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SMITH COUNTY – The Dogwood Estates community, which is north of Arp is without water and electricity due to the recent storms. According to Smith County Emergency Management Coordinator Brandon Moore said late Wednesday night that after losing power, the water tower would not operate. This left Dogwood Estates thirty homes without water.

SWEPCO was able to restore power Thursday, but it went out again Thursday night. Starting Friday afternoon, bottled water was being distributed to the community, as well as non-potable water for animals. The Smith County Emergency Services District 2, Arp Fire Station 2, on County Road 246 South, is the location for water distribution.

Moore said they are working to get a generator to power the water tower. However, there is currently no estimated time for the power to be restored.

CARTHAGE – The Panola County Sheriff’s Office said they are investigating the drowning of a 2-year-old child who died early Friday morning according to our colleagues at KETK. The sheriff’s office said they responded to Private Road 7000 near Carthage at 6:11 a.m. with UT Health EMS. A 911 caller had reported that CPR was being done on a 2-year-old child but it was unsuccessful. Precinct 1 and 4 Justice of the Peace was contacted and an autopsy has been ordered from Dallas. The sheriff’s office Criminal Investigation Division and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services are investigating the death. “We extend our condolences to the family in their time of grief,” officials said.

PALESTINE – A man was arrested for arson in Palestine after he reportedly set a garage on fire and assaulted one of the residents on Sunday night according to our news partners at KETK. Police officers were dispatched to the 100 block of Brierwood Drive for a residential fire. At the scene, the officer made contact with a resident who “witnessed one of the residents pour gasoline on the garage door and then light the surface on fire.” Officials said the resident also reported he was assaulted by the person who lit the fire, who reportedly placed his hands around his throat Larry Rhone, 46 of Palestine, was found at the scene and placed under arrested after the initial investigation and officers at the scene reported to observe Rhone had a strong odor of gasoline on his clothes. Rhone was booked into the Anderson County Jail for arson intend to damage habitation and assault of a family/house member to impede breath. His bond was set at a combined $210,000.

SMITH COUNTY – There are only two Smith County roads that area closed Monday, June 3, after being washed out from the recent storms. County Road 381, which runs southeast of U.S. Highway 271, is closed just south of the railroad crossing because of a wash out. Smith County Engineer Frank Davis says it would take about three weeks, depending on the weather, to replace the culvert.

County Road 498 also remains closed so Road and Bridge crews can replace two culverts. The project was already scheduled for later this summer, but recent rains have undermined the structures, requiring an emergency replacement. Davis said the section of CR 498 that is closed is 0.65 miles east of CR 431. He also expects the project to take about three weeks, depending on the weather.

Smith County recently launched an interactive map that lists all of Smith County road closures. You see them by clicking this.

WHITEHOUSE — A Whitehouse man was sentenced to 55 years in prison on Friday after pleading guilty to stabbing his mother to death in October 2021. According to our news partner KETK, at around 5:15 p.m. the Smith County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call of a woman being stabbed by her son in a neighborhood south of Whitehouse off Highway 110. Before deputies arrived to the scene, dispatch received a second call from the victim and reportedly told officials her son had stabbed her and had stolen her Honda CRV. When deputies arrived, they took her to a local hospital where 60-year-old Bernice Slabaugh, later died from her injuries. Officers with the Tyler Police Department located the car on Golden Road and pulled it over. The driver was detained and later identified as Carson Aaron Epifano, 26 of Whitehouse, and the son of the victim.

TYLER, Texas (KETK) – With severe weather moving through the area and into East Texas, about about 14,086 customers are without power as of 5:15 p.m. on Saturday. At it’s peak on Tuesday, more than 150,000 customers were without power in the local area.

Our news partner KETK has compiled a list of counties with power outages from ONCOR and SWEPCO’s power outage maps, as well as several electric co-ops. You can view that list here.

HENDERSON COUNTY – According to our news partner KETK, a 25-year-old man was charged with possession of child pornography on Thursday in Henderson County. The arrest affidavit indicated he used Snapchat to solicit images of minors by stating to be a part of a “modeling agency.” According to records, a Snapchat user later identified as Aaron Alvarado, 25 of Gun Barrel City, solicited children online for nude images by starting each chat with the following message:

“Hello, my name is Taylor Davis, I work for a technology based modeling agency called Models&Dancers. Looking for anyone interested in modeling, we pay are models about $7,500-$12,750 a week, if your truly interested or have questions, please message me back.” Continue reading Gun Barrel City man solicited child porn on Snapchat

TYLER – Former president Donald Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts by a jury in his hush money case and politicians from across Texas are reacting to this historic conviction. According to our news partner KETK, Rep. Nathaniel Moran, a Republican who represents Tyler in the House of Representatives, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to give his thoughts on the verdict: “Today in NY, we saw a politically motivated travesty of justice and a mockery of the American legal system. This verdict must not stand,” Moran said.

State Sen. Bryan Hughes, a Republican Texas State Senator who represents Mineola, shared a black and white image of Trump and the following message on X: “The democrats set a dangerous precedent today: If you can’t win at the ballot box, then try and put your opponent in jail. This is not the American way. It is a horrible abuse of the justice system. The real verdict will be delivered by the American people in November. #trumpverdict #txlege,” Hughes said.
Continue reading Texas politicians react to Trump’s guilty verdict

SMTIH COUNTY – The Smith County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a runaway teenage girl. They are looking for 15-year-old Anslie Dawn Lair of Lindale. Her mother told deputies Tuesday that Anslie had ran away from home. Anslie had reportedly run into a wooded area at Darden Park in Lindale. Smith County Sheriff’s Deputies searched the area and were not able locate her.

Anslie is described as a white female, 5’03”, 120, brown hair, possibly a ponytail, blue eyes, and wearing prescription glasses. She was last seen wearing a green hoodie, black shorts, white Nike shoes with red markings, and carrying a black backpack.

If you have any information on Anslie Lair’s location, please call the Smith County Sheriff’s Office at (903) 566-6600.

TYLER – A pedestrian was reportedly hit and killed by a pickup truck near a Dollar General on Highway 31 west of Tyler on Wednesday, the Department of Public Safety confirmed. According to our news partner KETK, Vanessa Hill, 61, was crossing Highway 31 heading north at around 2:30 p.m. when the truck, which was heading east, hit the pedestrian. The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene and DPS said they will release their identity once their family has been notified.

MARSHALL – The Marshall Police Department is asking for help in locating a woman after her 4-year-old child was found alone near a park in Marshall.According to our news partner KETK, Labrittani Grant is wanted by authorities on a felony warrant for endangering a child. MPD said this is in connection to an incident in April when a resident spotted Grant’s child alone near City Park that evening .

Initially, Marshall Police and Child Protective Services were unable to locate a parent or guardian. However, through Facebook, they were able to locate family members for the child.

Marshall PD is asking for help in locating Labrittani Grant. If you have information your asked to contact the Marshall Police Department at 903-935-4575.

GREGG COUNTY – A Longview man pleaded guilty to tampering with or fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair a human corpse on Tuesday and a related murder charge was dismissed. According to our news partner KETK, Adam Nguyen, 24, was charged for his part in the death of 21-year-old Brantravious Williams in 2021. Officials responded to reports of gunfire at Williams’ Second Street home at around 11:17 a.m. Police found Williams dead in the home. Nguyen was at the time charged with murder, tampering, unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of marijuana. Three years after his arrest, Nguyen pleaded guilty to tampering and the other charges were dismissed. Nguyen will be sentenced on June 10.

LUFKIN — Lufkin Police arrested Robert Harris, 47, of Center, following a bank robbery and chase. Harris was taken into custody around 1:45 p.m. Wednesday on U.S. 69 south. According to Lufkin Police, the incident began at 1:10 p.m. when Harris entered Cadence Bank on Brentwood Drive and handed a teller a note demanding money. After receiving an undisclosed amount of cash, he fled on foot across Whitehouse Drive to the Belk Department Store parking lot, where he left in an older-model green Toyota Tacoma, according to a witness.

About 20 minutes later, officers spotted Harris’s vehicle on Casey Road and initiated a pursuit which continued through the Fuller Springs area and onto U.S. 69 South. The pursuit, reaching speeds up to 70 mph, ended near Garrison Drive after a Lufkin Police officer performed a PIT maneuver, stopping Harris’s vehicle. Continue reading Suspected bank robber arrested

UPSHUR COUNTY — The Upshur County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in locating a missing 64 year-old-woman. According to our news partner KETK, the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office is seeking information regarding Donna Leah Johnson, 64, who is missing. Officials provided pictures of Donna and her vehicle, a red Kia SUV. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Johnson is asked to contact the investigator at 903-680-8255.

WILLS POINT — Wills Point ISD announced that summer will come one day early as their their last day of school is canceled due to power outages. According to our news partner KETK, the district is canceling classes for Thursday, their last school day of the year, because of issues caused by power outages.

“The safety and comfort of our students is important, and with only partial air conditioning functioning, it is not feasible to continue classes under these conditions.” – Wills Point ISD

WASKOM — A Waskom man has been charged with federal dogfighting violations. According to our news partner KETK and a release from the Department of Justice (DOJ), Jesus Allen Stephens, 34, made his initial appearance in court on Wednesday after being indicted. According to the DOJ release, Stephens allegedly hosted and organized a “large-scale dogfighting event on family owned property in Harrison County on Nov. 13, 2021.”

Court documents allege that Stephens and others arranged to fight dogs at the event for the purposes of gambling and entertainment, and that Stephens had announced a series of up to 14 matches and sent GPS coordinates of the property to multiple individuals. Continue reading Harrison County man charged with federal violations

SMITH COUNTY – Our news partners at KETK report that three people were arrested on Tuesday after a pursuit with Smith County authorities led to the seizure of more than 90 grams of methamphetamine. According to authorities, a Smith County Precinct 5 Deputy Constable attempted to make a traffic stop on southbound US 271 North and the car “fled at a high rate of speed.” The driver continued to evade law enforcement before officials said they pulled into the parking lot of the Texas Best Smokehouse on US 271 at I-20 and dropped off a female passenger before continuing to evade authorities. Continue reading 3 arrested after Smith County pursuit

SMITH COUNTY — Smith County Road and Bridge crews continue to clear roadways following Tuesday’s storm. According to a release from the county, crews spent all day Tuesday, May 28, clearing more than 40 roads that had downed trees from an early morning storm. Calls were received Wednesday morning that newly downed trees were over two County Roads 446 and 1230. CR 113 has been barricaded and closed due to water over the road. Road and Bridge crews are waiting on Oncor to safely remove the power lines before they can clear the trees on County Road 382. CR 2326 is closed due to a power line across the road.

A group of about 30 volunteers from the International ALERT Academy will be working in Smith County Thursday to help clean up damage left by the storms. Smith County Emergency Management personnel will be giving the group a list of people who have requested help with cleaning up damage and debris on their property.

Smith County residents who live on county roads and have tree debris from Tuesday’s storm can place it in the right-of-way and Road and Bridge crews will pick it up. Continue reading Smith County roads update and debris removal

SMITH COUNTY — Republican J. Scott Herod won the 2024 Smith County Precinct 3 Commissioner Republican runoff with 1,773 votes on Tuesday. According to officials, Herod received 90% of the votes with 1,773 and incumbent Terry Phillips with 10% at 198 votes. In the March primaries, Herod won with 2,968 votes. Herod is an East Texas businessman and rancher. He said it is time for a new voice in the Smith County Commissioner’s Court as Phillips has held the position since 2009.

“I think new perspective, new point of view, is key. And the ability to bring those relationships that we can accomplish business in the county is very important,” Herod said. Herod said earlier in May that his plan is to focus on where county dollars are spent.

“Smith County for example is $160 million a year business so we need to have awareness of what’s going on with those dollars and it is those commissioners who have the responsibility of working together along with the county judge to set the budget,” Herod said.

TYLER — An East Texas man was sentenced to 75 years in prison on Tuesday after pleading guilty to intoxicated manslaughter in a 2022 wreck east of Tyler. According to our news partner KETK, Gary Lynn Nichols, 42 of Kilgore, reportedly crashed into four 20 year-olds from Overton after their vehicle broke down at around 11:45 p.m. in January 2022 on Highway 31. Officials said one 22 year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene and the three others were taken to the hospital.

Reports said, Nichols was driving a 2008 Cadillac CTS about 13 miles east of Tyler when two victims were attempting to push a broken down 1997 GMC Jimmy when Nichols struck them. Two were taken to the hospital in critical condition and one in stable condition.

According to records, Nichols was arrested at the scene and charged with intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle, two charges of intoxication assault with a vehicle and failing to re-register as a sex offender in Rusk County.

GILMER — The Upshur County Sheriff’s Office said a 2-year-old child was pronounced dead on Tuesday after being found unconscious in a residential swimming pool. According to our news partner KETK, deputies responded to Bear Road around 5:25 p.m. and attempted life-saving measures on the child. The sheriff’s office said the child was found by a parent when they realized the child was missing from inside the home. Officials said the child was pronounced dead at a local hospital and an autopsy has been ordered by a Camp County Justice of the Peace. “This case will be under further investigation,” the sheriff’s office said. “Child Protective Services is also notified on the occasion of the untimely death of a child.”

TYLER – The University of Texas at Tyler School of Medicine will become a member of the states Alzheimer research wing. According to our news partner KETK, by a unanimous vote , the school will become a member of the Texas Alzheimer’s Research and Care Consortium. The goal of the TARCC, is to expand health care initiatives in East Texas.

Dr. Julie V. Philley, executive vice president and vice provost for UT Tyler health affairs and incoming UT Tyler president, said, “We aim to enhance early detection, treatment and support services for individuals and families affected by these neurodegenerative disorders.”

The release from from the TARCC further explained that Texas ranks second in the nation in the number of Alzheimer’s deaths by population.

TYLER — Smith County officials and first responders have responded to nearly 300 calls for service since 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 28. During and after the storms rolled through Smith County early Tuesday, calls have been responded to by Smith County Sheriff’s Office, Fire Marshal’s Office, Road and Bridge, the Constables offices and Animal Control, as well as Emergency Services Districts 1 and 2. The Smith County Emergency Operations Center has been activated.

The EOC is in constant communication with multiple emergency support function personnel as well as local jurisdictions within the county, Smith County Emergency Management Coordinator Brandon Moore said.

“We are inundated with calls about downed power lines and felled trees,” he said. “We are working through this process as quickly as possible.” Continue reading Smith County storm update

HENDERSON COUNTY – Our news partners at KETK report that a 61-year-old woman was arrested for murder in Henderson County after she allegedly shot her boyfriend. According to the sheriff’s office, Patricia Childs, 61 of Eustace, called them around 8:15 p.m. on Monday and said she had shot her boyfriend and he was not breathing. Deputies responded to the scene in the 15,000 block of Morning Star Circle were officials said they found Troy Aldredge dead with gunshot wounds outside the home. Officials said Childs was found sitting inside the home with a handgun on the floor of the living area. Continue reading Woman arrested for murder in East Texas

EAST TEXAS — With severe weather moving through the area and into East Texas, about 166,239 customers are without power as of 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Click here for a full list.