KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — Tyler police search for a suspect after a woman said she was held at gunpoint and sexually assaulted. It happened around 10:00 last night in the area of Beckham and Erwin. The woman said she was confronted by a black male with a gun and forced behind a building where she was assaulted. The suspect’s described as early 20’s, close to 6′ and thin. His face was covered and he fled on foot. Continue reading Woman Sexually Assaulted at Gunpoint

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK — A former Longview doctor has died after going missing at a National Park. According to KETK, the Grand Canyon National Park issued a notice asking for the public’s help in locating Dr. Sarah Beadle, 38, of Fort Worth. Her body was recovered by a search team Wednesday afternoon. Dr. Beadle was a former doctor at CHRISTUS Good Shepherd Medical Center in Longview before joining the Baylor Emergency Medical Center in Keller. The National Parks Service said Beadle had reservations to stay at Phantom Ranch August 1, but never arrived. Her backpack was found near the junction of the South Kaibab Trail and the River trail later Tuesday evening. Continue reading Former Longview Doctor Found Dead at National Park

TYLER – One man remains in the hospital following a Tuesday afternoon plane crash. The two men involved were treated at East Texas Medical Center in Tyler. They were identified by the Department of Public Safety as Joshua Daniel, 36, of Bullard and Jamie Jackson, 33, of Tomball. Jackson, a flight instructor, was treated and released. Daniel, a student pilot, remains at ETMC in serious condition. The single engine aircraft crashed near U.S. Highway 69 north of Mount Selman. An FAA spokesman told KETK that the plane had departed from Tyler Pounds Regional Airport. According to a city of Tyler spokeswoman, the plane stopped in Tyler for fuel. Continue reading Student Pilot Remains in Hospital Following Plane Crash

TYLER – A Tyler church has been hit by gunfire. The shots struck the Higher Heights Baptist Church on the Van Highway around 8:30 Wednesday night. Church members inside the building say the heard the gunshots outside the church. Several bullet holes were found. No one was injured.

TYLER – Smith County Habitat for Humanity is expanding its home buyer program. In the past, it was designed for families whose household income fell within 30% to 60% of the average mean income of Smith County residents. It will now include families whose household income falls within 60% to 80% of the AMI. The agency is currently accepting applications. You can call 903-595-6630 for more information.

WASKOM – A one vehicle accident in Harrison County has killed Sharon Hyde Chaney, 55, of Karnack. The Department of Public Safety Reports her vehicle left the road and ran into a ditch before hitting several trees. The report says her car was traveling at an unsafe speed when the accident occurred. It was reported around 10:45 Tuesday evening on Farm Road 134, about 5 miles northwest of Waskom.

TYLER — A Gilmer man who police said had more than 110 grams of methamphetamine, guns and a host of other drugs at an Upshur County house has been indicted by a federal grand jury. Shundarrell Vondrake Cain, 45, has been charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm during drug trafficking and felon in possession of a firearm. KETK reports federal prosecutors are also seeking criminal forfeiture of at least $10,000 stemming from drug sales and seven guns.

TYLER – A shooting on North Englewood in Tyler around 5:00 Tuesday afternoon sends a man to the hospital with a bullet wound to his thigh. A Tyler police report said the injury was not life threatening. His name has not been released. No charges have been filed and the case remains under investigation.

TYLER – Liberty Utility customers in Tyler and Smith County are in for a rate hike. An administrative law judge on Tuesday approved the interim rate increase. The company operates as Woodmark Sewer and Tall Timbers Sewer. The rate for Tall Timbers customers in Tyler will go up to $41.63 a month. Tall Timbers customers outside of city limits will see their monthly rate go to $54.93 a month. The rate for Woodmark Water and Sewer customers increases to $71.85 a month. The increases stem from a rate hike request the company filed nearly a year ago.

TYLER – Texas Spine & Joint Hospital is now part of the Baylor Scott & White and United Surgical Partners International statewide network. The joint ownership was announced and became effective on Tuesday. Texas Spine & Joint has received numerous awards since its founding in 2002. In May of last year Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics and CHRISTUS Health united to create the CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System. Last November, Good Shepherd Health System in Longview announced its merger with Christus Health.

TYLER – Beginning this month, the state’s campus carry law has been expanded to include community and junior colleges. Tyler Junior College has a policy in place which allows a person, with a concealed handgun permit, permission to carry the gun on the campus. Dr. Tom Johnson, Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs at TJC, says there are a few areas where the concealed handguns are not permitted, and those areas are marked by large signs. He says you can go to the TJC website and type in concealed handgun policy in the search section to view the policy.

LONGVIEW — Burglary suspects Steven Williams and Robert Blackshear, both 19 years-old of Longview, have been arrested. They were on their way to the hospital, for some unknown reason, when they had a accident at Methvin and Fifth Streets. That’s where they were arrested for breaking into a home on South Mobberly Avenue to steal items from Jaun Richardson, who police say they stabbed in back. He is in the hospital. The teens are in the Gregg County Jail, charged with burglary of a habitation. Each is under a $50,000 bond.

HENDERSON COUNTY – An Arp man has been arrested for possession of meth. Trinity Driver, 28, was pulled over for a traffic violation south of Chandler around 1:30 this morning. A Henderson County Deputy searched his vehicle and found a pipe and meth hidden in a cigarette box. Driver was booked into the Henderson County Jail on a possession charge.

SMITH COUNTY — Eighteen Texas sheriffs, including Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith, have signed up to participate in a federal immigration enforcement program that checks the immigration status of inmates in the county jail. Under the program, sheriff’s office personnel are trained so that people jailed locally and found to be in the country illegally can be held until federal agents decide if deportation is appropriate. ICE now has 60 active agreements, which is nearly double the number of active programs in 2016.

TYLER – The City of Tyler has launched a new podcast series called Roses and Weeds. It’s designed to keep residents up to date with current events and news about the city. The first episode is streaming on iTunes and Soundcloud. It is covering such topics as the city’s updated noise ordinance, the Rose Complex Master Plan and the city’s Half Cent Sales Tax program. You can hear the podcast at https://soundcloud.com/rosesandweeds or find it on the city’s homepage.

TYLER – Tyler Junior College’s Dr. Juan E. Mejia has been named recipient of the Nelson Administrative Leadership Award by the Texas Association of Community Colleges. Mejia, provost & vice president for academic and student affairs at TJC, received the award at the recent TACC Conference in San Antonio. The award was established in 2003 in memory of Carl M. Nelson, who served as president of Texarkana College.

TYLER – Dr. Larry K. Lowery has been named a 2017 University of Texas System Board of Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award recipient. Dr. Lowry is professor of occupational and environmental health sciences in the School of Community and Rural Health and is also director of environmental health graduate programs in the department of occupational health sciences at UT Health Northeast. He will received his award in Austin August 23rd.

LINDALE — An East Texas man has been caught after putting several neighborhoods in Lindale on edge Friday evening. Officers tell KETK they got calls about 38-year-old Dustin Youngman, who they say had broken into a house and was still inside. Officers say Youngman ran when they arrived. A notice to the public was sent out asking people to stay inside and lock their houses. After a two- hour search, Youngman was found and arrested. No one was injured.

ATHENS – 16-year-old Justin Gardner of Athens is listed as missing on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children website. He was last seen July 21st and they feel he may still be in the area. He is said to be 5’8′, and weighs 185 pounds. If you know where he can be found, you are asked to call you local law enforcement agency.

TYLER – Two persons wanted in a Smith County animal cruelty case have been arrested. Authorities have arrested Roderick Johnson and Vanessa Mederos, both are 23 and both are from Tyler. They had been wanted in connection with three dogs that were left chained without food or water. One died before they were found. Both suspects remain in the Smith County Jail. Continue reading Two Tyler Residents Charged with Animal Cruelty

MARSHALL – A Harrison County teen has been arrested following a day long manhunt. Perry Brown Jr., 19, had been sought after breaking into a home on Saturday and being scared away by the owner. He is then said to have stolen a car and wrecked it after being chased by the car’s owner. Authorities arrested him after a short foot chase. The Marshall News Messenger reports he is said a suspect in numerous burglaries in the area.

TYLER – Tyler’s Bill Baker is the winner of Longview’s 40th Annual Great Texas Balloon Race. He also won the Texas State and the Southwestern Regional championships, which were being held at the same time. Baker also won the Longview race in 2003. The event started Friday and ran through Sunday in Longview.

TYLER – There’s plenty of roadwork planned in TxDOT’s Tyler District this coming week. The nighttime project on Beckham Avenue in Tyler continues between Oakwood and Fifth Streets, with work resuming at 7:30 Sunday. Schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure, or other unforeseen issues. You’re reminded to slow down and pay attention when traveling through work zones. Go to http://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/media-center/local-news/tyler/040-2017.html for a complete rundown of Tyler District work for the next several days.

HARRISON COUNTY — 31-year-old Marlon Moore of Marshall was killed Saturday night in a head-on collision on U.S. 80 between Hallsville and Marshall. The Department of Public Safety says Moore was driving west in the eastbound lane when his vehicle hit a pickup. The pickup driver was taken to the hospital with unspecified injuries.

TYLER — Six pets have been killed in a Saturday night fire on East Fifth Street in Tyler. Investigators tell KETK the homeowner escaped as fire crews arrived, but her parrot, cat, and four dogs died from smoke inhalation. Crews contained the fire before it could spread from the rear of the house.

TYLER — 24-year-old Nhi Tran of Tyler has been killed in a Saturday night wreck on State Highway 31, about 11 miles east of Tyler. DPS Sgt. Jean Dark says an eastbound Nissan tried to turn left into a private drive and collided with a westbound Jeep. Tran, a passenger in the Nissan, was pronounced dead a few hours later at ETMC-Tyler.

MADISONVILLE (AP/Staff) – 31-year-old Bridget Cast of Longview, arrested for driving while intoxicated, is in bigger trouble for driving off in a state trooper’s patrol car. Madison County authorities say Cast was involved in a one-car accident Friday night near Normangee, was handcuffed, and in the front seat of the trooper’s car when she managed to slip her arms from behind and drive away while the trooper was outside. He jumped into a deputy’s car and they chased her about 3 miles. The trooper fired several shots at her. No one was hurt. Cast is jailed on evading arrest and unauthorized use of a vehicle charges, along with DWI.

LONGVIEW — Beginning Monday, as part of ongoing roadwork, Center Street in Longview will be closed between Tyler and the alley 150 feet north of Methvin. Beginning Tuesday, the two westernmost lanes of High Street at the underpass will be closed from Tyler Street to Cotton Street. Two-way traffic will continue, but left turns will not be allowed at Cotton or Tyler. Drivers are asked to use caution or seek alternate routes.

DALLAS — 11-year-old Aaron Christopher Lloyd of Jefferson is in stable condition at Dallas Children’s Hospital after he was hit by a car Thursday night in Longview, suffering life-threatening injuries. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, police said Aaron remains in the hospital’s urgent care center. Police said the boy had been crossing North Eastman Road near Hinsley Park and that the driver was not at fault.