KTBB News, Weather, Talk

CHEROKEE COUNTY — Authorities have arrested an East Texan in a timber theft case valued between $100,000 and $200,000. According to our news partner KETK, Troy Lee Grice, 48, was arrested on charges of “timber purchase as a trustee with intent to defraud.” Grice turned himself into authorities for the 2nd Degree Felony charge. He posted bond and has been released.

LAPLACE, La. (AP) – Louisiana State Police say a pregnant woman expecting twins and her 7-year-old son were killed in a two-vehicle crash involving a Tyler man. Police say 27-year-old Tyandra Lewis was driving a 2005 Toyota Camry traveling eastbound on Interstate 10 when she stopped in the left lane. A 2002 Ford F-350 truck driven by Willy Buchan of Tyler struck the Camry from behind. Lewis and her son were fatally injured in the crash. Lewis’ front-seat passenger, 43-year-old Clarence Muse and his 3-year-old son were hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries. Buchan wasn’t injured. It’s unclear why Lewis stopped in the left lane. It also wasn’t clear if anyone involved in the crash was wearing a seat belt. The investigation is ongoing.

TYLER — Two East Texas men have been arrested for reportedly beating a nonverbal autistic teenager in the head as well as choking him, according to an arrest warrant obtained by our news partner KETK. Authorities say Bubacarr Ceesay, 24, was captured on a hidden camera hitting a 19-year-old man, who is nonverbal, with a shoe on his head. The victim has to be helped to the restroom during the night, and Ceesay was reportedly seen hitting him with his shoe to wake him up. The video was taken after the victim’s father set up a hidden camera because he “wanted to see what [he] did every day.” Continue reading Two Arrested in Beating of Nonverbal Autistic Teen

ATHENS — An Athens mother of three was shot and killed in her mother’s yard over the weekend. According to a press release on Monday, Ashley Nicole Koonce, a mother of 3 was shot and killed in a domestic disturbance with an estranged boyfriend at approximately noon on Saturday. Athens police arrived shortly after to find Koonce had been shot multiple times and was dead in the front yard. Dameon Tarrel Williams, the long-time boyfriend of Ms. Koonce, and father of the oldest child, would eventually turn himself in at the Henderson County Sheriffs office. Williams was arrested on the charge of murder and bond was set at $1 million. Continue reading Athens Mom Gunned Down by Estranged Boyfriend

GILMER — The Gilmer Police are asking for your help in locating a missing man. Officials say they are looking for Carl Wayne Wheless, 64, of Gilmer. He was last seen Sunday around 2 p.m. at the Weley House, located on Quail Drive. It is not clear to authorities whether Wheless, left on foot or in a vehicle. If you have information on the whereabouts of Mr. Wheeles contact Gilmer Police at 903-843-5545.

TYLER — The 2020 Great Decisions Global Affairs Discussion Program continues on Wednesday at the Tyler Public Library when Dr. John Barrett, Assistant Professor of Political Science at LeTourneau University in Longview will speak. Barrett will share at noon on “Red Sea Security.” Additional information on the Great Decisions Program can be found at: https://www.fpa.org/great_decisions/. Attendees may bring their bag lunch. Coffee, water, and cookies will be available.

AUSTIN — The University of Texas System Board of Regents will meet Wednesday and Thursday of this week. One of the items on the agenda includes a proposal to establish a medical school in Tyler. The regents’ authorization would allow notifications and other activities to proceed with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and other licensing and accrediting agencies. Continue reading Tyler Med School Closer as Board of Regents Meets this Week

LONGVIEW — Nominations are being accepted by The Longview Walk of Honor Task Force. This is a new recognition effort planned for Downtown Longview. Established as a part of Longview’s Sesquicentennial Celebration, the Walk of Honor will celebrate individuals who have made a positive impact on the history, culture, or society of Longview or beyond. To be eligible for recognition, nominees should have a clear connection to the greater Longview area. Nominees do not have to be celebrities or well-known, but they should have a lasting or continuous record of service. Continue reading Longview Walk of Honor Task Force Accepting Nominations

TYLER — The Tyler Public Library announced their 2020 Census Art Contest on Monday. The Library is hosting the contest for grades Kindergarten through 12 in an attempt to bring awareness to the upcoming 2020 census. Contestants are invited to submit their interpretation of artwork for the theme “Every Body Counts” to the Library by Monday, March 20. Winners will be announced Census Day, April 1. Continue reading 2020 Census Art Contest at Tyler Public Library

TYLER — A Tyler man has been arrested following a weekend stabbing that left the victim in critical condition. According to our news partner KETK, the altercation happened around 10 p.m. Saturday at an apartment building on Kennedy Avenue.  The suspect, identified as Cleggan Ware, reportedly stabbed the victim in the chest. The unidentified victim is in critical condition in a Tyler hospital. Ware, 38, has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He is in the Smith County Jail on a bond of $75,000.

CONROE — A woman in the Houston area with a criminal history in East Texas heads to prison after what happened while she was driving. Kassandra Nesbitt faces 20 years in prison for intoxication assault. Montgomery County prosecutor Andrew James says Nesbitt crashed in front of an oncoming car on April 13, 2019. The driver of that car, Debra Ringo, and her granddaughter suffered life-altering injuries. According to James, “The investigators from our Department of Public safety determined that Ms. Nesbitt was intoxicated. A sample of her blood shows she was nearly double the legal limit about an hour and 15 minutes after the crash.” He says Nesbitt claimed she wasn’t drinking but there was an open beer in her car. Nesbitt was already on parole for an aggravated robbery in 2003 in Longview.

GREGG COUNTY — The Gregg County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an assault at a club that left one person dead and another in custody on a charge of murder. According to our news partner KETK, the incident happened just before 3:00 a.m. Sunday at Jaguars on Estes Parkway. Deputies responded to an assault call and found one injured victim, who was later pronounced dead at a local hospital. Dustin Michael Page, 34, of Gilmer, was arrested and charged with murder. He was booked into the Gregg County Jail with a bond of $100,000.

SHERIDAN, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming authorities say a Texas man suspected of drunken driving is dead after jumping out of his speeding vehicle while being chased by a state trooper. The Wyoming Highway Patrol says 43-year-old Marshall Acker of Tyler climbed out of his vehicle through his sunroof during Friday’s chase and jumped onto Interstate 90 near Sheridan as his vehicle traveled at around 80 mph. The approximately 5-mile pursuit started after troopers were notified of a suspected drunken driver. Acker was initially spotted driving at 97 mph in a 75 mph zone and failed to stop for a trooper who turned on his emergency lights and sirens.

SMITH COUNTY — A Troup woman has pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $200,000 from a children’s nonprofit over a period of three years. Toni Marie Rambo, 54, was the Director of Quality Control at Azleway Children’s Service and oversaw weekly cash allowances to children who lived there. The children would receive a certain amount of money for good behavior and for performing jobs. The Azleway staff would provide Rambo with allowance sheets detailing what each child had earned. Continue reading Former Employee Pleads Guilty to Stealing from Non-Profit

TYLER — City of Tyler Water Utilities has reopened all public boat ramps on Lake Tyler and Lake Tyler East as of 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 21. More rain had prompted officials to temporarily close all boat ramps on the lakes. According to a news release, the ramps were closed due to boating hazards resulting from debris washed into the lakes by the recent rains and to reduce damage resulting from erosion of the shoreline caused by boat wakes. In addition, the lakes were closed to boat traffic from lake residents.

TYLER — On Thursday, Mike Norris told KTBB there was no danger to the drinking water following a discharge of a sewer main that caused wastewater to flow into Shackleford Creek. On Friday the City of Tyler Water Utilities said they have located two malfunctioning manholes as the culprit of that discharge. The compromised manholes allowed rain water to flow into the sanitary sewer system and overflow the lift station. Bypass pumps were set up to divert the wastewater to the Southside Wastewater Treatment Plant’s lift station while TWU worked to locate the break in the sanitary sewer main. Continue reading TWU Locates Source Causing Discharge

TYLER — Smith County says 1,465 people cast their ballots in the county bringing the total number of early voters to 4,100. County officials say remind citizens that they can skip long lines on election day and vote vote early in the Primary Election. There is still a week of early voting left at five polling locations across Smith County. Continue reading Smith County Early Voting Numbers Thru Thursday

TYLER — 40 Days for Life is planning a launch rally on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in the gymnasium of the T.K. Gorman Middle School campus. Pro-life Advocate and State Representative Matt Schaefer will be sharing his thoughts at the event. The keynote speaker will be Ramona Trevino, she is a former Planned Parenthood clinic director. The rally is strategically scheduled the night before the initiative of prayer and peaceful vigils begin on February 26th and operates through April 5th. More details are available by clicking the link. https://www.40daysforlife.com/tyler.

HENDERSON — One womman was arrested Friday morning after stealing a car. Authorities say the unidentified woman then intentionally rammed multiple pursuit vehicles. According to our news partner KETK, the incident happened at the intersection of HWY 64 west and the HWY 135 bridge. Reports state the suspect totaled one of the 2 county vehicles in pursuit after intentionally ramming into them. A Henderson PD vehicle was also hit. Rusk County Seargent David Roberts said there were no injuries and the suspect was arrested.

JACKSONVILLE — On Thursday the Jacksonville Kiwanis Club delivered a check to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals to fund the purchase of a Neonatal Ventilator for the Christus Mother Frances Hospital-Jacksonville Emergency Department. The clinical director of the Emergency Department Dwain Coates said, “earlier this year, they delivered twins.” The new Neonatal Ventilator will be crucial to delivering the optimal amount oxygen to the tiny lungs of a newborn baby in respiratory distress. Continue reading Jacksonville Kiwanis Club Donates Funds to CMN

TYLER — Smith County Commissioners approved an order authorizing fireworks sales for Texas Independence Day. According to the county, dates will run February 25, through March 2. The 84th Texas Legislature passed House Bill 1150, authorizing three additional periods that fireworks may be sold to the public as long as the Commissioners Courts in each county issues an order authorizing such sales each year. The three additional holidays are Texas Independence Day, San Jacinto Day and Memorial Day. Continue reading Fireworks Sales Approved for TX Independence Day

TYLER — Goodwill Industries has been awarded $25,000 from The Moody Foundation. The grant will be utilized in support of its ReEntry Program. The ReEntry Program provides intensive training to help justice-served men and women find work. This includes interview skills, interpersonal skills training, resume writing, job search, counseling and job placement. Program participants receive two weeks of classroom instruction and work with a Job Placement Specialist to assist them in finding employment.

TYLER — On Thursday a 46-year-old Dallas man has been sentenced to federal prison for firearms violations in the Eastern District of Texas. Steven Ray Breckenridge pleaded guilty last fall, to being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison. In June of last year, Breckenridge was stopped by Texas law enforcement in Canton. Because Breckenridge had an active warrant his car was searched. Continue reading Law Enforcement Stop in Canton leads to Federal Sentencing

TYLER — Dr. Bob Peters told KTBB on Thursday, “Tyler has had its wettest February since record keeping began in the city of 1883.” The weather consulant continued, “The 1.71 inches of rainfall which fell, Wednesday night into Thursday, brings the month of February’s total to 10.89 inches. The previous record was 9.21 inches in 1944, followed by 9.20 inche in 2018. Normal rainfall for February is 4.12 inches. Aside from that, we’ve also had the wettest February day ever, a week ago Wednesday, February 12th, we picked up 5.59 inches.”

TYLER — Tyler ISD Place 3 Trustee Freeman Sterling has died. On Thursday Superintendent Dr. Marty Crawford told KTBB, “Mr. Sterling was such a gentleman, and I mean that in every aspect of the word. He was a calm, quiet, so revered in Tyler ISD…”His spirit of service will endure, well past this moment of grief.” Sterling was elected to the board last May and had a long-standing career in education. Continue reading Tyler ISD Announces the Death of Board Trustee Freeman Sterling

MARSHALL — Marshall Police received a 911 call from a residence on Evans Rd Wednesday night shortly before 11 p.m. Police say a female told them her brother had just shot her boyfriend. Officers arrived and located a male victim with a gun shot wound to the head in a bedroom. Paramedics also entered the residence and determined that the victim was deceased. The victim was identified as Anniel Dixon, 31, of Marshall. Continue reading Murder in Marshall involving Girlfriend’s Brother

TYLER — More rain has prompted the City of Tyler Water Utilities to temporarily close all boat ramps on Lake Tyler and Lake Tyler East. Debris washing into the lakes caused by the recent rains brought on the closure, as well as reducing damage resulting from erosion of the shoreline caused by boat wakes. In addition, the lakes are closed to boat traffic from lake residents. The ramps will be closed until further notice. Tyler Water Utilities anticipates reopening the ramps once the lake levels recede.

SMITH COUNTY — Smith County District Attorney Jacob Putman will seek the death penalty for William Davis, the nurse accused of murdering patients at CHRISTUS Owen Heart Hospital. According to our news partner KETK, the next hearing is scheduled for April 24th in the 114th District Courtroom. Davis, 36, faces multiple counts that include capital murder, first-degree murder and aggravated assault. Continue reading D.A. to Seek Death Penalty for Former Tyler Nurse Charged with Murder

FRANKSTON — Frankston ISD was closed for classes on Thursday and will remain out of service on Friday due to excessive illnesses. They have joined a growing list of East Texas schools that have been affected by the flu this year. According to our news partner KETK, the schools will use the time to have their janitorial staff deeply sanitize the classrooms. Classes will resume on Monday.