KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — For a second time, Tyler Junior College has been designated as an Achieving the Dream Leader College, a national honor awarded to institutions in the ATD National Network that have shown three years of steady improvement in student success. According to a news release from the college, TJC first achieved Leader College status in 2013. Achieving the Dream grants Leader College designation for three-year cycles, and institutions must undergo a re-certification process to maintain their status. Continue reading TJC Re-Designated a Leader College by Achieving the Dream

TYLER — Tyler police are investigating the Saturday night robbery of the Corner Market at Old Jacksonville Highway and Lake Placid Rd. Police called to the scene around 10:00 p.m. were told the thief entered the business and demanded money from the clerk as he displayed a knife. He is described as African-American, 5’4” to 5’5”, 160-170 lbs., wearing black pants, a black hoodie, and a mask. Police say the clerk sustained minor injuries during the course of the robbery. The robber left in an unknown direction with an undetermined amount of money, according to authorities. Continue reading Tyler Convenience Store Robbed, Suspect Sought

LONGVIEW — The Gregg County Sheriff’s Office is searching for two people who allegedly burglarized the I-20 Ranch Storage, near the intersection of Highway 259 and the interstate. KETK reports at this time it’s unknown when the burglaries happened or how many storage units were hit. Deputies are searching for a man and woman driving a white and blue van with its front grill missing, and a grey truck. Anyone with information on the people in the photographs is asked to contact Investigator Gary Robinson at (903) 236-8400 or call Crime Stoppers at (903) 236-STOP.

LONGVIEW – Two persons have died as the result of a Longview shooting. Both were taken To Good Shepherd Medical Center by private vehicle. One died after arriving at the hospital. The other died several hours later. Longview police have identified them as Melekia Rae Russ Montgomery, 25, and Alexis Johnson, 23, both of Longview. The shooting was reported just before 1:00 Friday afternoon on Johnson Street in South Longview. The investigation is continuing.

LONGVIEW — An East Texas woman has been indicted for intoxication manslaughter. On Tuesday, January 26, White Oak police say Erin Fannin, 33, of Hawkins, was driving a pickup truck westbound in the eastbound lanes of traffic on Highway 80 when she struck a vehicle driven by Curtis Foulke, 48, of White Oak. KETK reports Foulke died as a result of the crash. Fannin was released from jail on January 27, on a $25,000 bond.

TYLER – A Tyler man has been arrested for a Smith County burglary. Ronald Dewayne Mayweather, 19, was arrested late Thursday night running away from a sheriff’s deputy. He had been sent to a home on Highway 64 East, which had been burglarized the night before. The homeowner reported seeing a flashlight in the back yard and a truck parked nearby. The suspect is said to have run from the first deputy on the scene. He was taken into custody when a second deputy pulled her patrol car into his path. Mayweather has been charged with burglary of a habitation and evading arrest. He was booked into the Smith County jail with bonds totaling $26,000.

SMITH COUNTY – An East Texas woman has been killed in a Smith County accident. Pronounced dead at the scene was Nicola Haley, 65, of Larue. The crash occurred around 8:00 Friday morning on State Highway 155, about six miles south of Tyler. The Department of Public safety reports her car was headed south when the vehicle went off the road. The driver overcorrected and lost control of the vehicle. The car then slid through a ditch, hit a power pole and over turned.

AUSTIN – An East Texas man is one of three persons named by the governor to the Product Development and Small Business Incubator Board. Governor Greg Abbott named Jimmy Mize of Nacogdoches to the board. Mize is the market president and lending manager of the Nacogdoches Branch of First Bank & Trust East Texas. Also named to the panel were Clement Marcus of El Paso and Kelli Frias of Lubbock. Their terms will expire February 1st, 2021. The fund is a revolving loan program administered by the Office of the Governor, Texas Economic Development Bank within the Office of Economic Development Finance at the direction of the PDSBI Board. The purpose of the fund is aid in the development, production and commercialization of new or improved products and to foster and stimulate small business in the state.

TYLER – The annual United Way Campaign is off and running in Tyler and Smith County. Around 300 persons were on hand for the kickoff luncheon. And again this year, instead of a financial goal, the campaign’s goal is to get more donors. Director of Marketing Reece Anderson said, like last year, this year’s goal is 10% more participation in the campaign. Last year, 8,300 persons contributed $1.6 million. He said they would like to see around 9,500 contributing this year. The money raised each year goes to fund programs at nearly two dozen local agencies.

FLINT — A Flint neighborhood, just south of Tyler, was the target of car burglars Wednesday night. According to KETK, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office says 11 break-ins were reported from two streets in the same neighborhood. Four cars were burglarized on Nashville Drive and seven more on Southern Trace Circle. No items were taken but all of the vehicles had been rummaged through. Investigators say all of the vehicles were unlocked.

HENDERSON – A joint investigation between the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office and the Henderson Police Department resulted in the seizure of nearly two dozen marijuana plants. The plants, that appear to have been cultivated and maintained, were found west of Henderson off County Road 424. KETK reports the plants, some as tall as 12 feet, were estimated to have a street value of around $20,000. The investigation into the discovery is continuing.

TURNERTOWN – A search warrant served at a Rusk County home has turned up drugs and stolen property. In the house on County Road 4135, Northeast of Turnertown, officers found suspected methamphetamine and marijuana and numerous firearms. They also found what is believed to be stolen property, including ATV’s. The estimated value of the stolen items was $50,000. They are now trying to find the man who lived there, Kennon Murphy, 42. He has been named in an arrest warrant for manufacturing or delivery of a controlled substance.

LONGVIEW — The Longview Police Department has started using a new software mapping program. This will make available where police reports have been filed and the nature of those calls. Police spokesman Kristy Brains says they have been working on getting such a program for over a year. This new interactive crime mapping software will give citizens the ability to gain access to the data they are looking for on their desktop or mobile device. She said you will also have the option to to sign up for email notifications for activity that is occurring in a specific area. To access the mapping program go to LongviewTexas.gov/CrimeMap or go to the police department home page and click on the interactive crime map button at the bottom of the page.

LONGVIEW – The latest scam to surface occurred in Longview where someone sent a woman postal envelope containing a check. She was told to cash the check and go to a local merchant and fill out a survey. When the survey was completed, they were told to send them back a check for a large amount of the money and to keep the smaller amount as their payment. The lady was smart and didn’t fall for the scam. Longview police remind you, to be watchful for any offer that seems “too good to be true”. If someone asks you for your identifying information do not give it out, whether it’s over the phone or by mail service.

MARSHALL – The Marshall Police Department’s “Cool Cops” truck will soon we seen around the city. Instead of putting persons in the cooler, the cops will be handing out free ice cream. Police Chief Eddie Campa says its a program designed to bring the police and community closer. And besides handing out free ice cream around the city, they will also be teaming up with the Marshall School District. The will be sponsoring competitions within the schools, where winners will be rewarded for excelling in academics. And the program was started at no cost to Marshall residents. The truck was already in the department inventory. Everything else, including the ice cream and the graphics on the truck were all donated.

ATHENS – Trinity Valley Community College has promoted Dr. Wendy Elmore to the position of Vice President of Instruction. That post became open when Dr. Jerry King recently became the school’s president. Dr Elmore came to TVCC as Director of Testing in 2006. Since then, she has since served as Director of Distance Learning and Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs. She also serves the college as chair of the TVCC General Education Committee and Co-Chair of the Professional Development Committee. Elmore holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Stephen F. Austin State University, a Master of Arts in Psychology and School Counseling from UT-Tyler and a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from Lamar State University.

TYLER – In his first court appearance, Joel Baker said he waived his right to arraignment and pleaded not guilty. Baker remains free on bond following his arrest in June on three counts of violation of the Texas Open Meetings Act. He allegedly held illegal closed meetings to discuss a red-light traffic enforcement contract, which has since been suspended. The plan had been to use the cameras to monitor speeding in school zones. Baker is also under investigation for allegations he was involved in explicit sexual behavior online while conducting government business.

LONGVIEW — A former Longview police officer was in the Gregg County Jail charged with indecency with a child stemming from incidents that allegedly occurred while he was on the force in the 1980s and 1990s as well as in March 2011. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, Former Longview police officer Michael Patrick Healy wrote in a private Facebook message that he caused “major harm” to a now-adult man and others after the man confronted Healy with accusations of child sexual abuse, according to a March arrest warrant. Longview police arrested Healy on March 18 on a charge of indecency with a child by sexual contact. He was released from the Gregg County Jail the same day on $100,000 bond. Healy was arrested again Monday on two grand jury indictments for indecency with a child. Continue reading More Details Released in Case Involving Former Cop

KILGORE – The Kilgore Police Department is asking for the public’s help in locating a missing woman. They say they have reason to believe that 20 year old Sheryia Grant of Kilgore may be in danger. Grant, who is eight months pregnant, was last seen around 12:00 Sunday morning. She was wearing a black t-shirt, pink undershirt and grey yoga type pants with her hair in a ponytail. She is about 5’5″ tall and weighs around 130 pounds. You can see her picture at KTBB-dot-com. Continue reading Missing Kilgore Woman Sought

MARSHALL – A Houston woman, charged with murder in a fatal Marshall accident, has been found not guilty by reason of insanity. Sharketra Shardae Hildreth, 31, was charged in the auto crash in May of last year that killed Todd Lane Davis, 19, of Waskom. She is said to have run a red light when she hit Davis’ car at the intersection of U.S. Highway 59 and U.S. Highway 80. Her indictment said she intentionally disregarded a red light, killing Davis, while knowingly endangering her children, a 10 year old daughter and an 8 year old son. State District Judge Judge Brad Morin has ordered that she be committed to the Vernon State Hospital for treatment of her mental illness.

TYLER – One person is in custody in connection with a morning burglary in Tyler. Booked into the Smith County Jail was Darien Wilson, 20, of Tyler. Police responded to the $1 Jewelry Galore store on the south southeast loop just before 4:45 Wednesday morning. The glass on the front door had been broken out and the store’s safe was missing. The safe and other evidence found found in a nearby dumpster. That led investigators to Wilson.

TYLER — The Tyler City Council has approved the operation of Uber in the city, passing the transportation for hire ordinance in a 5-2 vote. According to information from Uber, the company operates in a number of Texas cities, and Tyler is the 14th city in the state to pass a modern ridesharing ordinance. KETK reports services in Tyler will start in about a month. Continue reading Uber Approved in Tyler

TYLER – There is a new truck owner in Tyler today. The winner of the Cattle Barons’ Truck Chance Drawing is Skylar Neitsch. He purchased the winning ticket from Tracy Edwards, Co-chair of the Tyler Cattle Barons’ Gala Truck Chance Drawing Committee. He is now the proud owner of a 2016 GMC Sierra Crew Cab SLE Cattle Barrons Edition presented by Hall Buick GMC. The Truck Chance Drawing raised $50,000 for the Tyler Cattle Barons’ Gala benefiting the American Cancer Society. Five hundred (500) tickets were sold at $100 each.

TYLER – Today marks the first day of school For TISD students. Last year, opening day attendance was over 17,000. Tyler police spokesman Don Martin reminds you, police officers will be back in school zones watching for violators for speeding and for cell phone usage in a school zone. He also has these reminders for you:
*Be alert for the school zone signs posted near schools.
*Keep alert for the children and the crossing guards as they make their way across the street.
*Slow down and prepare to stop if the crossing guard so indicates.
*It is illegal to use a wireless communication device in a school zone unless the vehicle is stopped or a hands-free device is used. Continue reading Tyler Schools Back in Session

QUITMAN – Wood County Judge Kenneth Bryan Jeanes has pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated. He was sentenced to 10 days in the Wood County Jail. He was released after serving two days of confinement over the weekend. Jeans was arrested April 28th after he was reported driving on the wrong side of the road on U.S. Highway 69 in Mineola. Continue reading Judge Pleads Guilty to DWI

LONGVIEW – A damaged license plate has led to two Gregg County residents being charged with drugs and weapons charges. Charged of possession of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana was Aaron Matthew Delzell, 39, and Sherri Ann Perkins, 46, both of Gladewather. Delzell was also charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, while Perkins was charged with unlawful carrying of a weapon. The Longview News Journal reports their arrests came after a state trooper stopped their car around 11:00 Monday night at the intersection of Marshall Avenue and Fourth Street in Longview.

TYLER – A Smith County man is sentenced to prison in connection with his threat to a Bullard Church. Rasheed Abdul Aziz, 41, of Flint, was sentenced Monday to 37 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Last September, he was accused making a threat against Corinth Missionary Baptist Church. When arrested, he had a 9mm pistol. He had previously been convicted of an aggravated robbery in Harris County in 1996, thus making it illegal for him to possess a gun. Under the plea agreement, remaining charges against him were dismissed. Since the plea agreement was sealed, we don’t know what those additional charges were.

TYLER – An Upshur County teen is free on bond after being charged with a Tyler robbery. Lazadrick Lamar Heath, 18, of Gilmer was arrested Monday afternoon. He was later released on a $5,000 bond. He is charged with the robbery of the Fast i Repair store in the Broadway Square Mall. He is said to have taken his phone there for repair. After it was fixed, he is said to have grabbed the phone and left the store without paying for it. A store employee tried to stop him from leaving, but was unsuccessful. That altercation is what made it a robbery.