Suspect in Chase, Wreck Faces Numerous Charges


LONGVIEW — A Longview man is jailed after a chase and a wreck that injured five people. Jailed under a $40,000 bond on a variety of charges is Earnest James Survia Jr., 22. In his vehicle during the chase were his wife and two children.

It all started just after noon Tuesday afternoon in Longview at the intersection of Annette and Arthur. A state trooper said he saw someone trying to break into a car. Authorities say the chase started when the trooper tried to stop the man. According to officials, it ended when the man ran a stop sign in the Pine Tree area, striking another vehicle.

Man Jailed After a Reported Assault

RUSK COUNTY — A Garrison man is in custody charged with charged with assault, endangerment of a child and resisting arrest. Around 3:30 Monday afternoon, Rusk County Deputies responded to a welfare concern. Authorities say Bradley Dale Koonce, 39, used a small child as a barricade to keep deputies from arresting him. Koonce was eventually apprehended and booked into in the Rusk County Jail with bond set at $40,000. A protective order has been filed against him.

Hazardous Spill in Longview

LONGVIEW — A stretch of road is open again in Longview following a Wednesday morning spill. Part of Eastman Road was shut down at around 8:00 a.m. after hydraulic fluid spilled from a Longview Asphalt truck. Fire department officials said the eastbound exit ramp to Eastman was shut down at the interstate, along with the outside northbound lane on South Eastman Road to Neiman Marcus Parkway. Longview Fire Chief J.P. Steelman said a hazardous materials team was sent to the scene to assist in cleaning up the spill near the intersection of Eastman and Interstate 20. Police spokeswoman Kristie Brian said the fluid started spilling from the asphalt truck while the motorist was driving, and there was no reported wreck with the incident.

Tyler Shooting Suspect Sought


TYLER – Tyler police are looking for a suspect in a Tuesday night shooting. Around 10:15 p.m. Tuesday, officers were alerted to a traffic flow problem in the 2500 block of West Front Street. The car’s driver said he had been the victim of a shooting.

He told officers he was meeting with the suspect in a nearby park when a disturbance broke out between the two of them. The victim attempted to leave the area, but the suspect began following him. The suspect managed to catch-up to the victim and fire several gunshots at the victim. He wasn’t hit but his car was disabled. The suspect had fled the area by the time officers arrived.

Former J-T Principal Dies

TYLER – Funeral services are pending for former John Tyler High School principal Nathan Hollis. Hollis died suddenly Monday night. He serviced as the John Tyler principal from 1994 to 2000. He had also served as principal at Boulter Middle School and was an assistant principal at Hogg and Stewart middle schools. Hollis was 62.

Two Jurors Chosen in Trial of Oklahoma Warden’s Wife


MANGUM, OKLA. (AP) — Greer County prosecutors and defense attorneys have settled on two more jurors in the trial of a former warden’s wife accused of helping an inmate she fell in love with escape from prison. Defense lawyer Garvin Isaacs said two people were chosen during Tuesday’s proceeding, bringing the overall number to 12. Isaacs says attorneys want to pick 22 jurors and use their challenges to whittle the number down to 12. Jury selection continued Wednesday.

Prosecutors allege Bobbi Parker ran away with inmate Randolph Dial after helping him escape from the Oklahoma State Reformatory in 1994. But her attorneys have said Dial held Parker captive until she was rescued in 2005 at a Shelby County, Texas, chicken ranch.

Man Gets Fifty Years in Shooting Death


TYLER – A man who pleaded guilty earlier this month to the shooting death of a Longview teen has been handed a hefty prison sentence. Gregory Dewayne Polley, 26, of Longview, was sentenced by State District Judge Christi Kennedy to 50 years in prison Tuesday morning. He also relinquished his right to appeal. He had pleaded guilty to last year’s Christmas Eve shooting death of Nicole Cartwright, 15. The shooting occurred at a car wash on West Bow Street in Tyler.

Investigators say the teen had come from Longview to meet with family and friends, who were also from Longview. While they were at the car wash, a disturbance occurred in the parking lot involving four females in two separate cars. Shots were fired, and Cartwright was struck; she later died at a Tyler hospital. Investigators say the bullet was not intended for the girl, she was just an innocent bystander.

Polley is the second man to be arrested in connection with Cartwright’s death. Adrian Earl Blankenship Jr., 22, of Longview, also is charged in the teen’s death. He remains in Smith County Jail on $500,000 bond and his trial is scheduled for July. Polley was initially arrested January 4th for a parole violation in Longview, with Smith County officials tacking on the first-degree murder charge after an arrest warrant was issued.

Firefighters Extinguish TJC Blaze


TYLER — No injuries were reported, and damage was limited, in a two-alarm fire Tuesday afternoon at Tyler Junior College. The Tyler Fire Department responded to Wise Auditorium with five engines and one ladder company, along with a district chief and an investigator. The fire was reported at yesterday afternoon just before 1:45. All units had cleared the scene within 40 minutes of arrival. Fire department personnel say workers using heavy machinery nearby contacted underground electrical lines, which caused the fire to ignite in the auditorium basement. While the basement was filled with smoke, actual fire damage was contained to a small electrical box on the basement wall.

Big Drug Bust in Mt. Pleasant Area


MT. PLEASANT — More than 100 pounds of marijuana is seized in a Mt. Pleasant-area drug bust. Around 8:30 Monday night, a DPS trooper stopped a 1999 Ford Expedition on IH-30 near Mount Pleasant. Authorities say during the course of the traffic stop, with the driver identified as Jhovony Chacon, 26, of Fenton, Missouri, signs and indicators of criminal activity were observed by the trooper. Officials say verbal consent to search the vehicle was asked by the trooper and granted by Chacon. According to authorities, the search revealed 102 bundles of marijuana in a false compartment in the roof of the vehicle, with a street value of $102,000. Officials say Chacon was arrested and booked into the Titus County Jail without incident on a charge of possession of marijuana, over 50 lbs. – less than 2000 lbs., a second degree felony.

Cornyn Visits East Texas


EAST TEXAS — Senator John Cornyn makes a swing through East Texas. One stop: the Tyler-based East Texas Food bank, celebrating the first anniversary of a community garden that grows fresh produce for the needy. Cornyn commented, “I think it’s a great model that could be copied around the state and around the country. We know there’s a large unmet need.” The land is worked by numerous volunteers under a community partnership initiated by Sheriff J.B. Smith.

Cornyn continued to laud East Texas for what he terms its business-friendly environment. He pointed to drilling plans for the Haynesville Shale in Texas and Louisiana. The senator remarked, “We’re not afraid to produce domestic energy here at home as opposed to importing it from abroad, which seems to be unfortunate national policy right now.”

Cornyn also shared his frustrations and his hopes, about Capitol Hill activity. He hopes lawmakers can agree on serious spending cuts and make such programs as Medicare sustainable for the future. But he also hopes legislators can “relieve the private sector of some of the unnecessary regulation, and then will get people back to work and decrease unemployment.” Along with his Tyler stop, Cornyn scheduled meetings with business interests in Longview and Marshall, along with a health care-related discussion at a Texarkana company.

Convicted Felon Sent Back to Prison


MARSHALL — A Gilmer man has been sentenced to federal prison today for firearms violations in the Eastern District of Texas announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales. James Franklin Bracey, 35, pleaded guilty on Jan. 6 to being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 34 months.

According to information presented in court, on Dec. 7, 2009, Bracey was found to be in possession of a rifle with an attached scope in Upshur County, which he was using to conduct surveillance on a neighboring Wal-Mart store and then steal items from the store. Further investigation revealed Bracey was a convicted felon, having previously been found guilty of burglary. Convicted felons are prohibited by federal law from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition. Bracey was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 14, 2010 and charged with federal firearms violations.

Diana Man Dead in Weekend Wreck


UPSHUR COUNTY — Department of Public Safety officials confirmed Tuesday that a Diana man was killed in a one-vehicle crash in Upshur County. According to DPS officials, James Dicks, 45, was traveling eastbound on SH 154 around 10:15 p.m. Saturday in Upshur County when his vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree. Officials said he was wearing a seatbelt when the crash occurred.

Identity of Stabbing Suspect Released

HENDERSON — A Tatum teen was arraigned Tuesday morning and his bond set at $15,000, charged in the weekend stabbing that sent one man to the hospital. According to Rusk County officials, Joseph Deem, 19, was arrested in Gregg County Saturday after a reported stabbing on Rusk CR 2174. Deputies were dispatched to the residence at about 3:30 a.m. Saturday in connection with an assault. Once there, they found a 22-year-old Tatum man with stab wounds to the back. The victim was transported to a local hospital where he underwent surgery for injuries sustained in the stabbing. Rusk County officials said an arrest warrant was issued for Deem within hours of the stabbing.

“No Refusal” Holiday DWI Results

TYLER — Tyler Police release the results of the Memorial Holiday “No Refusal DWI Campaign” May 27th through May 29th. Reports show the total DWI arrests for the No-Refusal initiative for all agencies were 29. The Department of Public Safety DPS had 20 DWI arrests, Tyler Police had 7 DWI arrests, Texas Parks and Wildlife had 1 DWI arrest and Bullard PD had 1 DWI arrest. The total number of search warrants for blood obtained was 7. The Department of Public Safety obtained 7 search warrants for blood.