KTBB News, Weather, Talk

BERRYVILLE — One person remains hospitalized following a crash landing of a plane in Lake Palestine. The DPS says the aircraft wrecked after taking off from the Berryville Airstrip Friday afternoon. Injured were the pilot, Gary Buster, 56, of Frankston, and the passenger, his son, Aaron Buster, 31, of Greenville. Gary was said to be in fair condition at Tyler’s East Texas Medical Center and Aaron was treated and released. Authorities say the victims were recovered by some boaters who were in the area. Texas Parks and Wildlife officials were able to mark where the plane, a Cessna 310, went down. The Federal Aviation Administration has been notified and will begin investigating the crash.

GLADEWATER – A Gregg County woman has celebrated her 85th birthday by skydiving. Sue DeCostanza made the jump on Saturday. Her trainers at Skydive East Texas told KETK she handled the flight like a pro. Bryan Baggett, the tandem videographer, said, “Right before we were ready to go, I said, ‘How you feel you ready to go?’, ‘Yea!’, ‘You nervous?’, ‘No’, and she really didn’t look it. I mean calmer than most she did not look nervous at all”. Would she do it again? Sue says, “Yes.”

TYLER – A Tyler home has sustained significant fire damage. It was reported shortly after 2:15 Saturday afternoon at 1502 Grand Avenue. The fire was quickly brought under control and there were no injuries. The fire started in the attic above a bathroom. It looked as if animals had been nesting in the attic. There was damage to the electrical wiring in this area possibly causing the fire.

AUSTIN — In support of efforts to enhance safety and reduce congestion across the Lone Star State, the Texas Transportation Commission recently approved $90 million for projects on US 175, SH 31 and US 69 in the Tyler District to be included in the Unified Transportation Program (UTP), a 10-year plan to guide and fund transportation project development in the state. This action is part of an ongoing process and commitment from the Texas Department of Transportation to act upon requests from the legislature, community leaders, public and local transit authorities to identify those projects that will improve mobility across Texas. Continue reading Priority Road Projects Identified in Tyler State Highway District

BERRYVILLE — A pilot and passenger were taken to a Tyler hospital after their plane crashed into Lake Palestine Friday afternoon. DPS says the aircraft wrecked after taking off from the Berryville Airstrip, according to KETK. EMS and fire officials were quickly on scene. Authorities say the victims were recovered by some boaters who were in the area. Texas Parks and Wildlife officials were able to mark where the plane, a Cessna 310, went down. “We will use the side scan sonar, which actually scans the bottom of the lake, in an attempt to find the plane and mark it,” said Texas Game Warden Quint Balkcom. Authorities identified the pilot as Gary Buster, 56, of Frankston, and the passenger as his son, Aaron Buster, 31, of Greenville. Gary was said to be in fair condition at Tyler’s East Texas Medical Center and Aaron was treated and released. The Federal Aviation Administration has been notified and will begin investigating the crash.

HENDERSON — As of late this week, there have been five fatal car accidents in Rusk County so far this year, down from 20 at this time last year. Sheriff Jeff Price tells KETK several factors have played into the fatalities this year, including alcohol, inattention, slick roads, and motorcyclists not wearing helmets. He says after last year’s spike in fatal accidents, his department made changes. Price says deputies on the street and an increase in local highway patrol have combined with public awareness. The sheriff emphasizes that the main thing needed is for members of the public to pay attention to what they are doing. With the holiday weekend here, Price reminds drivers law enforcement will be out in full force patrolling the roads, especially looking for drunk drivers and speeders.

TYLER — The Tyler Police Department has issued a few reminders for the 4th of July Holiday. Authorities said all unauthorized fireworks are prohibited in the City of Tyler unless you have obtained a special permit from the City. All alcohol, smoking and fireworks are also not allowed in city parks; that includes Lake Tyler Parks and Lindsey Park. Please check your local media outlet for authorized fireworks programs. Continue reading July 4th Advisory from Tyler Police Remains in Effect

TYLER – The Tyler Police Department is once again stepping up its patrols targeting DWI drivers for the 4th of July Holiday. The department is participating in a state grant during the holiday that will provide funding to the department to enforce DWI laws. The enforcement detail has been on the lookout for intoxicated drivers since 3:00 Thursday afternoon and will stay on the lookout through this Saturday. Continue reading “No Refusal” DWI Initiative Continues

TYLER – No trace of the third suspect wanted in connection with a Tyler robbery. It happened just before 4:45 Friday morning at the Food Fast convenience store at 1701 East Front Street. The clerk told officers she was robbed by two black males with a gun. When officers arrived, the gunmen took off in a car only to run into a nearby fence. Three men jumped from the vehicle and ran. Following a brief foot chase, two of the suspects were arrested. They are identified as Parker Reed Terry, 19, of Tyler (pictured) and Marquis Willoughby, 23, of Dallas. Both have been charged with aggravated robbery and evading arrest. Willoughby has also been charged with making loud noise/music. No injuries were reported. Continue reading Two in Custody Following a Tyler Robbery

KILGORE — Gregg County deputies and CODE officers have arrested six women working at the Fantasy Ranch Saloon on Highway 31 near Kilgore. They were arrested very early Thursday morning for breaking municipal and county regulations regarding sexually oriented businesses. The club is considered to be a bikini club and dancers are not allowed to expose certain parts of their bodies. The women were said to be in violation of that regulation. Arrested were Acacia Castagne, 33, Alexis Jackson, 19, and Maria Delio, 22, all of Longview, Jillian Clay (pictured), 20, of Tyler, Rusti-Lena Ramsey, 22, of Mt. Pleasant and Shania Mortan, 25, of Eustace. Also arrested was Daniel Nelson, 33, of Dallas. He is accused of selling alcohol without a permit. The seven all posted bonds of $1,000 and were released from the Gregg County Jail.

TYLER — After their celebration in downtown Tyler on Independence Day of 2013, organizers of Open Carry Tyler are following through with their promise to make the event an annual one. KETK reports that at 9:00 a.m., Open Carry Tyler participants will attend a reading of the Declaration of Independence organized by the Smith County Republican Party prior to their walk. Immediately following the reading, open carry participants will walk around the downtown Tyler square seven times before stopping for some readings from the book of Psalms and a brief moment of prayer.

TYLER — A former employee of an East Texas hospital has been indicted for criminal violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, more commonly known as HIPAA, in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales Thursday. Joshua Hippler, 30, formerly of Longview, was indicted on charges of wrongful disclosure of individually identifiable health information. According to the indictment, from December 1, 2012, through January 14, 2013, Hippler, who was then an employee of a covered entity under HIPAA, obtained protected health information with the intent to use the information for personal gain. HIPAA contains provisions protecting the privacy of individually identifiable health information. If convicted, Hippler faces up to ten years in prison.

TYLER — On July 2, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division received a call from a man in Southern Smith County who had lost $9,500 to an individual who claimed he was his grandson and needed bail money. Officials say when the man first took the call, another man who pretended to be the victim’s grandson told him that he was in jail in Maine. The impostor said that the victim had to send bail money via a pre-paid money card to pay the grandson’s way out of jail. The man went to a drugstore, bought the cards, and did as he was instructed. After giving the card numbers to the scammer, the man realized it was not his grandson and he had been taken, so he reported the incident to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office. Continue reading Man Taken for $9,500 in Phone Scam

KILGORE — Two months have now passed since a Kilgore woman went missing. KETK reports that a few days after Christina Davis’s disappearance, though, investigators found her purse on the side of a highway in Marshall. Police say she last used her cell phone on the night of her disappearance but then it was turned off, making it impossible to trace. Police add they’re scouring Davis’s apartment for any type of DNA evidence — and that they have not received any tips.

TYLER — As part of ongoing efforts to offer innovate and patient-focused healthcare solutions to East Texas, Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics has joined the expanded Texas Care Alliance (TCA), according to a Trinity Mother Frances news release. Officials say the TCA is a group of nine hospital systems throughout the state that are collaborating as part of an ongoing effort to assist patients in navigating the changing healthcare landscape in the coming months and years. Continue reading Trinity Mother Frances Joins Texas Care Alliance

BULLARD — A pro-development group in Bullard has started collecting the required number of signatures on petitions to place limited beer and wine sales and mixed beverage restaurant sales on the November ballot for the current boundaries of the city of Bullard. The Bullard Committee for Economic Fairness began circulating petitions last week. The committee must gather 221 valid signatures by July 11 to have this issue placed on the November ballot. Bullard officials will then have 30 days to verify the signatures before the petitions must be presented at the next regular meeting of the city council. If the required number of valid signatures has been reached, officials are required to put the local option on the November ballot. Continue reading Bullard Group Begins Signature Collection for Beer, Wine Sales

BENTON, Ark. — The infamous alleged criminal known as the “Loan Ranger Bandit” has been arrested by Arkansas State Troopers. KETK reports the suspect now identified as Richard Swicegood, 37, of Waxahachie, was arrested during a traffic stop Tuesday while driving a Ford Mustang with Texas license plates after he had reportedly just robbed the Summit Bank in Benton, Arkansas. He is also connected to two other robberies from 2009 and 2011 at that same bank. Continue reading Loan Ranger Bandit Suspect Arrested

LONGVIEW — The Longview Police Department is using social media in a new way to fight back against crime, specifically stolen vehicles. Public Information Office Kristie Brian said her department first got the idea to use Twitter to locate missing vehicles after attending a social media conference for law enforcement in May. Police personnel started their handle in June and have already recovered one vehicle through the program. Continue reading Longview PD Utilizes Social Media to Recover Stolen Vehicles

LONGVIEW — A Longview man who was wanted by the Hughes Springs Police Department for allegedly strangling and waterboarding his wife after an argument is now behind bars. KETK reports Terrence David (Terry) Houck, 28, was arrested Saturday afternoon around 2:30 by the White Oak Police Department after allegedly fleeing from authorities in a pickup. Houck was booked into the Gregg County Jail on $10,000 bond.

TYLER — The City of Tyler’s Volunteer Tyler program has received the National Association for Volunteer Program in Local Government Award of Merit. This award was created by the National Association for Volunteer Programs in Local Government, or NAVPLG, board. According to a city news release, its purpose is to honor volunteer administrators or programs of a city, county, township, borough, parish, or other local government entity in the United States for innovation, length and breadth or service, or outstanding achievement. Volunteer Tyler’s recruitment methods, application process, departments served, and recognition and appreciation efforts were reviewed by the NAVPLG board of directors. The award was presented on June 16 to the City of Tyler at the 2014 National Conference on Volunteering Service in Atlanta, Georgia. Continue reading Volunteer Tyler Wins National Award

LONGVIEW — Fire and police crews responded to a warehouse fire in Longview Wednesday morning. KETK reports that at 9:17 a.m., a fire broke out at a building on West Loop 281 behind Ashley Furniture. Fire officials said the warehouse is filled with heavy furniture. Firefighters were able to control the fire around 10 a.m. and extinguish it shortly before 11 a.m. There was no immediate word on a cause or extent of damage.

TYLER — Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith unveiled the proposed new budget for the Sheriff’s Office Tuesday morning. According to KETK, Sheriff Smith says he pushed the Commissioners Court to improve the budget. He says he’s understaffed, but that competitive salaries and benefits will help retain more employees. Since Smith took office in January of last year, out of the 365 employees at the department, Smith hired 120 of them. He says that retention rate is not sustainable. Sheriff Smith says the proposed budget will help better train his employees and operate the Sheriff’s office at a higher level of service throughout the county.

TYLER — The top official in Smith County is reacting after the North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority (NET RMA) announced Friday that $55 million of debt for the Toll 49 project has been preliminarily approved to be forgiven by the Texas Transportation Commission. According to a county news release, that’s due to the project vastly exceeding expectations for use. The TTC plans to convert $55 million of the original toll equity loan for Toll 49 into grant funds that will not have to be repaid by NET RMA. Smith County Judge Joel Baker expressed his gratitude to the TTC for what he terms a generous gesture that will help expedite completion of the Toll 49 project. Traffic counts on existing portions of Toll 49 have doubled original projections, averaging nearly 30,000 transactions per month, he said. Continue reading $55 Million Granted to Toll 49

LONGVIEW – Longview police have in custody a suspected car thief who stole several vehicles, wrecking two of them. The suspect, who turned himself in to authorities Tuesday night, is said to have injured one person in stealing one of the vehicles. He is identified as Wesley Byron Smyth, 35, of Longview. KETK reports around 5:00 Monday afternoon, police were dispatched to a hit and run accident near West Marshall Avenue and Gilmer Road. Smyth is said to have wrecked a stolen vehicle from a local used car dealership, into a power pole. After abandoning that vehicle, Smyth is said to have returned to the dealership and stolen a second vehicle. That one was wrecked near HG Mosley and Cotton Street. He is accused of stealing a third vehicle by pulling an elderly woman out of the driver’s seat. Someone at the scene tried to stop him from stealing the vehicle, but he drove off with that person still holding onto the car, according to police. The victim, who was dragged in the vehicle, received non life-threatening injuries.

AUSTIN — State Representative Joe Pickett has drafted a bill that would change the way ammonium nitrate is stored in Texas — and an East Texan is voicing concerns. Under the measure, storage facilities would either have to be non-combustible or have a sprinkler system. But Representative Dan Flynn of Van says not so fast. Flynn says he doesn’t want to put people out of business by regulation. He adds that you just have to look to the federal government to see what over-regulation of any agency can do. Pickett says, “Unless we codify something in statute, we’re just putting off another West disaster sometime in the future.” Pickett claims his bill would adopt national fire code standards for storing the fertilizer.

TYLER — Tyler officials are getting the word out early about the free Lindsey Park Fireworks Show this Saturday at 9:00pm. A city news release advises, “Grab your friends or family and make sure you carpool to ease traffic congestion.” Lindsey Park is located at 12557 Spur 364 West. Attendees are asked to arrive early, and if you arrive before 3:00pm, you’re asked to park in the two main parking lots by the soccer fields. The park will open at 6:00am, as on any other day, and food vendor Ted Kamel will be there for concessions. The primary sponsor of the event is Texas Senator Kevin Eltife. All residents should remember that alcohol and private fireworks are prohibited in city parks.

CANTON — Authorities in Van Zandt County say they had to move all the county’s jail inmates to neighboring jails temporarily due to a security issue. According to a news release, the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office Detention Staff observed Monday that its inmate population had discovered a method to compromise the high security locking systems within the facility. Officials say detention staff immediately contacted private contractors responsible for the design and installation of the locks. Following an inspection of the facility, it was determined that although the locks were functioning as designed, an engineering flaw existed with the mechanisms enabling a simple process to defeat the security of the lock. Continue reading Van Zandt County Inmates Transferred due to Security Issue

MARSHALL — Harrison County officials arrested a former jailer after it was learned she had sex with an inmate, according to the sheriff’s department. KETK reports that investigators charged Jessica Stringfellow, 24, with one count of sexual contact/intercourse with a person in custody and prohibited substances and items in a correctional facility. The charge was filed after an interview with the jailer in which she reportedly admitted to having sex with an inmate. The investigation is continuing and further charges may be filed. Stringfellow was immediately arrested and her employment with Harrison County was terminated. She was arraigned by Judge Nancy George. Bail was set at $15,000. The suspect will be transferred to the Gregg County Jail, due to her work history with the Harrison County Jail.

HUGHES SPRINGS (AP/Staff) – A father and son have been shot and killed at a home in rural Cass County, and another son is being held in the case at a juvenile center in Gregg County. Cass County Sheriff Larry Rowe said deputies on Friday found the bodies of Damon Robison, 32 and his adopted 12-year-old son in their kitchen. They were responding to a 911 call from the son’s 13-year-old brother, whom the man also adopted. The 13-year-old, though held in the juvenile center in Gregg County, has not been charged. Rowe says there are no other suspects in the case, and that a murder-suicide has not been ruled out.

LONGVIEW – In a joint announcement, Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics, Good Shepherd Medical Center, and Champion EMS will be expanding Flight For Life medical air transportation service, beginning Tuesday, July 1. Trinity Mother Frances’ new, instrument-rated EC-145 helicopter will be stationed at the East Texas Regional Airport in Gregg County. Primarily serving Gregg and Harrison counties, this third aircraft in the Flight For Life squadron may be deployed to transport critically ill and injured patients in an area spanning from North Houston to Southern Oklahoma, and from near Waco into Arkansas and Louisiana. All told, the coverage area for Flight For Life will expand to roughly 100,000 square miles, according to officials. Continue reading New Partnership Expands Flight for Life Service