KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — Gantry maintenance on Toll 49 will cause a single lane closure between Hwy 155 and FM 2493 (Old Jacksonville Hwy) from 9am-4pm Tuesday, May 20. Drivers should expect short delays.

TYLER – Tyler Police have identified a suspect in the murder of a 28-year-old woman on Saturday. Joshua Isaiah Malina, 34, was arrested Tuesday, May 20 and booked into the Smith County Jail on a warrant for murder. His bond was set at $2,000,000.

According to our news partner KETK, officers responded to Confederate Avenue after receiving calls regarding a homicide. According to officials, the victim, 28-year-old Karsen Lynn Stewart, from Mineola, was found in the roadway near her car with multiple stab wounds. The case remains under investigation.

TYLER — Smith County Emergency Services District 2 responded to a residential garage fire on Saturday that was caused by a lightening strike.

According to our news partner KETK, the fire occurred at a residence in Cook’s Crossing off Old Bullard Road in Tyler. Smith County ESD2 said engines 161, 151, 166, 156 and Battalion 1 along with Whitehouse Fire Department, chief 3 and other support crews worked to put out the fire. All of the home’s residents made it to safety and no injures were reported.

GUN BARREL CITY – According to our news partner KETK, a man was sentenced to ten years in state prison last week in connection to a motorcycle chase that started in Gun Barrel City, according to the Henderson County District Attorney’s Office.

A deputy with the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office attempted a traffic stop on a blue motorcycle in the 300 block of West Main Street of Gun Barrel City on Aug. 10, 2024, a press release from the district attorney’s office said. The motorcycle accelerated towards Mabank after the deputy turned on their emergency lights and siren. As the motorcycle sped towards Mabank, it went on the wrong side of the roadway at over 140 miles per hour, according to the press release. As the sheriff’s office, the Gun Barrel City Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety pursued the motorcycle, it attempted to drive on the grassy shoulder of FM 316 and crashed. The motorcycle driver then attempted to evade officers by leaving the wrecked motorcycle but was taken into custody.

Henry Lee Hyde II, who the attorney’s office identified as the driver, was then sentenced to 10 years in state prison by 3rd District Court Judge Mark Calhoon for the charge of evading arrest or detention with a vehicle.

TYLER – The City of Tyler announced that there will be base repairs to the Fair Park Drive foundation Tuesday, May 20. Work will be conducted from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., weather permitting. Repairs will be from West Front Street to Rose Park Drive. The road will be closed to through traffic. Drivers are asked to follow any posted detours and to allow for an additional 15 to 20 minutes of travel.

TYLER – According to a media release from Smith County, all non-emergency Smith County offices will be closed for business on Monday, May 26, 2025, for Memorial Day.

Offices will reopen for normal business hours on Tuesday, May 27, and Commissioners Court will be held at the normal time – 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

RUSK COUNTY – According to a report from our news partner, KETK, a Henderson woman was arrested on Saturday after allegedly burning her family’s dogs in the front yard of her home.

The Rusk County Sheriff’s Office said they responded to a call from an 11-year-old boy who said his mother called him the devil, and was burning the family dogs.

Shortly after the first call, officials received another call about, Veronica Loredo, who went to a different residence with blood on her hands while claiming her parents were murdered.

During an investigation, officials found dog remains in an active fire in front of her home. Loredo’s four young children, ages 1-11, were present during her arrest.

Loredo was charged with two felony counts of cruelty to nonlivestock animals and four counts of endangering a child, with a bond set at $400,000, according to officials.

TYLER – Our news partner, KETK, reports a man was arrested after he shot and injured his 74-year-old wheelchair bound dad with a BB gun Thursday afternoon in Tyler.

A Smith County Sheriff’s Office affidavit reveals a deputy responded to a shooting at County Road 2208, where he found a woman saying Clarence James Beasley had shot his 74-year-old wheelchair bound dad with a BB gun.

The victim said he and his son had gotten into an argument when he gave him advice on “why he felt his son was not getting to see his own child,” the document said. He explained to the deputy that his son got mad and, out of range, shot him in the chest with a BB gun.

“He showed me the site, which was on his left nipple, stating it had not broken the skin but did cause pain,” the affidavit said. “The victim did wish to pursue charges.”

Beasley was located at the back of the property and was arrested around 4:26 p.m. on Thursday for injury to an elderly person with intent to cause bodily injury, but posted bond the following day.

BULLARD — Our news partner, KETK, reports that a man was arrested on Thursday evening in Bullard after striking his 89-year-old mother on the side of the head with a closed fist.

According to an affidavit from the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy responded to an assault at a home near Lakeside Drive where a caregiver said between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. she saw Christopher Banks Dunn strike his 89-year-old mother with ‘severe dementia’ on the side of the head with a closed fist.

The caregiver explained that she was helping the victim change when Dunn became upset and hit the victim on the side of the head for arguing with him, the document said. Continue reading Bullard man arrested for punching 89-year-old woman

MARSHALL – An Eastern District of Texas federal jury has awarded $278.8 million in damages to a Tyler research firm suing tech-giant Samsung for patent infringement.

Headwater Research LLC, a Tyler-based research firm lead by inventor Dr. Greg Raleigh, filed a lawsuit against Samsung on March 10, 2023 which alleged that Samsung phones and tablets had infringed against two wireless communication technology patents.

U.S. patents 8,406,733 and 9,198,117 are technologies that are used to improve Wi-Fi speeds, reliability and the battery life of devices, according to a press release. Continue reading Tyler research firm awarded $278 million in damages

UPDATE: According to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, they have identified Dezavion Williams, 19 of Tyler, as the suspected shooter. Williams was arrested and booked into the Smith County Jail for aggravated assault.

TYLER — The Tyler Police Department has taken one person into custody after shots were fired at Lake Tyler at around on Sunday. According to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office and our news partner KETK, Tyler PD responded to gunshots reported at a parking lot near Lake Tyler and called for assistance with crowd control. Officers near the lake were able to take a suspected shooter with a rifle into custody. Tyler PD said no one was injured in the shooting. They are currently interviewing the person in custody.

TYLER — Our news partner KETK is reporting that gas prices are down compared to last Memorial Day weekend. According to AAA, the national average that Americans are paying is 3.192. Only a week ago, the number stood at 3.152, climbing to a .04 cent increase. Texas has a current average of $2.79, which resulted in a .03 cent difference within the week. Compared to this time last year, the average Texas gas price is down by 39 cents. Tyler is down by 38 cents from last year, Longview is down by 41 cents and Texarkana is down by 39 cents, AAA reported.

Texas is one of the least expensive states when it comes to gas in between Alabama ($2.76) and South Carolina ($2.81), according to AAA. Prices are rising slightly from last week during this late spring season as family vacations and road trips start up.
Courtesy of AAA

TYLER – Tyler Police Department officers and other first responders helped save a 60-year-old man who got trapped in a creek bed on Saturday night according to our news partner KETK.

Despite severe thunderstorms moving through Smith County on Saturday, the officers and EMS personnel responded to a report of a missing 60-year-old man with health concerns that hadn’t taken his medication, according to the Tyler Patrolman’s Association Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 182. The man was found cold, injured and unable to move but thankfully he was still alive. The association said he was then lifted out of the creek and treated by EMS.

“With incredible teamwork, they extracted him safely and got him the medical help he urgently needed. Their dedication and bravery saved a life last night. This is the heart of service,” the Tyler Patrolman’s Association said on Sunday.