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MARSHALL — A federal lawsuit claims an East Texas rehabilitation program built around manual labor instead functioned as an unpaid labor pipeline, one that seized participants’ tips, controlled their benefits and kept them working across several businesses. The lawsuit, filed in the Eastern District of Texas, details accusations against Timothy Wiseman, Wiseman Ministries Inc., Wiseman Transport LLC, ten unnamed defendants and the ministry’s recovery program, Isaiah 58 Farms.

According to our news partner KETK, Isaiah 58 Farms is a 150-acre income-producing commercial blackberry farm with housing for up to 40 men, allowing residents to “experience restoration and recovery.” Active since 2003, Wiseman Ministries says it helps individuals dealing with “life-controlling issues.” However, the lawsuit argues that Tim Wiseman and Wiseman Ministries failed to pay employees despite requiring them to work 40-hour weeks.

The lawsuit claims that instead of lawful wages, participants received “points” or credits. Continue reading Lawsuit claims ministry ran unpaid labor scheme

TYLER – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has reappointed three East Texans to serve on the board of directors of the Sabine River Authority of Texas. According to our news partner KETK, Richard “Blair” Abney of Marshall, Joshua A. “Josh” McAdams of Center and Cliff Todd of Long Branch were all reappointed to the board on Thursday, along with Kevin M. Williams of Orange.

As members of the Sabine River Authority’s board of directors, the East Texans will help to conserve, store, control, preserve, utilize and distribute the Sabine River’s waters.

Todd is a farmer and rancher in Panola County and serves as an Executive Vice President for Topcat Companies in Longview. Todd’s also a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, a board member of UT Health Carthage and a commissioner with the Panola County Emergency Services District. He received his bachelor’s of science degree in agriculture from Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches. Continue reading East Texans reappointed to Sabine River Authority board

SMITH COUNTY — A man who broke into a residence, and assaulted a woman, was sentenced to 50 years in prison by a Smith County jury on Wednesday. According to our news partner, Smith County District Attorney Jacob Putman, during the trial, prosecutors presented evidence showing that the defendant, Fred Douglas Moore, arrived at a home where he confronted a resident outside of the house. When the victim attempted to get inside the house, Moore forced his way in and assaulted her, Putman’s office said. After the victim called for help from a family member inside the house, Moore left the residence.

In court, jurors heard recorded jail calls where Moore allegedly attempted to manipulate the victim’s testimony and pressured her not to appear in court. Moore also reportedly tried to contact the victim over 3,000 times while he was incarcerated. Due to all the evidence heard in the trial, including that Moore had two prior felony convictions, the jury assessed a sentence of 50 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Moore was sentenced after being convicted of burglary of a habitation with intent to commit assault.

CHEROKEE COUNTY, – The National Weather Service in Shreveport has confirmed that an EF-1 tornado struck near Jacksonville in Cherokee County on Thursday. According to our news partner KETK, the tornado touched down east of State Highway 135 at around 9 p.m. three miles southwest of Jacksonville.

NWS said the tornado was strong enough to produce 100 mile per hour winds and destroyed a large barn near a home, threw metal roofing several hundred yards of way, snapped trees and downed power lines. It was also reported the tornado blew a carport on top of a garage and a mobile home had it’s back porch blown off. The tornado then left the ground .72 miles from where it started, in a field near train tracks that run toward State Highway 135.

RAINS COUNTY – According to our news partner KETK charges have been dropped in a case where a Rains County judge was accused of tampering with a witness.

Rains County Justice of the Peace Robert Jenkins Franklin was arrested on two counts of official oppression and two counts of tampering with a witness in May, after he was accused of telling a defendant, “I heard you have a problem with me, boy. You take that deal, boy — or dead men can’t testify.”

Van Zandt County District Attorney Tonda Curry was assigned to serve in the case and she told KETK News that the charges against Franklin in this case were dropped because the evidence against him was enough for an indictment but later investigation called witnesses into question and she couldn’t prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.

According to Curry, the indictment against Franklin will officially be dropped once he completes a year of deferred adjudication that he recently received in a disorderly conduct/display of a firearm case. Continue reading Charges dropped against Rains County judge

LONGVIEW – A Longview Fire Department’s special operations team successfully rescued a man who fell 40 feet from an elevated section of Interstate 20 on Thursday night. When they arrived, first responders rappelled to the person’s location, provided emergency medical care and hoisting the individual back up to the roadway via rope system. The victim was taken to a hospital for further medical treatment.

“The coordinated efforts and technical skill demonstrated by these personnel ensured the successful outcome of this complex operation,” the Longview Fire Department said. “Their professionalism and rapid response exemplify the department’s readiness to respond to high-risk rescue situations.”

SMITH COUNTY — A large industrial fire that broke out Thursday night near the Tyler Pounds Regional Airport is now being investigated by the Smith County Fire Marshal’s Office.

The fire, engulfed a 26,000-square-foot metal building storing plastic and oil products off Highway 64 West, near Toll 49 and Tyler Pounds Airport. At its height, firefighters from Tyler, Lindale and Smith County Emergency Services District 2 responded to the fire. Authorities evacuated nearby residents around 8 p.m., relocating them to a local church, with the evacuation order lifted at 11:30 p.m.

Firefighters continued to battle the fire overnight, and the building’s roof partially collapsed. No injuries were reported and Tyler Pounds airport operations were unaffected. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said that air quality was unaffected. The Smith County Fire Marshall’s Office said hazmat crews would remain on-site for several days while the investigation continues.

Update: The Smith County Sheriff’s office has identified the woman killed by the pit bull dogs as Madison Riley Hull of Tyler. Officials also said she was dog sitting for the owners who were out of town. Their investigation continues.

TYLER – The Smith County Sheriff’s Office said a 23-year-old woman was killed by three pit bull dogs that attacked her in Tyler on Friday. According to our news partner KETK, deputies responded to a call at a residence near Northwood Drive and Shadywood Drives in Tyler at around 4:15 p.m. The first deputy on scene saw a woman lying in the backyard of a home as three pit bulls attacked her. The officer was reportedly able to shoot and kill one of the pit bulls, which caused the other two dogs to run away. They were able to remove the woman’s body from the backyard, but she died because of her injuries from the dog attack.

A sheriff’s office release said the other two dogs were handled by Smith County Animal Control. Investigators said the woman was dog-sitting the pit bulls that attacked her, since the home’s owners were out of town. The Smith County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the attack and an autopsy has been ordered. The deputy attacked also received minor injuries was treated.

RUSK COUNTY — Investigators on Friday identified a third suspect in the 1983 Kilgore KFC killings, marking a major development in a case that has spanned more than four decades. According to our news partner KETK, Rusk County officials revealed Devan Riggs being the third suspect. The lead prosecutor in the case, said that Riggs, died on Oct. 9, 2010, at 57 from natural causes.

The killings occurred on Sept. 23, 1983, when five people, Mary Tyler, Opie Hughes, Joey Johnson, David Maxwell and Monty Landers were abducted from the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Kilgore. The victims were taken several miles away to a remote oilfield in Rusk County and fatally shot. For years, only two men, Romeo Pinkerton and Darnell Hartsfield, were charged in the case. Both were indicted in 2005 and later given life sentences. Pinkerton continues to serve five life sentences after being denied parole in 2019, while Hartsfield died in prison in 2022.
Continue reading Third suspect is named in Kilgore KFC murders

SMITH COUNTY – Smith County firefighters are continuing to battle a large industrial fire at Four Seasons Containers LLC, west of Tyler. Smith County Fire Marshal Chad Hogue said his office has three deputy fire marshals on the scene to investigate how the fire started.

The emergency call came in at 6:22 p.m. Thursday, that the 26,000 square-foot metal building, filled with plastic and oil products, was on fire. Firefighters from Tyler and Lindale Fire Departments, as well as Smith County Emergency Services District 2, responded to the fire located on Highway 64 West, near Toll 49.
Continue reading Smith County Fire Marshal’s Office investigating industrial fire

HENDERSON COUNTY — A murder mystery that lingered for nearly four decades has finally been solved, thanks to cutting-edge forensic testing funded by a Texas-based non-profit dedicated to cracking cold cases. According to our news partner KETK, Seasons of Justice, founded in 2020, specializes in financing advanced DNA analysis for long-stalled investigations. Its work proved crucial in identifying the person responsible for the 1987 killing of 29-year-old Rickey Herriage — a brutal crime that had haunted Henderson County investigators for 38 years.

Herriage was murdered in the late hours of March 7, 1987, after he was shot multiple times and thrown from a bridge. His body wasn’t recovered until 1 p.m. on March 8 by a man picking up beer cans on a bank on County Road 1500. His case remained dormant until 2019, when Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse revived the investigation and sent clothing from the original crime scene to Pure Gold Forensics in Redlands, California. Technicians there extracted a usable DNA profile and entered it into the national CODIS database, but no immediate match surfaced.

Determined to push further, the sheriff’s office partnered with Seasons of Justice to pursue more exhaustive DNA testing. The expanded analysis finally produced a breakthrough: a match linking the DNA on Herriage’s clothing to Dallas Reynolds Casanova. Continue reading Nonprofit aids in solving 39-year-old murder case

TYLER — Smith County Sheriff”s Office arrested a man in connection to an alleged assault on a pregnant woman. According to our news partner KETK, deputies went to the home of 33-year-old William Garret Bragg of Tyler, on Highway 31 East Near Tyler. They were there to serve an arrest warrant to Bragg for assaulting a pregnant woman.

The sheriff’s office said when they arrived, deputies tried to make contact, but Bragg refused to answer the door. They were able to reach him by phone, but he still refused to come outside and sent a text message stating he did not intend to cooperate. After this, Smith County Sheriff’s Office obtained a search warrant to remove Bragg from his home.

At this point, William Bragg surrendered and was arrested without incident. He was booked into the Smith County Jail on a $100,000 bond for assault of a pregnant woman.

UPDATE: As of Friday morning, Smith County ESD2 said the evacuation order has been lifted. The affected areas included FM 724 between County Road 1147 to 1151. ..

TYLER — Firefighters worked to extinguish a large industrial fire near the Tyler Pounds Airport, Thursday night. According to our news partner KETK, Smith County ESD 2, the fire is at the intersection of Highway 64 and Toll 49. Drivers are asked to avoid that area.

Residents on County Road 1151, County Road 1147 and FM 724 are asked to evacuate their homes as firefighters continue to work to extinguish the fire. A shelter for residents has been set up at Pleasant Retreat UMC at 417 County Rd 1143 in Tyler.

According to Nikki Simmons with ESD 2, no injuries have been reported. Members of the Lindale Fire Department, the Tyler Fire Department, ESD 2 and a hazmat team are currently working to put out the fire and contain any chemicals at the site that could be carried away by rain.