KTBB News, Weather, Talk

KILGORE – One person has been killed and one injured in a one vehicle accident in Kilgore. Dead on arrival at a Tyler hospital was Catherine Michelle McCarty, 19, of Kilgore. Injured was the car’s driver, Zachary Paul Vick, 20, of Kilgore. The accident happened just before 4:00 Sunday morning on Farm Road 349. The vehicle is said to have left the road and rolled and hit a concrete culvert. The vehicle then flipped and rolled again. Evidence gathered at the scene indicated alcohol may have been involved in the crash. The wreck remains under investigation.

TYLER – Funeral services have been set for a Tyler Fire Department captain and his wife who died after an Arkansas accident. According to Stewart Family Funeral Home, funeral services for Marty and Jean Lawrence will be Thursday morning at 11:00 in the worship center of Tyler’s Green Acres Baptist Church. Burial will follow in the Flint Cemetery. The preliminary crash report says the two were heading east on Interstate 30 around 12:15 Saturday morning in Clark County when an 18-wheeler also heading east, swerved and hit their car. Both vehicles left the road and came to rest in the tree line. The driver of the 18-wheeler, Raad E. Hamdeh Abu of Illinois, was injured.

LONGVIEW – A Longview man was driving over 100 miles an hour just before a Longview accident that killed two persons and injured two on September 21st. The wreck killed Rylee Malone and Meshebia Renee Johnson, both 17 and both from Longview. The two drivers, Palmer Malone, 19, of Longview and Christa Tamara Wilson 32, of Harleton, were injured. Wilson remains hospitalized. The Longview News Journal, quoting a search warrant, says data from the airbag control module in Malone’s car showed he was going 109 mph two seconds before the air bags were deployed. Continue reading Excessive Speed Involved in Fatal Longview Wreck

TYLER – The Tyler Street Department has announced some lane closures.

Lane closures have been announced at Rieck Road and New Copeland Road. it will be on the northwest corner of New Copeland and Rieck Road intersection. It will be Tuesday through Friday, or until work is complete, from 8:00am till 3:00pm each day. It is because of excavation of a major drainage channel. The lane closures will allow safe staging of large equipment needed to complete the work. Continue reading Some Tyler Lane Closures

TYLER – Tyler police continue their investigation of the Sunday morning burglary at Atwood’s on WNW Loop 323. The suspects, driving the pickup pictured here, stole five rifles, ammunition and a variety of other items. The store manager discovered when he arrived at work that the front glass doors had been broken out. Five suspects were observed in the store video. If you know who drives this pickup, or can supply other information about the burglary, you are asked to contact the Tyler Police Department at 903-531-1000 or Tyler-Smith County Crime stoppers at 903-597-2833.

EAST TEXAS – Tuesday night, police departments in East Texas are taking part in National Night Out activities, which helps promote police-community partnerships. It is celebrated in Texas the first Tuesday night in October, when its cooler. The rest of the country does it in August. Neighborhoods host block parties, festivals, parades, cookouts and various other community events. Some include safety demonstrations, seminars, youth events, visits from emergency personnel, exhibits and much more. Among the area cities where activities are planned are Longview, Marshall, Kilgore, Gladewater, White Oak, Palestine and Gregg County. Tyler’s annual Texans Against Crime block parties will be held on Tuesday, October 10th.

LONGVIEW – A Longview man is facing drug charges after a large quantity of narcotics was found in a South Green Street home. Carteris Loyd-Robbinson, 24, was arrested after a warrant was served at the south Longview home. The warrant was served by the Gregg County Organized Drug Enforcement Unit with assistance of the Longview SWAT team and the Special Investigation and Apprehension Unit. Along with the drugs, officers also seized two handguns during the search. Besides the drug charges, Robbinson is also charged with evading arrest or detention. He is in the Gregg County Jail with bonds totaling $112,500.

TYLER – Two burglary suspects have been arrested by Tyler police. The officers responded to an alarm at Honda of Tyler on the Chandler Highway, Sunday morning at 4:00. They saw two persons running into the woods at the rear of the business. They left behind three motorcycles that they were in the process of stealing. Two teens were later found hiding in a car on the Old Chandler Highway. Arrested were James Earl Warren, 18, of Tyler and a 15 year old Tyler juvenile. They believe one more person may have been involved in the burglary.

TYLER – Here’s a look at work planned in TxDOT’s Tyler District during the week of Oct. 2. These 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. District seal coat operations move to Henderson County on Monday morning, where work will be conducted on FM 3079 from FM 324 eastward to FM 315. On Tuesday, work moves to Business 31 in Athens from East Loop 7 to Business 19 at The Square. Motorists should expect lane closures and delays during this work, which wraps up Thursday, completing summer seal coat operations. Go to http://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/media-center/local-news/tyler/049-2017.html for a more detailed look at roadwork in the Tyler District.

TYLER — A Tyler Fire Department captain and his wife have died after an Arkansas accident. According to KETK, fire department spokesman Paul Findley names the victims as Marty and Jean Lawrence. The preliminary crash report says the two were heading east on Interstate 30 around 12:15 Saturday morning in Clark County when an 18-wheeler also heading east, swerved and hit their car. Both vehicles left the road and came to rest in the tree line. The driver of the 18-wheeler, Raad E. Hamdeh Abu of Illinois, was injured. According to Stewart Family Funeral Home, funeral services for the couple will be Thursday morning at 11:00 in the worship center of Tyler’s Green Acres Baptist Church. Burial will follow in the Flint Cemetery.

TYLER – Tyler’s bulky item collection week starts on Monday. The pickup of those large items is sponsored twice a year by Tyler’s Solid Waste Department and Keep Tyler Beautiful. It’s a great time for residential customers to get rid of those large items that would normally require a special fee to pick up. All you have to do is place the items on the curb Monday and a city crew will pick it up. There is no need to call the Solid Waste Office. But you need to note that items may be collected on a different day from your usual scheduled garbage collection. Items that will be picked up, at no charge, include furniture, appliances, carpet, fence material, up to four non-commercial vehicle tires, old toys and other such large items. No liquid waste, limbs or brush will be picked up. Paint must be dried out with oil dry or kitty litter. Continue reading Bulky Item Collections in Tyler

TYLER — One of the most highly anticipated exhibitions in recent years comes to the Tyler Museum of Art with “Andy Warhol: Screen Prints & Snapshots,” according to information from the museum. It’s open to the public now through January 7. The exhibition features close to 40 works by the late Pop Art icon, including a series of Warhol’s signature silkscreen prints and a collection of his celebrity-centric Polaroid photographs. General exhibition admission is $6 for adults and $4 for seniors. Admission is free for TMA members, students, children under 12, Tyler Junior College faculty/staff, and City of Tyler employees. For information, visit http://www.tylermuseum.org or call 903-595-1001.

TYLER — Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith says three suspects have been arrested in a September 17 shooting near the Eagle Creek Mobile Home Park off State Highway 271 North. Deputies responding to a 911 call found the victim in a wooded area. It was determined he had suffered a life-threatening gunshot wound during an alleged robbery. The suspects were identified the following day. Tarrance Reggie, 19, was arrested September 19. Joel Camacho, 23, was captured September 28; Carlos Ochoa, 17, was brought in September 29. All three were jailed on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

TYLER — Tyler police are investigating a burglary in which eight rifles were stolen from Atwood’s on WNW Loop 323, near the Highway 69 intersection. Police got the call around 4:50 Saturday morning. The store manager discovered when he arrived at work that the front glass doors had been broken out. Five suspects were observed in the store video of the incident. They stole the rifles from the gun case and tried to gain entry into another gun case. They also stole ammunition and other assorted items. If you have any information related to this crime, contact the Tyler Police Department at 903-531-1000 or Tyler-Smith County Crime stoppers at 903-597-2833.

LINDALE — Lindale ISD has announced the implementation of “David’s Law” and an app to help curb bullying in the district. KETK reports the school district has put into place STOPit, a program used to anonymously report inappropriate behavior and bullying, among other offenses. Parents have been given a code to log in to STOPit. Once a student sends in a concern, LISD officials say a school administrator will be able to quickly respond and talk about the issue. “David’s Law” makes it a Class A misdemeanor to harass a student 18 or younger through electronic means. The suicide of 16-year-old San Antonio high school student David Molak spurred Texas senators to write the legislation.

TYLER – The Texas Council of Professors of Educational Administration has named U.T. Tyler professor Dr. Jennifer Jones as ‘Advocate of the Year.’ At school since 2015, Dr. Jones is an assistant professor within the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. With 20 years of educational experience in both urban and rural districts, Jones served as a past public school educator, school superintendent, principal, counselor and special education teacher. She will be recognized in a ceremony in Dallas next month.

TYLER – A man wanted by Tyler police for numerous burglaries has been arrested in Henderson County. Tyler detectives had obtained 5 arrest warrants for Timothy David Himes Jr., 41, of Larue. The U.S. Marshal’s Joint East Texas Fugitive Task Force and the Henderson County Sheriff’s Department found him Thursday at a residence in Larue. As they tried to arrest him, Himes is said to have resisted arrest and escaped from custody, but was captured and booked in to the Henderson County Jail. He is facing numerous charges, including escape from arrest, resisting arrest, evading arrest and burglary of a habitation. His bonds total $577,000. And There are numerous other warrants pending from other law enforcement agencies.

PALESTINE – A Palestine High School football player has been arrested for assaulting a teammate. Arrested Thursday evening was Le’George Marquez Gray, 17, a high school junior. He has been booked into the Anderson County Jail on a charge of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury. He is said to have assaulted senior Michael Stanczyk, 18, after practice Wednesday. He is in stable condition in a Dallas hospital following surgery for facial injuries.

HENDERSON COUNTY – Numerous law enforcement agencies are searching for the armed suspect accused of assaulting a deputy. It started Thursday night when a Henderson County Sheriff’s Deputy stopped to check on a suspicious man walking on FM 607 south of Leaugeville. The suspect reportedly struck the deputy in the face with a pistol and ran. The deputy was treated and released from the hospital. The suspect is described as a white man wearing dark clothing and should be considered armed and dangerous. Henderson County Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 reward for information to the suspects arrest.

MARSHALL – The Marshall City Commission voted to confirm City Manager Lisa Agnor’s appointment of Cliff Carruth as Marshall’s new police chief at the Thursday commission meeting. He replaces Ron Davis, who was hired in May as Interim Police Chief. He will begin his new role at the end of October. Curruth has a total of 26 years of experience in law enforcement, six of those years were as a police officer with the Longview Police Department. He will be retiring from the Federal Bureau of Investigation where he most recently was the Senior Supervisory Resident Agent at the Little Rock Division of the FBI.

LONGVIEW – Longview police are trying to determine who broke into 8 businesses in a shopping center at Loop 281 and Bill Owens Parkway. They broke out walls and windows in the businesses in the early Thursday morning burglary. In one business, money was taken from a safe. It could have taken the burglars several hours to rummage through the stores at the Oak Forest Center.

LONGVIEW – The Longview City Council has named Keith Bonds as Acting City Manager. The action becomes effective following the retirement of City Manager David Willard at the end of the year. Mayor Andy Mack said Bonds will serve as Acting City Manager for a period of six months. After that time he will be evaluated to see if the word “acting” will be removed from his title. Bonds has served as Assistant City Manager since 2014. He has worked for the city since 1999. Bonds is a Texas Licensed Professional Engineer with a B.S. degree in civil engineering from Texas A&M University. Prior to becoming Assistant City Manager, he served in a variety of roles including Director of Public Works, Director of Water Utilities, and Utility Engineer.

TYLER – The Tyler school district is coming to the aid of families impacted by the closing of the YMCA. They are offering after school care. It was announced Thursday Tyler ISD will offer affected families after school enrichment opportunities. The plans were developed and tailored to meet the current enrollment and participation needs of each affected campus. Jones and Peete elementary schools will have a temporary after school enrichment program for kindergarten through 5th grade students available every day until 6:00pm. This will be offered through November 16th. After school care at Andy Woods Elementary School will continue through the remainder of the school year. Continue reading Tyler ISD to Offer After School Care

LUFKIN (AP) – A 39-year-old East Texas kindergarten teacher has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to seven counts of sexual assault with a child and improper relationship with a student for having sex with high school students. A judge in Angelina County also has ordered Heather Robertson, of Lufkin, to surrender her teaching certification and register for life as a sex offender. Robertson was a teacher in the Hudson school district, just outside Lufkin, for 13 years. Prosecutors said an investigation showed she had sex at her Lufkin apartment with at least six Hudson students between last November and February this year. She resigned as a Hudson teacher April 20 and was arrested the next day. She could have received up to 20 years on each count.

DALLAS – The State Fair of Texas opens a 24 day run on Friday, and volunteers from Tyler will be there to welcome the crowds. Volunteers from Visit Tyler will be there from 10:00am till 6:00pm, highlighting Tyler’s many events and attractions. They will help staff the Texas Heritage Travel booth in the historic GoTexan Pavilion, next to the State Fair Wine Garden and close to the Cotton Bowl. Tyler’s community banner and promotional literature will also be on hand.

WASHINGTON – Two area schools are among the 342 schools around the country named by the Department of Education as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2017. Among the nearly two dozen Texas schools to receive the honor are Tyler’s Grace Community Elementary School and, in Whitehouse, Stanton-Smith Elementary. According to a news release from U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, “National Blue Ribbon Schools are active demonstrations of preparing every child for a bright future.” The program honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools where students achieve very high learning standards or are making notable improvements in closing the achievement gap. The schools will be honored at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. November 6th and 7th.

LONGVIEW – With one arrest, Longview police have recovered a car stolen in Mississippi and a dog stolen in Texas. Cam Albert Robbins, 33, of Union, Mississippi, was said to have been unsteady as he walked to his car in a restaurant parking lot late Sunday night. He was arrested for public intoxication. Then it was learned the car had been stolen the day before in Philadelphia, Mississippi. Robbins was then charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. The English Bulldog found in the front seat was turned over to the Longview Animal Care and Adoption Center. A microchip in the dog showed the owner lived in Lone Star. The dog and owner were reunited on Thursday.

DALLAS – A former Henderson County police officer has been ordered by a federal judge to pay $6.3 million to the family of an Iowa man who died in the officer’s custody in 2013. Judge Roy Payne ruled that Ernesto Fierro used excessive force when he arrested William Livezey Jr., 70, while off-duty. The judge said in his final judgment that Livezey suffered a heart attack induced by the arrest. Livezey was transporting lumber from his business in Iowa, to a client in Houston, when the encounter occurred. Fierro claimed Livezey was driving aggressively but witnesses said it was Fierro who was operating his motorcycle erratically. Fierro later was convicted of aggravated assault and fired from the Malakoff police force.

WINONA – The second person killed in a Winona crash and fire has been identified. Justice of the Peace Mitch Shamburger says the passenger in the car has been identified as 34 year old Subhrajit Paul. He has family in both Bangladesh and India. The driver had previously been identified as 34 year old Dhaval Ajay Bhatt, of Frisco.The preliminary autopsy shows both died from blunt force trauma. Around 4:30am on September 21st, their car slammed into Mike’s Pizza and Pasta, starting a fire that destroyed the business, which had only been open for six days.