KTBB News, Weather, Talk

PALESTINE – A firefighter was injured by a handgun accidentally going off outside of Palestine Fire Station #2 on Saturday Dec. 3, according to our news partner KETK. Officers from Palestine Police Department arrived at the station and said they found the injured firefighter who had already been given emergency medical aid by members of Palestine Fire Department. According to Palestine PD, the firefighter was transported to Palestine Regional Medical Center ER and they expect them to recover. Witnesses said that one of the injured firefighter’s co-workers took their new gun from their vehicle and was showing it off when it discharged. The Palestine Fire Department employee whose gun went off accidentally has been placed on administrative leave while Palestine PD investigates.

TYLER — Law enforcement officials said they arrested a man in Tyler Friday evening, who was wanted for capital murder. According to our news partner KETK, Jason Edward Rhodes, 21, was arrested after a chase around 6:30 p.m. Rhodes led officers on a chase in a vehicle before running away in the area of Bow Street and Valentine Street, prior to his arrest. Deputies attempted to pull over the vehicle, a black Ford Mustang, on FM 14 but the driver drove away heading south. The driver lost control and hit a pole at Fannin Avenue and Valentine Street, officials said. When the car crashed, the passenger, identified as Rhodes, ran from law enforcement and the driver was taken into custody. Rhodes was caught in the 400 block of Bow Street. According to the sheriff’s office, Rhodes was the last of three suspects in a capital murder case out of Tyler to be arrested.

TYLER — The Tyler Salvation Army reports it’s diligently working to reach its Angel Tree goal, but the December 10 deadline is fast approaching. The Salvation Army registered over 2,500 children and seniors for gifts for this holiday season. As of Friday afternoon, 1,400 remained unclaimed. According to website information, the Angel Tree program of Tyler helps families in need by providing new clothing and toys to 2,300 children each year. For more information, call Greg Mason at 903-592-4361 or 903-203-7686.

TYLER — A lawsuit has been filed by the family of a young man whose relatives helped find a suspect in a Halloween hit and run in Tyler that put the man in the hospital. According to a news release from the McGuire Firm, on October 30, Noah Mireles was leaving a Halloween party, dressed as an inflatable dinosaur, when he was run over by a driver who immediately fled the scene. The firm says Mireles’s injuries caused him to spend multiple days in the hospital and suffer significant pain and impairment. After reporting the incident to the police and seeking help from the public, Mireles’s family did their own detective work and tracked down the suspect vehicle, according to the release. Continue reading Lawsuit filed after victim’s family helps locate Halloween hit and run suspect

LONGVIEW – Authorities say a man has been missing since being released from the Gregg County Jail. According to our news partner KETK, the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office is looking for 39-year-old Thomas Walter Pennix, who has been missing since Nov. 16. He is described as a Black male with black hair and brown eyes, who stands roughly six feet tall and weighs between 160 and 180 pounds. Authorities said Pennix is from Virginia and does not have family locally. His family members have reportedly not seen or spoken to him since his release. If you or anyone you know has information leading to Thomas or his whereabouts, you’re asked to contact Investigator Tyler Myers at 903-237-2527 or the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office non-emergency line at 903-236-8400. Reference case number C22-16815.

RAINS COUNTY – Officials say an investigation is underway after the Rains and Hunt County Sheriff’s Offices found human skeletal remains in Rains County on Wednesday. According to our news partner KETK, the Texas Rangers are working with the two sheriff’s offices on the investigation. Authorities said they additionally found other “evidentiary items.” The remains were sent to the University of North Texas to identify the person. “Our agencies are aware there have been postings on social media regarding evidence and assumptions that the remains are of a missing Quinlan man, however proper identification has not been made and can only be made by dental records or DNA,” said the Rains County Sheriff’s Office in a prepared statement. Officials also asked people to be mindful of the family if they post information about the case.

TYLER — Beginning Monday, weather permitting, eastbound traffic on Cambridge Road in Tyler will shift from the south side to the newly paved north side at Townhouse Drive. Drivers will move back to the south side of Cambridge Road just before reaching Potomac Drive to continue traveling east. Officials say the shift is needed for demolition of the south side of the roadway to make the area ready for new asphalt pavement. Residents on the south side of Cambridge Road, Bishops Gate Lane, Southland Drive, and Radcliff Drive will continue to use the existing pavement for eastbound travel until their access road or driveway is cut to match the newly paved elevation. Continue reading Cambridge Road traffic shifts to north side as construction continues

KILGORE — Kilgore police said they apprehended a “reckless driver” after it hit two vehicles in the Walmart parking lot, but the “driver” was actually a dog. According to our news partner KETK, an owner of one of the cars that was hit said he saw a suspect barreling down on him but he couldn’t get out of the way. The person was shocked to see that the driver was a dog. KPD said the dog was behind the wheel when the crash happened. Their investigation revealed that the dog was sitting in the unoccupied car waiting for its owners while they shopped, but apparently got a little antsy and “bounced around” in the cab, setting the truck into motion. Continue reading ‘Reckless driver’ crash turns out to be dog behind the wheel in Kilgore

WOOD COUNTY — A man was no-billed by a grand jury this week after being arrested earlier this year for the capital murder of Brittany McGlone. According to our news partner KETK, Hope McGlone, Brittany’s half-sister, said the family is disappointed in the decision. “Everything points to this person, so my biggest question to them is why,” Hope said. “I don’t understand when the sheriff felt like there was an overwhelming amount of evidence, that we should have received an indictment.” McGlone was tragically beaten, sexually assaulted and murdered in 2007. 15 years later, the family thought they had found justice when Chad Carr was arrested. Continue reading No closure in East Texas cold case following no-bill

TYLER — UT Health Tyler has named Zach Dietze as CEO, effective Jan. 1, 2023. The organization said that Dietze is an experienced healthcare executive who most recently served as chief operating officer of Hillcrest Medical Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Before that, he served as assistant administrator, then as CEO of Seton Medical Center in Harker Heights and as a program manager at Harris Health System in Houston. “We are thrilled to welcome Zach back to Texas and to UT Health East Texas. He is a people-first, physician-driven leader who understands that serving people is at the heart of everything we do,” said Donald Baker, market president of UT Health East Texas, as quoted in a news release. Dietze received his bachelor’s degree from The University of Texas at Austin and his Master of Healthcare Administration from Trinity University in San Antonio.

TYLER – Gov. Greg Abbott has appointed Judge Taylor Heaton to the new 475th District Court in Smith County according to our news partner KETK. Heaton’s term will start in the court on Jan. 1 for a term set to expire at the end of 2024. Heaton is currently judge of the County Court at Law No. 2 in Smith County, and has previously served as an assistant district attorney in Tyler for over 12 years. Gov. Abbott signed the house bill in June 2021 to create the 475th District Court to help reduce backlog of criminal cases, according to former Smith County Judge Nathaniel Moran, who said the courthouse’s backlog had nearly doubled after the pandemic. Smith County District Attorney Jacob Putman testified in favor of the bill for a new district court in front of the House of Representatives before it was signed.

TYLER – The City of Tyler is celebrating Rosa Parks Day with a reserved seat on a Tyler Transit bus, according to our news partner KETK. The holiday, observed on the day of her arrest, honors Parks after she refused to give up her bus seat, going against an Alabama law in 1955 that required Black passengers to relinquish seats when a bus became full. “Her actions led to a 1956 Supreme Court decision banning segregation on public transportation,” the city said in a statement. “Today, Tyler Transit honors Rosa Parks and her legacy with her own designated seat.” The seat left in honor of Parks, 67 years after she was arrested for not giving up her bus seat, features a photo of Parks with the words “this seat is reserved for Rosa Parks.”

EAST TEXAS — It’s almost time for the Tyler and Longview Christmas parades. The Rotary Clubs of Tyler is putting on the Rose City event, and the local AMBUCS is presenting the Longview attraction. Both are set for December 1 in the cities’ downtowns, with the Tyler parade kicking off at 6 p.m. and the Longview activity beginning at 6:30 in the evening. The Tyler event will be capped by the lighting of the downtown Christmas tree by this year’s Children’s Miracle Network Miracle Child, three-year-old Hannah Harlow. Longview’s parade includes marching bands, floats, and an appearance by Santa. Click here for more on what’s happening in Tyler. Check this link for more information on the Longview parade.

TYLER — 114th District Court Judge Austin Reeve Jackson sentenced 60-year-old Charles Lennon II of Bullard to a prison term of 16 years after Lennon pleaded guilty to the felony offense of tampering with a human corpse. According to a news release, Lennon had been facing a maximum sentence of twenty years confinement before entering into the plea agreement with the Smith County District Attorney’s Office. Lennon was charged with the offense because of his involvement in attempting to conceal the body of 31-year-old Rachel Lynn Jackson, a young woman his son, Charles Lennon III, violently murdered. In April 2019, the younger Lennon entered a plea of guilty to the murder and was sentenced to life in prison, also in the 114th District Court.

TYLER – Visit Tyler has hired a new president. Diann Bayes (pictured) comes to Tyler from San Angelo, where she has served as vice president of Discover San Angelo for nearly six years. She has worked nearly 30 years in the travel and tourism industry. Bayes will begin her role on January 3, 2023. Visit Tyler began the search in October for a new president after Shari Lee announced her retirement after 14 years. Visit Tyler has also hired Sheridan Smith as vice president of marketing/communications. She was formerly a marketing director for Chick-fil-A. Visit Tyler is the destination marketing organization for Tyler, according to press materials.

TYLER – According to court documents unsealed Wednesday, 21 suspects from across the country have been charged for their alleged roles in transnational money laundering networks. The announcement came in a Tyler news conference. Suspects include those who allegedly laundered millions of dollars reportedly stolen from United States fraud victims through romance scams, business email compromises, technical support schemes, and other fraud schemes. Federal officials announced Operation Crypto Runner, an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation into transnational cryptocurrency money laundering networks. They say the networks facilitate the movement of fraud proceeds from victims in the United States to foreign criminal organizations. Click here for more details.

TYLER — A 19-year-old Houston man was sentenced to eight years deferred adjudication, or probation, after pleading guilty to engaging in organized criminal activity. According to our news partner KETK, Kennedy Watkins was arrested with two other Houston men in Tyler in connection to several catalytic converter thefts. The three were all 18-years-old at the time of their July arrests, and Watkins has remained in jail since. In addition to his eight year sentence, Watkins was given 137 days credit for the time he spent in jail. According to deferred adjudication guidelines, if Watkins adheres to the condition of his release the conviction will be removed from his record.

TYLER — CHRISTUS Health and Texas-Oncology collaborated to build the Northeast Texas Cancer and Research Institute, which had its grand opening in Tyler on Tuesday. According to our news partner KETK, the new clinic is an 85,000-foot facility with about 3,000 feet designated for research space. The facility has specialized areas for radiation oncology, gynecologic oncology, hematology, and medical oncology.  Jason Proctor with CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Hospital said patients enjoy the new facility. “A lot of it is speechless, beautiful. It is such a healing presence, again it makes it easy for them to see their doctors,” he said. Continue reading Northeast Texas Cancer and Research Institute opens in Tyler

LONGVIEW — The Longview Police Department arrested a murder suspect who was wanted out of Minneapolis, Minnesota on Monday. According to our news partner KETK, Longview police said they received a tip from Gregg County Crime Stoppers Network on the location of the suspect, 36-year-old Erica Shameka Roberts, who was wanted for second degree murder. Roberts was arrested and taken to the Gregg County Jail without incident by LPD Detectives with the Special Investigations Apprehension Unit. Back in October, the Minneapolis Police Department took to Facebook to ask for the public’s help in finding Roberts. They said she was charged with murder for fatally shooting Tanasha Austin back in March after a verbal argument.

MARSHALL — Marshall police have arrested 43-year-old Dameion Deon Redd of Marshall for a shooting that injured a woman and child on Monday. Police say Redd was booked into the Harrison County Jail on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and injury to a child. According to a news release, just after midnight Monday on East End Boulevard South, police responded to 911 calls reporting gunfire in the area. Upon arrival, officers found the woman and child had been shot in their apartment. Both victims were transported to area hospitals.

FLINT – A Winona man arrested this month is accused of creating multiple fake businesses in order to steal money from the company he was working for. According to our news partner KETK, a warrant says Andrew Boaz, 35, is accused of stealing a total of $85,979.29 from Nautical Mile Marine, a boat dealership where he had been employed for over nine years. The missing funds were discovered in October, according to the warrant, after a manager noticed an unfamiliar recurring charge to “Boat Parts Online” in the company’s credit card statements. Boaz was arrested Nov. 18 for felony theft and bailed out of jail the next day. His bail was set at the same amount of money the investigation determined to have been stolen by Boaz using the company credit card.

NACOGDOCHES – The Stephen F. Austin State University Board of Regents voted on Tuesday to accept the University of Texas system offer for affiliation. According to our news partner KETK, the decision was approved in an 8-1 vote by the board with one member opposing, saying they feared the decision would eventually lead to the name of the university being changed. Officials said SFA will now officially accept the university system’s offer so they can begin the process of affiliation. “We are honored and enthusiastic about taking the next steps together in this process with confidence that this union will make each of us stronger,” said Kevin Eltife, chairman of the UT System Board of Regents, as quoted in a news release. Continue reading SFA regents vote to join UT System

TYLER – Each year, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Tyler selects at least one child to represent CMN hospitals. This year the 2023 Miracle Child is three-year-old Hannah Harlow, who will debut as Miracle Child when she lights the city of Tyler’s Christmas Tree during the annual Christmas Parade on December 1. According to a news release, at the age of two, Hannah was diagnosed with XLH Rickets, a condition in which the body doesn’t produce or retain phosphorus. Without phosphorus, bones do not harden, so they are brittle and can easily break. Continue reading Hannah Harlow named 2023 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals “Miracle Child”

ARP – The Arp ISD community is rallying around Coach Winston Butler and his mother Dorene Freeney. According to information from the school district, around 2:00 Thanksgiving morning, their house burned down, and they lost everything. Thanks in large part to former Arp ISD athletic director Dale Irwin and his wife, Tonya Irwin, Butler and his mom are beginning the process of getting back on their feet. Much of the Arp community has already stepped up and helped in many ways with monetary, clothing, food, and other donations. Coach Irwin, in conjunction with Arp ISD and Arp State Bank, has set up dropoff locations at the bank and at Arp High School for anyone who wishes to help. Coach Irwin is personally picking up the donations daily and delivering them to the family. Fortunately, neither Butler nor Freeney was hurt in the fire. Continue reading Community steps up after Arp coach and mother lose home to fire

TYLER — Chapel Hill ISD announced on Tuesday they are mourning the death of a Wise Elementary student who died in a wreck over Thanksgiving break. According to our news partner KETK, in a message to the district, Superintendent Lamond Dean said Daniela Nevaeh Ramirez was involved in a crash and “with tremendous sadness” informed the district of her death. “Thank you for your concern and your continued support for Wise Elementary,” Dean said. “Please keep the Ramirez family and their close friends in your thoughts and prayers as they grieve this tragic loss.” Dean said the school trauma team of counselors is meeting with Ramirez’s friends and teachers, and that counselors “are well prepared to assist both students and staff following such tragic incidents.”

LONGVIEW — A man was killed Sunday night after he allegedly pulled a pistol on an off-duty Kilgore police officer and threatened him with it. According to Kilgore Police and our news partner KETK, the officer who was working an off-duty security job for Hospitality ER in Longview, was checking the parking lot around 9 p.m. when the man confronted him. Officials said that during the encounter “for unknown reasons” he pulled a pistol and began making threats with it. The two then began to struggle for control of the weapon. “As the struggle intensified the officer pulled his weapon and fired in an attempt to stop the aggression, striking the suspect,” officials said. “Immediately following the shooting the officer summoned ER staff who attempted life-saving measures.” Continue reading Man killed at Longview ER identified

GUN BARREL CITY – More details are emerging after the Gun Barrel City Police Department and Gun Barrel City Fire Department responded to a possible carbon monoxide poisoning on Garret Lane that left one dead on Saturday. According to our news partner KETK, after arriving at the scene, officers and firefighters said they found a three-year-old girl, two boys ages four and six, and the children’s 28-year-old mother. They say they immediately began trying to save the victims’ lives and they were all then transported to UT Health Texas Cedar Creek Lake. The six-year-old was unresponsive when they arrived and later died, according to officials. Continue reading More details on apparent carbon monoxide death in Gun Barrel City

TYLER – The United Way of Smith County is hosting their third annual “Tyler Gives” online fundraiser on November 29th, which falls on International Giving Tuesday. According to a news release, the event is aimed at meeting local needs by providing United Way’s partnering local nonprofit agencies with a generous gift at the end of the year. More than 400 individuals came together last year and raised over $230,000 on TylerGives.org in a matter of hours. Thanks to Tyler Gives sponsor Express Employment Professionals and its subsidiary Specialized Recruiting Group, all fees associated with the event are covered, allowing 100% of the donations to go directly to meeting needs. United Way and the event sponsors are providing a $75,000 match for Tyler Gives this year. Continue reading United Way hosting third annual Tyler Gives event with $75,000 match

CRAFT – It may be awhile before we know more about a hostage situation in Cherokee County that led to an officer-involved shooting. In a prepared statement, DPS Sgt. Adam Albritton says, “For the safety of the medical staff, no information about the suspect or his condition will be released at this time.” Authorities said the suspect was shot south of Jacksonville Saturday in a confrontation with law enforcement after he allegedly held his wife and daughter hostage. According to our news partner KETK, Albritton says around 11:52 a.m., the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office got a 911 call from a man who claimed to be holding his wife and daughter hostage. Continue reading Further details pending on officer-involved shooting in Cherokee County