KTBB News, Weather, Talk

MARSHALL — Harrison County officials were notified Thursday by a Texas State Technical College police officer of an incident involving a deputy and his wife that was reported to them by a school counselor. The incident was reported by a juvenile female student to a counselor regarding inappropriate sexual contact. Once the Sheriff’s Office was notified, the Harrison County District Attorney’s Office and Child Protection Services of East Texas were immediately notified and an investigation began into the allegations.

After interviews, warrants were obtained by the District Attorney’s Office for the arrest of Deputy Eddie Nichols, 49, and his wife, Sharon Nichols, 33, on charges of sexual indecency with a child by contact. The charges are a 2nd degree felony, and both were arrested and placed in jail. Eddie Nichols was also a preacher at a local church.

Eddie Nichols was arraigned and a bond of $200,000 was placed on him. He is currently in the Harrison County Jail. Sharon Nichols was arraigned and a bond of $100,000 was placed on her. She has been released from jail. Deputy Nichols has been terminated.

LONGVIEW — Longview fire officials work a house fire. One person has been taken to the hospital following the blaze on the 1100 block of Bertha Street. Authorities say the injured person had burns on his or her arms and hands. Two others were treated for smoke inhalation. The cause of the fire in unknown at this time.

QUITMAN — A suspect in several Wood County burglaries turned herself in this to authorities. Brenda Bowdoin, 37, turned herself in at 7:45 yesterday morning at the Wood County Sheriff’s Department.

TYLER — A grassfire burning near Wind Dancer road North of Tyler has been contained. Officials say it started around 1:30 Sunday and burned less than one acre of land near Tyler State Park. No word on what started the blaze.

QUITMAN – A two vehicle accident in Wood County has left one person dead. The wreck occurred around 9:30 Saturday night on Farm Road 515 at the intersection of County Road 1516 in Wood County. Killed was James Bryant Latham Sr., 56, of Quitman. He was pronounced dead just before 4:00 Sunday morning at Tyler’s East Texas Medical Center Hospital. The Department of Public Safety reports Latham was critically injured when his motorcycle hit the rear of a vehicle making a left turn.

DAINGERFIELD – Bulldozers and a helicopter were used to put out a fire at Daingerfield State Park. It was reported around 7:30 Sunday morning in the park in Morris County. Around ten acres were burned by the fire. The park, which had been closed for about a year for construction upgrades, was reopened in late June. The cause of the blaze is still under investigation.

BULLARD — “The greatest casualty is being forgotten.” This is the Wounded Warriors motto. KETK reports that Saturday in Bullard, they aimed to not let that happen. This is the fourth year that Kiepersol Estates has held their Wounded Warrior Celebration. The fifty wounded soldiers and their families were treated to a flyover, parachutists, and country music star Gary Morris. “They are pleased that people recognize the sacrifice that they have made. This will not be a pity party tonight; it will be a thank you for your service,” Morris said. The veterans in attendance did appreciate the gesture. Most of the money raised from the event will go to soldiers injured in Iraq and Afghanistan, but more importantly, these brave men and women’s service to their country will not be forgotten.

AUSTIN — Wildfire survivors in Smith and Upshur counties can meet with state and federal specialists at recovery centers in their areas. Starting today, specialists from the state of Texas, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Small Business Administration will be on hand to answer questions and provide information on the types of assistance available to survivors. They also have brochures and other written materials on disaster recovery. The remaining schedule is:
*Smith County, County Office, 11325 Spur 248 in Tyler
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4

*Upshur County, First Baptist Church of Gilmer, 304 Buffalo Street
1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 5
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7

Any Texan with questions about the recovery process or needing help registering with FEMA is urged to stop by a recovery center. Visiting with a recovery specialist is not a requirement for survivors who want disaster assistance, but the centers are an excellent way for people to get answers to their questions about disaster aid and help applying for it. Texans can register online at http://www.disasterassistance.gov or via web-enabled phone at m.fema.gov, or by telephone via FEMA’s toll-free numbers: 1-800-621-3362 or TTY 1-800-462-7585. Those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services can call 1-800-621-3362. Assistants are available by phone from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week.

TYLER – Less than an area of land burned in a fire north of Tyler. The fire, which was extinguished, was reported Sunday off Wind Dancer Road. There were no injuries and no word on what caused it.

TYLER — To raise awareness of women’s cancer, Tyler Firefighters are urging area public safety officers, businesses, schools and citizens to wear pink today to show that “Tyler cares enough to wear pink”. The entire community is invited to come to the Downtown Square in their pink shirts for the third annual Turn Tyler Pink event from 5:00 to 8:00pm. Turn Tyler Pink shirts can be purchased at:
*Gallery Main Street – 110 W. Erwin
*Holiday Inn South Broadway – 5701 S. Broadway
Proceeds from the sale of Turn Tyler Pink shirts benefit local cancer organizations.

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

SMITH COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform pavement repairs on US 271 in various locations between Gentry Parkway and Farm Road 2015 north of Tyler. Once that work is completed, the crew is scheduled to perform the same work on State Highway 31 in Chandler on either side of the Farm Road 315 intersection. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress. Motorists are encouraged to be prepared to reduce speed and merge in and around the work zone.

RUSK COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform base and pavement repairs on Farm Road 839 between U.S. Highway 79 and Farm Road 1798. 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.

VAN ZANDT COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform base and pavement repairs on State Highway 64 between Farm Road 773 and Farm Road 1653, and on State Highway 19 near Farm Road 858. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

HENDERSON COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform resurfacing operations on Farm Road 315 near U.S. Highway 175 in Poynor, and on U.S. Highway 175 between Farm Road 315 and Farm Road 804 in Baxter. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location 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 on Farm Road 320 between West Loop 256 in Palestine and Farm Road 645. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

GREGG COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform base and pavement repairs on Farm Road 1844 north of Longview between State Highway 300 and U.S. Highway 259. Once that work is complete, the crew is scheduled to move to Farm Road 918 south of Kilgore between U.S. 259 and State Highway 42 in Sexton City. 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 resurfacing operations on Farm Road 2088 between Farm Road 14 in Oak Grove and the Upshur County Line. Crews will also be at work on U.S. Highway 80 near Farm Road 1799 west of Mineola, and east of Mineola between Farm Road 2422 and Farm Road 3056. 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.

CHEROKEE COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to resume resurfacing operations in various locations on Farm Road 13 between Troup and Price, and on Farm Road 1911 south of Alto. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

LONGVIEW – East Texas Holocaust survivor Coenraad “Coen” Rood has died. Rood, who was 94, died Saturday. A memorial service will be at 2:00 Monday afternoon at the chapel of Longview’s Rader Funeral Home. Burial will follow in Memory Park Cemetery. His family is asking that contributions be made in Rood’s memory to the Dallas Holocaust Museum or the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

According to the Rader Funeral Home obituary, Rood was born in 1917 and grew up in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The overarching experience of Rood’s life was the 37 months he spent imprisoned in 11 concentration camps. He vowed with his fellow prisoners that if any of them survived, they would bear witness to the atrocities for the rest of their lives, which he did by speaking to schools, churches, civic organizations and anyone else with an interest. His memoirs have been published in German and Dutch. His story is also available at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, through the University of Southern California’s Shoah Foundation Institute, and Yale University Library’s Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies.

LONGVIEW – A Longview home has been extensively damaged by fire. No injuries were reported from the blaze that was reported around 11:50 Friday night in the 100 block of Garfield Drive. Initial reports were the fire started in the living room. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

TYLER — The Tyler District of the Texas Department of Transportation has announced it would receive just over $32.5 million from the latest round of Proposition 12 funding. The funds were approved Thursday by the Texas Transportation Commission.

The Longview and Tyler Metropolitan Planning Organizations will receive an additional $8.8 million for projects in their respective areas, all of which is scheduled to be spent on expanding TxDOT’s system. The combined TxDOT-MPO funding allocation, and in some cases additional funding from other local entities, will allow 12 otherwise under-or-unfunded projects to move forward around the Tyler District, but only two of them are scheduled to let to contract in the next year. The remainder will be funded in 2013.

The two projects funded and set to let to contract in 2012 will add alternating passing lanes on State Highway 64 west of Tyler between Farm Road 848 in Ben Wheeler and Farm Road 314, and on State Highway 19 south of Athens between Farm Road 1615 and the Anderson County Line. The project on SH 64 is estimated to cost around $7.5 million, and the SH 19 project is estimated at $7 million.

In 2013, the Gregg County, the city of Longview and the Longview Economic Development Corporation are scheduled to add a combined $11 to the Longview MPO allocation for the construction of two extension segments of Farm Road 2275 (George Richey Road) between McCann Road and Spur 502, and from Spur 502 to U.S. Highway 259.

In Tyler, the project to eliminate the West Loop 323 bottleneck just south of State Highway 31 (Front Street) by adding an additional lane in each direction and rebuilding the railroad overpass, is scheduled let to construction in August 2013 and to cost approximately $7.4 million.

Additional projects scheduled to let to construction in 2013 include adding a continuous left-turn lane to State Highway 42 north of Kilgore between State Highway 31 and Interstate Highway 20; adding alternating passing lanes on U.S. Highway 69 north of Mineola between Loop 564 and Farm Road 779; adding alternating passing lanes on State Highway 31 east of Tyler between Farm Road 850 and the Gregg County Line; adding a continuous left-turn lane on U.S. Highway 79 south of Palestine roughly between South Loop 256 and Farm Road 645; adding a continuous left-turn lane on Farm Road 349 in Gregg County between State Highway 31 in Kilgore and U.S. Highway 259; widening the bottlenecked section of State Highway 64 in Henderson between State Highway 322 and US 79/US 259 traffic star; and a left-turn bay on US 259 Kilgore Bypass at Synergy Park.

The Texas Transportation Commission on Thursday approved distribution of $3 billion in Proposition 12 bond funding that will address congested highways, rehabilitate bridges and improve connectivity between the state’s metropolitan areas. The allocations will include $1.4 billion to TxDOT’s 25 districts and $600 million to the 25 Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) around the state according to existing formulas; as well as $200 million for statewide highway connectivity improvements; $500 million for bridges; and provide $300 million to begin developing projects to mitigate congestion in the four most congested regions of the state: Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, and San Antonio.

These funds represent the balance of $5 billion in general obligation bonding authority approved by voters and first authorized by the Texas Legislature in 2007. Construction contracts for the first $2 billion in projects were approved in 2010. TxDOT worked in partnership with MPOs, cities, counties and corridor associations to identify and prioritize needs.

LONGVIEW – A Smith County man has been sentenced to prison as the result of a drunken driving accident that injured the driver of the other vehicle. Randall Lee Eggers, 31, of Tyler, was sentenced to ten years in prison after pleading guilty on Friday. Eggers had three previous drunk driving convictions.

GREGG COUNTY – One person has been arrested in connection with the burglary of a concession building near the Sabine High School football field. The burglary occurred last Monday. About $400.00 in damage and the loss of cash and merchandise was reported. Gregg County Investigators, with the assistance of Sabine ISD Officials, arrested Christopher Nicholas Moore, 32, of Gladewater, for the burglary.

MARSHALL – Two buildings have been destroyed in separate Harrison County fires. One of the fires destroyed an industrial warehouse north of Marshall. The fire at the MasterCraft Wood Products warehouse was reported just before 7:30 Friday morning. It is thought the fire was electrical in nature.

About an hour and a half later, a home in the 600 block of Piney Grove School Road was destroyed by fire. Two cars were also destroyed by the blaze.

No injuries were reported in either fire and investigators are trying to determine what caused them.

TYLER — Through a generous gift, The University of Texas at Tyler has remodeled a space in the UT Tyler Physical Health Education Building to serve as a recreational Gymnasium. Named the Al and Nancy Jones Auxiliary Gymnasium, the facility will serve the entire UT Tyler community and broaden recreational opportunities on campus.

In August, Nancy Jones donated funds in memory of her late husband to remodel the facility. “Mr. and Mrs. Jones have been good friends of mine, and Mr. Jones was my best friend,” said King Campbell, UT Tyler assistant athletic director and head men’s and women’s golf coach. “He was a generous man who had done quite well in the business world and was willing to share a lot of that success he had.”

An avid supporter of the UT Tyler golf program, Al had recently contributed funds
for the golf practice facility on the main campus, he added. “When Al passed last June, we wanted to do something as a tribute to him, and the idea to dedicate this gym was through his widow and business partners,” Campbell said. “He was a man who loved life and young people, and he was always encouraging them. We think this is a great tribute to him and his family.”

A dedication ceremony will be 4:30pm on Tuesday, October 4th, at the UT Tyler PHE Building.

LUFKIN — Lufkin Police Department detectives will seek a warrant for the arrest of Eric Morgan, 42, of 9100 Dodson St. in Houston, in connection with a home invasion-style robbery at a Lufkin home.

Just before 4 p.m. Sept. 1, a 77-year-old woman responded to a knock at the front door of her Willow Bend Drive home. When she unlocked the door, a man forced his way inside the residence while pointing a handgun at the victim.

The man stole the victim’s purse and, within minutes of fleeing the house, used her credit card at a convenience store a few blocks away, at the intersection of East Denman Avenue and South Chestnut Street. Video captured by the convenience store’s security cameras showed the man using the victim’s credit card to purchase fuel for a dark-colored Volkswagen Eos, a two-door, hardtop convertible vehicle.

On Sept. 23, Navasota officers arrested Morgan for the robbery of a Wells Fargo Bank of Navasota that occurred at 10:43 a.m. that day. Lufkin Police Department detectives read a law enforcement release from Navasota and found the description of Morgan matched the description of the suspect in the Willow Bend Drive case.

Further investigation revealed that Morgan was in possession of property belonging to the home invasion victim, and that he was operating the dark-colored Volkswagen shown in the convenience store security video.

MARSHALL — A Big Sandy couple has been sentenced to federal prison today for tax violations. Timothy J. Patton, 61, (pictured) and his wife, Dawn G. Patton, 54, were found guilty on July 7 of conspiracy to attempt to evade federal income tax and five counts of attempting to evade federal income tax. Timothy Patton was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison and Dawn Patton was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison. They were also ordered to pay restitution to the Internal Revenue Service in the amount of $571,734.00.

According to information presented in court, beginning in 2000, the defendants stopped filing federal income tax returns and began insisting that their employers not withhold any federal income tax. Each provided false W-2s to their employer, claiming that each was single and exempt from income tax. They also had their employers begin issuing paychecks to the Office of the Patriarch of the Gathering of the House of Israel, an entity created by Timothy Patton using an invalid Employer Identification Number. The Pattons would regularly refuse to provide a Social Security number to their employers. The defendants, who insisted on being referred to as Brother T and Mimi, claimed that they were not the individuals named in the indictment.

TYLER — A husband and wife from Tyler have been sentenced to federal prison for distributing methamphetamine. Eugene Cook, 44, pleaded guilty on June 20 to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of more than 50 grams of methamphetamine and was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison today. Cook was also ordered to pay a $50,000 forfeiture judgment.

Charlotte Cook, 45, (pictured) also pleaded guilty June 20 to possession with intent to distribute and distribution of more than 50 grams of methamphetamine and was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison today.

According to information presented in court, beginning in October 2010, the Cooks and their co-conspirators distributed more than 50 grams of methamphetamine in east Texas. Eugene Cook admitted responsibility for distributing up to 1.5 kilos of methamphetamine throughout the area. Eugene Cook, Charlotte Cook and 2 others were indicted by a federal grand jury on Dec. 1 and charged with federal drug trafficking crimes.

LONGVIEW — A Longview man has been found guilty of manslaughter. The jury later sentenced Michael Lekele Morrow to 10 years probation. The panel had earlier convicted Morrow of fatally stabbing Bobby Joe Smith Jr., 41, outside Smith’s apartment on West Avalon Street in June 2009. Morrow said he was defending himself as Smith attacked him with an object. He could have received up to life in prison.

ANGELINA COUNTY — A Lufkin man arrested last year on charges of burning his mother’s house down with a methamphetamine lab received a 20-year sentence this week on an unrelated charge. James Durham Jr., 36, is set to serve the next 20 years in prison after a sentence for third-degree felony evading arrest. The penalty was enhanced due to his previous convictions. The Prosecutor said that after reviewing Durham’s record, including 36 arrests in Angelina County alone, Durham was given the maximum sentence of 20 years.

ATKINSON, NEB. (AP) — The small, north-central Nebraska town of Atkinson is bracing for big crowds at the second in-state hearing over a hotly disputed Canadian oil pipeline project. Residents say the Keystone XL pipeline proposal has divided the town and is expected to generate a large showing at the U.S. State Department hearing in the West Holt High School gymnasium. Similar meetings are taking place this week in Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas. The pipeline operated by TransCanada would carry oil from Canada to Texas refineries. The pipeline would go through eastern Smith County. Supporters say it will reduce Middle East oil dependence and create jobs. Opponents say it will leak and contaminate the High Plains’ Ogallala aquifer.

NOONDAY — The continuing drought is taking a real toll on East Texas farmers and ranchers. Noonday feed store owner James Hand tells KETK he’s even heard from people who have had to leave the industry. Meanwhile, Austin Bank is busy trying to help. The bank’s Nathan Jones says ranchers will have to buy hay get through the winter. Both Jones and Hand point out that increasing prices for hay and other products are adding to the problem. And Jones notes that not only has hay gone up, but the ranchers are going to have to buy a lot more of it. But he says his bank is doing all it can about that and other problems. He says the bank has helped with irrigation, along with discussing well drilling and some people’s need to buy hay out of state.

QUITMAN — Authorities are on the hunt for suspect Brenda Bowdoin — A.K.A. Brenda Boaz, Brenda Hampton, and Brenda Gilbert. They say she’s wanted for multiple burglaries in Wood County. According to KETK, Bowdoin is traveling in a Champagne color 2004 Hyundai 4-door passenger car Texas license plate W93STT registered to Travis Gilbert and Brenda Bowdoin. Authorities say Bowdoin may be in possession of stolen items and drugs in the vehicle. Bowdoin is suspected to be heading toward the Longview or Wylie area.

TYLER — Tyler Police officials tell KETK a man is behind bars after allegedly being caught stealing from a van on Wednesday morning. Police say Terrence Cuba, 26, was found burglarizing the vehicle near Preferred Home Medical on 805 North Glenwood Blvd. just before noon. The owner of Preferred Home Medical, Richard Savage, reportedly saw Cuba breaking into the van to steal its GPS unit and approached him. The two broke into a struggle before Cuba ran away, with Savage following close behind, according to police.

According to authorities, Cuba started throwing concrete bricks and rocks at the business owner and threatened to kill him. Savage received minor injuries during the chase. The alleged burglar was eventually arrested once police arrived on scene. Cuba is charged with burglary of a vehicle and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and is being held on a bond of $52,500.

TYLER — TISD officials confirm with our news partner KETK that a second grade teacher at Austin Elementary was placed on administrative leave on September 23. School officials say 33-year-old Orquidia Nunez-Miller will remain on leave for an “undetermined amount of time” for a non-school related incident. Smith County jail records show Miller was arrested for child abuse and neglect on September 20 and was released the following day. TISD says Miller has not been at the school since September 16.

KILGORE — Sunday afternoon shortly after 4:15, a man robbed a 69-year old woman of her purse while she was leaving the CVS Pharmacy in Kilgore. According to KETK, if you have information as to the identity of the pictured suspect or information concerning the crime, you should contact Detective David Falco 903-983-1559 or Gregg County Crime Stoppers 903-236-STOP.

LUFKIN — Two Texas congressmen visited with county judges, officials and first responders from the Deep East Texas region in Lufkin on Wednesday in an effort to improve the federal government’s response to disasters. That’s according to KETK and the Lufkin Daily News. U.S. Rep. Michael T. McCaul (R-Austin), chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations and Management, is investigating whether FEMA’s response was fast enough after fires broke out this month in several areas of the state. He was joined by Louie Gohmert (R-Tyler).

“Part of my role is to examine these fires that took place in the state of Texas and provide the oversight on how we can do these things better. I’ve been all over the state of Texas talking with local people about the response to these fires, and Bastrop was the one that was most devastating. But we can do a better job,” McCaul said. “It took a Bastrop to get these aviation assets into the state. It shouldn’t have taken that long. What I’ll be examining is FEMA’s response — why we didn’t get those aviation assets sooner.”

Gohmert said the meeting with area county judges was productive and that the information learned would be taken back to Congress. “When you have people from the counties that have been most affected by the wildfires, they know what good things have been done and they also know what the problems are,” Gohmert said. “You also get valuable input from the folks here on how we can streamline things, to get help immediately where it needs to go, so we can reduce the amount of suffering that goes on.”