KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER – The Tyler city council meeting contained the swearing in of one new member and two returning members. The new member is Bob Westbrook, (pictured) who took his Oath of Office for City Council District 5. he is a past Chairman of the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce. The returning members are District Linda Sellers, who represents District 1. She took Oath of Office for her second term and Ed Moore, in District 3, took Oath of Office for his third and final term.

FORT SMITH, Ark – Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is buying four area radio stations. All of the stations are owned by the Waller family. One of those is the Tyler station known as the Breeze, which shut down last August following the death of Dudley Waller. The station could be back on the air soon. According to InsideFortSmith.com, Huckabee’s East Texas Results Radio filed the paperwork for the sale with the FCC on Monday. The filing said the deal is worth $1.2 million. Continue reading Mike Huckabee Buying Area Stations

LONGVIEW — 21-year-old Yarshim Shaw of Longview is jailed after police say she hit a man with a wrench and slammed his head into a wall. KETK reports that Longview police responded on Sunday to a house on Nowlin Street. A man told officers he and Shaw were in a relationship and she got upset after he asked her to pay back a $10 debt. She has been charged with aggravated assault.

TYLER – Tyler police along with Smith County sheriff’s deputies are raiding game rooms in Tyler. The concern is some may be running illegal gambling operations. The raids follow similar raids last November and December. Late last year and early this year, Tyler police sent out warning letters to businesses with known gambling machines. Smith County sent out a similar letter to 50 game rooms in unincorporated areas within the county back in February. We’ll have more information on the raids when it becomes available

TYLER – Tyler Police Chief Jimmy Toler spoke Tuesday evening about crime statistics and racial demographics for citations issued in 2016. KETK reports Toler was the guest as the Tyler Together Race Relations Forum held a meeting on those topics. Toler says transparency is key for the department as it makes fostering diversity a priority of 2017. “We go through cultural diversity training, we have outreach, but you know any time that we meet with our officers and we meet with our employees, we talk about their performance and we talk about issues that come up,” Chief Toler said. Continue reading Police Chief Addresses Crime Stats, Demographics

GREGG COUNTY — A Longview man was arrested Monday after police said a woman stopped him from choking another woman by using a stun gun on him. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, Antonio Bernard Richardson Jr., 24, was held Tuesday in the Gregg County Jail on $5,000 bond, charged with assault of a family/household member impeding breath or circulation. Police said the incident happened around 4:00 Monday afternoon at the Longview Square Apartments on Pine Tree Road. Police said Richardson punched the mother of his two children in the mouth and then wrapped his arm around her throat and lifted her off the ground. A bystander said she was not able to get Richardson off the woman, so she used a stun gun on him, causing him to let go and flee, police said. He was arrested about 10 minutes later at his home.

WHITEHOUSE — A local school band director is retiring after 46 years as a music educator. KETK reports, Whitehouse ISD’s Denny Whitley is also being inducted into the Texas Bandmasters Hall of Fame this summer. His students say it’s not just his teaching of music that has changed their lives. Whitley said his last count was about 25 students who have gone on to become band directors themselves after being influenced by him. Monday night was his last spring concert after leading bands in Texas for 46 years, 28 of those at Whitehouse ISD. “Falling in love with your instrument, that’s the fun part of seeing the kids getting serious about what we tell them to do,” said Whitley. He retired once in 2005 but decided to come back for another 12 years before retiring for good in 2017. Continue reading Beloved Band Director Retiring after 28 Years

LONGVIEW — A former Longview police officer has received the maximum sentence for sexually abusing four boys over a 30 year period. Michael Patrick Healy, 68, who pled guilty last Friday, was sentenced Tuesday to 30 years in prison. He pleaded guilty to indecency with a child by sexual contact and attempted indecency with a child by sexual contact. They carry prison terms of 20 and 10 years. State District Judge David Brabham assessed the maximum punishment and ordered the sentences to be served consecutively, making it a 30 year prison term. Healy has indicated he will appeal the sentence. According to the Longview News Journal, testimony during the punishment hearing indicated the Longview man sexually abused his now-grown son and at least three other boys, two of them the son’s cousins.

LUFKIN – A grand jury has no-billed a Lufkin police office in a fatal March 1st shooting. Killed was Epthen Lamont Johnson, 40, of Lufkin. Police said Johnson was on top of his victim, Jose Isabel Rodriguez Jr. attempting to cut his throat when Officer Robert Blake Witherspoon, a six year veteran officer, shot him. Authorities said the officer’s verbal commands were ignored when the officer took lethal action. Rodriguez was hospitalized with multiple injuries. Continue reading No Indictment for a Lufkin Police Officer

TYLER – Precinct One Smith County Constable Henry Phillip Jackson, 65, has pleaded guilty to federal tax violations. Jackson pleaded guilty Tuesday to four counts of willful failure to file federal income tax returns before U.S. Magistrate Judge K. Nicole Mitchell. According to federal prosecutors, Jackson, who has served as an elected constable since 1999, received income from 2010-2013 that required him to file federal income tax returns for those years. However, Jackson failed to file those returns and now owes more than $160,000 in taxes. Continue reading Smith County Constable Guilty of Federal Tax Violations

TYLER – Tyler Junior College has done it again. For the 6th straight year, the school has met and exceeded its goal of collecting 50 gallons of blood. Jacque Decker, Carter BloodCare manager of operations and field recruitment says the week long blood drive at the college brought in 54.6 gallons or 437 units of blood. According to the school’s website, since TJC began its “50 Gallon Challenge” six years ago, more than 300 gallons of blood have been collected, potentially saving more than 7,200 lives in East Texas.

TYLER – Smith County jury duty has been cancelled on Wednesday. If you have a Smith County jury summons for duty on Wednesday, you do not need to report to the courthouse. Smith County Jury Coordinator Lisa Bennett said jury duty has been cancelled for all courts. However, if you have been asked to return for jury duty by a specific court, you must still report.

EDOM – Van Zandt County authorities are searching for clues in the death of Sherry Banks, 62, of Edom. She was shot to death sometime between Thursday May 11 at 8:00pm and Friday May 12 at 10:00am. She was shot while driving on Farm Road 279 just east of Edom. After the shooting, her vehicle ended up in a wooded area. Any information can be called into the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office at 903-567-4133 extension 495 or Crime Stoppers 903-567-7867.

TYLER – A warrant out of the 241st State District Court has resulted in the arrest of a Tyler man on child sex charges. Ruben Candelario, 36, was arrested Monday. He is charged with two counts of indecency with a child, sexual contact. The case stems from a report in March of two children being sexually abused. Both were said to be under the age of 18. He remains in the Smith County Jail. His bonds total $200,000.

CROCKETT – A Longview man is scheduled for a sentencing hearing in August after pleading guilty in Crockett to online solicitation of a minor. Alan Ray Brown,57, entered the guilty plea in state distrct court last week. Brown, along with Brent Allred, 51, of Lufkin and Dana Ray Killian, 48, of Palestine, were arrested following a sting operation last August. It was conducted by the the Houston County Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of the Attorney General’s Office Child Exploitation Unit. The online operation targeted adults that solicit minor children for purpose of having sex. During the week-long investigation, investigators, posing as minors, set up individual meetings with the men through online websites. Authorities say all three men thought they were meeting with teenage boys when they were arrested in Crockett.

LONGVIEW – A Longview middle school student is arrested with a gun on campus. Longview police arrested the student around 10:00 Tuesday morning on the campus of Foster Middle School. A small amount of marijuana was also found on the student. School officials say no threat was was made and there was no ammunition for the .25 caliber handgun. But Assistant Superintendent Dr. Jody Clements said they “still take matters like this very seriously.” And he added, “We will be working with Longview Police Department’s investigation, and will be following our district procedure with regard to the student.” The student has been sent to the juvenile detention center. Police say the student is being charged with unlawfully carrying of a weapon and possession of marijuana in a drug-free zone.

HENDERSON COUNTY — A routine traffic stop lands a suspected drug dealer behind bars. According to the Henderson County Sheriff, Rebecca Brannon, 25, has been charged with manufacturing and delivery. During a traffic stop around 2:45 Tuesday morning, Brannon was reportedly found with more than 53 grams of methamphetamine. A passenger in the vehicle, Christina Julian, 52, was also arrested and charged with possession.

TYLER — Charges have been filed and bonds set for two suspects in the Friday night robbery of football star Patrick Mahomes of Whitehouse. According to information provided by the Smith County Sheriff’s Department, Mahomes and three others who were with him told deputies that a man that they believed to be armed with a handgun confronted them and demanded personal property from them as they were exiting their vehicle. Deputies located the suspect’s vehicle near County Road 273 and Malisa Circle in Tyler. Michael Blake Pinkerton (pictured), 34, and Billy Ray Johnson, 58, were arrested and taken to the Smith County jail. Continue reading Charges Filed, Bonds Set in Mahomes Robbery

LONGVIEW — Longtime Longview restaurateur Gerald Rodriguez died Monday night, hours after being removed from life support after a May 7 heart attack, his brother confirmed. He was 54. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, Gerald Rodriguez, owner of Tyler Street Bistro and Gerald’s Social Club, adjacent and well-frequented downtown destinations, had been listed in critical condition at Christus Good Shepherd Medical Center since the heart attack, which was blamed on complications from a blood clot. Continue reading Longview Restaurateur Dead at 54

LONGVIEW – A Gregg County man remains in jail following his arrest on numerous charges, including abandoning five children. David Allen Lloyd, 35, of White Oak, was arrested on Friday. He had been indicted by the grand jury in March. The Longview News Journal reports Lloyd has been charged with injury to a child, elderly or disabled person, assault of a family or household member and five counts of abandoning or endangering a child, criminal negligence. Two of the incidents are said to have occurred in March of 2015. The other incidents are said to have occurred in February of this year.

LINDALE – An ongoing feud has resulted in the arrest of a Lindale area man. Arrested over the weekend was Danny Lynn Hobbs. He has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Sheriff’s department Sergeant Darrell Coslin tells KTBB that Hobbs shares a driveway with a neighbor. His neighbors were in the driveway Saturday afternoon when he arrived. He is said to have aimed his vehicle at them and increased his speed. They were able to jump out of the way but their dog wasn’t as lucky. He remains in the Smith County jail in lieu of a $10,000 bond.

TYLER – Peace officers who died in the line of duty have been remembered in Tyler. A ceremony was held on the Tyler square at noon on Monday. In 2016, 145 peace officers died in the U.S. Tyler policeman Don Martin said 19 names were read during the Tyler ceremony. They are the Texas peace officers who died last year. One of the names on the list was 62 year old Gregg County Jailer Robert Ransom. He died on September 30th after suffering a heart attack while helping an inmate who had a medical emergency. As other deputies attempted to revive the inmate Jailer Ransom rushed to retrieve an AED. He collapsed moments later. Both he and the inmate were transported to the hospital where he passed away. The inmate that Corporal Ransom was assisting survived and was returned to the jail.

GILMER – East Texas authorities are looking for the persons who stole some military grave markers. The Upshur County Sheriff’s Department said five of the grave markers were stolen from the Zion Hill Cemetery, on Poppy Road, near Gilmer. Engraved on the brass markers are the names of Hargest, Granville, Lynn, and Tanner. They also contain the service record of the five persons. You are asked to contact Lt. Gary Shirley at 903-680-8231 if you have any information about the missing grave markers.

MARSHALL – The cause of a Harrison County business death has been ruled accidental. The body of Arturo Gonzalez, 42, was found on April 17th stuck in a kiln at Marshall Pottery. Gonzales was a supervisor at the Marshall business and had worked their for 11 years. The Marshall News Messenger reports the final autopsy, which was performed by at Forensic Medical of Texas in Tyler, showed he died from environmental hyperthermia. The autopsy confirmed it was an accidental death.

TYLER — Services were held over the weekend for Steve and Anna Lee of Tyler, killed May 7 in an apparent murder-suicide. The Lees were well-known in the community. Steve Lee was a former radio and TV personality who later collaborated in forming a successful video production and marketing company. The couple met while Anna was director of the TJC Apache Belles. The two were also noted for their involvement in patriotic endeavors, tied in with their deep interest in the Revolutionary War. The incident that took their lives remains under investigation.

SMITH COUNTY — One person has died following a Sunday morning crash in Smith County. According to KETK, it happened around 2:15 on FM 2767, around 7 miles east of Tyler. DPS Troopers said a truck and a car hit head-on. The driver of one of the vehicles, Nathen Stamps, 21, was taken to the hospital were he later died. The driver of the other vehicle, Cesar Duran, 21, was also taken to the hospital and is in stable condition. The cause of the wreck is unknown.

GREGG COUNTY — A Gladewater man has been indicted in connection with a February incident that resulted in a 2-year-old boy being admitted to a hospital with severe injuries. According to the Longview News-Journal, Jeffrey White, 28, was arrested Feb. 5 after his girlfriend told officers he beat her child. He’s being held in the Gregg County jail on $45,000 bond, charged with injury to a child/elderly/disabled person causing reckless bodily injury. White admitted in a police interview in February to repeatedly striking the child with a belt and stick on multiple occasions. Continue reading Man Indicted on Injury to Child Charge

WHITEHOUSE — A Brownsboro man has been arrested after leading authorities on a chase. Marlin Welch, 63, was booked into the Smith County Jail on Saturday. He’s been charged with evading arrest. Bond was set at $3,000. Additional details were not available.