KTBB News, Weather, Talk

WASHINGTON – Two men are closer to becoming federal judges in Tyler. The Senate Judiciary Committee has approved the nominations of Cam Barker and Jeremy Kernodle to fill judicial vacancies on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in Tyler. Barker was nominated by the president to fill the position previously held by Judge Leonard Davis. His spot became open when Davis took senior status in May, 2015. Kernodle was named to fill the post previously held by Judge Michael Schneider. He moved to senior Status in January, 2016. Continue reading Two Potential Federal Judges for Tyler Pass a Hurdle

TYLER – A Hawkins woman has pleaded guilty in Tyler federal court to embezzling $1.8 million from California companies. Lina Su, also known as Lina Perkins, pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering Thursday in an appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge K. Nicole Mitchell. Prosecutors say she used the money to make personal credit card payments, purchase land for herself, and pay contractors constructing her home in Wood County. Under federal statutes, she faces up to life in federal prison. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.

TYLER – The University of Texas at Tyler has announced its partnership with Jarvis Christian College. With the partnership, undergraduate students from the Hawkins school will be able to transfer into selected undergraduate programs at UT Tyler. The selected programs will not duplicate those offered at JCC. Also, the Tyler students will have the opportunity to pursue majors at Jarvis that are not offered at UT Tyler. The agreement also will allow well-qualified Jarvis students to begin limited study in selected master’s degree programs at UT Tyler as they complete their bachelor’s degree in Hawkins. The agreement was signed in Tyler Thursday afternoon.

Rick Springfield will kickoff the 2018-2019 lineup for performances at the Cowan Center at the University of Texas at Tyler. The announcement was made Thursday. Included in the lineup are the productions of The Sound of Music and the King and I. There will also be performances by The Texas Tenors, Kool and the Gang and the New York Philharmonic String Quartet. Appearing in the Distinguished Lecture Series will be comedian Dennis Miller and former CBS TV news anchor Dan Rather. You can go to http://www.cowancenter.org/schedule.html for the complete lineup.

LONGVIEW – New evidence has led to the arrest of Nicole Bruton, 32, of Longview, in connection with a fatal fire that killed two persons. Killed in the March 9th fire on Cherie Lane were Randall Russell and Lisa Tesmer, a father and daughter. Bruton was originally arrested in connection with the fire, but later released for lack of evidence. While under arrest for arson in Denton, she gave officers information that brought Longview officers there. She told them how she took a burning piece of board out of the fireplace and put it on a chair. The fire on the chair spread, catching the house on fire, killing the couple. She has been charged with arson and placed under a $500,000 bond.

LONGVIEW – A pickup stolen in Longview caused a police chase that ended in Dallas. A Longview officer first spotted the truck around 4:30 Thursday morning. The officer believed the driver was drunk because he was driving erratically with no headlights on. The following chase, at times reaching speeds over 100 miles an hour, led officers into Dallas. The truck blew its two front tires but kept going with a line of sparks flying from the back of the truck. The driver pulled off in downtown Dallas and stopped when the truck drove onto a curb. The juvenile driver was arrested and charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and evading arrest in a vehicle.

LONGVIEW – A Longview woman has been arrested and identified after being accused of trying to take a woman’s child. Police were called to the Longview Train Depot Wednesday morning over two women fighting. They had said to have been arguing over a two year old boy. A mother had taken her son to watch the trains when a woman tried to abduct him. Bystanders helped hold the suspect until the police arrived. The mother received some minor injuries and the boy was not hurt. Angela Alldredge, 40, was booked into the Gregg County jail on a kidnapping charge.

AUSTIN – Texas cities and counties are receiving their June tax allocations from the state. It is based on sales made in April. The sales tax allocations in Tyler and Longview are still looking strong. Tyler’s allocation tops $3.3 million. That is up nearly 10% from last June. Longview’s June figure exceeds $2.2 million, also an increase of nearly 10%. Through June, Tyler’s sales tax allocations for the year are over $20.2 million while Longview’s total tops $14.7 million. Both number top the first six months of last year.

KILGORE – Gregg County Crime Stoppers has voted to increase the reward to $2,000 for Dwight Patrick Scott. Tracy Lynn Reedy, 50, was found dead on December 31, 2017. The Kilgore woman was found shot to death at the Meadow Green Apartment Complex. Investigators believe Scott was the killer and District Court Judge David Brabham issued a murder warrant for him and set a $1-million bond. From tips they received, they know he fled Kilgore right after the shooting and went to the Chicago, illinois area. Scott also has family in the Dallas/For Worth Metroplex. If you have information on where Scott can be found, and want to collect a reward and remain anonymous, you are asked to contact Gregg County Crime Stoppers at 903-236-STOP [903-236-7867].

TYLER — One of two men has surrendered in connection with a shooting the night of May 30 at Tyler’s Fun Forest Park. Police say 23-year-old Datreon Kentreal Jackson (left) has turned himself in. Three people sustained non-life-threatening injuries — two from the gunfire and the third from shattered vehicle glass. Jackson and 24-year-old Davonta Tramane Hill (right) were each named in three warrants for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury. Police are continuing to investigate the incident. Hill remains at large.

TYLER – A Tyler priest is safe in volcano scarred Guatemala. Father Charles Vreeland is in the country where the Volcano of Fire exploded. The latest count shows 72 persons have died following the volcano’s eruptions. According to a posting on the Bishop Thomas K. Gorman Catholic School Facebook page, Father Vreeland says, “I am safe and unharmed, Gracias a Dios. I am about 80 miles from the danger.” Father Vreeland, who is a native of Fredericksburg, Texas, came to the Diocese of Tyler in the summer of 2015.

TYLER – Tyler’s city limits could soon reach Interstate Highway 20. Tyler’s Planning and Zoning Commission voted Tuesday to annex just over 11 acres of land near U.S. Highway 69 and the interstate. It would be zoned for commercial use. It still must go before the city council. That could occur later this month.

MARSHALL – An escaped Harrison County Jail inmate is back in jail. Gary Lynn Gorman, 36, escaped Saturday night. He was with a crew that took out trash to the jail dumpster and he didn’t return. He was spotted in the Woodlawn area of Harrison County around 7:00 Tuesday morning. A DPS helicopter, with infrared radar, found him hiding in some brush and directed ground crews to his location. As he attempted to flee, he was tackled by a sheriff’s deputy who held him until other officers arrived. Gorman is now facing a felony escape charge. Continue reading East Texas Escapee Arrested

HUNTSVILLE (AP/staff) – The state’s top criminal appeals court has blocked the execution of a man set for later this month for the slaying of a 93-year-old woman during a robbery at her Tyler home. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Tuesday sent the case of Clifton Williams, 34, back to his Smith County trial court to review whether Williams is intellectually disabled and ineligible for execution. Williams was set to die June 21 for the fatal beating and stabbing of Cecilia Schneider at her Tyler home in 2005. Evidence showed Williams entered through a back door, attacked Schneider and then set her body and bed on fire. He fled with her car and purse containing $40. Authorities say he wanted the money for drugs. Williams was within hours of execution in 2015 when the same court halted his punishment.

AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott has appointed 10 student regents to their respective universities for terms set to expire on May 31, 2019. Appointed to the University of Houston System was Andrew Teoh of Tyler. He is pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting and finance from the University of Houston. Continue reading Governor Appoints Student Regents

KILGORE – The Kilgore Chamber of Commerce has a new president and chief executive director. She is Jill McCartney from Ohio, who will be starting her new duties in Texas on Wednesday. The was selected from nearly 40 candidates for the job. She began her career in chambers of commerce in 2000. She comes to Kilgore from Marietta, Ohio where she has been the outreach and development director of the Buckeye Hills Regional Council. She succeeds Cindy Morris, who resigned in February to take a similar job in Oklahoma.

TYLER – The East Texas Food Bank’s Summer Food Program is now underway. It was kicked off Tuesday morning at Tyler Emmett J. Scott Park on North Confederate Avenue. The program, which runs into August, serves children in low-income communities who take part in free and reduced feeding programs during the school year. Since these programs end when school does, the Summer Food Service Program helps fill the gap, ensuring that children continue to receive nutritious meals during the summer. The program covers 26 East Texas Counties with 14 serving locations in Tyler. Continue reading Summer Food Program Underway in East Texas

NACOGDOCHES — A Nacogdoches man has been arrested for multiple charges after entering a residence where he did not live early Saturday morning. Joe Howard Jr., 38, was charged with possession of a controlled substance, criminal trespass of a habitation and resisting arrest. According to our news partner KETK, Howard allegedly entered a home on CR 805 around 1:45 a.m. and got into bed with the homeowners. The homeowners immediately called 911 and also asked Howard what he was doing inside their residence. He said he lived there. A deputy arrived and found Howard sitting on the couch in the living room. Continue reading Man Arrested after Climbing Into Wrong Bed

TYLER — It takes a big screen to convey the effects of big weather — of special interest with hurricane season now on people’s minds. TJC’s 40-foot, dome theater is now home to “Extreme Weather,” the newest show at the Center for Earth & Space Science Education at TJC. According to information from the college, the show features insights from experts demonstrating how climate change is rapidly affecting land, oceans and atmosphere to produce natural disasters as ruinous as they are spectacular. The film unveils the surprising linkages between these three areas, demonstrating how a small change in one place can have large effects elsewhere, according to the college. You can find more details on the ktbb.com Calendar of Events.

TYLER – Tyler police make a discovery as they investigate the death of a woman found dead in a dumpster. Investigators say they have confirmed that Linda Tribble was an avid collector of items that are discarded into trash containers. They say she has been known to get into containers to search for discarded items on numerous occasions. According to police, after investigators removed her body from the dumpster they observed no evident signs of trauma to the body that would immediately indicate foul play. Investigators are waiting for results from the autopsy to determine the cause of death. The 65-year-old’s body was found in a dumpster behind the Family Dollar store on the North Northwest Loop. Her husband had called police Saturday afternoon to report his wife missing.

ATHENS — Authorities say a Eustace woman wanted on several outstanding warrants was arrested around 3:00 Monday morning after she tried to flee and resisted. Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse says 26-year-old Rochelle Bowden was spotted driving westbound on Main Street in Gun Barrel City in a vehicle that was known to be stolen. Hillhouse says initially she yielded to a deputy, then took off, but the vehicle wrecked in a nearby pasture. Hillhouse says Bowden then resisted arrest before being subdued. She’s charged with resisting arrest, search and transport, unauthorized use of a vehicle, evading law enforcement with a vehicle, and a parole violation.

TYLER — The Tyler Parks and Recreation Department will be hosting the Summer Playground Program again this summer at P.T. Cole Park, Emmett Scott Park, and Pollard Park. Thousands of Tyler children have been able to participate in the program, established in the 1950s. The program begins Tuesday and continues through August 3. Playground leaders will be at each location from 9:00 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. The program is free to children ages 6 to 12. Each location will provide breakfast and lunch along with sports, arts and crafts, games and other special events. You can check the ktbb.com Calendar of Events for additional details.

TYLER – Here’s a look at work planned in the district during the week of June 4th. 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.

Districtwide seal coat operations are ongoing in the Tyler District. Motorists should expect lane closures and delays during this work to seal and protect roadways from water, and provide a longer life cycle. Because the time to complete work on each roadway is estimated, these schedules are subject to change. Continue reading TxDOT Area Road Work

LINDALE – Lindale police report a runaway teen they had been looking for has been found. Tabitha Tene is safe and in CPS custody. She had been last seen near Raceway around 5:00 Saturday afternoon. No information was released on where or how she was found.

MARSHALL – The Harrison County Sheriff’s Department is searching for an inmate who escaped from a work detail around 11:00 Saturday night. Gary Lynn Gorman, 36, was with a crew that took out trash to a dumpster and he didn’t return. He is said to have escaped with the help of another inmate’s girlfriend, Terry (Harness) Douglas of Longview. Gorman is believed to be making his was to Dallas County, but he also has connections in Gregg, Upshur, and Marion counties and law enforcement agencies in those counties have been alerted. Continue reading Officials Hunt for Escaped Harrison County Inmate

KILGORE – A hit and run accident in Kilgore remains under investigation. It is believed to have occurred between 9:00 and 10:00pm on Wednesday, May 23rd on Green Hills Road. A pedestrian was severely injured but is expected to make a full recovery. Detectives say they do not believe this was an intentional act. They suspect it was an accident and the driver simply panicked and fled the scene. They are asking the driver to contact them. If you have any information about the accident you are asked to contact the Kilgore Police Department.

LINDALE – Lindale police are looking for a teenage runaway. She is Tabitha Tene and she was last seen near Raceway around 5:00 Saturday afternoon. She was last seen wearing a navy blue shirt with white writing (something about Jesus), black pants, and black shoes. She has long dark hair that was pulled up. She is about 5’5” and weighs 150 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes. She also has multiple scars on her left wrist and several string bracelets on her right wrist. They believe she may be headed to Tyler, but possibly has contacts in the Rockwall area. If you know where she may be found you are asked to contact Lindale police.

TYLER – A Tyler man has been charged in the death of his father. Jody Colston, 58, had been struck by a car driven by his son, Aaron Colston, 31. The father was found in a wooded area off East Gentry Parkway after 2:15 Saturday afternoon. The father was taken to a Tyler hospital where he died. The son told officers that he was backing a vehicle and was unaware that his father was behind it when he ran over him. After investigating officers smelled alcohol at the scene, the son was placed under arrest for criminally negligent homicide and booked into the Smith County Jail.

GLADEWATER – A pilot has escaped with minor injuries after his plane crashes into Lake Gladewater. It happened early this morning. The ultra-light plane has been recovered from the lake. Our news partner KETK reports are the pilot was trying to land the plane on the lake when it flipped. Both the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating are investigating the crash.