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MANGUM, OKLA. (AP) — An Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agent continued his testimony in the trial of a former warden’s wife accused of helping a prisoner she allegedly fell in love with escape. Agent Richard Williams testified Thursday about evidence collected from a mobile home where Bobbi Parker and Randolph Dial were found in 2005. KFOR-TV reports that the evidence consisted of letters and cards that were exchanged between the two, including a letter in which Parker wrote that the Dial may be in the last chapter of his life. Greer County prosecutors allege Parker helped Dial escape from the Oklahoma State Reformatory in 1994. Parker’s attorneys say Dial held her hostage until she was rescued at a Campti, Texas, chicken ranch, in Shelby County. Defense attorneys say the letters Parker wrote were a survival tactic.

HENDERSON — A Henderson meat processing plant has until August 15 to correct violations of city health codes or face additional fines, City Manager Mike Barrow said. Sadler’s Smokehouse on Frisco Street was cited and fined $14,000 this past week for two health code violations. One had to do with a nauseous odor emitting from the business, and the other was the unauthorized discharge of wastewater, Barrow said. “We’ll have another day in court if these problems aren’t remedied by the middle of next month,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of complaints from residents and business owners near the property about how bad the smell is.”

James Reed, president and CEO of Sadler’s, said the company is working with the city to resolve the problem and expects to meet the deadline. “We had an engineering study commissioned as soon as we became aware of the problem and will begin construction this week on rebuilding the retaining wall of the lagoon that needs to be fixed,” Reed said. Sadler’s has hired 7-H Construction of Tyler to supervise the renovations, Reed said. Total cost of bringing the plant into compliance with the city codes will be about $100,000. “We’re trying to do it better this time around than the original construction, so that we won’t have a repeat of this problem,” Reed said.

Some of the violations were discovered as the result of routine inspections by city health inspectors, while others were investigated as the result of specific complaints called into city offices, Barrow said. “This is a long-established business, and we understand its importance to the local economy, but we have environmental laws in place and they must comply the same as any other individual or business,” Barrow said. Sadler’s has been in business in Henderson since 1948. The company expanded and relocated in 1984, and opened the 300,000-square-foot processing plant on a 40-acre business site.

HENDERSON — Residents of Henderson will have a chance to vote on two alcohol-related referendums in November. That’s according to KETK and the Longview News-Journal. A petition drive by the Henderson 1st Committee collected more than enough valid signatures to place the measures on the ballot, Rusk County Elections Administrator Kathie Wittner said Wednesday.

One initiative would allow the sale of beer and wine for off-premise consumption, which would allow grocery and convenience stores to sell beer and wine but would not permit packaged liquor sales. The second would allow for the sale of mixed beverages in restaurants by food and beverage certificate holders, which would permit restaurants to serve mixed drinks without a private club license. Wittner plans on bringing the matter before the Rusk County Commissioners Court at its Aug. 8 meeting. The court must call the election.

Claudia Morgan-Gray, one of the proponents of the proposition, said she’s excited about the response the petitions generated. “We haven’t encountered any kind of strong or organized opposition to our proposals,” Morgan-Gray said. Mayor J.W. “Buzz” Fullen said he is remaining neutral on allowing alcohol sales in the city.

TYLER – A two-alarm fire has extensively damaged a home 2103 Glass Avenue. It was reported shortly before 5:00 Wednesday afternoon. The homeowner arrived at the house to find it on fire. Tyler fire investigators believe the fire started in the living room near an air conditioning unit. One person was transported from the scene to an area hospital for an unrelated medical issue.

TYLER — One person has been arrested following a report of a woman being assaulted on the campus of U.T Tyler. Shortly before 9:15 Tuesday night, she was jogging on Varsity Drive at Old Omen Road when the assault occurred. The woman told officers a man grabbed her and attempted to drag her toward the tree line between Old Omen Road and parking lot 7. The man began groping the victim’s vaginal area and breasts. The victim screamed several times. A passing motorist noticed the incident taking place and slowed down. At that time, the offender released the victim and ran from the scene toward parking lot 7.

The University of Texas at Tyler police have arrested in the case Dearion Deshon Dews, 19. He was booked into the Smith County Jail last night on the charge of attempted sexual assault. His bond was set at $100,000 by Judge Randall Rogers. Neither the victim nor the suspect are U.T. Tyler Students.

According to U.T. Tyler Police Chief Mike Medders, “A University of Texas at Tyler police officer located an individual near the scene of the crime matching the description given by the victim. Evidence was obtained in relation to the offense, and the suspect subsequently confessed.”

TYLER – In a couple of months there will be a vacancy in the Diocese of Tyler. Bishop Alvaro Corrada has been appointed Bishop of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. Bishop Corrada, who has been in Tyler ten years, will be leaving in September. The post will remain vacant until Pope Benedict XVI names his successor.

LONGVIEW — Longview Police are warning people to be on guard against telephone scams. These scams include calls from people pretending to work for the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), or other law enforcement agencies. The caller will contact the victim and explain they are with an agency. They then tell the victim that if they do not pay them money immediately, usually several hundred dollars they will be arrested.

The Longview Police Department reminds citizens not to give out any pertinent information over the telephone. If someone contacts them they need to hang up the phone and contact the police immediately. Anyone can be a target of these scams.

TYLER — Police in Tyler are following up on an incident involving a two traffic accidents and a shooting. Shortly after 12:15 Yesterday afternoon, Tyler Police received a 911 call about a person being shot. A neighbor stated that the victim, who had been shot in the face, was in her driveway in the 8300 block of Garrett Drive. Investigators at this time believe that the shooting was self-inflicted; however, it is unknown if it was accidental or intentional. The victim has been identified as Brandon Laird, 28. Laird is listed in critical condition but is expected to live. The incident is currently under investigation. Police say further details will be released when available.

Tyler Officers assigned to the shooting on Garrett Drive were responding with emergency lights and siren. Just before 12:30 Officer Kerri Long notified dispatcher she had been involved in a collision in the intersection of Grande and South Broadway. Officer Long was traveling south bound on South Broadway and entered the intersection with her emergency equipment on. A pickup traveling east bound on Grande entered the intersection and collided with the passenger side of the patrol vehicle.

Officer Long, a nine year veteran of the Tyler Police Department, was transported to East Texas Medical Center by East Texas EMS. She was last listed in good condition with minor injuries, and her release was pending. The driver of the pickup truck was not injured and was released at the scene.

Tyler Police Officers also investigated another accident at the same location involving three vehicles. A vehicle stopped at the intersection for the officer’s accident and was struck from behind by a vehicle. That vehicle in turn was struck from behind by a third vehicle. The driver of the first vehicle was transported to the hospital with minor injuries. The collisions remain under investigation.

CLARKSVILLE – A murder suspect, who at one time was thought to be heading for Tyler, has been arrested. Joseph Quelon Harris, 30, surrendered early Wednesday morning at the Red River County Sheriff’s Department. He was the object of a state-wide alert in connection with the Tuesday morning murder of his uncle, John Harris. Authorities have released no further information about the case.

MANGUM, Okla. (AP) – A defense attorney has asked a 12-member jury to find the wife of a former prison warden not guilty of helping a convicted killer escape almost 17 years ago. Defense attorney Garvin Isaacs made the request Wednesday as he wrapped up his opening statement in the Oklahoma trial of Bobbi Parker. Parker is accused of helping Randolph Dial escape from the Oklahoma State Reformatory in Granite in August 1994. Parker’s husband, Randy Parker, was deputy warden of the prison at the time. Isaacs says Bobbi Parker was drugged, kidnapped, beat and repeatedly raped by Dial while they lived in Texas for more than a decade. They were discovered at a Shelby County, Texas, chicken ranch in 2005. Prosecutors allege Bobbi Parker fell in love with Dial and helped him escape.

TYLER – A Gregg County man has been sentenced in Tyler federal court to federal prison for drug trafficking violations. Nathan Lee Hogan, 20, of Gladewater, pleaded guilty on November 30, 2010, to possession of pseudoephedrine with intent to manufacture methamphetamine and was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison yesterday by U.S. District Judge Leonard E. Davis.

According to information presented in court, from December 1, 2008 to June 5, 2009, Hogan purchased 203.52 grams of cold pills containing pseudoephedrine with intentions to manufacture methamphetamine. Hogan was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 6, 2010 and charged with federal drug trafficking.

MINEOLA — More than twenty train cars left the track Wednesday morning during a derailment about seven miles east of Mineola. Union Pacific Railroad officials said that no one was injured and no hazardous materials were spilled. Twenty three cars were on the ground after the incident, which occurred between 3:30 and 4:00am on the portion of track running along County Road 2790. Ronnie Burgess of Union Pacific’s mechanical department said the cause of the derailment had not been determined. “Until we start getting the pieces picked up we really don’t know what we’ve got,” Burgess said. He said the cars, which began derailing from the fourth car after the engine, included sand hoppers, empty tankers and carloads of paper. “Nothing hazardous” was in any of the cars, Burgess said.

LONGVIEW — Police in Longview seek four people who injured a homeowner during a vehicle burglary. On Sunday at 2:42 a.m., officers responded to a vehicle burglary in the 1200 Block of South Fredonia Street. Upon arrival, the victim told Police she heard voices outside her home. The victim went outside and observed four black males. One of the suspects was in her vehicle, and she described him as a heavy set or muscular black male, approximately 27 to 30 years old, wearing blue athletic shorts with a white shirt on his head. The other three suspects were described as being between 14 and 17 years old. All were of a thin build and were wearing blue shorts. These three had white t-shirts on their heads as well.

The victim stated she hit her car panic button and yelled at the four to get away from her car. She heard a gunshot, felt something hit her near her eye, and fell to the ground. She heard several more shots and realized the suspects were shooting a BB gun in her direction. At that point she called the police. The victim was taken to a local hospital for non life threatening injuries.

The Longview Police Department encourages anyone who witnesses a crime to call the Police and not put himself, herself, or anyone else in harm’s way. If you have any information on this crime you are encouraged to call the Longview Police Department at 903-237-1199. Information may also be reported anonymously by contacting Gregg County Crime Stoppers at http://www.greggcountycrimestoppers.com or calling 903-236-STOP.

LONGVIEW — Three retailers are cited during the latest Longview alcohol sting effort. On July 1, the Longview Police Department, partnering with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) and Longview Partners in Prevention (PIP), conducted off-premise minor stings at area retailers to validate compliance with Texas law prohibiting the sale of alcohol to minors. Of 28 retailers checked, police say three sold alcohol to the undercover minors. The locations that allegedly sold to minors were:

1. 408 N Spur 63 “A” – Mi Casita
2. 102 Lehigh – The Butcher Shop Inc.
3. 4208 Loop 281 West – Longview Bingo Center

At these locations the individuals who allegedly sold alcohol to the undercover minor were listed in offense reports for “making alcohol available to a minor.” This offense is a class “A” misdemeanor, and the reports will be filed with the Gregg County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution. In addition, the TABC issued and administrative citation or citations to each business.

LUFKIN — Lufkin police say they now have a name to go along with the face of a woman they believe stole a credit card at the Lufkin Mall. Police say the woman saw surveillance video of herself on Crimestoppers and called investigators, but no charges have been filed at this time.

Authorities say the suspect used the card at a Lufkin Mall business only minutes after the card was stolen from the dressing room of another Mall business. The victim briefly left her purse unattended in a dressing room while she went back to the clothes rack for a different size. When the victim went to the cash register to make her purchase, she realized that someone had stolen her wallet from within her purse.

The victim immediately reported the theft to Lufkin Police Department and to her credit card issuer, but the card had already been used to make four purchases. Authorities say the suspect shown here spent $79 at GNC in Lufkin Mall, and then the card was used for two purchases, totaling $186, at Rue21 in Lufkin and to purchase $43 in fuel from TexasStar Gas station in Lufkin.

LONGVIEW — Arraignment is set for today for a Gilmer woman charged with drunken driving with child passengers twice during a six-week period. Karla Sanchez Castaneda has been in the Gregg County Jail on bonds totaling $45,500 since June 7. She is being held on a litany of drug, alcohol and child endangerment charges. Authorities also believe the 20-year-old has tampered with physical evidence and stolen property, resulting in six bookings in Longview and Tyler jails since May 28.

ATHENS – One person is in custody in connection with an Athens shooting that left one person dead and one injured. The shooting occurred Monday night in the 300 block of Jonathan Street. Killed was Desiree Dijon Brown, 18, of Palestine and injured was Cody Jamar Fillmore, 18, of Athens. Charged in the case is James Garfield Marshall, 19, of Athens.

Athens police say Marshall was involved in a verbal altercation with another person. Marshall left the house, only to return and fired numerous shots into the crowd as he drove by. He later surrendered peacefully to Athens police.

HENDERSON – Henderson authorities are still trying to sort through evidence in a shooting that left two persons injured. One of the men is being treated at East Texas Medical-Henderson while the other was flown to Tyler’s East Texas Medical Center. The shooting occurred Tuesday morning at a home in the 400 block of Overton Street.

CANTON (AP) — The Texas Department of Public Safety says no alcohol was found in the blood of the driver of a car that veered into a pair of motorcycles on an East Texas highway, killing four motorcyclists. DPS Trooper Landon Corbett tells the Houston Chronicle that Jose Luis Pena of Rosharon had no alcohol in his system when the crash happened Sunday afternoon on two-lane Texas Highway 19, about four miles north of Canton.

Nevertheless, the 30-year-old Houston-area man remained in the Van Zandt County Jail in Canton late Tuesday, charged with four counts of criminally negligent homicide. Bonds totaled $2 million. Pena, his girlfriend and her 3-year-old son were returning to Rosharon after visiting relatives in East Texas when the crash happened. Each motorcycle was carrying a Dallas-area couple.

TYLER – Charges are pending against a man who kicked in a door to a Tyler home. The incident happened around 9:30 Tuesday night in the 200 lock of Savannah Drive. The 26 year old man told the residence of the house that he had been shot and was seeking help. EMS personnel, who examined the man, said he did have minor cuts and scrapes to one of his hands but he had not been shot. Investigating officers feel he had taken an unknown drug and was hallucinating. Charges are pending against the suspect.

AUSTIN – A Gregg County woman is one of two persons appointed by Governor Rick Perry to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. Named to the posts are Michelle Skyrme of Longview and James LaFavers of Amarillo. Their terms expire February 1, 2017. The board makes parole decisions for Texas prison inmates, determines conditions for parole and mandatory supervision, and makes recommendations on clemency matters to the governor.

Skyrme is executive administrative assistant for the Gregg County Health Department, and a former adult probation case clerk for Gregg County Community Supervision and Corrections. She is a member of the Texas Association of Local Health Officials, and a board member of the Gregg County Medical Reserve Corps and Sabine-Neches Resource Conservation and Development Board. She is also a past administrative program director at Sabine Valley Regional Mental Health and Mental Retardation Center, a past board member of the Gregg County Crime Stoppers, and a volunteer for the Longview-Gregg County Emergency Operations Center.

TYLER – A 42-year-old Flint man has pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking and firearms violations in the Eastern District of Texas. Jerry Gilstrap pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of pure methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime Tuesday in Tyler before U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith K. Guthrie.

According to information presented in court, on February 16, Gilstrap was found in possession of a Ruger LCP .380 semi-automatic pistol while in possession of 50 grams of pure methamphetamine which he intended to distribute in the Eastern District of Texas. Gilstrap was indicted by a federal grand jury a couple of months later and charged with federal drug and gun violations.

Gilstrap faces a minimum of 10 years in federal prison for the narcotics charge and a consecutive 5-year sentence for the gun violation. A sentencing date has not been set.

GILMER — Upshur County officials have confirmed that a Big Sandy man is jailed on murder charges in connection with a Saturday afternoon shooting that left a 52-year-old woman dead. According to Lt. Freddie Fitzgerald, Glenn Wade Myers Jr., 54, remained jailed on bonds totaling $356,000, charged with murder and an outstanding Wood County warrant for driving while intoxicated.

Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched around 4:00 Saturday afternoon to the 1900 block of Nutmeg Road west of Gilmer in connection with a shooting. Fitzgerald said when deputies arrived at the home, Cindy Espinoza, a mother of two, was found dead with a single gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene by Justice of the Peace Lyle Potter, and an autopsy was ordered. Funeral services for Espinoza will be this afternoon at 2:00 at Croley Funeral Home in Gilmer.

TYLER — Authorities in Smith County release the after-action report from their most recent multi-agency No-Refusal DWI campaign, July 1st through July 4th. Total DWI arrests for the No-Refusal initiative for all agencies were 20. DPS had 9 DWI arrests, Tyler PD had 8, Bullard PD had 2, and Whitehouse PD had 1. The total number of search warrants for blood obtained was 4. DPS obtained 2 search warrants for blood, and Tyler PD obtained 2.

HAWKINS — Hawkins City officials are asking residents to voluntarily curtail water use. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, the move came after a 500,000-gallon water storage tank was shut down for repairs. Officials say the tank may be out of service for 52 days. “Any water uses that are not essential for health, safety and sanitary purposes should be voluntarily reduced,” officials said. Hawkins has one other storage tank that holds about 200,000 gallons of water and a tower that holds 250,000 gallons, but service may be strained due to the drought conditions, said Utility Operator Mike Mayberry.

LONGVIEW — In spite of a couple of recent high-profile deaths, the number of jail deaths in Gregg County during the past 10 years is about average when compared to other Texas county jails of similar size. KETK and the Longview News-Journal say according to an attorney general’s report, there have been 13 deaths in the Gregg County Jail in the past 10 years. This compares with an average of 12 inmates who have died during the past 10 years among six county jails comparable in size to Gregg County’s. The other jails are in Brazoria, Galveston, Jefferson, McLennan, Smith, and Williamson Counties.

Texas Commission on Jail Standards Director Adan Munoz said, “A huge number of inmates go through Texas county jails per month and per year,” Munoz said. “The number of deaths is small compared to the total number of inmates each jail sees. However, I know that to a family who has had a family member die in jail custody, only one matters. All jail deaths are unfortunate for us and the families, and each and every death matters to us.” In almost every case this past year in which a custodial death occurred, the investigation determined the death was not caused as a result of deliberate indifference by county jail officials, Munoz said.

Two people have died in the Gregg County Jail during the past six months. Amy Lynn Cowling, 33, was pronounced dead Dec. 29 after being found unresponsive in a separation cell. Micah Aaron Garner, 30, died June 6 after he was found unresponsive in a medical holding cell. Garner was in a medical holding cell and put on mandatory medical watch every 30 minutes because he was addicted to methadone and heroin, authorities said. Preliminary autopsy reports from the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s office showed Garner’s cause of death was undetermined, but indicated no trauma or foul play was suspected, jail officials said. Toxicology reports were ordered by the medical examiner’s office and are still pending. The investigation into Garner’s death also is pending.

Cowling’s death was ruled “probable” seizure due to withdrawal from methadone and Xanax, but the manner of death was ruled undetermined by a Gregg County justice of the peace. Jail officials have said Cowling was denied prescribed medication, which family members said was in her purse at the jail, because they were not on the jail’s approved medication list. In lieu of her prescribed medications, Cowling was given jail-approved medications and put on a regular watch schedule to ensure her condition was sound. A Houston lawmaker said Cowling’s death, and a reported high turnover rate at the Gregg County Jail, spurred a law that would require county jails to report their monthly personnel changes.

MARSHALL — The federal trial in Marshall against Pilgrim’s Pride is in recess until July 11th. According to KETK, Pilgrim’s is charged with violating the Packers and Stockers Act in order to manipulate the price of chicken. The court previously heard testimony from growers who claimed the company closed plants and ran them out of business. Pilgrim’s rebutted, saying they closed the plants due to bankruptcy.

LONGVIEW — Longview firefighters pushed back and quelled flames that were approaching two homes and a natural gas compression station mid-day Monday. The cause of the Independence Day fire that left no injuries, including a horse that was rescued from a corral that was burned, remains under investigation.

Longview Assistant Fire Marshal Joey Cowan said at the scene that nothing was immediately found to indicate fireworks as a cause. “We’d just like to encourage everyone to understand we are under a fire ban in Gregg County and to exercise extreme caution,” he said.

Three fire engines and a battalion truck were dispatched shortly before 2 p.m. Monday to Warren Street, which dead-ends into the Eastman Chemical Co., Texas Operations, gas unit. The site is barely outside the Longview city limits off South Eastman Road. The Gregg County Fire Marshall’s Office is investigating.

GLADEWATER — A Gladewater man has been ordered to jail because he has not relinquished a Gregg County property to its rightful heir. Judge Alfonso Charles held Earnest Lee Hoye in contempt of court Friday for hindering a Virginia man from taking ownership of his property in the Red Rock area of Gladewater and ordered him to spend 180 days in county jail, beginning July 15. Hoye missed the court hearing Friday because he was admitted into a local hospital with health complications, his attorney said.

In February, Charles ruled that David Green was the rightful heir of the property and ordered Hoye, the previous resident, to remove junk, a house and two mobile homes that were without utilities. When Green returned from Virginia on Monday, he found that Hoye’s daughter was living in the house; electricity had been installed in one mobile home, where drugs and drug paraphernalia was found; and junk remained, Green testified Friday.

Hoye’s attorney said he has suffered hardships in removing the junk, highlighted by his wife’s death from cancer in spring. Charles said he sympathized, but Hoye has used too many excuses in delaying court orders since Green filed suit against Hoye in 2007.

Charles also denied Clay’s motion for a new trial and signed documents stating any one on the property not authorized by Green would be deemed trespassers.

TYLER — A Tyler man has been arrested after reportedly holding his parents hostage at knife point. It started around 2:15 yesterday morning when Tyler Police received a call from a woman in Houston claiming her brother had their parent barricaded at their residence. Officers responded to 3210 Tulsa and took Gerald Hicks, 37, into custody after confirming with the victims that he did threatened to kill them with a large kitchen knife. The father sustained a non-life threatening cut to his hand during the incident. Hicks was booked into the Smith County Jail on two counts of aggravated assault.