KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — DPS Troopers and the Smith County Sheriff’s Office are looking for a driver accused of fatally hitting a motorcyclist. According to the Department of Public Safety, around 1:15 Sunday morning, a dark-colored Ford Heavy Duty truck struck Jacky Wayne Johnson, 65, Tyler, on Highway 64 East just east of Tyler, killing him. According to KETK, the truck then left the scene. Authorities said the truck may be damaged on its front end from hitting the motorcycle. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Smith County Sheriff’s Department.

TYLER — Tyler Police continue to search for the suspect involved two burglaries this weekend. The first reported break-in happened at the Family Dollar, 1527 NNW Loop 323 just after 6:00 Saturday morning. Employees told officers an undetermined amount of cash had been taken. While that investigation was underway, police were notified of another break-in at the Family Dollar, 4305 Troup Highway. Authorities were told that sometime during the night, the store was broken into and an undetermined amount of cash was taken. Investigators are confirming that both commercial burglaries seem similar in nature. No arrests have been made at this time.

LAS VEGAS — Lindale’s Miranda Lambert was a two time winner at the annual Academy of Country Awards Sunday night. Lambert picked up her third straight female vocalist of the year award. Her husband Blake Shelton won male vocalist of the year. And Lambert also picked up a trophy for album of the year. It was for her album “Four the Record.” It was her third straight win in that category.

AUSTIN — A general aviation airport in East Texas won top honors recently for structural and aesthetic improvements that eventually turned a financial liability into an economic asset for the community and the region. The Van Zandt County Regional Airport in Wills Point received the Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) 2012 Most Improved General Aviation Airport honor at the department’s aviation awards banquet held recently at the 30th annual Texas Aviation Convention in Galveston.

The small county airport was recognized for its efforts to turn a marginal business operation into a viable concern that would make money instead of cost money. City and county officials, along with private sector support, embarked on an aggressive beautification and infrastructure improvement program to bring the airport up to service levels that would attract new business. Several local and state grants, including an $8,500 grant from the Wills Point Economic Development Corporation, helped the Airport Advisory Board to implement a vegetation management program that included wildflower seeding and new grass to prevent erosion.

TxDOT and the city and county partnered to acquire RAMP (Routine Airport Maintenance Program) grants for pavement improvements, runway and ramp upgrades and renovate and build new infrastructure including a two-story brick office building, new lighting and an entrance drive and parking lot. Instead of a financial drain, the airport is now turning a profit and attracting new business and events from around the state.

Future projects include developing a five-year aviation plan, building new hangers, resurfacing the runway and building a maintenance road and a fuel farm.

TYLER — Here’s a quick look at work planned in the Tyler District of the Texas Department of Transportation.

TYLER — The Texas Department of Transportation’s Transportation Planning and Programming Division in Austin is scheduled to perform traffic counts in the Tyler District between Monday, April 2 and Friday, April 13. The survey sites, which are marked with “State Traffic Survey” signs, will be in operation for 24 hours in each of 22 undisclosed locations.

“Traffic counts are an important statistic,” said TxDOT public information officer Larry Krantz. “They tell us a lot about how our system is being used at the moment, and when compared with historical data, they show us how traffic patterns have changed. We use that data to plan everything from scheduling litter cleanup to planning for new roads.” The counts are performed annually on state-system roads, which include Interstates, U.S. Highways, State Highways, Loops, Spurs and Farm-to-Market Roads. You can go to
http://www.txdot.gov/travel/traffic_maps/default.htm to find the latest traffic counts for the Tyler District and statewide.

HENDERSON COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform pavement-repair operations on SH 31 in Malakoff. Also this week in Henderson County, TxDOT maintenance crews are scheduled to continue resurfacing work on Farm Road 3079 between Farm Road 314 south of Brownsboro and Farm Road 315 south of Chandler. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two-lane areas.

RUSK COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue approximately two weeks of edge repairs on Farm Road 1716 between State Highway 43 near Tatum and Farm Road 782. The work is being done in advance of a seal coat application later this summer. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two-lane areas.

GREGG COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform pavement repairs on South Loop 281 between Farm Road 2205 (Jaycee Drive) and Estes Parkway early in the week, followed by applying a seal coat in the same location later in the week. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

ANDERSON COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue resurfacing operations in various locations on State Highway 294 west of Elkhart between Farm Road 322 and Farm Road 1990, followed by the same work on Farm Road 323 between U.S. Highway 84 east of Palestine and Farm Road 1817. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

WOOD COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue pavement repairs on Farm Road 3056 between U.S. Highway 80 east of Mineola and Farm Road 778. The work is in preparation for a seal coat application this summer.

A second crew is scheduled to continue edge repairs on Farm Road 2869 north of Farm Road 49. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

NOONDAY — One person is taken to a local hospital after an 18 wheeler crashed into a sedan. The Noonday Fire Department has confirmed the truck leaked over 300 gallons of diesel fuel on Highway 155 just past Loop 49. According to KETK, both north and south bound lanes had to be shut down for clean-up but have since reopened. No word on the condition of the injured person.

NACOGDOCHES — The Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s office says a man was kidnapped and severely beaten by several men Saturday morning. Officials tell KETK they were able to determine that the kidnapping started at a house on Davis Street in the city of Nacogdoches. Two suspects have been identified and arrested. Austin Truitt has been charged with aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault. John Michael Windsor has also been charged with aggravated assault. The man who was beaten was taken to a local hospital and treated for multiple injuries. No bonds have been set on the suspects, and more arrests are pending.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP/Staff) — A former Oklahoma prison warden’s wife who was convicted of aiding the escape of a convicted killer she lived with for 11 years will be released from prison soon after serving about half of her one-year sentence. Bobbi Parker’s trial was the most expensive in Greer County history, but with time off for good behavior she could be released in April after serving about six months. The state spent more than $66,000 for her trial, including $27,000 in juror fees.

Parker was sent to the Hillsdale Community Correctional Center in Oklahoma City after being found guilty of helping Randolph Dial escape from a prison at Granite. The two eventually turned up in Shelby County, Texas. Corrections Department spokesman Jerry Massie says rules that reward inmates for good behavior have shaved almost six months off of Parker’s sentence.

GREGG COUNTY — Longview firefighters and the Texas Forest Service contained a two-acre grass fire over the weekend. The fire, on H.G. Mosely Parkway near Bill Owens Parkway, was called in Just before 11:45 Saturday morning and was 100% contained just over two hours later. According to the Longview News-Journal, the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

LUFKIN (AP) — A former Texas nurse accused of killing five of her patients and injuring five others by injecting bleach into their kidney dialysis tubing has been found guilty of capital murder. The verdict came Friday in the case against 38-year-old Kimberly Clark Saenz. Saenz was fired in April 2008 after a rash of illnesses and deaths at a Lufkin dialysis clinic run by Denver-based health care giant DaVita Inc. She was charged a year later. Defense lawyers argued that Saenz was being targeted by the clinic’s owner for faulty procedures at the facility. Her trial began March 5. Saenz now faces life in prison or a death sentence as the case moves to the punishment phase.

UPSHUR COUNTY — Upshur County sheriff’s deputies seized 28 small-breed dogs Friday afternoon at what they described as a puppy mill. “We actually discovered this through following a burglary and theft call this morning,” Lt. Freddie Fitzgerald said about 3:30 as he and officers were en route to serve a seizure warrant at a home just south of Gilmer on Texas 155. According to the Longview News-Journal, the dogs, all Chihuahua and Yorkshire terrier breeds, were living in cages stacked on top of each other, Fitzgerald said. Most of the dogs were inside the residence. The lieutenant said criminal charges are likely for the dogs’ owner.

TYLER — Lufkin teenager, Jaron Parrish, passed away early Friday morning in a Tyler hospital. Parrish, 19, suffered a severe brain injury in a Sunday wreck on FM 1194. Around 1:00 Friday, Parrish died at East Texas Medical Center-Tyler, according to his father. “I guess he waited for all of us to get there,” Jeff Parrish said. “We turned him over to God and let him go.” The Lufkin Daily News reports, the last 48 hours have been an emotional roller coaster for his family as they’ve said goodbye to him twice. Monday Parrish’s doctors suggested he be removed from life support as they believed him to be brain dead. His parents selflessly made the decision, opting to donate his organs so others could live.

LONGVIEW — Months before he and three other officers were terminated in December, the Hallsville chief of police had been threatened with firing amid allegations his officers were double-dipping, failing to respond to calls in a timely manner and fraternizing with women while on duty. According to documents released by the city under the Texas Public Information Act, Hallsville Mayor Jerri Medrano repeatedly warned Chief Greg Scott in 2011 about performance issues within his department.

According to KETK, the most revealing of the documents was a memorandum from Medrano to Scott, in which the mayor accused the chief of being unprofessional, being too close to his staff to discipline them and ignoring public warnings that one officer routinely “spent time with women” in his car while on duty.

LUFKIN (AP) – An Angelina County jury has found former DaVita Dialysis nurse Kimberly Saenz guilty of capital murder. In the punishment phase Monday, she faces life in prison or death by lethal injection. Jurors in Lufkin on Thursday began deliberating in the capital murder trial of Kimberly Clark Saenz. They got the case after closing arguments. Angelina County District Attorney Clyde Herrington told jurors the five patients Saenz is accused of killing in April 2008 had trusted her with their care but instead had their lives cut short by her. Defense attorney Ryan Deaton told the jury that Saenz is innocent and is being targeted by the clinic’s owner for faulty procedures at the facility in Lufkin.

LONGVIEW — Police are searching for a man who used stolen credit cards to make purchases in the Longview mall. Longview Police say, on March, 21, Officer Alex Chorba was dispatched to 320 E Loop 281 for a vehicle burglary. When Officer Chorba arrived, the victim told him someone had broken the front passenger window of their 2007 Nissan truck and taken several items out of the truck, including her purse.

On March 29, Officer Nora Cheatham was following up on the case because a credit card taken from the vehicle had been used to purchase items from a kiosk located in the Longview Mall. Officers were able to retrieve video from that location and are attempting to identify a suspect in the case. The suspect is described as a heavy set black male, possibly in his 30’s, balding, and has a goatee.

TYLER — Officials were called to a house fire in Tyler at 2317 Grand Avenue around 3:30 this morning. Investigators said the fire was caused by a lit cigarette left beside a bed. Four people were home at the time of the fire but were able to escape with no injuries. The house sustained heavy fire damage and is most likely a total loss. Fire officials notified the Red Cross to offer assistance to the occupants.

KILGORE — LeTourneau University and Kilgore College signed an articulation agreement Thursday. LeTourneau officials say it’s designed to ease the transfer of students into LETU from Kilgore and enable KC students to maximize their credit hours by knowing which credit hours will transfer to LETU degree programs. Officials say the agreement will make it easier for KC advisors, department chairs and deans to recommend courses that would apply to students’ bachelor’s degrees at LETU in a variety of majors.

MARSHALL – A 54-year-old Harleton woman has pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking violations in East Texas. Tamara Lynn Olivares pleaded guilty to possession of pseudoephedrine with intent to manufacture methamphetamine Thursday in Marshall before U.S. Magistrate Judge Roy S. Payne. According to information presented in court, on August 14, 2010, Olivares purchased cold pills containing pseudoephedrine at a CVS store in Marshall with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine. Olivares admitted to possessing between 100 and 300 grams of pseudoephedrine. Olivares was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 4, 2011. Olivares faces up to 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not been set.

DALLAS — A Dallas police officer from East Texas has been arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a child. Charles Walker of Lone Star was arrested after allegations that he sexually assaulted a child in his family. Rains County authorities say he was released after posting a $120,000 bond. Walker is facing 10 counts of child indecency and two counts of sexual assault. Authorities say some of the charges occurred when the victim was younger than 17 and continued when the victim turned 18. Walker is on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of a Dallas police investigation.

TYLER — Traffic lights at Broadway and Front Street in Tyler have been repaired following a morning accident. Officers spent part of the day Thursday directing traffic in the intersection. The accident, around 4:20 Thursday morning, initially closed the intersection. A car reportedly struck a westbound traffic signal, knocking it down into the westbound lanes of traffic. A utility pole supporting lines running east and west across the intersection was sheared off causing the lines to hang low across the roadway. The driver was taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

TYLER — Police say the woman arrested Thursday afternoon in connection with a Regions Bank robbery has confessed to both the Regions Bank robbery and a Telco Robbery in February. On Thursday, Tyler police received a financial robbery alarm at the Regions Bank located at 1810 SSE Loop 323 in Tyler. Information was also received from employees at the bank that the suspect appeared to be a black female wearing a mask, gray shirt, blue sweatpants and black shoes. She reportedly brandished a large knife and left the location with an unknown amount of money. A partial license plate of the suspect vehicle was obtained along with a description of the vehicle, possibly a black Chevrolet Impala.

Tyler Police Officers responding to the area located a black Chevrolet Impala at University/Lazy Creek in Tyler and initiated a traffic stop. The driver of the vehicle was identified as Vanessa Ashley Ashford, 27, of Shreveport. After a search of the vehicle officers located a bag full of money and an exploded die pack in the trunk of the Impala. Ashford was arrested for Aggravated Robbery, a 1st degree felony. She was interviewed by detectives at the Tyler Police Department. Police say she confessed to the Regions Bank robbery and also confessed to the February 29 robbery of the Telco Credit Union at 620 West Front in Tyler. She was also arrested for Aggravated Robbery in that case.

TYLER — The Smith County Commissioners Court was presented with what are termed encouraging results from an annual independent financial audit conducted by Henry & Peters, P.C. during its regular meeting this week. “The County is seeing some positive trends for this economic environment,” CPA Tal Glenn said following his presentation.

According to a county news release, Smith County has a policy of maintaining a minimum level of reserve funds at 12% of budgeted expenditures. For the 2011 fiscal year the county was able to increase its reserves by $4.5 million, more than doubling the policy minimum. County revenue for 2011 exceeded budgeted projections while expenditures came in under budget, and the county’s bond rating increased, which contributed to the interest savings the county realized related to the jail bond indebtedness. During fiscal year 2011 Smith County adopted and implemented its first formal Capital Improvement Plan, which addresses major capital projects for the five-year period from 2012 through 2017.

“Our annual budget process serves as the foundation of the County’s planning, and it’s good to see the fruits of that process,” said County Judge Joel Baker, who serves as the county’s budget officer. “The last several years have been difficult for everyone, and these positive trends are encouraging.”

For the sixth consecutive year, the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) awarded Smith County a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its fiscal year 2011 budget. Also during 2011 the county received the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the GFOA. Additionally, the county continues to be recognized for financial transparency by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. The Comptroller has awarded the county its second Leadership Circle Gold Award for meeting such a high standard of openness, and Smith County was one of the first counties in Texas to make its check register available online for public review. “We are literally an open book,” Baker remarked.

LONGVIEW — The Todd Rundgren concert scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday at LeTourneau University’s S.E. Belcher Jr. Chapel and Performance Center in Longview is cancelled due to the veteran musician’s sudden illness. A rescheduled date has not yet been decided. Ticket holders are encouraged to check the webpage: http://www.BelcherCenter.com for further details on a rescheduled concert date and can call the Belcher Center Box Office at (903) 233-3080 for refund information.

SMITH COUNTY — An abandoned house in the Flint area is a total loss after mysteriously burning down Wednesday night. Noonday volunteer firefighters responded to what was originally thought to be a fire in the woods near the Lakeway Harbor subdivision. When they got there, they discovered it was actually an abandoned house on fire. Firefighters were able to keep the fire off of an abandoned mobile home right next to it. According to KETK, neighbors say they heard an explosion and saw kids running from the place when the fire started. Officials on scene say the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

KINDER, LA. (AP) – Louisiana State Police say a Texas mother and daughter arrested after a bank robbery in Mississippi are also accused of three holdups in Texas and west Louisiana. Louisiana State Police said Wednesday that Evie Mearlene Herrin, 57, and Amelia Darci Crew, 30, both of Cleveland, Texas, are accused of holdups Feb. 13 in Kinder, and of other bank robberies in Sulphur, Louisiana and Henderson, Texas. Sgt. James Anderson says he does not know the dates of the other two holdups. Police in Gulfport, Miss., arrested the women minutes after a bank robbery there on Monday. They remain in the Harrison County Jail. Police say that in Gulfport and Kinder, Herrin allegedly showed a gun and got money, and her daughter allegedly drove the getaway car.

KILGORE — Twenty students have graduated from the Kilgore College Fire Academy. The ceremony was held Wednesday night in the Bert E. Woodruff Adult Education Center Auditorium in Kilgore.

The KC Fire Academy is accredited by the Texas Commission on Fire Protection and the State Firemen and Fire Marshal’s Association and approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The academy offers certification schools for NFPA 1001 Basic Structural Firefighter I and II certification, the Texas Volunteer certification, Fire Inspector and Fire and Arson Investigation courses. It is also a designated institution by the Canadian Province of British Columbia.

The following candidates, listed by hometown, are part of KC Fire Academy No. 82:
*Burns Lake, B.C. Canada: Rylan Horni
*Canton: Dylan T. Louis
*Fort Worth: Chace Hobbs
*Garland: Preston Jenkins
*Henderson: Jeffery Cox and Kevin W. Temple Kelowna, B.C. Canada: Tyler Evans
*Kilgore: Travis Crews
*Lindale: James Cooper and Jay Wieneke
*Longview: Luis Israel Encalada, Phillip Recio and Jimmy Su
*Overton: Dylan Lantz
*Pampa: Jack D. Ware
*Rowlett: Mason Wilmany
*Salmon Arm, B.C. Canada: Jesse Foster
*Tyler: Jesus Alvarado, Isai Hernandez
*Union Grove: Richard Pittman

LONGVIEW – Longview’s Lafamo Road has reopened. The road had been closed since December 27th of last year. The construction project included new concrete culverts and pavement improvements at the Lafamo Creek crossing. This project providing bridge and culvert improvements is based on the Master Drainage Plan. This project was constructed by East Texas Bridge of Longview.

TYLER – A 50-year-old Carthage man has been sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for drug trafficking violations. Roy Daniel Tatum pleaded guilty on September 7, 2011, to possession of pseudoephedrine with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine. He was sentenced Wednesday in Tyler by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Schneider.

According to prosecutors, on March 9, 2010, Tatum purchased cold pills containing 2.88 grams of pseudoephedrine at a Wal-Mart store in Henderson. Tatum also admitted to purchasing cold pills on six different occasions from March 9 to April 8, 2010, which amounted to 15.84 grams of pseudoephedrine, all with the intentions of manufacturing methamphetamine. Tatum was named in a federal indictment returned by the grand jury on April 6, 2011, and charged with drug trafficking violations.

TYLER – A 21-year-old Tyler man has been sentenced to federal prison in a counterfeiting case. Bryan Scott Mayfield pleaded guilty on November 8, 2011, to possession of counterfeit money. He was sentenced to eight months in federal prison Wednesday in Tyler by U.S. District Judge Leonard E. Davis. Mayfield was also ordered to pay $1,750 in restitution.

According to information presented in court, on June 4, 2011, Mayfield assisted another person in passing counterfeit money at a Wal-Mart in Gilmer. Mayfield knew a cashier at the Wal-Mart and contacted her to see if she would be working on that date. Mayfield told her that he and others were planning to use counterfeit currency, and she agreed to let them make the purchase at her cash register. Mayfield was present and assisted in the purchase of a laptop computer with eight counterfeit $100 bills. A federal grand jury returned an indictment on September 15, 2011, charging Mayfield with federal crimes.

TYLER — The City of Tyler Wednesday hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the opening of the compressed natural gas station (CNG) that will be used for the city fleet. The opening is part of the effort to convert a portion of the City fleet to CNG in support of the natural gas industry. 21st Century Energy was identified in the Industry Growth Initiative as a legacy industry – critical to the diversification of Tyler’s economy and evolution into an innovation economy.

Officials say the effort to convert a portion of the city fleet to CNG was a direct outcome of the Industry Growth Initiative, or IGI, adopted by the Tyler community in 2010. According to city press materials, The IGI is a 20-year plan that identifies Tyler’s greatest opportunities to strengthen its economy and secure jobs for its citizens. Ten key building blocks are identified in the plan, including 21st Century Energy. You can go to http://www.TylerIGI.com to view the plan.

“For generations, the Oil & Gas sector has been a mainstay in the Tyler economy; it has provided us with jobs and stability when other areas of the country have struggled in tough economic times,” said Tyler Mayor Barbara Bass. “However, this legacy industry still has so much more in store for us. With the development of horizontal drilling and the discovery of the Haynesville Shale, the Oil & Gas sector will play an important role in Tyler’s economic future.”