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POLK COUNTY — The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said one person is dead from a gunshot wound following a “family disturbance” on Saturday according to our news partners at KETK. According to a release, officials responded to 911 calls in the 3700 block of FM 3459 in Onalaska. When detectives arrived, they reportedly discovered Gerald Fields, 56 of Onalaska, dead at the scene. Witnesses reported that a disturbance occurred between two family members where Fields died from a single gunshot. The sheriff’s office, Onalaska Police Department and the Texas Rangers Office processed the crime scene and conducted interviews. An autopsy has been ordered for Fields to be performed by the Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office. The sheriff’s office said the investigation is ongoing and no further information will be released at this time.

HENDERSON COUNTY — A Payne Springs man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after officials discovered nearly 50 grams of meth during a search of his vehicle. According to the Henderson County District Attorney’s office and our news partner KETK, Richard Blane Sims, 48 , was sentenced on July 11 for manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance.

In May of 2023, an officer with the Mabank Police Department reportedly “observed a vehicle pulling a trailer with defective equipment and initiated a traffic stop.” Sims allegedly did not have a driver’s license. The district attorney’s office said the passenger of the vehicle had an open warrant and a baggie of methamphetamine was found in her clothing during her arrest. A probable cause search of the vehicle was conducted where officials found a metal box that contained a scale and a large bag that was determined to be 48.64 grams of methamphetamine.

TYLER – Darius Jubarn’e Davis, 31, Tyler, was arrested March 13, after officers responded to calls of a shooting at Liberty Arms apartments on North Broadway Avenue. According to our news partner KETK, when police arrived they found a 3-year-old shot in the buttocks. The child was taken to local hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries. Davis has been indicted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance between 4 and 200 grams and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

JEFFERSON — 60 dogs have been rescued from a former bar turned into a “makeshift shelter” in Jefferson after a rescue group determined it unsafe. According to our news partner KETK, the Animal Rescue Corps (ARC), visited the shelter, and found it had become overwhelmed by the number of homeless animals. ARC reportedly rescued 21 dogs, and sent supplies including pet food and an air conditioning unit.

In their last visit, a release from ARC said, “they found 39 dogs inside and outside the facility housed in a variety of pens, cages, and kennels. Some tarp-covered wire cages outside held up to five dogs while inside dogs were exposed to high ammonia levels and kept in dirty makeshift kennels with urine-soaked straw.”

The dogs were then sent to the groups rescue center in Gallatin, Tenn. On arrival, each dog is reportedly given an exam by a veterinarian, vaccinations and other medical treatment that is needed. Once the dogs are well, they will be transported to a trusted shelter to be adopted.

People can visit the ARC website to donate or volunteer to support the rehabilitation of these dogs.

TYLER – A Tyler man charged with the murder of his father is due back in court this September. According to our news partner KETK, 44-year-old Christopher Tilley was indicted in June for the murder of his father, 79-year-old Del Tilley.

Christopher is accused of fatally shooting his father over an argument on who would care for an injured dog in their home. He told officers his father began to choke him, so he shot him once in self-defense. Investigators reported the Tilley residence didn’t show any signs of disturbance. They also noted, Del Tilley suffered three gunshot wounds. Two in close contact to his stomach and one wound to his head and neck.

Christopher waived his arraignment. He’ll be back in court Aug. 1 for a plea docket agreement. His jury trial begins Sept. 9.

SMITH COUNTY — Our news partners at KETK report that officials are searching for the driver of a vehicle that reportedly hit a firefighter while responding to a wreck on FM 850 on Sunday. Smith County Emergency Services District 2 said just after 8:30 p.m., firefighters were dispatched to a wreck when a firefighter was struck by a vehicle. Officials said the firefighter was transported, treated and has since been released. However, this is the second time a firefighter has been hit in the last month. Continue reading Officials search for hit-and-run driver after firefighter injured

TYLER –A former Tyler doctor whose medical license was suspended in June 2023 has been indicted on multiple charges of sexual assault and practicing medicine without a license according to our news partners at KETK. Kenneth Haygood, 55, was initially arrested in February for three charges of sexual assault and one charge of aggravated sexual assault of a child after an investigation into him had opened in November 2023. His medical license had previously been suspended by the medical board for inappropriate conduct. Continue reading Former Tyler doctor indicted on multiple charges of sexual assault

SMITH COUNTY – Our news partners at KETK report a house caught fire in Smith County after authorities reported on Sunday that a car fire had spread to a nearby house. According to Smith County ESD 2, they received a call about a car fire and before they arrived it had spread to the house and upgraded to a Box alarm. The homeowner’s dog was found by crew members during a primary search and was rescued. No injuries were reported from the incident. Multiple crews and volunteer firefighters responded to the scene, with a crew going interior, and another establishing a rapid intervention team.

CROCKETT – Our news partner KETK is reporting that the Crockett Police Department is currently searching for four people seen on security footage at a convenience store that was reportedly robbed on Saturday. Crockett PD said that officers responded to a burglary alarm at a convenience store in the 800 block of North 4th Street at around 4:45 a.m. The officers reportedly found that four people had forcibly entered the store, took a cash box, tried to break into the ATM and left.

Anyone with information about the people pictured above is asked to contact Crockett PD detective Humberto Gonzalez by email at [email protected] or by phone at 936-544-2862.

LONGVIEW – The Longview Police Department said they are looking for a 71-year-old woman who’s been missing since July 8. According to our news partner KETK, Deborah Roberts, 71 of Longview, is a 5-foot 3-inch tall white woman who weighs around 150 pounds and has brown eyes and brown hair. She was last seen near the 700 block of East Marshall Avenue on July 8. Roberts was reported missing by her family on Sunday. Anyone with information about her location is asked to call Longview PD at 903-237-1199.

TYLER – Reactions are pouring in from across the country after President Joe Biden announced that he will no longer be seeking reelection to a second term on Sunday. Biden’s bombshell announcement comes after weeks of speculation about his ability to win the election started up in the wake of this year’s first presidential debate back on June 27. Our news partner KETK has put together list of reactions from East Texas representatives and other current and former officials.

“This doesn’t change a thing. Whoever comes next for the Democrats will embrace the same failed Biden policies,” said U.S. House Rep for Tyler, Nathaniel Moran. “Let’s keep pressing the right messages—(1) secure our border (2) reduce spending, debt, and regulations (3) free up our energy sector (4) show strength in the world.” Continue reading East Texas representatives react to Biden dropping out

TYLER – Love Thy City took over the W.T. Brookshire Conference Center on Saturday, to help out the East Texas community. According to our news partner KETK, Marvin Methodist Church pastor and Love Thy City board of directors’ member Doug Baker stated, “400 volunteers from various churches, nonprofit organizations and 55 or more churches represented the community.” This was the first year for the event and lines were wrapped around buildings as more than 4,200 people received counseling, supplies and food vouchers. Everything was free for the community to get the assistance they needed. “It is just simply showing up and signing up and registering and then allowing us to do what we want to do, which is love on the community of Tyler,” St. James CME pastor and Love Thy City board of directors’ member, Brian Lightener said. Guests also enjoyed messages from local pastors as they enjoyed time with other community members. Love Thy City is already planning for next year’s event and said they hope it will be bigger and better.

GLADEWATER – The Gladewater Police Department said that they’ve arrested a 74-year-old man in connection to a shooting that happened on Saturday at 220 S. Ferry Street. According to our news partner KETK, Gladewater PD officers responded to the scene after a 911 call reported the shooting at around 11:16 p.m. on Saturday. Upon their arrival, Sheri Shanell Evans was found at a South Ferry Street residence with a gunshot wound. The Gladewater Fire Department and Christus EMS provided medical assistance to Evans, but she died at the scene. The Gladewater Criminal Investigation Division then responded to the scene to start their investigation. Jonie Mack Bowser, 74 of Gladewater, who was at the scene when officers first arrived, was arrested in connection to the fatal shooting. He’s currently being held at the Gregg County Jail on a charge of murder. “The loss of Sheri Evans is a tragedy, and our hearts go out to her family and loved ones during this difficult time. We are committed to conducting a thorough investigation to uncover the circumstances surrounding this incident,” said Gladewater PD interim police chief, Kyle Ready. Anyone with additional information is asked to call Gladewater Police Department at 903-845-2166 or the Crime Stoppers at 903-236-7867.

HENDERSON – The Henderson Police Department is searching for a suspect in connection to a shooting that happened in the 1200 block of US Highway 79 North on Saturday. According to our news partners KETK, Henderson PD officers responded to the scene after they got reports of a shooting at around 1 a.m. on Saturday. Crime scene detectives were called out to the scene and determined that a shooting did happen but luckily no one was reported as injured.

Witnesses described a potential suspect as a black male with short hair who wore a red Kansas City Chiefs jersey, white Air Jordans and blue jeans. Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call the Henderson Police Department at 903-657-3512.

CHEROKEE COUNTY — The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office said 42-year-old Katherine Renee Sawyer has been arrested after transporting her children in the cargo area of a U-Haul truck. Sawyer was reportedly driving the truck along with a 3-year-old and a 4-year-old in the cargo area, along with a 17-year-old in the passenger seat. Continue reading Woman arrested for transporting children in U-Haul identified

TYLER – The Tiger Creek Animal Sanctuary in Tyler has announced their first public group educational tours since the COVID-19 pandemic and an animal cruelty lawsuit settlement. Our news partners at KETK report that tours will start back up on July 22 and they’ll then have tours every week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. The group tours will cost $25 for 10 people’s admission and $16 for each additional person. To learn more and sign up for tours, click here.

LONGVIEW — Longview residents may have an increase in their water bills as part of the proposed budget for next year.

The City of Longview held a special council meeting on Thursday to discuss the fiscal year 2024-2025 budget. City Manager Rolin McPhee made a presentation where he proposed a $95 million budget.

McPhee said the State of Texas receives from Longview more than twice in sales tax revenues than what Longview receives from property and sales taxes combined. The projected tax revenue the state will receive from the city will be nearly $192 million while the city is projected to receive less than half at $87 million tax revenue. To offset this, McPhee proposed a water and sewer rate change, something the city has not seen in five years.
Continue reading Longview proposes water bill increase, no raises for city workers

EAST TEXAS – Some East Texas cities and businesses are experiencing service disruptions caused by a global technology outage. Texas-based cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike announced one of their updates had a defect that caused outages in banks, hospitals, and other industries nationwide on computers running Microsoft Windows operating systems. An update took computers offline, then caused a “recovery boot loop” which prevented systems from restarting quickly.

The cities of Jacksonville and Palestine both took to Facebook to warn customers about service interruptions with processing payments. Jacksonville announced their online and phone payments were back online a few hours later. As of 11:45 a.m., Palestine City Hall can only accept checks or cash payments as their systems remain down.
Continue reading East Texas impacted by global technology outage

AUSTIN – Texas Department of Public Safety reports driver license office across the state are currently closed due to a technical issue which is related to the global CrowdStrike incident. Customers with appointments should have been notified of the closure. DPS IT teams are working diligently on a fix to the issue, however, there is no current estimate on when licensing offices will be able to reopen. DPS asks that you please monitor their social media and the DPS website for updates.
 

SHELBY COUNTY — Our news partners at KETK report that two people have been arrested for animal cruelty after officials discovered malnourished and mangy dogs at a a facility operated by the City of Center. The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office arrested Robert Lindley, 39 of Center, and Christal Gayle Lindley, 44 of Center, for cruelty to non-livestock animals and determined dogs under their care had been housed in unsuitable living conditions. The sheriff’s office provided pictures of Chungus, a dog under the care of the Lindleys, before and after being under their care. Continue reading Two arrested in investigation into East Texas kennel

RUSK – Our news partner KETK is reporting that over the past seven months, the Wisconsin-based “Freedom From Religion Foundation” (FFRF) sent three letters to Rusk ISD, asking the district to stop their student-led prayers before football games, claiming they are unconstitutional. FFRF is a national non-profit that advocates for atheists, agnostics, and non-theists. However, the district’s superintendent said no laws are being broken.

The FFRF said they were contacted by two Rusk community members, filing complaints about the student-led prayers before district football games. The Rusk ISD superintendent, Grey Burton, recently posted to his personal Facebook page addressing the foundation’s request. The post read, “If we want America to be great again then we can’t let groups or individuals continue removing God and Jesus from the fabric of our society.” The post went on to say “We want protections and blessings for our students, staff and community.” Continue reading FFRF sends letters to Rusk ISD to stop student led prayers

UPSHUR COUNTY – A former bail bondswoman was arrested on drug and gun charges on Tuesday. According to the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office and our news partners at KETK, Shannon Rosser of Diana was arrested on two counts of manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance and one charge of possession of a stolen firearm. Deputies also confiscated more than 20 other firearms in a detached storage building, with their ownership status still pending. Rosser’s bond was set at $320,000. Police also arrested John Sartor Jr., who lives at the home with Rosser, with one count of manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance. His bond was set at $150,000.

TYLER – The City of Tyler posted on their Facebook warning of a scam advertising to be an application for the Housing Choice Voucher. According to our news partner KETK, in the post, the city showed an example of the scam posted, which advertised a link to fill out an application for the waiting list of Tyler’s new affordable housing program, which they referred to as HUD, or Housing and Urban Development.

City officials said in a release, “Our HUD waiting list is NOT yet open. Please be aware the advertisement shown is a scam. Multiple versions of this have been found on various social media platforms and websites, typically with slight changes in verbiage and dates. The City of Tyler will be the ONLY one to announce our waiting list opening. We appreciate your patience.”

DAINGERFIELD – Our news partners at KETK report a Daingerfield man is being charged with 30 counts of possession of child pornography. Eddie Carroll Dollgener, 58, was arrested last Friday for 10 counts, and 20 more counts were added the following Tuesday as Sgt. Susan Laake secured more warrants. Authorities said the investigation is in its early stages and it will take time to process all evidence. “We want to assure parents in the community that no local child has been identified in any inappropriate evidence as of this date,” police said. If any child is identified during the investigation, police will notify parents immediately.

VAN – In July alone, the city of Van lost its police chief, city manager, mayor and a council member. According to our news partner KETK, the changes stem from the controversial firing of their police chief by the city manager. Now, people who live in Van say they just want things to go back to normal. Community members gathered at city hall, Wednesday night all eager to learn who will temporarily lead their city. The council members voted unanimously to appoint, Ernie Burns as mayor pro-tem.

“It’s a tough place to be right now, but I feel like the city council has done a wonderful job at being open and transparent. I think they’re doing a wonderful job with what they have,” Ivy Lopez, Van resident, said.

July 1st, there was an uproar from residents after the police chief, Tammy Huff was fired by the city manager. Many people who live there stood by the chief, but others believed it was time for her to go. Continue reading Van residents react to sudden changes in city leadership

LONGVIEW — Following an hours-long standoff at a Longview gas station, a man who barricaded himself in a bus was found dead of a “self-inflicted injury.” According to our news partner KETK, around 3:30 Thursday morning, officers responded to the CEFCO gas station on South Eastman Road for a subject refusing to leave. Officers contacted the male occupant of the bus and learned that he had a handgun. A family member of the occupant in Florida told police that they have experienced similar behavior in the past and that it could have been a “mental episode.”

Police said that they continuously attempted communication throughout the morning, both by police and family members, but found no progress was being made. Officials said that around 8 a.m. Thursday morning, Longview SWAT deployed non-lethal gas in an attempt to have the suspect exit the bus, however there was no response. Officers entered the bus and found the occupant dead from an apparent self-inflicted injury. his identity has not been released.

The store has since reopened.