacogdoches County Road 555 north of Kingtown on Tuesday have been called suspicious by Texas Forest Service officials. According to KETK, volunteers from Woden and Kingtown were joined by TFS crews to fight the multiple fires which burned on both sides of the road Tuesday afternoon. TFS spokesperson John Boyette said the location and spacing of the fires made them appear “suspicious in nature.”

JACKSONVILLE — The program director of a Jacksonville Christian radio station left her post following a July drug arrest. According to KETK, Eddie Rae Baiseri, 51, Bullard, was arrested by the Eustace Police Department on July 27 after she was allegedly found with drugs during a traffic stop.

According to jail records, Baiseri was allegedly found with between 4 ounces and 5 pounds of marijuana, and between 1 and 4 grams of a controlled substance. She was booked into the Henderson County jail around 3:30 p.m. and charged with possession of marijuana, a state jail felony because of the quantity, and manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance, a second degree felony. She was released on July 29 with bonds totaling $18,500.

TAMPA, FL — KTBB’s Paul Gleiser is in Tampa covering the Republican National Convention. Yesterday it was Mitt Romney’s show as he delivered the most important speech of his presidential campaign and one that introduced him to many television viewers.

Saying the hope and change America voted for “gave way to disappointment and division,” Mitt Romney presented an optimistic picture of the future in a Romney/Ryan White House, as he accepted his party’s nomination for president last night.

Romney began a speech in which he spoke of his youth as a Mormon, and then as a married man with five rambunctious sons.

But the speech also contained repeated criticism of President Barack Obama, particularly his failure to spur a more robust economic recovery. Romney said Obama can “tell us it was someone else’s fault” and that in the next four years “he’ll get it right” — but that he can’t tell Americans that they are better off than when he took office.

Gleiser will be in Florida all week. Follow him on Twitter @KTBBdecision12 or http://www.ktbb.com/decision2012

TYLER — A man is hospitalized after a one vehicle wreck Wednesday night. It happened around 11:00 on North Broadway and Gentry. Witnesses told Tyler police a dark color SUV was East on Gentry when he struck the southern turn lane median. The vehicle struck two traffic light poles and rolled over. The driver, identified as Clarke Hodge, 49, was ejected from the vehicle. He was taken to East Texas Medical Center with injuries that are believed to be non-life threatening at this time. All traffic control signals have been repaired.

TYLER — A second person has been arrested in connection with a sexual assault case in Tyler. The latest to be taken into custody is Todd Gifford Wisdom, 21, who is pictured here. He was booked into the Smith County jail and his bond was set at $22,500. He has been charged with distributing harmful material to a minor. Previously arrested was Thomas Brookbank, 21. They are charged in connection with sexual assaults that occured at a clubhouse in the woods behind a mobile home park at 2525 Shiloh Road.

A 9 year old girl told her mother that she and some of her friends had been sexually assaulted by a 21-year-old man who lives in the mobile home park. The victim stated that the assaults had occurred on numerous occasions over the past month in a wooded area, where the suspect, known as “Tom,” had made a club house. Five children have been identified as victims in the case.

KILGORE — The Kilgore school superintendent is heading to Longview. Jody Clements announced Wednesday he had accepted the job of Assistant Superintendent of Administrative and Student Services in Longview. Clements has been in Kilgore over four years. He will start his new duties in Longview in mid-September.

On the Kilgore ISD web site, Clements said “Effective Friday August 31st, Deputy Superintendent Dennis Williams will take over as Interim Superintendent until such time as the board can meet and determine their plan for replacement of the Superintendents position. I am very confident that the staff can keep things going and handle this transition. I have been blessed to have a great staff, board and community. I hope only the best for the future.”

DALLAS (AP/Staff) — State health officials say the tallies of Texas West Nile fever cases and deaths have more than doubled over the past two weeks, and there’s been another West Nile death in East Texas. Two cases were reported Wednesday to have ended in death, one each in Panola and Dallas counties, bringing the state total to 35. Earlier this month, a Gregg County resident died of West Nile virus. The Texas Department of State Health Services reported Wednesday that 894 Texas cases had been reported so far this year, up from an Aug. 16 count of 336.

The August 16 death toll was 14. Texas has been a hotbed of West Nile fever spread by a mosquito-borne virus. At least 22 of the 36 reported Texas deaths were in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, with 13 in Dallas County. The most recent Dallas County death was reported Wednesday in Rowlett in northeastern Dallas County.

TYLER — Some UT-Tyler students found themselves without a classroom following a lab’s equipment failure. Just before 1:15 Wednesday afternoon, faculty and students had to be evacuated due to a gas leak on campus. Two floors of the Biology, Education and Psychology Building were emptied after a gas valve from a Bunsen burner would not shut off, according to UT-Tyler spokeswoman Hannah Buchanan. No students were ever in any imminent danger, but they evacuated as a precaution. According to KETK, it took crews about 10 minutes to fix the leak. Classes resumed, and no injuries were reported.

WINONA — It may be awhile before the cause of two-year-old Jake Kimbley’s death is known. Justice of the Peace Precinct 4 Mitch Shamburger tells KETK the results of Jake’s autopsy are still pending — and that the results could take up to another month before they are conclusive. Jake’s body was found in a septic tank near his Winona-area home last week after an hours-long search. For now, the death is being investigated as a homicide, and Jake’s siblings have been moved into foster homes.