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SMITH COUNTY — The Smith County Commissioners Court approved a feasibility study on Tuesday to evaluate necessary improvements for the county’s animal shelter. According to our news partner KETK, the proposed agreement calls for Fitzpatrick Architect to assess the shelter’s condition. The proposal includes bringing in engineers to assess site improvements, utilities, drainage, spa access, mechanical and plumbing issues and other recommended enhancements.

Following the evaluation, American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds would be used to create a dog park and shaded green space. The city will also evaluate the current facility for potential upgrades that would address interior exhaust and drainage problems.

Research will be required to ensure compliance with local site regulations, Smith County officials said. The ARPA-funded grant was amended in July to ensure that current funding covers the animal shelter.

HAWKINS — The Hawkins City Council voted 3 to 2 to remove Municipal Judge Mitch Henderson from his position. According to our news partner KETK, the decision comes as the city is face with a $1.2 million budget deficit and can no longer afford to employ a judge.

“He was removed because we no longer have a police department or a city court. That is the only reason for the decision,” Mayor Debbie Rushing said.

The police department was dissolved in June after it was left with only one remaining officer. Three officers had been fired in February by Rushing, who argued they had not been properly hired because the city council had never approved their employment. The role of a municipal judge is to oversee local court systems, handle minor offenses and ensure justice is served throughout the community.

SMITH COUNTY — During the Smith County Commissioners Court meeting on Tuesday, a motion was passed permitting the Precinct 4 Constable’s Office to join the 287(g) Task Force Model Program. According to our news partner KETK, the motion was approved four to one, with Commissioner Ralph Caraway being the one opposing vote. Caraway stated he opposed allowing Precinct 4 to join the task force, citing his belief that the agreement with the Smith County Sheriff’s Office is sufficient.

Precinct 1 said it will not seek to participate in the program.

The meeting was well attended , over 40 residents voiced their opinions about the constable’s office joining the task force, causing the public comments portion of the meeting to last for more than an hour.

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — New York Jets coach Aaron Glenn says he has spoken to Kris Boyd and is confident the cornerback and special teams standout will be OK after being shot in midtown Manhattan early Sunday morning.

Glenn said the hospitalized Boyd was “upbeat” in their recent conversation.

“That’s what eases my mind, is that he’s in good spirits,” Glenn said Wednesday. “His wife and his kid, they’re in good spirits and he will walk away from this just fine.”

Glenn was unsure when Boyd might be released from the hospital, where he has been listed in critical but stable condition.
Continue reading Gilmer native, Jets CB Kris Boyd in critical condition

RUSK COUNTY – In the 1983 KFC murder case, which resulted in the deaths of five people, Rusk County authorities are getting ready to name a third suspect. Our news partners at KETK report that Mary Tyler, Opie Hughes, Joey Johnson, David Maxwell, and Monty Landers were kidnapped from a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Kilgore on September 23, 1983. They were then driven to a remote oil field in Rusk County, where they were shot and killed.

Within a week, authorities named Romeo Pinkerton and Darnell Hartsfield as suspects. But it was not until 2005 that indictments were returned, as DNA evidence from the scene connected both men to it. Hartsfield died in prison in 2023, and Pinkerton is currently serving a life sentence. Continue reading New suspect to be named in KFC murders

SABINE COUNTY — Three individuals were arrested Sunday as part of an ongoing Sabine County drug operation targeting methamphetamine distribution, according to our news partner KETK. Rotheria Andrew Sowell, 43, Phillip Eugene Wiseman, 56, and William Michael Lloyd, 58, were all taken into custody on meth-related charges. Sowell and Wiseman, who were already being held in custody on unrelated narcotics charges, were charged with delivery of a controlled substance with Lloyd being charged for possession of a controlled substance.
Continue reading Three arrested in Sabine County meth operation

OVERTON — A man has been arrested and charged with arson in connection with a vehicle fire reported in September. According to our news partner KETK, officers were dispatched Sept. 18 to a vehicle fire at 412 North Warren St. The fire was extinguished and investigators reviewed surveillance footage from a nearby business, which identified the suspect as Randy Eugene Reid.

Reid was already being held at the Rusk County Jail on unrelated charges. Police issued and executed a warrant for Reid’s arrest on Nov. 5. He was charged for arson with his bond set at $50,000 and remains in custody at the Rusk County Justice Center.

SMITH COUNTY – In the Smith County Commissioners Court meeting scheduled for Tuesday morning, a motion will be considered involving the Precinct 4 Constable’s Office joining the 2867G Task Force Model Program. According to our news partner KETK, the 2867G Task Force Model is a partnership with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that allows local law enforcement to enforce U.S. immigration laws, including identifying and processing immigrants with pending or active criminal charges.

Smith County Precinct 4 Constable Josh Joplin recently defended his office’s decision to consider joining the 287(g) Task Force Model Program while reassuring residents that he will not target immigrants.

“We are not forming an immigration unit, doing sweeps, or conducting raids,” Joplin said. “We will not deviate from the services and standards the citizens of this precinct expect and deserve.” Continue reading Smith County considering joining ICE task force

ELKHART – Two more relatives were arrested last week in connection to the sexual assault of a child in Elkhart, arrest records have revealed. According to our news partner KETK, Carl Laza, 59, and Kaleb Laza, 27, were both arrested on Nov. 13 after the Dallas Police Department launched an investigation into Carl’s son Skylar Laza, who was arrested on Nov. 5

Skylar, a former Houston County Sheriff’s Office deputy, was arrested for aggravated sexual assault of a child after one of his juvenile relatives was interviewed forensically and corroborated videos of Skylar allegedly sexually assaulting him, arrest records show. According to an arrest affidavit, the juvenile victim recalled a time when Carl sexually abused him when he lived with the victim’s family in Elkhart. A Dallas PD officer interviewed Carl’s son, Kenan Laza, and he confirmed that Carl did live with the family in Elkhart around the time the child described. Continue reading Two more arrested in child sexual assault case

OVERTON — A man has been arrested and charged with arson in connection with a vehicle fire reported in September. According to our news partner KETK, Overton PD was called to the fire scene Thursday, Sept. 18 at North Warren and McKay Streets, near May Oldfield Pipe. After the fire was put out, investigators viewed surveillance video from a business nearby. They identified the alleged arsonist as Randy Eugene Reid. Authorities arrested Reid Nov 5. He is charged with arson and is being held in the Rusk County Justice Center on a $50,000 bond. Reid was already being held on unrelated charges.

GLADEWATER – Following the release of video showing a suspect in a recent break-in, the Gladewater Police Department is asking for the public’s help. According to our news partner KETK, in the early morning hours of Oct. 30, authorities say a building was broken into with a pickup truck. Police are looking for help identifying the vehicle’s owner and present location after obtaining surveillance footage of it. Gladewater authorities are asking anyone with information regarding the car or the break-in to please contact them.

SMITH COUNTY – Our news partners at KETK report that a motion pertaining to the Precinct 4 Constable’s Office joining the 2867G Task Force Model Program will be discussed at the Tuesday morning Smith County Commissioners Court meeting.

Local law enforcement can enforce U.S. immigration laws, including identifying and processing immigrants with pending or active criminal charges, through the 2867G Task Force Model, a partnership with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Constable Josh Joplin of Smith County Precinct 4 recently assured locals that he will not target immigrants while defending his office’s decision to participate in the 287(g) Task Force Model Program.

SULPHUR SPRINGS – The former owners of the land where a massive AI datacenter campus is planned to built in Sulphur Springs are being sued by the city for trying to stop part of the datacenter project. According to our news partner KETK, the lawsuit comes after the Vistra Corporation, parent company of Luminant Mining Company, issued a cease and desist letter to the city on Sept. 30. They sent the letter after learning about Sulphur Springs’ deal with MSB Global to build 30 AI data centers on the land that Luminant had gifted to the city.

According to court documents, when Luminant transferred the mine land to the city they included a restrictive covenant in the deed that would prevent the land for being used for power generation or power storage of any kind. Since the datacenters are planned to include onsite power generation or storage, Vistra claims the covenant would prevent construction that equipment.

Vistra’s cease and desist letter says they brought up how this restrictive covenant could block the construction of a datacenter on the land to the city several times since they granted them the property in 2019. Continue reading Sulphur Springs suing landowners blocking datacenter