KTBB News, Weather, Talk

PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg Police Department is seeking the your help in locating two suspects, who officials said stole two trailers from a local business in Pittsburg. According to officials and our news partners at KETK, the theft occurred around 12:15 a.m. Tuesday at Work Trailer. The stolen trailers were both described as black 35-foot gooseneck trailers.

The suspects used two separate trucks to steal the trailers, believed to be a Ram 3500 and a Ram 2500. The police department is asking anyone with information regarding the individuals to contact them at 903-856-3330.

GREGG COUNTY – The westbound outside lane of I-20 on US 259 in Gregg County will be closed for several days starting on Monday. Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) said the lane is expected to be closed for three days as crews will be performing bridge maintenance. Due to the closure, drivers are being asked to plan ahead and watch out for work crews.

TYLER – Officials have confirmed that one person died and three people were injured on Thursday after an 18-wheeler and multiple vehicles crashed on Toll 49. According to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office and our news partner KETK, an 18-wheeler and multiple vehicles crashed on Toll 49 westbound near mile marker 19 at around 1:40 p.m. on Thursday.

When first responders arrived at the scene one person was dead from the crash, a sheriff’s office official told KETK News. EMS, firefighters, sheriff’s office deputies and the Texas Department of Public Safety are all responding to the crash.

“When we arrived on scene, we found an 18-wheeler involved with a couple of other passenger vehicles,” Smith County Emergency Services District 2 spokesperson Nikki Simmons said. “Unfortunately, there was one fatality, and we did have three other individuals transported.” Continue reading Fatal Toll 49 wreck under investigation

UPDATE: A pedestrian killed in a fatal crash on Wednesday night on West Gentry Parkway has been identified as 70-year-old Daniel Walker by the Tyler Police Department.

TYLER — A fatal crash on Gentry Parkway in Tyler left one pedestrian dead on Thursday morning. The Tyler Police Department responded to a crash at West Gentry Parkway, near the Texaco station at around midnight. According to our news partner KETK and Tyler PD Public Information Officer Andy Erbaugh, a pedestrian was crossing the road at an angle, not at a crosswalk or intersection. The pedestrian was struck by a truck on the outside lane and was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The driver of the truck stopped, along with a witness, Erbaugh said. There are no charges being pressed at this time and no other injuries were reported.

SMITH COUNTY — With many East Texas students on spring break this week, parents are being asked to keep track of their children’s locations after d several reports of kids banging on neighbors’ doors late at night in Chapel Hill.

Smith County Precinct 4 Constable Josh Joplin stated that after reviewing camera footage, it was confirmed that a number of boys were banging on doors and ringing doorbells at around 2 a.m. in residential Chapel Hill neighborhoods.

Joplin said that while kids may view it as a harmless prank, knocking on a stranger’s door late at night could become dangerous and possibly deadly. “We most certainly don’t want an injury or death to occur in this community from a prank gone wrong,” Joplin said. Continue reading Spring break pranks raise concerns

UPDATE: Found safe and unharmed, per the Smith County Sheriff’s Office Thursday morning.

TYLER – A Smith County teenager has not been seen since March 1, and her family believes she has run away. According to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, Kalyiah Smith, 16, is 5 feet, 4 inches tall, weighs 130 pounds, and has brown hair and eyes. She has been diagnosed with ADHD and is supposed to take medications for that, they said, but other than that, she has no medical or mental issues.

Kalyiah has ties to the immediate Tyler area, and the Smith County Sheriff’s Office reminds residents that anyone who is harboring a minor and is criminally negligent about whether the child is younger than 18 years of age and has voluntarily left home without the consent of a parent or guardian, can be charged with Harboring a Runaway, a Class A Misdemeanor.

If you have any information as to the whereabouts of Kalyiah Smith, please call the Smith County Sheriff’s Office at (903) 566-6600.

TYLER – A new Texas House caucus created to stop Sharia Law is facing pushback. Over 30 state lawmakers have joined the Sharia Free Texas Caucus. In a statement posted on X (Formerly Twitter), one of the group’s founders, State Rep. Brent Money (R-Greenville), said the caucus is looking to address the teachings of Islam in part by advancing legislation to prohibit Sharia practices they say oppress women or incite violence against non-believers. The caucus also wants to reinforce what they view as the Biblical foundations of Texas.

“We’re just saying, hey, in Texas, we want to be welcoming to people, but you got to be a Texan when you get here,” said Money. He expressed concern over what he said is a growing Islamic influence in the state and wants to ensure there is no parallel legal system in Texas that treats people differently.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R-TX) has asked senators to look at ways to prevent Sharia Law in Texas before the next legislative session, which starts in 2027.

Continue reading Lawmaker explains caucus addressing Islam

TYLER – Tyler Police Officers were called to Green Acres Baptist Church on Wednesday afternoon after a single-vehicle crash occurred outside of the building. Once officers arrived on the scene, they discovered the vehicle had struck a tree just outside the chapel. The driver was able to exit the vehicle and was uninjured. It remains unknown at this time how the crash occurred or whether the driver will face any charges.

HARRISON COUNTY – Multiple elk have been spotted in Harrison County. According to our news partner KETK, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office said it has been made aware of elk roaming around Sue Belle Lake Road. County officals asks the public not to approach the animals or try to chase them into the woods. The owners are aware of the situation and are working with neighbors to return the elk to their enclosure.

MARSHALL – The Marshall Police Department arrested a Center, Texas man Tuesday afternoon after he struck a Texas Department of Transportation truck while attempting to flee from officers.

At approximately 3:45 p.m. on March 10, Marshall Police received several calls reporting a reckless driver traveling northbound on East End Boulevard, U.S. Highway 59. Marshall Police patrol units located the vehicle and attempted to initiate a traffic stop. Near the intersection of Highway 59 and Loop 390, the vehicle pulled onto the shoulder and appeared to be stopping. Continue reading Man charged with DWI and possession

TYLER – On Wednesday, Tyler City Council approved a $167,868 contract with Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. for the Intelligent Transportation System Master Plan Year 6 – Traffic Signal Timing Improvements. According to a release obtained by KTBB, 26 highly-driven intersections in the city will be addressed. The areas being addressed include Southeast Loop 323, Beckham Avenue, Troup Highway, Shiloh Road, and East Grande Boulevard. The release quoted the improvement previous traffic light re-timings have done for city traffic flow, specifically the improvement of Broadway Avenue. Historical data from Texas Department of Transportation and Texas A&M Transportation Institute ranked Broadway as one of the most traffic-heavy roads in Texas, but since re timing plans began, the ranking has steadily improved. The project is set to be paid for with the Half Cent Sales Tax Fund.

LONGVIEW — The City of Longview is proposing to allocate $250,000 in federal funding to resurface Park Street and expand its first-time homebuyer program. The city will have $100,000 to provide additional ‘First-Time Homebuyer Down Payment’ assistance grants. The first-time homebuyer program provides financial assistance to eligible low-income homebuyers on a one-time, grant-based basis. Qualified applicants may receive up to $5,500, depending on household income.

The amendment will also reallocate $150,000 for a resurfacing project and street overlay along Park Street.

The city of Longview will live-stream the meeting on Facebook on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. for anyone interested in learning more about the proposal or providing feedback.

UPDATE: Highway 31 East has been reopened following the crash, according to Smith County ESD 2.

SMITH COUNTY — A Texarkana ISD school bus carrying more than 20 students collided with a van on Tuesday afternoon near Tyler. Smith County personnel were dispatched at around 3:50 p.m. to the 14000 block of Highway 31 East near CR 2908 in response to the crash. Smith County ESD2 said 26 kids and two coaches were on the bus and no injuries were reported.

Both vehicles are out of the roadway and one lane of Highway 31 is shut down going eastbound.

TYLER — Multiple people spoke out on Facebook about flat tires after driving through an intersection on South Broadway Avenue in Tyler.

Screws were found buried in the tires, and the manager of Discount Tire on Loop 323, Bryce Matthews, said the shop has been dealing with an increase in flat tire repairs in the last 24 hours.

“It’s been a little crazier than usual. Discount Tire is a pretty busy place, but we welcome anybody and everybody,” manager of Discount Tire on Loop 323 Matthews said. “We’ve probably seen it increase yesterday by about twenty-five percent more than usual.” He states that one driver came in with 17 screws in their tires.

The city road department was called and a message left about the screws, they were asked to please take a sweeper truck out there.” Our news partner KETK has reached out to the Texas Department of Transportation, which said it will send crews to reported locations as needed.

SMITH COUNTY — A Tyler man has been taken into custody following an investigation that uncovered the theft of over $96,000 in hay and connected revenue. According to our news partner KETK, in February, Brandon Wiginton was arrested on charges of misapplication of fiduciary property and two counts of theft. He was subsequently booked into the Smith County Jail.

The investigation began in August 2022, initiated by the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association after they received a report about a business partnership that allegedly led to the theft of hay and revenue. The offenses were found to have occurred in Cherokee County and Smith County.
Continue reading Man arrested on hay and cash theft

SMITH COUNTY — A man was sentenced to prison on Tuesday after admitting to murder in connection with a deadly crash in Smith County. Jeremiah Munoz was sentenced to 37 years in prison following his guilty plea. Munoz was charged with murder on October 15, 2025, after a crash in Smith County resulted in the death of one woman.

According to officials and our news partner KETK, Munoz had stolen a Ford-250 truck he was driving before colliding with another vehicle, driven by Brandi Carter, on the intersection of FM 2015 and FM 16. When deputies arrived at the scene, they observed the truck facing south and the vehicle driven by Carter in a ditch. Carter was found dead beside her car.

Deputies conducted a sobriety test after detecting a strong odor of alcohol coming from Munoz. Munoz failed the sobriety test and stated he had a couple of beers. Munoz was arrested for intoxicated manslaughter, unauthorized use of a vehicle and three counts of possession of a controlled substance and transported to the Smith County Jail.

LONGVIEW – The Longview Kite Festival has been postponed until Friday because of expected storms moving through East Texas this week. The 5th annual Longview Kite Festival was originally scheduled to start at 12 p.m. on Wednesday at the Lear Park but will now be held on Friday to avoid a chance of severe storms on Wednesday.

The annual family-friendly festival welcomes thousands of East Texans to Lear Park for free kites, arts and crafts, games, live entertainment, food vendors and more. Longview Parks and Recreation said they would share any updates about the festival online.

SMITH COUNTY — The Smith County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a 31-year-old man accused of shooting a woman on Monday night. Deputies were dispatched on Monday at around 10:19 p.m. to Highway 69 near Joe Mea Road. They found a woman shot in the leg by Christopher Hatfield. The woman was taken to a local hospital and remains in stable condition, the sheriff’s office said.

Hatfield allegedly fled before law enforcement arrived. Investigators believe he may have been picked up by someone in a vehicle or may have made his way to a different area. He was last seen wearing all white and is considered to be armed and dangerous.

Anyone with information regarding Hatfield is urged to contact the Smith County Sheriff’s Office.

SMITH COUNTY – Records have revealed that a man was arrested in Smith County after he allegedly had sexual relationships with a 15-year-old girl and provided her with illegal drugs.

According to our news partner KETK and an arrest affidavit, the victim was found on Feb. 24 inside a vehicle in a parking garage in Tyler. After being found, the victim, who had run away from home, was returned to her grandmother by the Tyler Police Department. Following her return, officers with Tyler PD began an investigation after the victim had admitted to using illegal drugs and engaging in sexual intercourse inside a motel room with a man later identified as James Brummett.

While investigators spoke with the victim’s grandmother, she stated that while her granddaughter was missing, she received text messages starting on Feb. 22 from an unknown phone number that was later revealed to be Brummett’s. The texts were believed to have been sent from the victim, who had told her grandmother that she was safe and an hour away from Tyler in Canton, according to the affidavit.

On Feb. 26, detectives arrived at the Relax Inn in Smith County, which was the motel that they believed Brummett had taken the victim to. A motel employee told detectives that Brummett was still checked into a room and typically returned to the motel in the evening after work. The employee also provided officials with Brummett’s phone number and license plate. Continue reading Sexual assault of 15-year-old

TYLER – ‘Texas Original’ is opening a new medical marijuana pickup location in Tyler this week.

Texas Original, the state’s leading medical cannabis provider, opened their first East Texas store in Nacogdoches in 2022. The new Tyler pick-up site is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays on 11980 State Highway 64. Medical marijuana can be used in Texas to treat 150 conditions. Some of those include: epilepsy, cancer, PTSD and Crohn’s Disease. East Texans can apply for the Compassionate Use Program, which was significantly expanded during the 2025 legislative session.

Thanks to House Bill 46, Texas Original is ready to grow and they’re opening a new pick-up site in Smith County near the Chapel hill area. The building is currently only used for pick-ups which are on Tuesdays since prescriptions have to be transported from their central facility in Austin ahead of time. Continue reading Marijuana pick-up facility opening

YANTIS – A man was arrested in Wood County on Sunday after metal weights were found in a bass he presented during the weigh in for the Lake Fork Lure Co. Tournament. According to the Texas Game Wardens, tournament organizers contacted game wardens in Wood County to investigate a bass that was flagged while being metal detected during Sunday’s weigh-in at the Caney Point Recreation Area on Lake Fork in Yantis.

According to our news partner KETK, after the alert for a foreign object was confirmed, game wardens conducted a necropsy on the fish and found three uneroded weights in the bass’ stomach. The same kind of weights were also found in the boat of the angler who allegedly submitted the bass for the weigh-in.

The angler was identified as, Curtis Lee Daniels of Willow Park. Daniels was arrested on Sunday and charged with violating fishing tournament law. He was booked into the Wood County Jail but was released on Monday after posting his $20,000 bond. Since the tournament had a $10,000 grand prize and more than $84,900 in hourly cash prizes, the charge against Daniels is a third-degree felony.

LONGVIEW – CHRISTUS Health Cancer Center in Longview, which is set to open later this year, named Steven J. DiBiase as its new medical director on Monday. DiBiase previously worked at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York as a senior academic and clinical leader. Earlier in his career, DiBiase was the chief of service and a member of the hospital’s executive committee at the Julia and Ned Arnold Center for Radiation Oncology.

In addition to serving as medical director, DiBiase will also lead the center’s expanding oncology program and serve as chief of radiation oncology. Throughout his career, DiBiase has contributed to cancer research with more than 40 peer-reviewed publications and presentations. DiBiase officially began his new role on Monday and will help guide the development of the Cancer Center before it opens this fall. Before the center is complete, DiBiase will see patients at the CHRISTUS Good Shepherd Northpark oncology clinic.

“Bringing Dr. DiBiase to our community represents a major step forward in local cancer care,” Reid Dollahite, vice president for physician practice operations, said. “Patients will benefit from his experience and his commitment to treating the whole person.”

MARSHALL – Marshall PD announced that a juvenile is in custody after a shooting Saturday. Officers arrived to the scene of the shooting at a home on Melanie Street after receiving a call of gunfire. One victim was found with a gunshot wound, and the injury is believed to be non-life threatening. The department will not be releasing any information regarding the suspect’s identity due to their age, but the suspect is confirmed to be held in the Willoughby Juvenile Detention Center

OVERTON – The American Brahman Breeders Association has named the AgriLife Research Brahman cattle program in Overton as their Breeder of the Year for 2025. According to our news partner KETK, the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Overton has operated a Brahman cattle breeding program since 1974 as a way to improve Brahman cattle through scientific research and testing.

The breeding program’s 200 Brahman herd helps AgriLife researchers collect long-term data on the Brahman breed’s reproduction, temperament, grazing, feed efficiency and carcass merit. The data they collect from the herd is then submitted to the Brahman Herd Improvement Registry, which shares their information with cattle producers and researchers around the nation.

TYLER — A Smith County court judge has extended the probation for Patrick Mahomes Sr. by two years on Monday. Mahomes Sr., was arrested earlier this year for allegedly violating his probation from a conviction for driving while intoxicated.

According to our news partner KETK, the defense said, Mahomes Sr. should be “out by today” after the state of Texas retracted the claim that he was drinking and driving during his probation. Instead, the state said it was only an event in his SCRAM device. Today meaning Monday.

The court approved the dismissal and the following changes have been granted to his probation: Continue reading Probation extended for Mahomes Sr.

SMITH COUNTY — A 28-year-old man was arrested early Saturday morning after authorities said he shot his wife while their three children were inside the home. According to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office and our news partner KETK, deputies responded around 1:30 a.m. to a disturbance call in the 9200 block of Cityview Drive.

Dispatchers were told the suspect, identified as Adrian Lekindreth Scott Jr., was intoxicated and assaulting his wife.

While deputies were en route, Smith County dispatchers reported hearing gunshots and screaming during the ongoing 911 call. Deputies arrested Scott. Inside the home, deputies found his wife suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the abdomen and shoulder.

Deputies began providing lifesaving aid until emergency medical personnel arrived. Authorities said one deputy applied pressure to the wounds and placed a tourniquet on the woman’s upper arm before she was transported to the hospital for treatment. She is currently in stable condition.

Deputies also checked on the three children who were inside the residence at the time of the shooting. According to a Smith County affidavit, the wife alleged that she was holding her infant in bed next to her two other children when the shooting occurred. Continue reading Woman shot, man arrested

TYLER — Goodwill Industries of East Texas is helping to put more money back into East Texans’ pockets with their free tax preparation services. According to our news partner KETK, Goodwill’s free tax preparation services are offered through their Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program which is made possible by their IRS-certified volunteer tax preparers.

“This means MORE money back in YOUR pocket with no fees, fast e-filing, and direct deposit refunds. Perfect for low-to-moderate income households with simple tax returns,” Goodwill Industries of East Texas said.

All that’s required for those using VITA program services is to bring the following items: Continue reading Free tax prep for East Texans