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TYLER — Tyler Police search for a man who they say was shoplifting inside the South Broadway Walmart Wednesday afternoon. Police describe him as a white man. He was last seen wearing a white long sleeved shirt, black pants and black shoes. Police tell KETK when the man left the store, he pushed the loss-prevention officer. No word if anyone was hurt.

TYLER – A 57-year-old Wills Point man has been sentenced for making a false statement to the Federal Aviation Administration. Darryl Glen Reynolds pleaded guilty on June 10, 2010, and was sentenced Wednesday in Tyler to five months in federal prison. Reynolds was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine.

According to information presented in court, on Dec. 28, 2004, Reynolds wrote a letter to the FAA requesting a new airworthiness certificate for a Beechcraft Baron BE-58P aircraft. He attached a copy of the original certificate, stating that the original certificate had been lost, when he knew the original had been surrendered to the FAA by the original owners of the aircraft, the U.S. Forest Service.

Reynolds incorporated and ran a non-profit corporation, Texas Firebirds Volunteer Fire Department (TFVFD), in Van Zandt County, to be used to provide aerial firefighting support. Reynolds then applied, on behalf of TFVFD, to obtain surplus aircraft through the federal surplus property program. One of the aircraft was a twin-engine Beechcraft Baron, previously used by the U. S. Forest Service. The Beechcraft was provided without an airworthiness certificate, which had been surrendered to the FAA because the aircraft had been determined to have reached its useful life. Reynolds was indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2010 and charged with making a false statement.

TYLER – A 42-year-old Mount PleasanT woman has been sentenced to federal prison for drug violations.
Rosa Moreno Mejia pleaded guilty on Nov. 1, 2010, to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and was sentenced in Tyler this week to 30 months behind bars. According to information presented in court, on Mar. 4, 2010, Mejia delivered approximately 30 grams of powder cocaine to co-defendant Alfredo Bello Dejesus in exchange for $900. From Sep. 2, 2009, to June 11, 2010, Mejia delivered another 260 grams of powder cocaine. All of Mejia’s co-defendants have pleaded guilty in this case. A federal grand jury returned an indictment on July 14, 2010, charging Mejia with federal drug trafficking violations.

SMITH COUNTY — A wreck in Smith County Wednesday morning kills 55-year old Samuel Blackbird of Tyler. According to DPS, it happened on FM 850 west of Hwy 31 East. Authorities say an SUV driven by Blackbird collided with a tree.

TYLER — A suspect has been arrested in a recent lewd behavior incident at Kohl’s Department Store in Tyler. Police say they received numerous tips after the news media released information about the incident. 25-year-old Jose Alberto Mejia of Longview turned himself into investigators Wednesday afternoon. He has been charged with class B misdemeanor indecent exposure and a state jail felony of improper photography. Judge Christi Kennedy issued a warrant and set bond at $50,000. Mejia is incarcerated at the Smith County Jail.

On Friday at 11:28 a.m., Tyler Police responded to Kohl’s at 7715 S. Broadway in reference to a suspicious person. Officers made contact with store security personnel who had witnessed a man taking pictures of two very young females. Police say the man used his cell phone to covertly take pictures under the girls’ skirts. After taking the pictures the suspect reportedly went to another aisle of the store and exposed himself. Store security attempted to make contact with the suspect, but they say he ran out of the store to a car and drove away. Officials say the two girls left the store not knowing that the man had taken the pictures.

TYLER — East Texas Medical Center has won several national marketing awards for materials produced by the marketing department under the direction of corporate director Carroll Roge and vice president Mike Thomas. ETMC was recognized with four Aster Awards. A gold Aster was awarded to Scott Berkley for a photo for ETMC EMS. A silver Aster was presented for the ETMC Athens fall newsletter and two bronze Asters were given for a brochure and television ad for the sleep center. The Aster Awards is an international medical marketing awards program.

The ETMC First Physicians Minute videos, produced by Rebecca and Scott Berkley, received the highest designation from the “Videographer Awards” with the “Award of Excellence.” A training video for surgery titled “Time Out” received the “Award of Distinction.” Only 14 percent of the over 1,800 entries received an award. The “Videographer Awards” recognize pieces produced, shot and edited in a high standard of excellence. The ETMC First Physicians Minute television spot also received an “Award of Distinction” from the Communicator Awards, an international marketing awards competition featuring over 9,000 entries.

ETMC won two bronze “Telly” awards for ETMC First Physicians Minute and “Time Out” training video for surgery. The Telly awards received over 13,000 entries from ad agencies, production companies, TV stations and corporations worldwide. A silver award is the highest an entry can receive followed by a bronze.

MARSHALL — Former Marshall High School teacher and coach Andy Townsend has been sentenced after entering a guilty plea to four charges of having an improper relationship with a student. Townsend was sentenced to serve six years probation and pay a $2,000 fine. He’ll also have to give up his teaching certificate, and he can never re-apply. Townsend was arrested in February 2009 after an investigation revealed he sent inappropriate text messages to three minor female students. The messages were sexually charged, and in one, Townsend even requested one of the girls meet him for sex.

NACOGDOCHES — Nacogdoches County commissioners on Wednesday reinstated the county-wide burn ban effective immediately for 90 days. According to KETK and the Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel, an order restricting outside burning in the unincorporated areas of the county was enacted April 19 and then lifted May 24 after a few showers lessened the fire danger. With the exception of a few quick, sparse showers over the last weekend, little to no rain has fallen since the ban was lifted. At that time, commissioners warned that it would likely be re-enacted in the near future. “We do look at the report (Keetch-Byram Drought Index),” Nacogdoches County Judge Joe English has said. “When it reaches 575, we can call for a ban on fireworks. We’re at about 535 today (Monday).” The court has until June 14 to vote to enact a fireworks ban, according the Local Government Code.

HENDERSON COUNTY — The Henderson County Sheriff’s Department was notified of a deceased man. Sheriff Ray Nutt said a worker was found dead on a ranch on US Hwy 175 near Athens Monday. The Sheriff said property owners found the ranch hand next to a tractor with what appeared to be numerous injuries. The body has been sent to Dallas for autopsy. His identity has not been released.

ARP — A Monday night raid on a convenience store in Arp lead to several arrests. Arp police investigators arrested the owner of the Valero gas station on south Main for three gambling-related offenses. Saeb Kutob, 63, was charged with gambling promotion, keeping of a gambling place and possession of a gambling device. Brandi Warner, 38, was also arrested. Both have since been released on bond. Authorities say Kutob reportedly paid cash prizes to winners of the seven video-poker style gambling machines set up in his store. By law, the station is only allowed to award merchandise.

GILMER (AP) – Some East Texas leaders already accused of abuse of power have been charged over alleged free legal service. Upshur County Sheriff Anthony Betterton and County Commissioner Lloyd Crabtree were charged Tuesday with gift to a public servant by someone in his jurisdiction. The two on Dec. 31 allegedly accepted free legal help after being indicted on official oppression charges. County Judge Dean Fowler was charged with conflict of interest/failure to file an affidavit. The Longview News-Journal reports Fowler had done legal work for a bank that also had county business. The official oppression charges came after a man was removed from a meeting for wearing duct tape over his mouth to protest a public comment ban. The ban was later lifted.

LONGVIEW — A Longview man was arrested Monday morning after he was found hiding in the closet of a Foster Middle School classroom on the last day of class. Willie Earl Hill, 49, was arrested around 8:15 a.m. after a school staff member notified school resource officers that a man was hiding in the closet of her classroom.The officer said when police arrived, Hill was running out of the doors of the school, and he was arrested in the 300 block of East College Street. Investigators determined Hill had broken a window to a downstairs classroom to enter the school. He was released from the Gregg County Jail on Monday on $500 bond, charged with criminal trespassing.

TYLER — The Smith County Commissioners Court appointed Chad Gulley of Nacogdoches as Texas AgriLife Extension Service’s County Extension Agent-Agriculture/Natural Resources for Smith County effective July 1, 2011. Gulley is transferring from Nacogdoches County, where he served as County Extension Agent-Agriculture/ Natural Resources for five years. Before transferring to Nacogdoches County, Gulley served as County Extension Agent-4H and Youth Development in Polk County for five years. Prior to joining Extension, he worked as a ranch manager in Tyler County.

TYLER — A structure at 406 West Bow Street sustains an estimated $20,000 in fire damage. The Tyler Fire Department responded to the two-alarm blaze around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday. Five engines and one Ladder Company, along with a district chief and an investigator, responded to the scene. Upon arrival, firefighters reported heavy fire involvement in the two-story structure. The fire was brought under control and all units had cleared the scene by 3:30 a.m. Investigators believe the fire’s cause was electrical in nature. No injuries were reported. Fire officials say the structure appeared to be an unoccupied garage apartment.

WASHINGTON (AP/Staff) – The Environmental Protection Agency has raised new concerns about a proposed pipeline that would carry oil from western Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast. In a letter to the State Department, the EPA says it is concerned about the risk of oil spills that could affect drinking water and sensitive ecosystems, as well as the effect of greenhouse gas emissions associated with the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. The EPA said that despite two lengthy reports, the State Department still has not done sufficient analysis of the project’s impact on the environment. The letter urged State to conduct a more thorough analysis of oil spill risks and alternative pipeline routes.

The $7 billion pipeline planned by Calgary-based TransCanada would carry crude oil extracted from tar sands in Alberta, Canada, to refineries in Texas. It would run through a significant portion of East Texas and has raised concerns among a number of area residents.