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Several drug busts leads to multiple arrests in Nacogdoches County

NACOGDOCHES, Texas (KETK)– Six people have recently been arrested in Nacogdoches County after a large number of illegal drugs were found across the county in three different cases, including methamphetamine and cocaine.
Feb. 24 arrests

According to the Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office, two residents in the 200 block of College Street were arrested on Feb. 24 after deputies conducted a search warrant of their home and found that 53-year-old Howard Clay Cooper and 36-year-old Jessica Marie Ady were distributing large amounts of methamphetamine.
2 vehicle crash delays traffic on US Highway 69 near Love’s Lookout

During the search of the home offficlas also stated they obtained 53 grams of methamphetamine and 29 grams of crack cocaine that were found in a secret compartment. After executing the search warrant, Cooper and Ady were taken to the Nacogdoches County Jail and charged with two counts of manufacturing or delivering a controlled substance. Both their bonds were set at $200,000, and they currently remain in jail.
Feb. 20 arrests

Earlier in the month, investigators for the sheriff’s office conducted a search warrant at a home in the Kingtown community. Following the search, 52-year-old Robert Williams and 80-year-old Franklin Rickenbacker were arrested after investigators found drug paraphernalia and other items used for distributing narcotics. It was also discovered that meth was being purchased from the residence provided by both suspects.

Following the arrest, Williams and Rickenbacker were both charged with delivery of a controlled substance and they both remain in the Nacogdoches County jail.
March 5 arrests

A third drug-related arrest was made in Nacogdoches County on March 5, following a traffic stop on FM 2782. During the traffic stop, deputies noticed suspicious behavior from the driver, 47-year-old Amber Leigh Kinkaid and the passenger, 33-year-old Matthew Bradley, prompting them to contact investigators.

Once investigators arrived on the scene, Kinkaid admitted to operating the vehicle without a driver’s license and confessed to having a large amount of methamphetamine in her possession. According to officials, investigations later found 140 grams of methamphetamine in Kinkaid’s possession.

Bradley and Kinkaid were both placed under arrest and taken to the Nacogdoches County Jail, where they were charged with delivery of a controlled substance and their bonds were set at $20,000. Kinkaid was released on bond on March 6, and Williams currently remains in jail.

Texarkana ISD bus crash update

UPDATE: Highway 31 East has been reopened following the crash, according to Smith County ESD 2.

SMITH COUNTY — A Texarkana ISD school bus carrying more than 20 students collided with a van on Tuesday afternoon near Tyler. Smith County personnel were dispatched at around 3:50 p.m. to the 14000 block of Highway 31 East near CR 2908 in response to the crash. Smith County ESD2 said 26 kids and two coaches were on the bus and no injuries were reported.

Both vehicles are out of the roadway and one lane of Highway 31 is shut down going eastbound.

Drivers getting flat tires in same area

TYLER — Multiple people spoke out on Facebook about flat tires after driving through an intersection on South Broadway Avenue in Tyler.

Screws were found buried in the tires, and the manager of Discount Tire on Loop 323, Bryce Matthews, said the shop has been dealing with an increase in flat tire repairs in the last 24 hours.

“It’s been a little crazier than usual. Discount Tire is a pretty busy place, but we welcome anybody and everybody,” manager of Discount Tire on Loop 323 Matthews said. “We’ve probably seen it increase yesterday by about twenty-five percent more than usual.” He states that one driver came in with 17 screws in their tires.

The city road department was called and a message left about the screws, they were asked to please take a sweeper truck out there.” Our news partner KETK has reached out to the Texas Department of Transportation, which said it will send crews to reported locations as needed.

Man arrested on hay and cash theft

SMITH COUNTY — A Tyler man has been taken into custody following an investigation that uncovered the theft of over $96,000 in hay and connected revenue. According to our news partner KETK, in February, Brandon Wiginton was arrested on charges of misapplication of fiduciary property and two counts of theft. He was subsequently booked into the Smith County Jail.

The investigation began in August 2022, initiated by the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association after they received a report about a business partnership that allegedly led to the theft of hay and revenue. The offenses were found to have occurred in Cherokee County and Smith County.
Continue reading Man arrested on hay and cash theft

Thirty year plus prison sentence

SMITH COUNTY — A man was sentenced to prison on Tuesday after admitting to murder in connection with a deadly crash in Smith County. Jeremiah Munoz was sentenced to 37 years in prison following his guilty plea. Munoz was charged with murder on October 15, 2025, after a crash in Smith County resulted in the death of one woman.

According to officials and our news partner KETK, Munoz had stolen a Ford-250 truck he was driving before colliding with another vehicle, driven by Brandi Carter, on the intersection of FM 2015 and FM 16. When deputies arrived at the scene, they observed the truck facing south and the vehicle driven by Carter in a ditch. Carter was found dead beside her car.

Deputies conducted a sobriety test after detecting a strong odor of alcohol coming from Munoz. Munoz failed the sobriety test and stated he had a couple of beers. Munoz was arrested for intoxicated manslaughter, unauthorized use of a vehicle and three counts of possession of a controlled substance and transported to the Smith County Jail.

Kite fest delayed due to weather

LONGVIEW – The Longview Kite Festival has been postponed until Friday because of expected storms moving through East Texas this week. The 5th annual Longview Kite Festival was originally scheduled to start at 12 p.m. on Wednesday at the Lear Park but will now be held on Friday to avoid a chance of severe storms on Wednesday.

The annual family-friendly festival welcomes thousands of East Texans to Lear Park for free kites, arts and crafts, games, live entertainment, food vendors and more. Longview Parks and Recreation said they would share any updates about the festival online.

Shooting suspect remains at large

SMITH COUNTY — The Smith County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a 31-year-old man accused of shooting a woman on Monday night. Deputies were dispatched on Monday at around 10:19 p.m. to Highway 69 near Joe Mea Road. They found a woman shot in the leg by Christopher Hatfield. The woman was taken to a local hospital and remains in stable condition, the sheriff’s office said.

Hatfield allegedly fled before law enforcement arrived. Investigators believe he may have been picked up by someone in a vehicle or may have made his way to a different area. He was last seen wearing all white and is considered to be armed and dangerous.

Anyone with information regarding Hatfield is urged to contact the Smith County Sheriff’s Office.

New Mexico prosecutors launch search of Jeffrey Epstein’s secluded former Zorro Ranch

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — State investigators began searching a secluded ranch in New Mexico on Monday where financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein once entertained guests amid allegations that the property may have been used for sexual abuse and sex trafficking of young women.

The office of state Attorney General Raúl Torrez announced that the search was being done with the cooperation of the current ranch owners.

Torrez last month reopened an investigation of the ranch. New Mexico’s initial case was closed in 2019 at the request of federal prosecutors in New York, and state prosecutors say now that “revelations outlined in the previously sealed FBI files warrant further examination.”

Epstein purchased the sprawling Zorro Ranch in Stanley, New Mexico, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Santa Fe, in 1993 from former Democratic Gov. Bruce King and built a hilltop mansion with a private runway.

The property was sold by Epstein’s estate in 2023 — with proceeds going toward creditors — to the family of Don Huffines, a candidate in Texas for state comptroller who won the Republican primary last week.

“The New Mexico Department of Justice appreciates the cooperation of the current property owners,” the agency said in a statement. Prosecutors “will continue to keep the public appropriately informed, support the survivors, and follow the facts wherever they lead.”

Additionally, New Mexico state legislators have established a new commission to look into past activities at the ranch.

Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial in 2019 on charges that he sexually abused and trafficked dozens of underage girls.

Epstein never faced charges in New Mexico, but the state attorney general’s office in 2019 confirmed that it had interviewed possible victims who visited Epstein’s ranch.

Long airport lines highlight concerns about unpaid security officers in the shutdown

HOUSTON (AP) – The hourslong security lines at a handful of U.S. airports this week highlight the potential problems when a government shutdown coincides with the busy spring break travel season.

Houston’s secondary airport weathered the worst problems, with lines consistently lasting over three hours for much of Sunday and Monday. Passengers also had to wait more than an hour to get through security at several other airports, including in New Orleans and Atlanta.

The surge of millions of travelers as schools take spring breaks would put pressure on even a fully staffed airport system. With the staffing problems that tend to accompany a government shutdown, some airports are are beginning to feel more pressure. Still, most airports have not experienced significantly long security lines.

The longer Transportation Security Administration officers have to work without pay during the partial shutdown, the more likely it is that some will miss work as they take on second jobs to pay for necessities like gas and child care and their other bills. Many may still be rebuilding finances after the 43-day shutdown last fall, the longest in history.

TSA officers still recovering

Johnny Jones, secretary-treasurer of the TSA union’s bargaining unit, said workers will miss their first full paychecks this weekend since the shutdown began Feb. 14. He said morale among the workforce “has taken a severe hit.”

“Over the last 15 months, TSA officers have went through three government shutdowns,” he told The Associated Press.

Jones, who also works as a TSA agent, said it took months for him to financially recover from the 43-day shutdown.

“I refilled my water buckets and now I’m starting to empty them again. Some people were not so fortunate to be able to refill their water buckets,” he said.

Immigration drives funding dispute

This current shutdown has only affected the Department of Homeland Security. Democrats in Congress refused to fund the department because they objected to its immigration enforcement tactics. Democratic lawmakers have said DHS won’t get funded until new restrictions are placed on federal immigration operations following the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis earlier this year.

The TSA and Homeland Security have consistently blamed Democrats for the long security lines.

“This chaos is a direct result of Democrats and their refusal to fund DHS. These political stunts force patriotic TSA officers, who protect our skies from serious threats, to work without pay,” said Lauren Bis, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Department of Homeland Security. “These frontline heroes received only partial paychecks earlier this month and now face their first full missed paycheck, leading to financial hardship, absences, and crippling staffing shortages.”

Chris Sununu, president and CEO of the Airlines for America trade group, reiterated his plea for Congress to end the shutdown.

“More than 2.7 million people cleared through TSA yesterday, but too many had to wait in extraordinarily long—and painfully slow—lines at checkpoints,” Sununu said in a written statement Monday. “It’s unacceptable to have wait times of 2 or 3 hours. And it’s unacceptable that TSA officers will have $0 in their paychecks this week.”

But Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee rejected the notion that they were to blame for TSA officers going unpaid.

“FACTS: Democrats introduced a clean bill to fully fund TSA with no conditions. Republicans blocked it,” the Homeland Democrats group said on X. “Republicans would rather disrupt our travel than rein in ICE. It’s shameful.”

Security delays seem to ease

The country’s longest security lines have been reported at the William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, with wait times topping three hours. Video from New Orleans on Sunday showed the security line stretching out of the terminal and across a parking garage as the wait there peaked at 77 minutes.

The lines at both those airports had eased by Monday afternoon, but Hobby airport was still reporting a two-hour wait for security and officials were urging travelers to get to the airport at least three or four hours ahead of their flights. The wait time in New Orleans was reported at 10 minutes in the late afternoon.

But more problems could pop up if a security shift is short on screeners when it’s busy.

Neither the Houston airport authority nor TSA would answer questions Monday about why Hobby airport is so prone to long delays during the shutdown. Hobby is smaller than George Bush Intercontinental Airport, which handles roughly three-quarters of all the passengers passing through Houston. But Hobby still handled nearly 15 million passengers in 2024.

Wyoming governor signs ‘fetal heartbeat’ abortion ban into law

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon testifies during the House Natural Resources Committee hearing on Thursday, June 15, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) -- Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon signed a bill into law on Monday banning abortion in the state after a "fetal heartbeat" has been detected.

HB 126, or the Human Heartbeat Act, prohibits abortion once cardiac activity is identified, which is around six weeks of pregnancy, before many women know they're pregnant.

If cardiac activity is detected, an abortion can only be performed in the case of a medical emergency, meaning if the life of the mother is in danger or if continuing the pregnancy would cause serious or irreversible impairment of a major bodily function, according to the bill.

The bill does not include exceptions for pregnancies as a result of rape or incest.

Any person who intentionally or knowingly violates the act will be charged with a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both, according to the bill.

"Today I signed the Human Heartbeat Act into law, reaffirming my view that life is sacred. I resoundingly share the determination to defend the lives of unborn children and support the intentions behind the Human Heartbeat Act," Gordon wrote in a post on X on Monday.

Previously, abortion was allowed in Wyoming until fetal viability, which occurs between 24 and 26 weeks of gestation.

Wyoming is now the fifth state at least to have a "heartbeat ban" following bans enacted in Florida, Georgia, Iowa and South Carolina.

"This ban is an attack on Wyomingites' constitutional freedom to make their own health care decisions, and it puts the health and well-being of our communities at risk," Julie Burkhart, president of Wellspring Health Access, Wyoming's only abortion clinic, said in a statement.

"Every day that this law is in effect means people in our state will face even greater barriers to abortion care -- and some may be denied this care altogether," the statement continued. "With so many across Wyoming already struggling to access reproductive health care, restrictive policies like these take us further in the wrong direction."

Burkhart said Wellspring Health Access is prepared to challenge the ban in court and will continue to work with regional and national partners to help patients access the care they need.

Gordon wrote in the post on X that he was concerned the bill was "well-intentioned" but would lead to a "fragile legal effort with significant risk of ending in the courts rather than in lasting, durable policy."

Gordon suggested that voters should decide on the issue and that a question be placed on a ballot asking if an abortion ban should be cemented in the state constitution.

Scoreboard roundup — 3/9/26

Sexual assault of 15-year-old

SMITH COUNTY – Records have revealed that a man was arrested in Smith County after he allegedly had sexual relationships with a 15-year-old girl and provided her with illegal drugs.

According to our news partner KETK and an arrest affidavit, the victim was found on Feb. 24 inside a vehicle in a parking garage in Tyler. After being found, the victim, who had run away from home, was returned to her grandmother by the Tyler Police Department. Following her return, officers with Tyler PD began an investigation after the victim had admitted to using illegal drugs and engaging in sexual intercourse inside a motel room with a man later identified as James Brummett.

While investigators spoke with the victim’s grandmother, she stated that while her granddaughter was missing, she received text messages starting on Feb. 22 from an unknown phone number that was later revealed to be Brummett’s. The texts were believed to have been sent from the victim, who had told her grandmother that she was safe and an hour away from Tyler in Canton, according to the affidavit.

On Feb. 26, detectives arrived at the Relax Inn in Smith County, which was the motel that they believed Brummett had taken the victim to. A motel employee told detectives that Brummett was still checked into a room and typically returned to the motel in the evening after work. The employee also provided officials with Brummett’s phone number and license plate. Continue reading Sexual assault of 15-year-old

Marijuana pick-up facility opening

TYLER – ‘Texas Original’ is opening a new medical marijuana pickup location in Tyler this week.

Texas Original, the state’s leading medical cannabis provider, opened their first East Texas store in Nacogdoches in 2022. The new Tyler pick-up site is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays on 11980 State Highway 64. Medical marijuana can be used in Texas to treat 150 conditions. Some of those include: epilepsy, cancer, PTSD and Crohn’s Disease. East Texans can apply for the Compassionate Use Program, which was significantly expanded during the 2025 legislative session.

Thanks to House Bill 46, Texas Original is ready to grow and they’re opening a new pick-up site in Smith County near the Chapel hill area. The building is currently only used for pick-ups which are on Tuesdays since prescriptions have to be transported from their central facility in Austin ahead of time. Continue reading Marijuana pick-up facility opening

Weights found in bass at tournament

YANTIS – A man was arrested in Wood County on Sunday after metal weights were found in a bass he presented during the weigh in for the Lake Fork Lure Co. Tournament. According to the Texas Game Wardens, tournament organizers contacted game wardens in Wood County to investigate a bass that was flagged while being metal detected during Sunday’s weigh-in at the Caney Point Recreation Area on Lake Fork in Yantis.

According to our news partner KETK, after the alert for a foreign object was confirmed, game wardens conducted a necropsy on the fish and found three uneroded weights in the bass’ stomach. The same kind of weights were also found in the boat of the angler who allegedly submitted the bass for the weigh-in.

The angler was identified as, Curtis Lee Daniels of Willow Park. Daniels was arrested on Sunday and charged with violating fishing tournament law. He was booked into the Wood County Jail but was released on Monday after posting his $20,000 bond. Since the tournament had a $10,000 grand prize and more than $84,900 in hourly cash prizes, the charge against Daniels is a third-degree felony.

New medical director appointed

LONGVIEW – CHRISTUS Health Cancer Center in Longview, which is set to open later this year, named Steven J. DiBiase as its new medical director on Monday. DiBiase previously worked at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York as a senior academic and clinical leader. Earlier in his career, DiBiase was the chief of service and a member of the hospital’s executive committee at the Julia and Ned Arnold Center for Radiation Oncology.

In addition to serving as medical director, DiBiase will also lead the center’s expanding oncology program and serve as chief of radiation oncology. Throughout his career, DiBiase has contributed to cancer research with more than 40 peer-reviewed publications and presentations. DiBiase officially began his new role on Monday and will help guide the development of the Cancer Center before it opens this fall. Before the center is complete, DiBiase will see patients at the CHRISTUS Good Shepherd Northpark oncology clinic.

“Bringing Dr. DiBiase to our community represents a major step forward in local cancer care,” Reid Dollahite, vice president for physician practice operations, said. “Patients will benefit from his experience and his commitment to treating the whole person.”