KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER – A Smith County teen has been arrested in connection with a fatal Smith County accident. Dante Devaughn Roberson, 18, of Troup, was booked into the Smith County Jail on Saturday. He was charged with intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle and his bond was set at $300,000. In August, Roberson was involved in a three vehicle accident on Highway 110, south of Whitehouse. Killed in the accident was a motorcyclist, Murray Clark, 51, of Whitehouse. The Department of Public Safety says Roberson’s car swerved into Clark’s lane and hit him and then hit a pickup driven by a Whitehouse man.

KILGORE – A former Kilgore High School students has been arrested in connection with several school threats made on social media. Kilgore police announced Monday David Alexander Nelson, 19, of Longview, was arrested in the Elderville community on Friday. He has been charged with making a terroristic threat. He could face five additional charges. He was booked into the Gregg County Jail under a $500,000. Besides the threat to the high school made on Snapchat, over a period of a couple of days, he is said to have used Snapchat to send threats of violence to various students. Kilgore police say Nelson confessed to creating the post as a prank.

RUSK COUNTY — Rusk County Sheriff’s office officials have arrested James Paul Calvert. Calvert, 47, was on the run for two counts of child sexual assault, burglary of habitation and escape. According to our news partner KETK, several agencies were searching for the suspect. He was brought into custody around 9 p.m. Sunday.

TYLER – Here’s a look at road work planned in the Tyler district of TxDOT during the week of October 29th. Schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure or other unforeseen issues. Slow down and pay attention when traveling through work zones.

Nighttime pavement marking operations continue Tyler. The contractor is utilizing slow-moving mobile operations to install new pavement markings. Work is being conducted from 8:00pm to 6:00am, Sunday through Thursday nights until the project is completed. Brief delays are possible. Continue reading TxDOT Road Update

KILGORE – We should learn more on Monday about a suspect who is in custody in connection with a Kilgore school threat. Kilgore police say the suspect is facing multiple felony charges. They said the suspect was an adult male, a former student, and that his name will not be released until he has been formally charged and arraigned. According to a statement posted on the department’s Facebook page, “This was a whirlwind investigation. Interfacing with Snap Chap and Google was not easy. Steps were taken by the suspect to conceal his true identity, but perseverance by Det. John Rowe paid off.” And they added, the threat has been stopped. The plan is to put out an official news release on Monday. Continue reading Kilgore School Threat Suspect Arrested

TYLER – The gas station at 1808 West Gentry Parkway was robbed Saturday night. It happened around 10:45pm. A thin black male walked into the station and covered his face and pulled a black handgun. He walked behind the counter and demanded money. He left in an unknown direction with an undisclosed amount of money and other items. He was said to be about 5”08 to 6”0 tall and weighed around 160 pounds. He was wearing a black hoodie and black jogging pants with white stripes. No injuries were reported.

PECOS – A Smith County theft suspect is in custody in Reeves County Texas. Arrested in Pecos was Ashley Stephens, 33, who also known as Ashley Boyd. She is said to have stolen over $60,000 from a business in the Lindale area. She had been reported to be living in the Mineola area and had changed her appearance to avoid capture. No word on when she will be returned to Smith County.

LONGVIEW – A Disturbance at a Longview hotel has resulted in one arrest. It occurred at the Homewood Suites on Spur 63. Just after 11:00 Saturday morning, a man, who was possibly armed, came into the lobby and “ran behind the counter and barricaded himself.” Longview Police activated the SWAT and Crisis Intervention Teams. Members of the SWAT team took the suspect into custody without further incident. He was transported to a hospital. No injuries were reported. No other details were released.

LONGVIEW – Ricky Ray Caraway, 52, was arrested by Longview Police Friday afternoon. Around 5:45, the police responded to a welfare check in the 200 block of East Loop 281. Caraway was walking along the loop and was contacted by several persons who were checking on his welfare. When he indicated he had a bomb, the loop was temporarily closed. When they discovered there was no bomb, Caraway was arrested and charged with making a terroristic threat. He remains in the Gregg County Jail under a $2,500 bond.

QUITMAN – The Upshur County District Attorney has been named acting prosecutor by an administrative district judge regarding a complaint against the Wood County District Attorney’s Office. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, On October 9, the Upshur County District Attorney requested the Texas Rangers conduct an investigation related to the Wood County District Attorney’s Office. The investigation is ongoing, and no additional information is currently available.

VAN – Some counterfeit money has been turning up in Van. The police department is asking people to inspect the money before accepting cash. According to the department Facebook page, $20 bills and at least one $100 bill have turned up at businesses in Van.

KILGORE – A suspect is in custody in connection with a Kilgore school threat. They tracked him to a residence in Rusk County. Kilgore police say the suspect is facing multiple felony charges. They said, since it is still unfolding, they would not give out a lot of details at this time. They did say the suspect was an adult male, a former student, and that his name will not be released until he has been formally charged and arraigned. Continue reading Kilgore School Threat Suspect Arrested

TYLER – A Tyler jury has given a Tarrant County man three life sentences in a fatal Smith County accident. The panel found Gilberto Gomez, 27, of Saginaw guilty of three counts of intoxication manslaughter. The jury sentenced him on Friday. The wreck he was involved in, which occurred in February, killed three persons and an unborn baby. The accident was on State Highway 110, 8 miles west of Lindale. The Department of Public Safety reports the pickup, driven by Gomez, was heading south when it crossed over the double yellow lines and hit a northbound car. Two Lindale residents, and their unborn child, in the car were killed as was a passenger in the Gomez truck.

NACOGDOCHES – A Nacogdoches County escapee is back in custody. Arrested early Friday afternoon was Robin Copeland, 56, of Nacogdoches. She had escaped Wednesday after being taken to the hospital after making a medical complaint. A manhunt started around 7:00 Thursday night after she was spotted on foot. A search all night turned up no trace of the woman. Early Friday afternoon a resident saw her inside an abandoned vehicle behind her house. Within minutes of the arrival of sheriff’s deputies, she was taken into custody. Copeland has been transported to a local hospital for minor injuries sustained while running through the woods all night. She will then be transported to the Nacogdoches County Jail and booked in for escape along with her other original charges.

LONGVIEW – A former East Texas teacher has been arrested following an investigation of local and state authorities. The Texas Rangers assisted in the investigation of Lauren Nicole Nolan, 24, of Longview. She is in the Gregg County Jail under bonds totaling $50,000. The charges are improper relationship between and educator and a student, and online solicitation of a minor. The former Carthage Junior High School teacher was placed on administrative leave in March. She submitted her resignation, which was effective in the summer. More information about the charges were not immediately available.

LONGVIEW – A Longview woman has been sentenced in a fatal Gregg County accident. State District Judge David Brabham found Ellen Virginia Hicks, 34, guilty of criminal negligent homicide. He sentenced her on Thursday to 5 years probation. The Department of Public Safety says Hicks was driving her car above the speed limit the morning of November 30, 2015, when she became distracted by a dog in her car. Her car then crossed into the opposite lane of traffic and hit a car nearly head-on. The driver of that car, an Avinger woman, later died at a Longview hospital.

TYLER – The Tyler Police Department and the DEA are hosting a medication drop off. It will be Saturday from 10:00 till 2:00 in the northeast parking lot of the Broadway Square Mall. This is a good way to get unused and expired medications out of your home so they won’t be a temptation to children. The medications include prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs, veterinary medicine, vitamins, minerals and medication samples. Just drive-up, and, without getting out of your vehicle, you can drop off the medications for safe disposal, no questions asked. And, the service is free.

TYLER – The Tyler city council has approved spending over $10 million for long-term infrastructure projects. Besides replacement of a drainage structure and the rehabilitation of two sanitary sewer basins, the money will be used to relocate and build two new fire stations. Fire Station 1 will move from Elm Street and Fannin Avenue to the more central coverage location of Gentry Parkway and Palace Avenue. And Fire Station 4, currently located on Martin Luther King Boulevard, will be relocated to Cherryhill Lane. Both capital projects are funded out of the Half Cent Sales Tax Fund.

EAST TEXAS — Incumbent Senator Ted Cruz holds a slight advantage of the congressmen from El Paso, Beto O’Rourke. Both made stops in East Texas Thursday. According to our news partner KETK, Cruz attributes his current lead over O’Rourke to Texans standing strong with Texas values. “If you want higher wages, more jobs, a secure border and safety in schools then you have to get out and vote,” said Cruz. Cruz refers to his contender as a far left radical agenda that can’t compromise the truth behind the Lone Star state.

O’Rourke is the closest candidate to trump a Republican for a senate seat in decades. “I’m ready to win, the people of Texas are ready to win,” said Beto O’Rourke. “We want to be able to begin the work that we have described over the last 22 months of this campaign.” Thursday’s stops will be O’Rourke’s last in the area before the November 6th elections.

TYLER – A Tyler jury has convicted a Tarrant County man in a fatal Smith County accident. The panel found Gilberto Gomez, 27, of Saginaw guilty of three counts of intoxication manslaughter. The trial is now in the punishment stage. The wreck he was involved in, which occurred in February, killed three persons and an unborn baby. The accident was on State Highway 110, 8 miles west of Lindale. The Department of Public Safety reports the pickup, driven by Gomez, was heading south when it crossed over the double yellow lines and hit a northbound car. Two Lindale residents, and their unborn child, in the car were killed as was a passenger in the Gomez truck.

TYLER – A Tyler pharmacy burglary is under investigation. It happened just before 4:00 Thursday morning at the the Woody Weaver Pharmacy on West Gentry Parkway. The suspects forced their way into the business. Then, surveillance cameras show them clearing shelves of bottles of pills and placing them into a bags. A similar pharmacy burglary occurred in Mineola late last month. Tyler police are are asking area pharmacies to keep an eye out for anyone that may be acting suspicious and to double check their security measures.

LONGVIEW – Another school threat is under investigation in Gregg County. On Wednesday, the threat was against Kilgore High School. Thursday’s Snapchat threat didn’t mention any school, but was said to be from a Longview High School student. Because of what is being termed a “vague threat,” extra police officers starting arriving at the high school around 7:00 Thursday morning. By Thursday afternoon the police said there are no credible threats against any LISD campuses. There will be a continued increase in police and LISD staff presence at district facilities and events as this investigation is ongoing. Longview police say they are coordinating with the Kilgore Police Department in their investigation. Kilgore police say they but don’t believe the two threats are related.

NACOGDOCHES – One man has been killed and one arrested following a Nacogdoches shooting death. It happened around 7:00 Wednesday night at the University Club Apartments, on Pearl Street. Dead from a gunshot wound to the head was Michael Brucks, 19, of Nacogdoches. Charged with manslaughter is Paul Ivan Gutierrez, 20, of Nacogdoches. He was found walking down the road a short time after the shooting. Witnesses told investigators the two men were horsing around with a high powered rifle when it fired.

TYLER — Governor Greg Abbott made a stop in Tyler Wednesday to support down-ballot candidates in East Texas. He told our news partner KETK, “We’ve gotta make sure we are both securing our border, make our communities safe. We gotta do a better job with regard to educating our students, paying our teachers more. There’s a lot to do.” But the governor’s primary message was that Republicans need to “turn out and vote.” He said, “Their values are at stake in this election. They need to turn out and vote if they want their values represented in Texas.” Abbott was joined by state Senator Bryan Hughes along with state Representatives Matt Schaefer and Cole Hefner.

TYLER – Tyler will soon be testing drones to see if they can be a help to first responders. The city council on Wednesday approved an agreement with Phirst Technologies of Tyler. This will allow the company to conduct testing of its automated drone first response system. The drone and a port will be located in a secure enclosure at Fire Station #9 on South Paluxy. The testing will be done within FAA part 107 rules for drones and last six to ten months. The company is bearing all costs for the installation and testing. Phirst Technologies is developing a network of autonomous drones across the United States to allow first responders to see what is happening at a fire, accident, or disaster before they arrive. It will also have the ability to ‘sniff’ and report on volatile gasses at the scene.

TYLER – The Texas Department of Transportation has closed the westbound outside lane of Interstate Highway 20 at the Little Saline Creek Bridge, just east of Jim Hogg Road, for repairs. Work is underway and the closure will remain in place for several days. Motorists can expect I-20 traffic to flow a little slower at this location due to the lane closure. Use alternate routes to avoid delays. The work is expected to be completed by Monday.

LONGVIEW – An assault that occurred in Longview remains under investigation. Three persons were sent to the hospital, even the suspect in the incident. It occurred around 10:30 Wednesday morning on Avalon Avenue. Longview police were called to the scene after shots were reported to have been fired. They found two persons injured at the scene. A third person, the possible suspect, was later located. No other information has been released.

TYLER – A report of a suicidal suspect brought Tyler police to an East Front Street residence early Wednesday afternoon. He was reported by a family member. Officers started talking to the 53 year old man. After brief negotiations, the man surrendered to officers shortly before 3:15 Wednesday afternoon. He was taken to a Tyler hospital for a mental evaluation. No injuries were reported.

KILGORE – A threat posted on social media caused extra police officers to be stationed on the Kilgore High School Campus. The anonymous threat appeared on Snapchat Wednesday morning. It warned people not to go on the school campus. The person said they were shooting up the school because they were tired of “y’all making fun of me and it’s time for y’all to pay.” Assistant Police Chief Roman Roberson said Wednesday afternoon that “there’s no active threat” at the school. They are trying to determine who posted the message. The students were kept on the campus and were not released early.