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WHITEHOUSE – According to our news partner KETK a man was arrested in Whitehouse for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on Sunday. Deputies responded to a County Road 2183 residence around 11:30 p.m. When they arrived deputies were reportedly told that Alejandro Guebara was inside the residence with a shotgun. A woman told officials that Guebara allegedly put the shotgun to her head and threatened her. When deputies approached the residence they began to try and talk to him but officials said he fled out the back window into the woods behind the home. Neighbors informed officials that a gunshot had been heard inside the home before they arrived. Whitehouse PD, Troup PD and TPWD Game Warden assisted in trying to find Guebara. He was found and arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, terroristic threat of a family/household, evading arrest, unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and a parole violation warrant.

CHEROKEE COUNTY – The Texas Department of Public Safety said that one person is dead after an ATV and vehicle crashed on State Highway 21 on Saturday night. Our news colleagues at KETK report that around 9 p.m. on Saturday, a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe was travelling southwest on State Highway 21 when a 2007 Honda ATV turned State Highway 21 west. According to Texas DPS, the driver of the Tahoe had limited visibility and could not see the ATV clearly. The Tahoe and the ATV collided and the driver of the ATV, Ronterreal Mumphrey, 36 of Alto, was ejected from the ATV. Mumphrey was pronounced dead at UT Health in Tyler. The driver of the Tahoe was taken to a hospital in Jacksonville. DPS is continuing to investigate the crash.

VAN ZANDT COUNTY — The Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office has reported the arrest of an East Texas man in connection with a Canton shooting incident on Sunday according to our news partners at KETK. On Sunday, Canton police and Van Zandt County sheriff’s deputies responded to a call of shots fired at an address on State Highway 64 near Canton. Officials reportedly found a male standing outside shooting a firearm and at one point he allegedly shot in the direction of officers. No one was injured. Richard Homer, 64, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault against a public servant and disorderly conduct discharging firearm and has since bonded out on a $100,000 combined bond, according to the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office.

TYLER – A former Tyler ISD teacher was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty on Monday to sexual assault of a child and having an improper relationship with a student. According to our news partner KETK, authorities arrested 29-year-old Andre Jefferson of Tyler in February when the grandparent of a middle school student’s friend saw messaging between about her relationship with Jefferson.
Continue reading Ex-Tyler teacher sentenced to 10 years for sex assault

TEXARKANA – According to our news partner KETK the Texarkana Police Department are looking for a suspect they believe killed three people and injured three others in a mass shooting at a party Saturday night. Officials said a fistfight broke out between two men at the party in a backroom of a business in the 700 block of North Stateline Avenue around 9 p.m. Officers said at least two men pulled out rifles and started shooting. One man died at the scene. Another man and a woman died overnight in the hospital. Three other victims, two men and a woman, suffered life-threatening injuries and were taken to a hospital for treatment. Police are searching for a suspect, 20-year-old Breoskii Warren. The TAPD asks that anyone with information on this case or where Warren might be to call them at (903) 798-3116 or submit an anonymous tip to Texarkana Crime Stoppers at (903) 793-STOP.

NACOGDOCHES – The Nacogdoches Police Department said that two women were found dead in the 100 block of South Stone Street around 4:04 p.m. on Saturday. According to our news partner KETK officers were conducting a welfare check when they found the two women dead from apparent gunshot wounds. Officials believe this to be an isolated incident. The Nacogdoches PD criminal investigation division is on the scene and the public is asked to avoid the area.

LUFKIN – The City of Lufkin said that they’re searching for a suspect who robbed the Bigs convenience store at the corner of Loop 287 and Highway 94 west on Thursday. According to the Lufkin Police Department, a man carrying an umbrella and wearing a skeleton mask entered the store around 8:40 p.m. and set a revolver on the counter. According to our news partner KETK he reportedly demanded cash from the store clerk. He left with an unreported amount of cash. Officials added that there was no one else in the store and that the clerk was uninjured. The suspect is described as 5 foot 7 inches to 5 foot 8 inches and wearing a black skeleton mask, black gloves, a black hoodie and gray sweatpants with three black lines on the side. He also carried a “conspicuous-looking umbrella,” according to a press release. Anyone who recognizes him is asked to call Lufkin Police Department at 936-633-0356 or Crime Stoppers at 936-639-TIPS to remain anonymous.

LONGVIEW – According to our news partner KETK Pine Tree ISD is asking voters to pass a proposed $55 million bond on the Nov. 7 election ballot. The proposed bond would fund numerous projects throughout the district. Full list can be found here. The school board called for the bond election at their meeting on Aug. 14. To learn more about their projects visit the Pine Tree ISD Bond 2023 website online.

TYLER – The Tyler Police Department have identified a suspect for putting graffiti on the New Jerusalem Baptist Church. According to our news partner KETK, the suspect is identified as 49-year-old Ronald Cunningham of Tyler. Cunningham was contacted by law enforcement and issued a citation for criminal mischief.

NACOGDOCHES – From his desk, Steve Bartlett can see Nacogdoches’ historic downtown, beautiful if worn down by centuries of residents who have called this place home. Uneven sidewalks are difficult for residents with mobility issues to navigate. And tightly-crowded roads present unsafe conditions for drivers. Underground, water flows through 100-year-old lines repaired in bits and pieces with PVC pipe. The infrastructure is beyond its useful life and has reached a point where patchwork repairs no longer suffice. “We’re the ‘oldest town’ in Texas and have the oldest infrastructure in Texas,” Bartlett, the city’s director of public works, said, referring to the town’s motto. City leaders in this East Texas town of 32,137 people — which traces its first settlement to 1716 and its first government to 1779 — are asking residents to approve a series of propositions this election that would allow them to borrow $44 million for capital improvements according to reporting in the Texas Tribune. Continue reading Nacogdoches asking voters for $44 million

ANGELINA COUNTY — The Angelina County Sheriff’s Office said that they found more than 39 pounds of cocaine during a traffic stop on Wednesday. According to our news partner KETK, officials said that Lt. Wes Waggoner and Sgt. Chris Carrol with the ACSO attempted to make traffic stop on a Nissan Titan following a violation on Highway 59 north of Lufkin. In the course of trying to stop the Nissan, a Ford F-150 pickup truck came from behind Carrol and Waggoner’s vehicle and passed in front of them, swerving of the highway and almost causing a crash. After avoiding being hit, officials said the two deputies interviewed the driver of the Nissan. Minutes later, the press release said that a Department of Public Safety K-9 trooper showed up and the K-9 conducted a open-air sniff test. Continue reading 39 pounds of cocaine seized during traffic stop

TYLER — A Tyler doctor was temporarily suspended by the disciplinary panel of the Texas Medical Board on Oct. 24. According to our news partner KETK, Kenneth D. Haygood was temporarily suspended after violating a June 2023 Final Order which restricted him from seeing female patients. The order stated that he needed to complete multiple continuing medical education courses and pass exams, in addition to paying a $5,000 administrative penalty. According to the Texas Medical Board, Haygood did not get consent before doing a physical exam of a female patient, and inappropriately discussed the encounter with the patient’s family via text message “in an attempt to intimidate them as witnesses.” A temporary suspension hearing with notice will be held as soon as possible with 10 days notice to Haygood. Continue reading Local doctor temporarily suspended following violation

TYLER – FBI Dallas officials visited Tyler to discuss increasing reports of hate crimes in East Texas according to our news partners at KETK. On Wednesday, the FBI Dallas division officials and local authorities were at T.R Griffith Park in Tyler to discuss the impact hate crimes have on East Texas. According to the FBI, law enforcement agencies reported more than 11,000 incidents involving over 13,000 victims of hate crimes in 2022. “We’ve definitely seen an uptick in hate crime reporting,” said Chad Yarbrough, Special Agent in charge of the FBI’s Dallas Field. Anti-African American, anti-Jewish and anti-gay are the top three and with the tension in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas, there’s been a rise in threats. Continue reading FBI: East Texas named hot spot for hate crimes

TYLER – Law enforcement is asking for the public’s help in locating a man who vandalized a church last Friday night. According to our news partner KETK, authorities say the man rode a bicycle to the New Jerusalem Baptist Church on N. Border Ave. and put graffiti on the church. Police say the suspect is described as a white male, possibly with facial hair, wore a raincoat and had a traffic cone on his head. Tyler PD asks if you can identify the person to please call them.

TYLER — The Tyler Police Department is searching for two people suspected of robbing two stores in Tyler and pepper spraying an employee. According to Tyler Police Department Public Information Officer Andy Erbaugh and our news partner KETK, a man and woman took a loaded cart at Academy Sports + Outdoors on South Broadway Avenue on Wednesday. Officer Erbaugh said when an employee confronted the suspects, the employee was pepper sprayed. The two then reportedly proceeded to rob Ulta Beauty north of Academy. Officer Erbaugh said the subjects drove east on Highway 31 in a silver sedan.

TYLER – A Tyler man was found guilty this week of domestic violence by choking by a Smith County jury. Our news partners at KETK report that Thomas Owens Jr., 39 of Tyler, was arrested in September 2022 after officials said he became angry at his girlfriend over a fan. The verbal argument then became physical. A report from the Smith County District Attorney’s Office says Owens pushed her causing her to hit a sink. Officials said he then “got on top of her and placed his hands around her neck, cutting off her airway” before she was able to get away and call authorities. Owen’s trial began Monday and in the victim’s testimony to the jury, she described it as the scariest day of her life. His punishment will be decided by Judge Reeve Jackson, and sentencing has been set for Nov. 27. He faces up to 20 years in prison due to a prior conviction for assault family violence in Cherokee County.

OVERTON – An assault charge against Overton High School principal Jeffery Hogg has been dismissed after a motion was filed by the Rusk County District Attorney’s office. According to our news partner KETK, the Rusk County District Attorney signed the motion to dismiss. Hogg was arrested in September after a student and her mother reported “substantial bruising” after the mother gave consent to corporal punishment.

TYLER – The University of Texas at Tyler Ben and Maytee Fisch College of Pharmacy ranked within the top 100 pharmacy schools in the nation to receive funding from the National Institutes of Health in 2022. In 2022, the NIH awarded only 21% of the applications with funding. Established in 2015, the Fisch College of Pharmacy ranked among many more established pharmacy colleges with greater numbers of faculty members.“In the short time that FCOP has been in existence, these efforts demonstrate the passion and  commitment of our faculty, supported by many talented post docs and students,” said Dr. Amy
Schwartz, Fisch College of Pharmacy dean. “We look forward to the future.” Continue reading UT Tyler Fisch College of Pharmacy ranked in top 100 institutions

PALESTINE – Our colleagues at KETK report the Palestine Police Department says a traffic stop led to the arrest of two people charged with manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance. On Oct. 11 at around 8:50 a.m., a Palestine officer conducted a traffic stop in the 700 block of West Palestine Avenue. The driver was identified as William Charles Waller, 35, and the passenger as Debra Leann Alton, 33. During a search of the vehicle, the officer allegedly found: Continue reading 23.81 grams of suspected meth seized during traffic stop

TITUS COUNTY – According to our news partners at KETK, two people were arrested in Titus County on Tuesday after officials said they attempted to sell stolen materials. According to the sheriff’s office, investigators received information that Troy Blackwell, 50, and Krista Blackwell, 39, were selling suspicious material “that is unique to the oil and gas field production industry and confirmed that this latest and previous sale involved property stolen from XTO.” XTO is a subsidiary of ExxonMobil and is an oil and natural gas producer. Continue reading 2 arrested for attempting to sell stolen materials

TYLER – Smith County Commissioners Court and former Commissioners officially broke ground Wednesday October 25 on construction of a five-story parking garage that will serve the parking needs of downtown Tyler. Smith County Judge Neal Franklin said, “Although years of work have already taken place regarding the new parking facility and courthouse, our celebration today represents the transition from envisioning and planning to the actual, tangible breaking of ground. I could not be more excited to see the dreams of many become reality.”
Continue reading Smith County holds groundbreaking for 5-story parking garage

TYLER — Residents of the Tyler area attended Tuesday’s metropolitan planning open house for an update on who is paying for the massive Old Jacksonville project, according to our news partner KETK. “Originally it was proposed to be 100% state funding and now there’s an update that it’s actually 80% federal funding,” said Michael Howell, metropolitan planning director. The other 20% will come from the state to fund the $113 million widening of Old Jacksonville highway from the loop to FM 2813. “We did adopt the plan as it was originally shown, but they realized it was an error that was reported to us and went ahead and made a correction on that,” said Howell. In addition to the widening, an overpass will be built on the intersection of Old Jacksonville Highway and W. Grande to improve traffic flow from each direction. Continue reading Old Jacksonville construction updates leave many worried

SMITH COUNTY — After two weeks of work locating and plugging an old “Legacy Oil Week” head, Smith County Road 2162 has been opened back up to drivers. The Railroad Commission informed the Smith County Fire Marshal’s Office that it had finished work on the road near Troup, according to Smith County Emergency Operations Coordinator Brandon Moore. The Fire Marshal’s Office was contacted on October 17 after an unknown gas leak was reported. It took days for Railroad Commission workers to locate the leak, dig deep enough and plug it with cement. The Railroad Commission will be working in the area, but on private property and will not be in the way of any traffic.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A Longview man federally charged in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot is set to plead guilty as part of a plea agreement in November. Ryan Nichols, 32, has rejected previous plea deal offers from government prosecutors, and is accused of several crimes stemming from the riot ranging from civil disorder to assaulting federal officers. In a motion filed by the defense, it said “Mr. Nichols is set to plead guilty in this Court sometime around the trial date.” A plea agreement hearing has been set for Nov. 7. The government said in a previous court filing they had planned to present evidence in a trial focusing on “the defendant’s own words.” Continue reading Longview man ‘set to plead guilty’ to federal charges in Capitol riot case

SMITH COUNTY — One person was arrested in Smith County for illegal dumping after materials were found along a bridge and creek on private property. The Texas Game Wardens announced on Tuesday that a Smith County Game Warden received a call from a landowner about the dumped materials. The materials included sheetrock, housing trim and various plastic items. “Among the litter, the warden found a box with a bar code,” Texas Game Wardens said. “He used it to track down a local store where the supplies were purchased and traced it to a credit card.” Officials said the warden interviewed the owner of the card who recently did a home remodel for his family. He reportedly told the warden he paid someone familiar to the family to haul their materials and trash. “Unfortunately, the suspect kept the money and dumped the trash onto private property,” officials said. According to the Texas Game Wardens, the suspect was arrested for commercial dumping over 200 pounds, and their truck contained more building materials and trash.