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WINONA – Smith County Emergency Services District 2 has confirmed that at least one person has been injured after 2 SUVs crashed into each other on Highway 271.

According to our news partner KETK, the Winona Volunteer Fire Department and Gladewater Fire Department were called out to a crash in the 23,000 block of Highway 271 at around 12:43 p.m. on Friday. At least one person was injured in the crash and had to be transported away by a UT Health EMS helicopter.

The crash reportedly happened when a black SUV and a white SUV collided head-on, injuring at least one person. Firefighters at the scene had to tie off the black SUV to keep it from falling into a ditch. The crash blocked Highway 271 on Friday but first responders are working to clear the roadway.

TYLER – In addition to more than a dozen legislative items set to be discussed in an upcoming special session, select committees will be formed by the state legislature to look into flood issues according to our news partner KETK.

“We are not going to be able to protect Texans from the weather, but we can do our best to communicate, when danger is approaching, and I think that’s going to be the challenge for the legislature coming up,” State Rep. Daniel Alders said. Lt. Dan Patrick and Speaker of the Texas State House, Dustin Burrows will each call nine members to a joint committee to examine flooding warning systems, flood emergency communications, relief funding and recovery.

“The issue is this, we need emergency communication systems in place to be able to let folks know when there’s a natural disaster,” Alders said.

Alders said he believes there are some guidelines that can be put in place for campgrounds to have a way to handle an emergency like a flash flood. Continue reading Lawmakers prepare to address flooding systems

TYLER – A Tyler man was sentenced to 35 years in prison on Thursday after a 17-year-old died from a fentanyl overdose in 2022, according to a report from our news partner KETK.

On Thursday, Billy Bernard Maddox, Jr. pleaded guilty to bail jumping, failure to appear and tampering/fabricating physical evidence with the intent to impair. He was then sentenced to 35 years in prison for the overdose death of the Tyler Teen. He was previously charged with manslaughter in 2023, but the charge was dismissed.

On the afternoon of April 23, 2022, Tyler police detectives were called to a local hospital where a patient had died of an apparent overdose, identified as 17-year-old Preston Hawley. He was brought to the hospital wearing pants, a belt, socks, but no shirt, shoes or cell phone, according to court documents. Continue reading Man sentenced to 35 years after teen dies from overdose

TYLER – A woman who was accused of tampering with evidence following the murder of a 19-year-old in 2024 was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty on Thursday, according to our news partner KETK.

On July 4, 2024, Rawly Sanchez was murdered while driving with his friends in Tyler. In an affidavit, Sanchez and his friends had to do a U-turn. When they turned behind Bautista Auto, the driver reported seeing a person in a building with an AK-47-style rifle who started shooting at them.

Rawly was shot and his friends took him to a local hospital, where he died. Around the same time, a Tyler Police Department officer was driving by Bautista Auto when he saw a white Ford Explorer with bullet holes on the side. When the officer came back later, the Ford was gone, and then Smith County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived on the scene. Continue reading Woman sentenced for evidence tampering in Tyler fatal shooting

TYLER — According to our news partner KETK, East Texas lawmakers held a town hall meeting on Thursday to answer voters’ questions about the latest legislative session.

State Senator Bryan Hughes and State Representative Daniel Alders gave a recap of the progress they made down in Austin. They covered hot topics like the addition of the 10 commandments in the classroom, protection against election fraud, and the tragic Hill County flooding. Attendees also heard from the other side of the aisle when members of the political group, Smith County Young Democrats, questioned both lawmakers about Senate Bill 31 and infant and maternal mortality rates in Texas.

“There’s no doubt that the responsibility of the state government is to primarily ensure that Texans are safe, and so we need to make sure that our communities have the communication systems in place,” Alders said.

“We want answers as to why we are continuing to legislate health care instead of letting doctors do their jobs, that conversation should be between a family and a doctor, not our legislators, not our governor, not the us government,” Smith County Young Democrats member, Kristen Hardin-Zigler said. Continue reading East Texas lawmakers discuss multiple current topics

TYLER — The City of Tyler received more than $2 million from the Federal Aviation Administration (FFA) to rebuild an old passenger boarding bridge at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport.

According to a report from our news partner KETK, the project will provide a new jet bridge that can better serve larger aircraft, which could allow the airport to grow in the future. This new bridge will also help expand the airport’s capacity and improve its positioning.

Replacing this part of the airport first came to mind back in December 2023 after the Tyler City Council approved a study from engineers that evaluated the airport’s need for new boarding infrastructure. Some of the equipment was expensive to maintain and replacement parts were becoming harder to find.

The total cost of the project amounts to $2,163,253, with the FAA granting about 95 percent of the funds and the City of Tyler covering the other $108,163, which is funded through the Half Cent Sales Tax.

The Tyler City Council has chosen GEMS Technical Services Incorporated to take care of the bridge’s construction.

TYLER – A Mexican national has been sentenced for being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm in the Eastern District of Texas, according to a press release from the office of Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

According to information presented in court, on August 5, 2024, Tomas Ocamp-Mondragon, 37, a Mexican national illegally living in Tyler, was stopped for a traffic violation in Smith County. It was determined that he was intoxicated, and he was arrested. During the arrest, a loaded firearm was discovered in his pocket.

Further investigation revealed Ocampo-Mondragon was a citizen of Mexico and had previously been found unlawfully present in the United States on September 14, 2019, in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He was also found to be in possession of a firearm during that encounter. He voluntarily returned to Mexico on January 3, 2020, and did not have permission to return to the United States.

Ocamp-Mondragon, pleaded guilty to being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker on July 10, 2025. The case was a joint investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Department of Homeland Security, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

ATHENS – An Athens man has been sentenced to federal prison for habitual drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, according to a press release from Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

According to information presented in court, on October 19, 2023, James Kiser, 40, was arrested after selling approximately 34 grams of methamphetamine to another person for $500 cash. Further investigation revealed Kiser has 27 prior convictions for criminal offenses in Henderson and Smith counties.

Kiser pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker on July 10, 2025.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Noble.

UPSHUR COUNTY – An Upshur County man was sentenced to 90 years in prison on Wednesday for the sexual assault of a young girl in 2024, our news partner KETK reports.

On Sept. 25, 2024, Upshur County District Attorney’s Office deputies were made aware that a woman found a video on her boyfriend’s, Gary Christopher Durham, hidden phone that showed him sexually assaulting her daughter.

Once the deputies arrived at the home, Durham arrived shortly after because the victim’s mother had called him at work to confront him. When Durham got there, he dropped to his knees and said, “I’m a monster.”

Officials said that the first assault happened on Oct. 1, 2022 when the child was between the age of eight or nine. Continue reading Upshur County man gets 90 years for sexually assaulting young girl

TIMPSON – Officials said an 18-year-old man was shot in the chest and leg in Timpson on Sunday night, but no arrests have been made, according to a report from our news partner KETK.

At around 10pm, Shelby County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to gunshots on 216 Park Street in Martin Luther King Jr. Park, where they learned that 18-year-old Jakorvian Porter of San Augustine was being taken by a private vehicle to a Nacogdoches hospital.

Officials said Porter was admitted in critical condition but shortly after was care-flighted to a Tyler hospital.

“Porter is currently in stable condition, but suffered extremely serious wounds, having been shot in both the chest and one leg,” the sheriff’s office explained. “Three individuals were detained near the scene and questioned and released, during the early morning hours on Sunday.”

If anyone has any information on this ongoing investigation they are encouraged to contact the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office at 936-598-5601 or contact Criminal Investigation Division Captain Cameron Nichols.

TIMPSON – A Lufkin man was arrested for murder on Saturday after a gas station shooting in Timpson left one dead, according to a report from our news partner KETK.

Around 9:06pm, deputies from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office responded to gunshots on 674 North 1st Street at Bink’s Timpson Quick Stop. There, 45-year-old Tommie Lee Bryce of Timpson was found dead from an apparent gunshot wound.

Officials said that 40-year-old Jarrod Dukes of Lufkin was arrested for murder and is being held at the Shelby County Jail on a $200,000 bond.

If anyone has any information on this ongoing investigation they are encouraged to contact the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office at 936-598-5601 or contact Criminal Investigation Division Captain Cameron Nichols.

TYLER — Family members and friends of David Dykes are coming together today to honor his life. Dykes began preaching in 1970, and went on to serve as the senior pastor of Green Acres Baptist Church from 1991 to 2021. He then served as Pastor Emeritus of Green Acres. He was also the author of several books, including Handling Life’s Disappointments, Ten Requirements for America’s Survival, and Angels Really DO exist.

Dyke’s memorial service will be held at the Green Acres Baptist Church on July 9 starting at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers Dykes family requests that donations are made to the Green Acres Foundation.

Details into his death is unknown and his family requests privacy during this time.