KTBB News, Weather, Talk

EAST TEXAS — Texas firefighters have been trying to contain an 18,000-acre wildfire that has destroyed two homes and at least four trailers in East Texas. According to KETK, Texas Forest Service spokesman Richard Reuse said Sunday that there were currently no evacuations ordered. He says the fire is about 40 percent contained, but added that that could quickly drop with the windy, hot conditions. Texas Forest Service spokeswoman Rae Brooks says the fire started after noon Friday in the Davy Crockett National Forest west of Lufkin. Brooks says the fire is being called the “Bearing Fire” and is the largest wildfire ever in East Texas. Reuse says such large wildfires are unusual in forested East Texas. Most of Texas is under a red flag warning, which means there is an extreme risk of fire.

In other parts of East Texas, firefighters and Texas Forest Service officials responded two wildfires in Harrison County that burned a little more than 10 acres and another in Upshur County that burned 86 acres. Upshur County volunteers and Texas Forest Service firefighters battled the blaze, which started from an electrical spark from an oil pump jack, into Saturday evening, officials said. About 10 homes were evacuated as the fire near Kieffer Road in Upshur County between Texas 300 and Spur 502 spread in record-breaking heat Saturday afternoon.

Assistance was sent to help manage the blaze from several departments, including firefighters from Longview Fire Department who fought the fire for about four hours, according to Fire Marshal Johnny Zackary. There were also two wildfires reported in Harrison County that caused a total of 12 acres worth of damage, Brooks said.

LONGVIEW — A high speed chase through East Texas ends in a wreck. According to the Department of Public Safety, authorities were attempting to stop a speeding man on a motorcycle on Interstate 20 around 11:40 Saturday night. Authorities said the motorist crossed over Estes and Martin Luther King Boulevard in Longview before crashing on the off ramp to Eastman Road. He was taken to Good Shepherd Medical Center. No word on his condition. Officials would not release the man’s name pending an arrest and arraignment.

GLADEWATER — After an honorable East Texas homecoming, funeral services for a fallen soldier were held Monday in Gladewater. On Saturday, spectators holding American flags lined the sides of roads as the motorcade bringing home the fallen soldier approached Gladewater. Officials estimated more than 1,000 people lined U.S. 80 and side streets waiting to pay their respects to U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Bradley Justin Gaudet, 31, of Gladewater, as he came home for the last time. The pilot was killed June 5 in a helicopter crash while serving in Afghanistan. It was his third tour of duty.

Gaudet’s body was accompanied by family, honor guard members and U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler. State Rep. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, and Rep. David Simpson, R-Longview were waiting for Gaudet’s arrival at Croley Funeral Home in Gladewater. Bikers escorted the family and casket to Gladewater.

TYLER — Here’s a quick look at other work planned in the Tyler District of the Texas Department of Transportation.

SMITH COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to install right-turn lanes on FM 2661 at its intersection with State Highway 31 near Chandler. A second crew will also be performing edge repairs on Farm Road 2661 between State Highway 31 and Big Eddy Road. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

VAN ZANDT COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews on Monday are scheduled to perform pavement repairs in various locations on Interstate Highway 20 including: Eastbound side, between the Oakland-Colfax exit and the rest area west of Van; Westbound side, near FM 859 north of Canton. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress. Motorists are encouraged to be prepared to reduce speed and merge in and around the work zone.

CHEROKEE COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews are scheduled to continue seal coat operations on U.S. Highway 84 between Rusk and Reklaw, followed by the same work on Farm Road 22 between U.S. Highway 69 south of Jacksonville and State Highway 110 east of Gallatin. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic. Loose gravel may be present for several days following a seal coat application.

GREGG COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue base and pavement repairs in various locations on Farm Road 2206 between State Highway 42 and Loop 281 in Longview. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

RUSK COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform resurfacing operations on Farm Road 1798 between Farm Road 839 in McKnight and Farm Road 1662 near Laneville. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

HENDERSON COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue base and pavement repairs in various locations on Ranch Road 2970 between Farm Road 753 and the end of state maintenance, followed by the same work on Ranch Road 2588 between U.S. Highway 175 in LaRue and the end of state maintenance. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

ANDERSON COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform pavement repairs on State Highway 294 near U.S. Highway 79 southwest of Palestine. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

WOOD COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue pavement repairs in various locations on Farm Road 69 north of Farm Road 515 in Coke. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

RUSK COUNTY — A Tatum man was killed Saturday afternoon in an all terrain vehicle crash in Rusk County. According to Department of Public Safety officials, Jeremy G. Garrett, 30, was traveling northwest on CR 2183, 3.9 miles east of Tatum at around 2 p.m. when he failed to negotiate a curve and his ATV left the roadway and struck a tree. Officials said Garrett was transported to Good Shepherd Medical Center in Longview, where he was later pronounced dead at about 3:15 p.m. He was not wearing a helmet when the crash occurred.

LONGVIEW — A Longview family was displaced from their home Saturday night after a house fire that started in the attic of their home. According to Fire Marshal Johnny Zackary, firefighters were dispatched at about 8:30 p.m. to the home in the 1700 block of Buccaneer Drive. The fire was extinguished in about 20 minutes.

Fire investigators determined that the fire started from an electrical issue that occurred in the attic. About $20,000 worth of damage was caused to the home, and the family was displaced, he said. There were no injuries reported.

Zackary said crews stayed busy Saturday night, because they were also dispatched to a reported structure fire on Eastman Road. However, the Eastman Road report turned out to be a false alarm, he said.

TYLER — The City’s Tyler Against Graffiti (TAG) team and Keep Tyler Beautiful Board kick off a partnership with the Smith County Juvenile Services office to put young offenders to work cleaning up the City’s graffiti. The TAG team began putting the partnership into action Monday morning. Organizers say the partnership is aimed at using young people who have been found guilty of violating Tyler’s graffiti ordinance to clean up the tags found around the city. The youth range in age from 14 to 17.

“This is a very exciting opportunity to get at-risk youth involved with the community in a positive way,” said Marjorie Mustard, board chairperson for Keep Tyler Beautiful. “We are hoping that this program will show young offenders that graffiti is harmful to the community; it takes hard work to clean up and it is expensive.” By engaging these young offenders in cleaning up graffiti, it is also hoped that they will take on some ownership and have some pride in their work, Ms. Mustard added.

Smith County Juvenile Services Director Ross Worley says he is very excited about the program and is optimistic over its future. “We look forward to being involved with the TAG program again and partnering with the City of Tyler to help eradicate graffiti while fostering a sense of responsibility and community with our juvenile offenders.” The City of Tyler spends nearly $24,000 per year on graffiti abatement through the TAG team efforts. The team averages about 40 reports per month. The TAG program is sponsored by Keep Tyler Beautiful.

TYLER — Tyler held its Juneteenth celebration over the weekend, honoring the day in 1865 when Texas slaves learned of their freedom. The Juneteenth parade grand marshal was Texas College’s board chairman, Bishop Henry Williamson Sr. Williamson noted the participation of such community leaders as Mayor Barbara Bass and County Commissioner JoAnn Hampton in Juneteenth festivities. He urged continued work in the Juneteenth spirit of freedom and unity for all people “so that the things that we need to accomplish together, in Tyler, in Texas, and across the nation, can take place.” Williamson hopes the community will start using the celebration and other holidays “to address the dreams and hopes of this community and be solution-based rather than problem-centered.” A gospel celebration and a Woldert Park gathering were other Juneteenth highlights.

A Longview man has been found guilty of exposing himself in a Longview restaurant in May 2010. Roger Dale Brigmon Jr., 43, was convicted of third-degree felony indecency with a child Friday in Gregg County’s 124th District Court. A sentencing hearing will be held later.

A Gregg County Sheriff’s Deputy was working off-duty security at The Butcher Shop May 26th when a customer reported to restaurant management that a man was touching himself under the table while looking at a young girl. When the deputy walked toward the booth, the customer, later identified as Brigmon, had his hands under the table and appeared to be zipping up his pants.

JACKSONVILLE — A county-wide burn ban was issued Wednesday for Cherokee County. The ban is effective for seven days. The Cherokee County Commissioners Court will vote on whether to instate a 90-day burn ban on Monday. During a burn ban, Cherokee County residents are prohibited from burning outdoors and tossing lit cigarettes. The penalty for violating the burn ban is a $565 fine.

LUFKIN — The Lufkin Police Department is investigating an apparent attempted car-jacking incident that ended with the death of the suspect and a victim being treated at an area hospital for gunshot wounds. It started around 1:15 Sunday morning when police received a report of a disturbance at Applebee’s restaurant in Lufkin. The caller told dispatchers that her ex-boyfriend, Jackie Doyle Clay Jr., 34, threatened her and discharged a firearm into the air. The caller stated that she fled the area by vehicle and did not know his location. While officers were responding to the area, dispatchers received a call requesting emergency medical assistance for a gunshot-wound victim at a Whataburger restaurant.

The responding officers soon learned that the Applebee’s and Whataburger incidents were connected. Officers believe that Clay walked from Applebee’s to the intersection of South First Street and South Medford Drive in Lufkin where he attempted to carjack a vehicle. The victim resisted and was reportedly shot in the shoulder, chest, and face. He was transported to a hospital for treatment. His condition is unknown.

Lufkin Police, along with the Angelina County Sheriff’s Department, Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, Department of Public Safety and a TxDPS helicopter searched a wooded area. Around 4:15, authorities found Clay in that wooded area, dead from a single, apparently self-inflicted, gunshot wound to his head.

TYLER — Tyler Police arrest a suspected drunk driver after he wrecks into a house. It happened around 5:40 Saturday morning on the 300 block of north Parkdale Ave. When officers arrived, they learned the suspect had fled the scene on foot, leaving his tan 2000 Ford F150 in front yard of the residence. Authorities say they found the intoxicated suspect, Jair Zarate-Cobos, 25, Tyler, a short time later near the 1300 block of Bellaire Drive. Zarate-Cobos is the registered owner of the wrecked truck and officers determined he was the operator of the truck at the time of the incident. He was arrested, booked into the Smith County Jail and charged with DWI and leaving the scene of an accident. A resident was injured as a result of the crash and transported to the East Texas Medical Center emergency room for minor injuries.

KILGORE (AP) — Five graduates will face misdemeanor charges over dozens of damaged school buses that forced classes to be canceled for a day in an East Texas district. Kilgore police initially said the students could face felony criminal mischief charges. Gregg County District Attorney Carl Dorrough says the former Kilgore High School students have been charged with misdemeanor vandalism offenses. The Kilgore Independent School District called off classes April 8 after 39 buses were discovered with valve stem damage. All five seniors were then sent to an alternative school, but were allowed to graduate June 3. The students have apologized and agreed to pay the $3,100 in damage. The misdemeanor charges carry a sentence of up to a $500 fine.

LONGVIEW — Two men charged with sexually assaulting children entered guilty pleas Thursday. Willie Markham III, 29, of Longview accepted a four-year prison sentence under a plea agreement. Markham admitted to having sex with a girl in August 2009 when she was 14, making it a second-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison. If Markham is convicted of another sexual offense involving children, he could face an automatic life sentence, according to a stipulation in his plea agreement.

Also Phillip “Bubba” Hudson III, 20, of Longview entered a guilty plea to indecency with a child. A Gregg County grand jury in September indicted Hudson on second-degree indecency charges for touching a girl younger than 17 around Christmas 2009. Sentencing was set for July 5 to allow Hudson to find suitable employment and housing. Hudson is eligible for parole because this is his first felony conviction. Hudson is out of jail on $11,000 bond.

LONGVIEW — Longview police have arrested a second teen in connection with a May 5 aggravated robbery at a local park. Officers took 19-year-old Erica Angela Pena of Longview into custody on Thursday, charged in the robbery and beating of a man and woman at Willow Park, in the 300 block of East Birdsong Street. Pena remained in the Gregg County Jail without bond on Friday.

Seventeen-year-old Eunice Abigail Zavalla remained jailed Friday on $50,000 bond following a Tuesday arrest related to the case, authorities said. The women are charged with aggravated robbery, punishable by up to 20 years in prison upon conviction.