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GREGG COUNTY — A Longview woman who was indicted in August in connection with a 2018 duplex fire that killed two people has been transferred to the Gregg County Jail from Denton County. According to the Longview News Journal and our news partner, KETK, Kimberly Nicole Bruton, 33, was being held on a $200,000 bond Wednesday in Gregg County Jail on a warrant for arson causing bodily injury/death and without bond on a warrant from the 124th District Court for bond forfeiture for the same offense. Bruton was released from the Denton County Jail on Tuesday for time served after being arrested there May 23 on an unrelated arson charge. Continue reading Arson Suspect Returned to Gregg County

TYLER – Tyler Junior College students Caleigh Reese and Griselle Esparza have been selected as 2019 Coca-Cola Academic Team Scholars. Reese, a sophomore general studies major from Rusk, has been named a Coca-Cola Silver Scholar and will receive a $1,250 scholarship. After graduating from TJC in May, Reese plans to transfer to The University of Texas at Tyler and pursue a career in nursing. Esparza, a sophomore biology major of Tyler, originally from Monterrey, Mexico, is a Coca-Cola Bronze Scholar and will receive a $1,000 scholarship. Following graduation from TJC in May, Esparza plans to transfer to a university and major in biology. Besides the scholarships, both also receive a commemorative medallion. Continue reading Two TJC Students Named Coca-Cola Academic Team Scholars

TYLER – A Tyler man has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after cutting a man’s throat. Booked into the Smith County Jail was Danny Ray Tate, 38. The incident occurred shortly after 10:15 Wednesday morning. Investigators say the two are employed by a business on Highway 69 North. They decided to go into the parking lot and smoke K2. That led to a fight where Tate is said to have slashed the throat of the victim. Deputies later found the suspect’s car, with both men inside, on the State Park Highway, about ¼ mile north of Loop 323. The man was still bleeding heavily, so a deputy slowed the bleeding until EMS arrived. He was then taken to UT Health-Tyler for treatment.

HENDERSON — The 911 system in Rusk County and the City of Henderson was down for several hours Wednesday. According to the Facebook page for the county’s Office of Emergency Management, telephone crews had the repairs completed just before 2 p.m. and service was returning to normal. Officials say the source of the outage was damaged fiber optic lines near the U.S. 259 and FM 2276 intersection. Crews from Frontier Communications and Eastex Telephone Cooperative were called in to address the problem.

TYLER – The attorneys for Gustavo Zavala-Garcia are requesting that the state not seek the death penalty. He’s accused of killing 10-year-old Kayla Gomez and is charged with capital murder. That makes him eligible for the death penalty. According to our news partner KETK, he is currently being held in the Smith County Jail. The defense has also filed for a change of venue.

FAIRFIELD – The trial of a Smith County man accused of killing a state trooper, will be moved out of Fairfield. Our news partner KETK, quoting court records, says the trial of Dabrett Black, 34, of Lindale, will not be held in Freestone County. Judge Patrick Simmons has granted a request for a change of venue. Where the trial will be moved has not been decided. Black is accused of the shooting death of state trooper Damon Allen on Thanksgiving day in 2017. He was shot while checking a driver license in the front seat of his patrol vehicle on Interstate Highway 45 near Fairfield.

TYLER – A new airline service has been announced for Tyler. At a Tuesday morning news conference, Frontier Airlines announced the addition of Tyler to the Frontier network. They will be offering non-stop service from Tyler Pounds Regional Airport to Denver International Airport. The service is scheduled to start July 2nd. To begin, they will fly every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. To celebrate the new route, Frontier is offering a special introductory one-way fare of $39, which is available on their website. Tyler becomes Frontier Airlines 6th destination in Texas.

TYLER – It’s business as usual at the Smith County Clerk’s Public Records Office. The office is located in the basement of the county annex building. The basement had been closed since March 18, after a pipe burst and flooded the area. No public records were damaged. The basement office is now once again open to the public. County Clerk Karen Phillips says deputy clerks are ready to assist customers in the lower level of the annex building. The area houses the County Clerk’s Official Public Records, including land records, assumed names and cattle brands. Customers are once again able to review books and carry on “business as usual.”

AUSTIN – State Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a friend-of-the-court brief defending Texas anti-revenge pornography law. He asked the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to overturn last years decision by the 12th Court of Appeals in Tyler that blocked the law. Paxton told the state appeals court that the text of the anti-revenge pornography law is consistent with the First Amendment. He said it only criminalizes non-consensual public disclosures of sexual images in cases where the depicted person has an expectation of privacy. According to Paxton, revenge porn can shatter lives, destroy careers and devastate families. The ruling by the Tyler appeals court included an order that a lower court dismiss charges against a man accused of posting an intimate photo of a woman without her consent. He challenged the Texas law as unconstitutional.

HENDERSON COUNTY — A felon wanted by the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office was arrested Monday morning following a manhunt involving a K-9 unit. Two suspects reportedly hiding the felon were also arrested. Joshua Lee Kelly, 37, was wanted for a parole violation. April Watts, 31, and her boyfriend Dakota Strong, 25, were arrested for hindering the apprehension of a felon. A search for Stephen Stovall, 35, wanted on an outstanding warrant, is underway. Deputies spotted a suspicious vehicle and attempted a traffic stop which led to a brief pursuit ending at a residence south of Chandler. The owner of the property gave deputies consent to search the home where Kelly (pictured) was eventually found. A search of the abandoned vehicle turned up meth. Continue reading Felon Arrested, One on the Run in Henderson County

EAST TEXAS – Damage has been reported in East Texas from a line of thunderstorms that moved through the area Sunday night and early Monday morning. There were high winds, hail, some the size of golf balls, and rain. The rain became heavier the further east you went. According to the National Weather Service, the Tyler airport recorded 0.17 of an inch while the city recorded 0.21 of an inch. Further east, Longview measured 0.86 of an inch while Marshall had 1.24 inches.

TYLER – In state district court in Tyler Monday, Josue Alejandro Prado Ramirez, 22, pleaded guilty to a fatal hit and run accident in Tyler last June. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison. He had been charged in the death of Damarion Williams, 11. His body was discovered in the median of Highway 271 just after 8:00am on June 17th. The victim’s mother had called police to report her son missing around 3:00 that afternoon and investigators determined it was the same person. Witnesses gave information that led to Ramirez, who turned himself in at the Henderson County Jail around 7:30 the next night.

TYLER – It is spring and that means many door-to-door solicitors will be in your neighborhood. The Better Business Bureau serving Central East Texas urges you to make smart and safe decisions when answering the door to a salesperson.

The Better Business Bureau says not to do business with those who use high pressure sales tactics, arrive in unmarked vehicles, do not have company letterhead or business cards and require up-front cash payment. They also suggest that you request they provide you with proper identification and leave reading materials about their products and services. Be on the lookout for fly-by-night contractors and fast talkers who are just looking to make a quick buck. Continue reading Here Comes the Door-to-Door Sales Person

PALESTINE – Palestine police have arrested a man wanted for multiple violent felonies. Jadarius Clewis, 19, of Palestine was chased by an officer who knew he had several outstanding warrants. That chase ended when he ran a stop sign and hit a car. He then fled on foot. The officer was able to chase him down. He is now charged with evading arrest with a vehicle, evading arrest, tampering with physical evidence and accident Involving damage to vehicle over $200. Plus, he still has active warrants for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated robbery and obstruction or retaliation.

HENDERSON – A Rusk County man has been arrested after his dead mother’s body was found wrapped in a tarp. Charged with abuse of a corpse without legal authority is Jeremy David Cassin, 42. His bond was set at $25,000. According to a probable cause affidavit, deputies were called to his home on County Road 308 in Henderson for a welfare check on his mother. He told the officer that his mother was in the tarp behind him on the front lawn. Cassin said he had found her dead in bed a couple of days earlier.

TYLER – Law enforcement agencies from five area counties will be taking part Tuesday afternoon in training to derail underage drinking parties. We’re told that drinking parties with little or no adult supervision are one of the highest-risk settings for youth alcohol use. The Controlled Party Dispersal Training allows law enforcement to control the number of partygoers fleeing the scene while safely rounding up the remaining attendees and hold responsible those who supplied the alcohol for the party. The training will be held off the North East Loop in Tyler. Counties taking part in the training are law officers from Smith, Gregg, Henderson Marion and Panola. The training is part of an initiative between Texans Standing Tall, the East Texas Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, and other law enforcement groups from the surrounding area. The training is funded by the Texas Department of Transportation.

TYLER – A weekend accident that killed a Tyler woman remains under investigation. The car/pedestrian accident killed Teresa Rene Campos, 27. The accident occurred just before 11:30 Saturday night on State Highway 155, just south of Tyler. She was hit by a car driven by Willie Dunn Hayter, 71, of Tyler. The Department of Public Safety report says Campos was walking in a traffic lane when she was hit.

TYLER – The 8th annual ‘50 Gallon Challenge’ blood drive will be held Monday through Friday at Tyler Junior College. It will run daily from 10:00am till 6:00pm at various locations around the campus. A kick-off event will be held from 4:00 to 6:00pm on Monday in the parking lot on Lake Street, near Rogers Student Center. The event will include a live band, bounce house and free food. The public is invited to participate. Special designated parking areas will be reserved for members of the public who plan to donate. Continue reading Tyler Junior College Blood Drive

LONGVIEW – LeTourneau University chemistry professor and patent agent Dr. Gary DeBoer has been awarded a summer faculty fellowship grant to work in the technical engagement office of the U.S. Air Force Research Lab. Unlike previous summer fellowships DeBoer has had working as a scientist with the Lab, this year he will work in intellectual property and technology transfer. He will be working with scientists to identify their patentable research. They will be working on obtaining patent protection and licensing of inventions to commercial manufacturers. DeBoer hopes to apply the air force model of technical engagement to LETU by developing a program to provide LETU faculty with an incentive to think about their patentable work, pursue patents and benefit from the return coming through revenues associated with licensing of their patent rights.

TYLER – The driver of a car has been arrested by Tyler police after a traffic stop turned into a chase. Arrested early Saturday morning was Isiah Demon Curtis, 28, of Longview. An officer saw him driving recklessly on a blown out tire on East Gentry Parkway. He wouldn’t stop for the officer. The car turned into the parking lot of the Town House Motel, crashing into a wooden fence and mailbox before striking a metal fence surrounding what used to be the hotel swimming pool. He then fled on foot, running into thick brush just north of the hotel. With the help of other officers, Curtis was arrested without incident. He was booked into the Smith County Jail on charges of evading arrest with a vehicle, evading arrest on foot, driving while intoxicated and hit and run. A 31 year old passenger was arrested for public intoxication.

TYLER – Tyler police have started posting pictures of unknown suspects that have been caught on camera. The pictures will appear on the police department’s Facebook page in hopes you can assist them with identifying them. They are calling the feature, FIND “EM FRIDAY.” This is the first picture to be posted. He is wanted for a theft from a retail store.

TYLER – A man who was said to have been killed in a Tyler accident, is now alive and has been taken to the hospital. The 62 year old Tyler man was resuscitated at the scene. His name has not been released. The two vehicle crash occurred around 2:45 Friday afternoon at Loop 323 and U.S. Highway 271. The initial report said that a car had slid under the rear of truck’s trailer.

TYLER – New commercial air service is coming to Tyler. City officials will be joined by representatives from the airline to make the announcement. That will take place next Tuesday morning at 10:00 at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport.

GLADEWATER – Two lawsuits have been filed against the Truman W. Smith Children’s Care Center in Gladewater, and its parent company, over the deaths of two children. The Longview News Journal reports the suits, filed on behalf of the childrens’ mothers, allege negligence. The suits say the children died from catastrophic injuries two years ago while being care for by the center. A lawyer who filed one of the suits, Van Wey , told the paper, that the suits were filed “to help the families find out what happened to their children and to ensure that the lapses in care have been fixed so that tragedies like these do not continue to occur at this facility.”

GLADEWATER – The Gladewater Chamber of Commerce has handed out its annual awards. It occurred Thursday night at the chamber’s annual banquet and awards ceremony. TICO (Technical Installation Co. LLC) has been named Business of the Year. Also honored were Gladewater Economic Development Corporation board member Charla Nash, Woman of the Year and GEDCO board Vice President John Ussery, the Man of the Year. The “Educator of the Year” award was presented to Gladewater ISD Teacher/Coach Kevin Clark and Rashaud Johnson was selected as “Youth of the Year.” The Marilyn Godfrey Volunteer Service Award was presented to Jamie Ballard. The Chamber’s annual business awards are presented to companies and individuals for their contributions to the city of Gladewater and its economic growth.

TYLER – This fall, the University of Texas at Tyler will launch the new UT Tyler Pre-Med Academy. It’s a program to help students succeed in getting admitted to and being well-prepared for top medical schools across the nation. The new program will also focus on encouraging East Texas high school students to consider careers in medicine. The academy will operate through the College of Arts and Sciences. This is the latest addition to the University’s portfolio of medical-related programs. Others are the nationally ranked School of Nursing, the Ben and Maytee Fisch College of Pharmacy and the Department of Health and Kinesiology.

AUSTIN – County Judge Bill Stoudt of Longview has been reappointed to the state Commission On Jail Standards. He currently serves as chairman of the commission. Governor Greg Abbott made the announcement Friday. The term of the appointment, which is subject to senate confirmation, is set to expire on January 31, 2025.

HENDERSON – Search crews will be combing Rusk County Saturday, looking for a missing East Texas woman. The search is for Kimberly Flint, 57, of Reklaw, who was reported missing last September. Her car was later found wrecked on the Highway 84 bridge over the Angelina River. The car had hit a guardrail. Previous searches turned up no trace of the woman. Crews from ‘1st Priority Search and Recovery’ will be involved in Saturday’s search, using dogs and ATVs. Her family and Crimestoppers are offering a $6,000 reward for leads to help find her.

KILGORE – A large-scale cleanup effort continues in Kilgore following the severe straight-line winds that hit the city just over a week ago.The storm damaged homes and vehicles, downed power lines and trees. The damage was primarily to the city’s south side. An estimated 160 homes were damaged, with 40 having major structural damage and a dozen that are structurally unsound. The city continues to have crews collect tree and brush debris. But, due to the extensive damage, it could be a month or more before the cleanup is completed. Continue reading Kilgore’s Storm Cleanup Continues