KTBB News, Weather, Talk

LONGVIEW – Authorities say the number of incidents has increased from 60 to about 72 as they continue to investigate numerous vehicle windows shot out in the Longview area. Police say the estimated damage is about $18,000. Most of the crimes happened early Monday morning. Police have released a surveillance photo that shows what they say is a suspected truck. The vehicle, caught on surveillance in two locations, is a light-colored Chevrolet extended cab pickup, roughly between a 1997 and 1999 model. According to KETK, police said a suspect or suspects used an airsoft gun to break windows in vehicles parked outside residences. Investigators are asking anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers at 903-236-7867 or the Longview Police Department at 903-237-1170.

KENNER, La. (AP/Staff) – The Coast Guard has suspended its search for the East Texas native who was unaccounted for after an explosion on an oil platform in Lake Pontchartrain near Kenner, Louisiana. Forty-four-year-old contractor Timothy Morrison of Katy, Texas, was still missing after the Sunday night explosion. According to KETK, Morrison spent his childhood in Athens. Seven other people were injured, three critically. Cmdr. Zac Ford said in a statement Monday night, “The decision to suspend a search is never an easy one. We send our thoughts and prayers to the Morrison family and all those affected by this incident.” The fire on the platform, which is owned by Clovelly Oil Co., was extinguished Monday morning.

LONGVIEW — The Longview Police Department is investigating a murder committed on Bertha St. around 11:53 Monday night. Arriving officers found 61-year-old Lonnie Halton with multiple gunshot wounds. Halton died shortly after arrival at Christus Good Shepherd Medical Center. According to police, the initial investigation indicates the suspects targeted this location and it was not a random act. Police continue to seek suspects and witnesses. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Longview Police Department at 903-237-1170 or Gregg County Crime Stoppers at 903-236-7867.

LONGVIEW — A suspect believed to be connected to a weekend killing has been arrested. According to KETK, Cody Dewayne Fortman, 21, of Longview, was apprehended around 1:30 Monday afternoon. Investigators identified the suspect through the cooperation of a witness. Fortman has been charged with the murder of Nicholas Trevion Johnson, 22, of Longview. The victim was found early Sunday morning inside a home on Annette Drive with multiple gunshot wounds. The suspect was booked into the Gregg County Jail. His bond has been set at $175,000. Johnson’s death marked the sixth recorded homicide in Longview in 2017.

TYLER — Residents of nine units at a Tyler apartment complex have been displaced by fire. Firefighters headed to the Bullard Creek Apartments on Old Bullard Rd. around 12:30 Monday afternoon. Fire officials say crews were able to bring the flames under control in about 30 minutes. Bullard Creek management has been working to get the residents another place to stay. Investigators believe the fire started on the patio of a first floor unit. The tenant had discarded a cigarette in the trashcan just moments before the fire, which entered the chimney space and quickly spread to the second floor. After investigation, this matches the area where investigators believe the fire started. There were no injuries reported.

TYLER — Tyler police say a man stabbed his girlfriend numerous times. The initial call came in late Monday morning from a home on Emerson Avenue. Arriving officers found the victim and suspect at the residence along with several family members who were present at the time of the incident. Officers say 20-year-old Chrishawn Polk had attacked 26-year-old Allyson Smith. Both live at the home with some of Polk’s extended family members. Smith was transported to ETMC by ambulance; her condition wasn’t immediately known. Polk was was booked into the Smith County Jail on charges including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of interfering with an emergency call. Bond has not been set.

LONGVIEW — Jay Garland has been selected as chair of The University of Texas at Tyler Longview University Center’s Development Council. Garland (right) will succeed Tom Tibiletti (left). Linda Robinett will serve as the council’s new vice chair. This year the council also welcomed new members Judge Alfonso Charles, Miles Darby, Margaret Dodson, and Drew Jackson. In a news release, LUC director Dr. Van Patterson said, “Over the years funds raised by the organization have been invested in new equipment and scholarships that benefit students.”

HOUSTON (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court has refused an appeal from a man sent to death row for torturing and drowning an East Texas woman in his bathtub and then stuffing her body into a barrel with cement mix and lime before dumping it in a ravine. The high court, without comment Monday, declined to review arguments that 50-year-old Troy Clark had deficient legal help at his Smith County trial in 2000. Clark was condemned for the May 1998 slaying of a former roommate, 20-year-old Christina Muse of Tyler. Evidence showed Muse was hit with a stun gun, beaten, bound and kept in a closet before she was drowned at Clark’s Tyler home. Records indicate Clark and a friend were using and selling methamphetamine and were worried she would snitch on them.

LONGVIEW — A Longview man remains jailed for double-murder. According to KETK, the court decided to delay the trial of Kyron Templeton. He’s accused of fatally stabbing two people inside Good Shepherd Medical Center Ambulatory Surgical Center in Longview. The 26-year-old has been in prison on a 2.5 million dollar bond since the murders in 2013.The trial was scheduled to start today but the district judge granted a delay due to questions over Templeton’s mental competency. His lawyers say he is not competent to stand trial. Another hearing has been scheduled for December 8. A nurse, Gail Sandidge, 57, and a hospital visitor, Harris Teel, 82, were killed in the attack. Three other people were seriously injured.

MARSHALL — A pedestrian died after being struck by a pickup truck late Saturday on U.S. 59 about 3 miles outside Marshall. According to the Longview News-Journal, Gilbert Eugene Kasler, 42, of Marshall was struck at 11 p.m. by a northbound pickup driven by Andrea Janise Chaddwick, 45, of Shelbyville. The Texas Department of Public Safety said Kasler was pronounced dead at the scene.

TYLER – A young child was killed when hit by a car in Tyler. Killed was two year old Braylon Lee. The accident happened at the Liberty Arms Apartments on North Broadway around 2:30 Sunday afternoon. Investigators say the driver was driving slowly in the parking lot due to children in the area and that Lee suddenly ran out in front of her vehicle. They say the driver was not a fault in the accident.

MARSHALL – A burn ban went into effect in Harrison County on Sunday. The burn ban was ordered after a consultation with the County Fire Marshal. Drought conditions have developed and it appears as if the conditions will probably continue to deteriorate. Cooking outside on enclosed pits or grills will be allowed, but open fires outdoors and outdoors burning are prohibited until the ban is lifted. The news release from the county said, “with the passing of another dry cold front and the expectation of lower humidity and high wind gusts, it is dangerous to burn outdoors.” It will take a substantial amount of rainfall before the ban is lifted.

TYLER – The League of Women Voters of Tyler/ Smith County is hosting a parley to debate the proposed Texas Constitutional Amendments on Monday in the Taylor Auditorium, Tyler Public Library. The League has teamed up with Jersey Mike’s and Good Shepherd School for a fun and informational public meeting, Parley & Poorboys. The deadline for ordering food was at noon on Saturday. Members of the Good Shepherd School Debate Team will present the pros and cons of the proposed Texas Constitutional Amendments, and Judge Nathaniel Moran will provide a brief, neutral, update on Smith County Proposition A – the issuance of $39,500,000 tax bonds for road construction and improvements. Copies of the LWV-Texas Education Fund’s *Voters Guide *on the proposed amendments will be available (free) to take home.

TYLER – Here’s a look at work planned in the district during the Week of October 16th. These schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure or other unforeseen issues. Smith County – Tyler Maintenance plans to conduct edge repairs on Farm Road 1252 with a second crew performing ditch maintenance on roadways around the county. Expect lane closures with flaggers providing traffic control. You can go to https://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/media-center/local-news/tyler/051-2017.html and see the project update for TxDOT’s Tyler District.

LONGVIEW – A man has died in an early Sunday morning shooting in Longview. Nicholas Trevion Johnson, 22, of Longview, was shot at home on Annette Drive. He was taken to Christus Good Shepherd Medical Center where he later died. The investigation is continuing.

LONGVIEW – Four Longview firemen have been injured in a fire that displaced a family of four. Fire Marshal Kevin May told the Longview News Journal no other injuries were reported in the fire on Gay Street. It was reported around 11:00 Friday night. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

CHAPEL HILL -Three persons have been arrested following a police chase in Smith County. It started Thursday with a state trooper chasing a pickup that had been speeding in south eastern Smith County. The truck finally stopped and the three persons in the truck fled on foot. Earl Nelson Jr., 38, of Tyler,(pictured) was arrested. The search then began for Trinity Driver, 28, of Arp, who was driving the pickup, and Kendall Durham, 28, of Tyler. One of the deputies’ dog tracked them to a home on County Road 2301. It took the sheriff’s department SWAT team to enter the house to arrested the two. Continue reading Chase Leads to 3 Arrests in Smith County

TYLER – Longtime Smith County Extension Agent Chad Gulley has retired. He has been the County Extension Agent in Smith County since 2011. He has also served the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Services in Polk and Nacogdoches counties, for over 17 years. Gulley was honored this summer with state and national Distinguished Service Awards. He received the 2017 Distinguished Service Award at the National Association of County Agricultural Agents meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah in July. A week later he was also honored with the Texas County Agricultural Agents Association Distinguished Service Award at its annual meeting in Odessa. Gulley retired on Friday to begin a new career working for Shelby Savings Bank.

TYLER – A topping out ceremony was held Friday morning for the future home of the College of Business and Technology at the University of Texas at Tyler. The four-story 140,000 square-foot building is expected to open for classes next fall. It will feature student meeting places, classrooms and specialized experimental labs. It will also contain faculty offices, a courtyard, second-floor terrace and specialized landscaping. Those who attended the ceremony were invited to sign the final beam that will be located on the tallest part of the building’s roof.The $56 million structure is part of a larger project that includes an adjacent parking garage, adding roughly 400 parking spaces, as well as renovations to the current Business Building. It will become the new home of the College of Arts and Sciences.

EAST TEXAS – Accidents in Henderson and Cherokee counties have left two persons dead and one injured. The Henderson County accident happened shortly after 5:45 Thursday afternoon on Farm Road 315, just south of County Road 4201, 10 miles north of Chandler. Dead at the scene was Austin Dale Boyles, 23, of Grand Saline. He was a passenger a pickup driven by Westin Dale Milliorn, 19, of Grand Saline. He is in serious condition at a Tyler hospital. The Department of Public Safety reports he was heading north when he failed to negotiate a curve. When he went off the road he overcorrected and went off on the other side of the road where he hit a tree. Continue reading Two Die in Area Wrecks

SHREVEPORT, La. — A second death is reported in last week’s fatal house fire in Diana. According to KETK, a Shreveport hospital has confirmed James Hogue died early Wednesday from his injuries. His wife, Sherri Hogue, died during the fire, along with their three pets. Investigators say Mrs. Hogue was bedridden and unable to escape the flames. The Hogues’ 18-year-old grandson was the only survivor.

TYLER — The Tyler Police Department is putting out the word on a scam that has recently emerged. Police say several people reported a call from a person claiming to be with Microsoft Computers. The caller claims to need the call recipient’s computer IP address to determine if the computer has reported viruses that have been detected. The caller will then pretend to be looking into the problem and inform you that you have numerous computer issues. Then comes a request for a credit card number that purportedly allows the caller to add virus protection — and clean up viruses that don’t exist. The caller will then start charging on your credit card while keeping you on the phone with the phony problem. Continue reading Tyler Police Warn of Computer-Related Scam

TYLER – The body of a Tyler soldier returns home on Friday for funeral service which will be held early next week. The body of Specialist Alexander Wayne Missildine, 20, will be arriving at Tyler’s Pounds Field Regional Airport around 2:00 Friday afternoon. Serving with the 10th Mountain Division’s Louisiana-based brigade combat team, Missildine was killed October 1st by an improvised explosive device in Iraq. Funeral services will be held Monday afternoon at 2:00 at Green Acres Baptist Church. The family will receive friends on Sunday from 5:00 to 7:00pm at Jackson’s Burks Walker Tippit Funeral Home.

LAKE PALESTINE – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is reporting that Giant Salvinia has been found in Lake Palestine. It is generally in the rear of Saline Bay past the Farm Road 344 bridge. A containment boom has been put across the opening at the bridge with hopes of keeping the plant material inside the contained area. Texas Parks and Wildlife is asking residents to be patient while they try to keep this extremely invasive plant from spreading further. It can easily be spread from one body of water to another by boat or trailer. They are asking people to triple check boats and trailers when leaving the lake to make sure you not taking some of the plant with you.

LONGVIEW – Longview police are investigating an animal cruelty case. Animal control officers have found a dog that had been shot with a 20 inch arrow. The dog was taken to the Longview Animal Care and Adoption Center where the arrow, which had pierced his lungs, was removed. On top of that, it learned the dog had been shot numerous times with a pellet gun and a pellet was still inside him. The dog, which was found near Rawley Court and Glover Drive, will live. If you recognize him, you are asked to contact Longview police.

TYLER – Senior math majors at the University of Texas at Tyler have been recognized for outstanding academic research. Senior mathematics major Vincent Villalobos of Tyler won an Outstanding Student Presentation Award at the 2017 National Math Fest Conference. Also, senior mathematics major Yansy Perez of Tyler placed second in the 2017 University of Texas System Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Research Conference. According to a news release from the school, both students participated in this year’s LSAMP Summer Research Academy. This is where individual research projects are prepared under the supervision of science, technology, engineering and mathematics faculty at the school. It is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

TYLER – A trial date has been set next year for a Smith County capital murder suspect. The trial for Gustavo Zavala-Garcia was set for March 19 during a Thursday pretrial hearing. The date was scheduled for next year as prosecutors await forensic testing on some evidence. The test results are expected to be in early next year. He has been charged with the death of Kayla Gomez-Orozco, 10. She disappeared last November from a Bullard church during worship service. Her body was found days later inside a well on the suspect’s property. According to an arrest affidavit, a witness said they saw the man with Kayla shortly before her disappearance. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

TYLER – More credit card skimmers have turned up in Tyler. A Fraud Task Force investigator has found two credit card skimmers in the gas pumps at the service station at Commerce and NNE Loop 323 in Tyler. Investigators have found several skimmers at this location over recent months. Skimmer devices will capture your credit card information allowing the suspect to clone a new credit card and charge on your account. Continue reading Credit Card Skimmers Found in Tyler

TYLER – Sunday’s Tyler Rose Run has been cancelled, but all hope is not lost. The city was informed Wednesday that the half-marathon and 5-mile race would not be run. The company staging the race said the reason for the cancellation was very low attendance. Mellew Productions also said there would be no refunds issued. And the company told KETK that they had ceased operations. Now, instead, Tyler runners plan to host a DIY race, a replacement for disappointed runners. They’re calling it the “Homemade Half.” Runners plan to meet at Rose Rudman Park between 7:30 and 8:00 Sunday morning. Organizers say when there are enough runners for a race it will start. We’ll keep you posted on further developments.