KTBB News, Weather, Talk

GRAND SALINE — Under the authority of the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Department, the SPCA of Texas seized 35 dogs, 7 of which are puppies, and one bird Friday morning from a Grand Saline property. According to KETK, the SPCA terms the animals “cruelly confined.” The SPCA says the animals were being housed in a feces-filled, urine-soaked trailer on the property and in a small, filthy outdoor pen, and were not receiving proper food, water or care.

According to the SPCA, all of the dogs appear to be small mixed breeds, and most of them suffer from hair loss, eye discharge, flea infestation and extremely long nails. The agency claims the bird, a lovebird, was living in a filthy, roach infested cage and had feather loss and crusty skin. The SPCA of Texas will know more about their conditions after the animals are evaluated by the medical staff.

“We have home remedies that we give them, but sometimes they do get somewhat sick and we don’t now how to cure them,” said Ethan Scott, son of the animal owners. “Usually it’s the puppies and they just die, and we bury them in the yard. We have a whole bunch of dogs buried in the yard.” When asked how he felt Scott answered, “OK. It had to happen one of these days. It should be better now. We’ll save money on dog food now.” The Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Department contacted the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to provide support for the Scott family.

The SPCA of Texas and the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Department received complaints of animal cruelty at the property on August 20. The Sheriff’s Department obtained a seizure warrant, and the SPCA of Texas transported the dogs to the SPCA of Texas’ Perry Animal Care Center in McKinney, where they will be cared for until a custody hearing to be held Sept. 2. If the SPCA of Texas receives custody of the animals, they will be evaluated for potential adoption of placement on a case by case basis.

TYLER — The Tyler ISD The Board of Trustees has adopted the 2011-2012 budgets as they were submitted by the administration. The general fund budget totals $129.9 million, which reflects a $6.9 decrease in state funding. The other budgets adopted were food service for $8.9 million and debt service for $23.9 million. The Board of Trustees adopted the proposed $1.375 tax rate, which reflects no change from last year. By keeping the tax rate flat, Tyler ISD will be able to prepay current bonds and avoid roughly $9.5 million in future taxes.

LINWOOD — An East Texas man is trapped in a ditch in a hail of gunfire, and Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s deputies help Cherokee County Sheriff’s Deputies come to his aid. According to KETK and the Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel, they had to shut down Highway 21 and Cherokee County Road 2519 in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. Deputies say 52-year-old David Lynn Adams was in a standoff with authorities. They say he’d threatened to shoot anybody who came to the rescue of a man in a ditch near his home. After hours of negotiating, deputies rescued the man and arrested Adams.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Louie Gohmert (TX-01) released the following statement concerning the decision made by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg not to invite the first responders and bar prayer from the tenth anniversary ceremony of the September 11th terror attacks:

“Excluding the heroic Americans who responded with courage and strength of steel when faced with one of the greatest tragedies in the history of the United States is not only unpatriotic, it’s disgraceful. We are remembering those who lost their lives on 9/11 and honoring those who ran into the burning buildings that catastrophic day. These brave men and women make up the heart of America. When people were evacuating the World Trade Center running down stairwells, these patriots were running up the stairwells. They stationed themselves in the path of disaster; they saved the lives of their countrymen and comforted countless Americans in their last moments on earth.

“The first responders and those who would pray for them, should not only be invited to the tenth anniversary ceremony, they should be given the places of honor. Our country is only as great as the people who comprise it. Its my hope that Mayor Bloomberg will choose to honor the ones who voluntarily chose to put their life on the line for the security of this nation, while also bringing to the forefront those who can most effectively pray for them. Either Mayor Bloomberg and the memorial leaders are far smarter than the genius of Ben Franklin, or they too should be asked, ‘Do we imagine that we no longer need God’s assistance?’

“When the founders were bogged down and could get nothing accomplished for the first five weeks at the Constitutional Convention in 1787, they were reminded by Benjamin Franklin of what should be noted today: ‘In the beginning Contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible of danger we had daily prayer in this room for the divine protection. Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered. . . And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? Or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance? I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth – that God governs in the affairs of men. . .’

“That was followed by the proposal of Edmund Jennings Randolf of Virginia that all delegates attend together a sermon on July 4th, 1787, which resulted in the entire Constitutional Convention assembling in the Reformed Calvinistic Church to hear a sermon by Rev. William Rogers. Afterward, they reassembled with a different spirit and pulled together the Constitution. ”

Bloomberg has defended his move, citing space considerations, challenges with deciding which clergy would participate, and concerns with the event’s length. He additionally says the focus of the event will be on families of 9/11 victims. Also, according to media reports, a statement from the mayor’s office says city officials have promised to hold a ceremony at a later date to honor the 91,000 or so first responders and volunteers who helped in the preliminary search and rescue efforts and the subsequent cleanup in the ensuing 10 months.

CANTON — Canton Police say two 17-year-old teens were flown to Tyler hospitals after their 1999 white Ford pick-up truck rammed through a gas station in Canton. It happened a little after 10:00 Thursday night at the Exxon Twin Stop station located in the 400 block of Hwy 243. Officials say the truck left the roadway, traveled about 234 feet, and slammed into the store. Authorities believe the driver may have passed out at the wheel. One teen is reportedly in serious, but stable condition, and the other is in stable condition. A 26-year old cashier was taken to an Athens hospital with minor injuries. The gas station will be closed while the building is being repaired.

JACKSONVILLE — Lon Morris College officials claim the school “engaged in appropriate conduct” in its dealings with a Jacksonville motel last fall. The school is being sued by the motel where the school housed students during the fall 2010 semester. A petition filed in the Cherokee County District Clerk’s office states S.S.M LLC, the company that owns the motel at 1407 East Rusk St., seeks $4.575 million in total damages from the school.

The petition states LMC began negotiations with the motel in 2009, seeking to rent the property to use as dormitory space for students. Conversations for the school to purchase the motel started in spring 2010. In November 2010, school representatives then told the motel’s owners LMC would not purchase the property and would remove all students by Dec. 19, 2010.

LMC used the motel to house about 300 students for the fall 2010 semester. Residents who live near the motel began complaining about excessive noise and other disturbances in the area, to which LMC officials responded by setting a meeting with residents of the neighborhoods adjacent to the motel.

ALTO — Wednesday morning was a busy one in Alto and for the Cherokee County Sheriffs Department. Sheriff James Campbell said there were two burglaries and one attempted burglary in Alto and a disturbance outside the city limits. He said all of them occurred between 3:00 and 4:00 Wednesday morning.

The Alto High School was broken into around 3:15 a.m., said Ray DeSpain, Alto ISD superintendent. He said the locks to the front doors were jimmied open, and doors to the principal and administrative offices were pried open with a crowbar. The band hall, cafeteria and a few classrooms were targeted as well. The culprits stole a couple of hundred dollars in petty cash and funds from fundraising. Vandalism to the school will also cost a few hundred dollars to fix. It’s the third break-in at the high school since spring.

The Dairy Queen was also broken into. And there was an attempted break-in at Dollar General. Authorities believe all the burglaries were done by the same people. The entire Alto Police Department was placed on furlough June 16.

SMITH COUNTY — A Whitehouse man is sentenced Thursday to life in prison for murder. Sharieff Hussein Dean, 60, will have to serve at least 30 years of that sentence before he is eligible for parole. Authorities say on July 5th of last year, Dean fatally shot and beat his brother-in-law, Ronnie Kemp, because he thought he was a drug informant for the police department.

Dean and Kemp reportedly sold marijuana and cocaine together and had lived together, along with Dean’s 20-year-old daughter, Amie. She was arrested in September 2010 on capital murder charges but has not been indicted. She’s since been released on a $100,000 bond. Dean had been sentenced to 75 years in 1992 for possession of a controlled substance. He was paroled after serving 16 years.

ANGELINA COUNTY — There’s been an apparent drowning on an East Texas lake. The body of Lenwood Short, 84, of Lufkin, was found in Lake Sam Rayburn in Angelina County following a Wednesday afternoon storm. Sheriff’s Office Capt. James Galloway said the report of a man missing from his boat came in around 4:30pm. A game warden was then dispatched to the location. A search of the lake uncovered the man tangled in his trotline, Galloway said.

TYLER — Houston Street between Broadway and Beckham will have lane closures between 7:30 this morning and 5:00 this afternoon for asphalt overlay operations. Overlay operations provide a smoother ride for motorists; help preserve tires and provide a more efficient surface for rain run-off and drainage.

This closure will reroute buses and bus stops. The Tyler Transit Department advises transit riders, particularly those who use the Houston St. stops, to be aware of the following changes:
*The 1A Red Line will detour on Front Street.
*1A Red Line, serving the Medical District via Beckham, will not stop at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception or on Houston Street at Fannin Avenue.
*Two temporary stops will be added on Front Street at Fannin Avenue for those riders.

Operations will go back to normal tomorrow.

Although there will be thru traffic, delays are expected and it is asked that drivers use extreme caution while workers are present. Drivers utilizing these roads are encouraged to temporarily create alternate routes.

TYLER – The East Texas Food Bank and Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger relief organization, have released a new study which reveals in 26 East Texas counties, 27 percent of children — that’s over 80,000 — under the age of 18 are struggling with hunger. The study, “Map the Meal Gap: Child Food Insecurity 2011”, also reveals that there are children struggling with hunger in every county in America. Nationally, while one in six Americans overall are food insecure, the rate for children is much higher: nearly one in four children are food insecure.

“The study is an important tool because it provides critical information for developing strategies to alleviating child hunger,” said Dennis Cullinane, executive Director of the East Texas Food Bank. “This study will allow us to target those East Texas counties that have a high child food insecurity rates and a lack of participation in our Child Hunger Programs, such as: the BackPack Program, Summer Food Service Program, Kids Cafe and After School Snack Program.”

Key points of the study:

o 27 percent of East Texas children are food insecure.

o Of the 80,000 children who are food insecure, 78 percent of the children in East Texas are eligible for assistance from federal nutrition programs like Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), free or reduced-price school meals, and others.

o Of the 80,000 children who are food insecure, 22 percent of children in East Texas are not eligible for assistance from federal nutrition programs like Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), free or reduced-price school meals, and others.

The research is supported by ConAgra Foods Foundation. Go to http://www.feedingamerica.org/mapthegap/childsummary to find an executive summary of the report.

SMITH COUNTY — Smith County Road 1125, also known as Greenbriar Road, is now fully reopened after a bridge was replaced south of Spur 364. According to the Smith County Road and Bridge Department, detours and road blocks have been removed to restore full traffic flow on Greenbriar Road.

QUANAH (AP) – An East Texas man previously convicted in a cattle rustling case and facing charges in others has been sentenced to 99 years in prison for stealing bovines from a Mississippi rancher. Carl Wade Curry was convicted and sentenced Wednesday night by a jury in Hardeman County near the Oklahoma border. The 44-year-old from Athens was accused of stealing 400 head of cattle worth more than $200,000 last year. District Attorney Staley Heatly says Curry placed an order with a Mississippi man using a fake name and cattle company in Vernon, where the owner shipped the cattle. The owner contacted authorities when he didn’t receive payment. In April, Curry was sentenced to 20 years for cattle theft in Smith County. He faces more charges in East Texas and Louisiana.

LUFKIN — One woman is in custody after a two county police chase. According to KETK, authorities say Jessica Finney refused to pull over in Trinity County late Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning. The chase went through Trinity and Angelina Counties, coming to an end on Farm Road 706 in Hudson. Finney is being held on a felony charge for evading arrest.

QUITMAN — Authorities say a thief or thieves who “knew what they were doing” broke into the Wood County Precinct 2 Barn and stole 520 gallons of green diesel fuel and two 10-foot gas hoses. Sheriff Bill Wansley said the fuel and hoses are valued at $2,300. It was discovered around 5:30 Thursday morning.

Precinct 2 Commissioner Jerry Gaskill, who is in his third term and worked 18 years at the barn prior to taking office in 2002, said someone cut the barn’s gate lock and chain and then cut locks on the pumps and breaker boxes to access the green diesel, used to fuel county dump trucks. Gaskill believes a trailer was used because of the amount of diesel taken, but precipitation on Wednesday and Thursday has ruined tire tracks that could have traced the culprit.

LUFKIN — A Lufkin man has been arrested on charges he sexually assaulted a 14-year-old boy. William Joseph Bass, 55, was taken into custody after being accused of touching and having sex with the boy, according to an arrest affidavit. The affidavit states that on August 15, the boy spent the night at Bass’ home on Ricks Road. The next day the boy told his mother Bass got drunk and assaulted him. The boy was taken to Memorial Hospital for a sexual assault exam and did have injuries consistent with his story, the affidavit states. Bass was being held in the Angelina County Wednesday on two counts of sexual assault of a child, one count of prohibited sexual conduct and one count of displaying harmful material to a minor. His bond was set at $106,500.

LUFKIN — A 32-year-old Diboll woman was arrested Monday after she was accused of having sex with a 13-year-old boy. The teen reportedly met Natalie Johnson at his aunt’s home and they began talking on the phone and texting, making arrangements to meet. The boy said he would walk away from his grandparents’ home and she would pick him up. He told police they had sex three times at Ewing Park at Sam Rayburn Reservoir and four times at her apartment in Diboll, according to an affidavit. Cell phone records showed more than 1,500 calls and text messages between his phone and Johnson’s phone. Johnson was being held in the Angelina County Jail on a $75,000 bond.

LONGVIEW — Unattended candles are being blamed for a Tuesday afternoon fire in a Longview apartment complex. Firefighters were dispatched to Hidden Hills Apartments in the 600 block of Gilmer Road around 4:30. Fire Marshal Johnny Zackary said a woman was taken to the hospital due to smoke inhalation. He said the the fire started in the back bedroom of the apartment. The resident reportedly had three candles burning and left the residence. The fire damaged only the back bedroom of the apartment causing about $5,000 worth of damage. Zackary reminds residents to never leave candles unattended.

EAST TEXAS – Severe thunderstorms have moved through East Texas for a second straight day. The storms rolled through various parts of the area, including Smith and Gregg Counties, Wednesday afternoon, leaving thousands without power. Preliminary figures from KETK show that at one point Wednesday, over 4,000 customers were without electricity in Gregg County. Earlier in the day, some 3,000 in Harrison County were without power. Other area counties also experienced power outages, with Smith County authorities reporting a number of power lines down late in the afternoon. Crews continued working to restore electricity in the area.

TYLER – An Upshur County man has pleaded guilty in Tyler federal court to drug violations. James Michael Havner, 49, of Gilmer, appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Judith Guthrie Wednesday and admitted to possession of a List 1 chemical, with intent to manufacture methamphetamine.

According to prosecutors, Havner purchased cold pills containing pseudoephedrine at a Wal-Mart store in Longview on January 24, 2009, and made three additional purchases at other stores in the area the same day in furtherance of his methamphetamine manufacturing activities. Havner was named in an 82-count federal indictment returned back in April. At sentencing, he faces up to 20 years imprisonment and a fine of not more than $250,000. A sentencing date has not been set at this time.

TYLER — Tyler’s Toys R Us has gotten what it wanted. State District Judge Christi Kennedy has granted an injunction against the Double D Grill and Bar. This will keep the restaurant from opening on the land it leases from Toys R Us. In granting the injunction, Judge Kennedy raised the bond to $1 million in case the restaurant violates the injunction.

The judge said that the Double D had not provided enough warning and or information about the change in concept from the old El Chico. Since the owners have already sunk half a million dollars into the renovation, the next move is a full trial November 28th.

El Chico will seek termination of the lease and Toys R Us has given notice they will move to seize the building to prevent any attempt to open for business. In the meantime, a restaurant can still operate out of the building, but it can not be a Double D Restaurant.

Judge Kennedy’s ruling yesterday followed a three-day hearing on a temporary restraining order. Toys R Us, which owns the land where the restaurant would be located, alleged breach of a commercial real estate lease. The restaurant’s adult theme has drawn concern from some area residents, though other residents support the Double D.

EAST TEXAS – Severe thunderstorms sweep East Texas for a second straight day. The storms rolled through various parts of the area, including Smith and Gregg Counties, Wednesday afternoon, leaving thousands without power. Preliminary figures from KETK show that at one point Wednesday, over 4,000 customers were without electricity in Gregg County. Earlier in the day, some 3,000 in Harrison County were without power. Other area counties also experienced power outages, with Smith County authorities reporting a number of power lines down late in the afternoon. Crews continued working to restore electricity in the area.

For a while Tuesday night severe thunderstorm warnings were out for several area counties. Portions of Smith, Rusk, Upshur, Wood, Harrison and Panola counties were under warning for a time. With the storm came power outages. In Smith County, Oncor reported Tuesday night more than 1,000 people were without power, and Swepco reported 1,200 people without power.

TYLER — Smith County fire officials tell KETK crews on the scene that a stolen car was found in a wooded area that caught fire on Wednesday. Officials believe the fire began from a lightning strike in Tuesday night’s storms. The fire now is under control, but officials do not have an estimate of how much burned. There’s no word yet on who might own the stolen car. Officials say the fire was called out just before 2:00 Wednesday afternoon in the 10000 block of FM 850 outside Tyler. Arp, Chapel Hill, and Jackson Heights Fire Departments responded.

TYLER — Texas Department of Transportation office manager Lesia Main has been getting the same phone call over and over for the past few weeks. “There’s a dead tree on the right of way and it’s about to fall,” Main said, describing the repeat calls, then after a moment, adds, “some are more polite about it than others.” The record-setting drought has taken its toll on lawns and gardens across East Texas, and the trees and grasses along the highways are no exception. But just because a tree is brown and without leaves doesn’t mean it’s dead, or even near death.

“The trees are doing what they need to do to survive,” said TxDOT spokesman Larry Krantz. “They can’t go sit down in the air conditioning and have a glass of sweet tea, so they have to conserve what little water they’ve managed to pull from the ground. Their leaves are the key to that process, so by dropping their leaves, the trees are going into conservation mode. It probably looks worse than it is because the trees aren’t all turning at once like they would in a typical fall.”

Krantz said the trees turning a few at a time, and dormant trees standing next to green trees, are probably behind the rash of calls to TxDOT offices demanding immediate action. “We can’t just go out and cut down every tree that looks dead,” Krantz said. “Part of the reason East Texas is so special is because of the number and variety of trees that live here. If we react rashly and start cutting down every tree that might be dead, there won’t be many trees left next spring.”

Ironically, Krantz said, dead trees don’t pose anywhere near the danger to motorists that live trees do. “It’s the live trees that cause the most trouble for us during weather events,” Krantz said. “With their leaves acting as sails catching the wind and limbs heavy with water, a live tree is a lot more likely to fall during high winds and a dead tree. It takes a dead tree years do decompose to the point where it could fall, and since dead trees don’t resist the wind like a live tree, they’re not as likely to be blown down as they are to crumble in place.”

Krantz added that with that slow decay comes time for TxDOT to identify which trees are dead and which are simply in conservation mode. “At any given time we could have as many as eight tree-trimming and removal contracts going across the Tyler District, and they’re focused on what poses the greatest danger to the traveling public.” As for mowing, TxDOT has plans to conduct one more cycle this fall in an attempt to cut down taller-growing grasses.

“A single spark or hot object can cause a fire under these conditions,” Krantz said. “So if a car has to pull off the roadway and it pulls into grass tall enough to touch its exhaust system, that could start a fire. Cutting the grass low to the ground is going to reduce the fire danger and have the added benefit of the thatch trapping moisture close to the ground.”

LONGVIEW — Longview Police identified and arrested Adam Everett Williams, 40, Longview, on a charge of theft. He was booked into the Gregg County Jail. On August 18, Officer Doug Pickering responded to the 2400 Block of Gilmer Road. When he arrived at the scene the victim, 92-year old Harry Nash of Longview, told Officer Pickering his wallet had been stolen. Mr. Nash said he was paying for his items and set his wallet down on the check stand. He forgot to pick it up and walked away for only a few seconds. When he returned he saw someone paying for items at the register. He said he did not see his wallet and the man had been the only one there at the time he walked away from the register. Williams was observed on video taking the wallet and placing it in the left front pocket of his shorts.

MT. PLEASANT — An early morning fire broke out at the Pilgrim’s Pride feed mill in Mt. Pleasant. Firefighters are still working to contain the blaze. No word on the cause of the fire or extent of damage.

VAN ZANDT COUNTY — Van Zandt County Sheriff Officials say one teen was flown to the hospital after a rollover accident on Hwy 198 near Canton. It happened just after 7:30 Wednesday morning. The teen’s mother was transported to the hospital by ambulance. No word at this time on the conditions of either of the people involved. Officials are investigating the cause of the crash.

GREGG COUNTY — An East Texas man received the maximum sentence for DWI after he jumped bail. Delwin Gawone Fletcher, 31, of Easton, received a two-year state jail sentence Tuesday for driving while intoxicated with a child passenger in the vehicle, but a conviction for bail jumping will keep him incarcerated even longer. The offense occurred in May 2009. Fletcher was scheduled to enter a guilty plea on the charge in December, but authorities said he jumped bail and remained on the lam until his March 2 arrest by Gregg County sheriff’s deputies. He remained jailed on $51,000 bond since that time. Under a plea agreement, Fletcher received sentences of two years for drunk driving with a passenger younger than 15 years of age, and eight years for bail jumping, with two other cases pending as well.

LUFKIN (AP) – Investigators say a homeless man has been accused of drowning a woman while allegedly taking turns to see who could hold their breath longer under water. Lufkin police have charged 55-year-old Winfred Kilgore with murder and evidence tampering. The body of Joy Bybee was discovered Aug. 11 under a bridge near a creek. An affidavit says Kilgore told police he was thinking about his time serving in Vietnam when he “blanked out” and accidentally held Bybee’s head under water too long. Defense attorney Al Charanza says he wants to review the autopsy report and obtain Kilgore’s military records. Charanza is a lieutenant colonel in the Marine Corps reserves and says he’s dealt with people with post-traumatic stress disorder. Kilgore was arrested Friday and is jailed on $260,000 bond.

MANGUM, OKLA. (AP) — A defense attorney for the wife of a former Oklahoma prison warden accused of helping a convicted killer escape 17 years ago planned to begin questioning his own witnesses at the woman’s trial. Defense lawyer Garvin Isaacs says prosecutors are expected to rest their case today against Bobbi Parker, 49. Isaacs said he would then begin questioning witnesses he has subpoenaed to testify on Parker’s behalf.

Parker is charged with helping Randolph Dial escape from the Oklahoma State Reformatory on August 30, 1994. Her husband, Randy Parker, was assistant warden at the time. Greer County prosecutors allege Bobbi Parker fell in love with Dial and helped him break out of the prison in Granite. Isaacs says Parker was kidnapped and held hostage by Dial for more than 10 years. They were found living in Texas on a Shelby County chicken ranch.