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LONGVIEW — U.S. Sen. John Cornyn was in Longview Sunday joining local law enforcement, elected officials, and advocacy groups for a roundtable discussion on the rising problem of human trafficking in the region and joint efforts to crack down on traffickers and protect victims. According to a Cornyn press release, human trafficking has become a growing problem throughout East Texas as traffickers capitalize on major thoroughfares such as I-20 and SH 259. Continue reading Senator Cornyn Stopped in Longview to Discuss Human Trafficking

ANDERSON COUNTY — An Anderson County Jail inmate is charged with two counts of aggravated assault of a public servant after injuring two jailers. Crystal Ann Torrez, 28, was arrested by the Palestine Police Department on Jan. 19 for multiple charges, including theft, fraud, possession of a controlled substance, failure to identify a fugitive from justice and driving while license invalid, according to the Palestine Herald-Press. Continue reading Suicidal Inmate Attacked Jailers

LUFKIN — Two East Texans are behind bars after being found with dangerous drugs. It happened at 11:50 a.m. Friday in the 600 block of south Timberland Drive in Lufkin. Police found Fairbanks Deason, 22, delivering the prescription pills, Alprazolam, to Katherine Barfield, 44. According to ketk, Alprazolam is the generic Xanax pill and is used to treat anxiety and panic disorders. The pill works by enhancing the effects of a certain natural chemical in body called GABA and acts on the brain and nerves to produce a calming effect. Both Deason and Barfield were arrested and taken to Angelina County Jail. Deason was charged with delivering of a dangerous drug and Barfield was charged with possession of a dangerous drug.

HENDERSON CONTY — Officials have arrested escaped Georgia inmate, Raymond Thomas Smith, who was found in Corsicana, Texas by members of the U.S. Marshals Joint East Texas Fugitive Task Force. Smith was being held at Tattnall County Jail in Georgia on multiple counts of aggravated child molestation before he escaped. According to KETK, the Tattnall County Sheriff’s Office in cooperation with law enforcement in Corsicana are working on Smith’s extradition back Georgia. Smith will return to face multiple counts of aggravated child molestation and new charges of escape and interference with government property. Continue reading Escaped Georgia Inmate Believed to Be in East Texas

LONGVIEW — Family members of a blind Longview man missing since this past weekend were saddened Friday after hearing his body had been discovered, but said they were relieved to start the grieving process.

“We know where he is now,” said Danette Pierce, a cousin of 30-year-old Gaylon Cortez Bradley. Family members said police told them Bradley’s body was found about 4 p.m. Friday in a ditch in the 1200 block of Pegues Place in North Longview. Continue reading Missing Longview Man Found in Ditch

CANTON — Two East Texans have been arrested after authorities found suspected meth, a possible pipe bomb, and other materials. On Thursday, Van Zandt County Precinct 1 Constable Mickey Henson was assisting the Van Zandt County Fire Marshal’s Office in the investigation of an illegal landfill and saw what was termed a suspicious vehicle on Van Zandt County Road 1701. Henson and Fire Marshal’s Deputy Danny Wilson stopped to investigate. Sheriff’s deputies helped identify two men later named as William “Willie” Neal Adams, Jr., 24, of Grand Saline, and Timothy Steven Bolt, 44, of Mineola. While searching the vehicle, officials found what they say was a large quantity of a crystal-like substance in the trunk area, which they believed to be methamphetamine. Continue reading Two Arrested; Suspected Meth, Possible Pipe Bomb Found

TYLER — Another phone scam turns up in Smith County. Friday morning, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division received a call from a woman in the Bullard area who had lost $1,480 to an individual who claimed he was a law enforcement agent and that her grandson needed bail money. Officials say when the woman first took the call, a man pretended to be her grandson and told her that he was in jail in a foreign country. The subject then passed the phone to another man who claimed to be with law enforcement and said that she had to send $1,480 in a MoneyGram to pay her grandson’s way out of jail. ​The woman did as she was instructed, but then reported the incident to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, which informed her that she had been scammed. Continue reading Bullard-Area Woman Taken for $1,480 in Phone Scam

NACOGDOCHES — Two traffic stops in Nacogdoches County end in three arrests. KETK reports the first happened after deputies pulled over 30-year-old Brooke Johnson of Conroe. Her vehicle was searched after deputies said they smelled marijuana. Authorities say drugs were later discovered after a quick search of Johnson’s car. The next arrest occurred after deputies stopped 40-year-old Andre Davis and 39-year-old Rena Fontenot of Longview. Officials report they had several pounds of marijuana, ecstasy, PCP, and Xanax in their vehicle.

LONGVIEW — The search continues for a missing East Texan. Gaylon Bradley’s family reported him missing Wednesday. The family told police he was last seen on February 9 around 3 a.m. in the 1200 Block of Eighth Street. Bradley’s family told police he is legally blind and also suffers from a mental condition. He was last seen wearing dark sunglasses, black leather coat, blue jeans, and a t-shirt. He is 32 years old, and has brown eyes and black hair sometimes worn close to his head and other times worn in an afro style. Anyone with information on Bradley’s whereabouts is asked to contact Detective Terry Davis at 903-237-1199 or Gregg County Crimestoppers at 903-236-7867.

SMITH COUNTY — The investigation continues after firefighters responded to a gas well explosion in northern Smith County. Authorities tell KETK the explosion happened around 3:30 a.m., just south of the intersection of Farm to Market Road 16 and Highway 14, across the street from the Tiger Creek Wildlife Refuge. The blast scorched two acres of nearby land and residents in the surrounding area say the explosion shook their homes and woke them up. Although there was talk of evacuating nearby families, authorities were able to cut off the gas allowing residents to stay in their homes. No one was injured but 80 percent of the facility was destroyed. Red Springs Fire Department was assisted by Winona and Lindale officials.

SMITH COUNTY — A Smith County man, hospitalized after he was trapped under a tree, has died. Fire officials tell KETK the call came in just before noon Thursday. Sam Johnson was cutting a tree down at his property on the 17000 block of County Road 136 when it fell on him, trapping him underneath. The trunk of the tree was about 15 inches in diameter, according to authorities. Johnson’s wife used a logging skidder to free her husband before emergency crews arrived on scene. He was transported to Tyler’s Mother Frances Hospital, where he died Thursday night.

TYLER — Local farmers and ranchers met Thursday with Texas agriculture commissioner candidate J. Allen Carnes. KETK reports they discussed the future of the agricultural industry in Texas and have many concerns about it. They said Texas is losing agricultural land faster than any state in the country and the future of Texas agriculture depends on the next generation. Continue reading Local Farmers, Ranchers Concerned about Future of Their Industry

PALESTINE — The Palestine Police Department is continuing the investigation into the death of Virgie C. Spurlock. KETK reports The 61-year-old victim was found dead in his home in the 700 block of Head Street by a family acquaintance in the evening hours of December 6, 2009. Officials have continued to follow up on leads over the last several years with few results. Based on recent information, the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) has taken the case in a new direction and is working a new lead, according to authorities. Investigators will also be looking to re-interview persons who may have been contacted during the initial stages of the original investigation. Continue reading Police Receive New Information in Probe of 2009 Death

TYLER — Some key medical group endorsements come in for Skip Ogle as he challenges incumbent Matt Schaefer in the GOP primary race for Texas House District 6. Ogle has received the backing of HOSPAC, the Texas Hospital Association’s state political action committee; TEXPAC, the political advocacy arm of the Texas Medical Association (TMA); and a group of local doctors calling themselves “Physicians for Skip Ogle.” Both Ogle and Schaefer have been trumpeting their endorsements leading up to the March 4 primary. Schaefer’s website continues to promote his support by such groups as Young Conservatives of Texas, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, and the Texas Eagle Forum.

MARSHALL — An East Texas man is dead after being hit by a car in Marshall. KETK reports Marshall Police Communications received a 911 call shortly after 8:15 Wednesday night in reference to an accident in the 1600 block of U.S. Highway 59 North, also known as East End Boulevard. Investigation of the scene indicated that a pedestrian attempted to cross Hwy. 59 headed east and was struck by an SUV. The driver was traveling northbound in the outside lane when the accident occurred. The victim, identified as Augustus Leon Waters, 60, of Marshall, was pronounced dead at the scene by Justice of the Peace Clarice Watkins. An autopsy was ordered to determine the exact cause of death. The driver of the vehicle was uninjured and no charges were filed at the time of the incident. The investigation is ongoing.

GILMER — The life sentence for a former Upshur County jailer who was found guilty of killing her 10th husband in 2011 has been upheld by the Sixth Court of Appeals in Texarkana. KETK reports Sharon Anne Maxwell was sentenced to life in prison in August 2012 after she was found guilty of slaying Gordon Maxwell on August 30, 2011, at their home off State Highway 155, just north of Gilmer. Evidence showed in the early morning hours of that date, Gordon Maxwell left Lone Star Steel, where he worked, and got to their house around 7:00 a.m. He and Sharon Maxwell took their kids to school at Ore City and got back home around 8:00 a.m. Continue reading Woman’s Life Sentence Upheld in Husband’s Death

TYLER – A 43-year-old Henderson woman has pleaded guilty to federal postal violations. Tracy A. Bojorquez pleaded guilty to misappropriation of United States postal funds Thursday in Tyler before U.S. Magistrate Judge John D. Love. According to information presented in court, Bojorquez was the relief postmaster at the Joinerville Post Office in Rusk County from July 2012 to May 2013. During that time, she embezzled payments she received at the post office for postal money orders, post office box rental fees, and the sale of U.S. postage stamps. The unreimbursed losses to the U.S. Postal Service amounted to $5,132.23. Bojorquez was indicted by a federal grand jury on November 20, 2013. Bojorquez faces up to 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not been set.

LONGVIEW (AP) – Supporters of an East Texas city have planted two dozen trees as part of recovery from the 2011 drought that claimed about 900 trees. The new trees at Teague Park are part of a municipal improvement project funded by Keep Longview Beautiful. The Longview News-Journal reports city crews and the Texas A&M Forest Service were on hand Wednesday to plant live, red and chinkapin oaks, lacebark elm and bald cypress trees. Continue reading Longview Replaces Some Drought-Destroyed Trees

CINCINNATI OHIO — A former priest in the Catholic Diocese in Tyler has been sentenced to prison for sexual abuse. Rev. Robert F. Poandl, 73, who is dying of cancer, was sentenced yesterday to 7 1/2 years in prison for taking a Cincinnati boy to West Virginia and sexually assaulting him. The incident occurred in 1991. U.S. District Judge Michael Barrett said he took Poandl’s health into consideration when deciding the sentence. The judge recommended that Poandl serve his time in a medical facility. A federal jury in Cincinnati convicted Poandl in the case last September.

LONGVIEW — A former Longview police officer has been arrested on charges he sexually assaulted a child late last year. Taken into custody late Wednesday afternoon was Leland Thomas Carver, 69. He has been charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child. His bond was set at $50,000. Carver is accused of assaulting the second grade girl when she visited his home.

LONGVIEW — A fire that started in a dog house has damaged a Longview home. The fire was reported yesterday in the 100 block of Briarwood Street. Fire Marshal Johnny Zackary tells the Longview News-Journal that the fire started when heat lamps in a dog house caught some bedding on fire. That blaze spread to the back porch and attic of the home. No injuries were reported.

KILGORE — The Kilgore City Council calls a May 10 election that will include a wet/dry vote. KETK reports residents will decide for or against the sale of mixed beverages in restaurants without having to join a private club. Locals are expressing mixed feelings about the proposition. Some call the current law antiquated, while others voice concerns about drinking and driving if the ballot measure passes.

TYLER — Former Whitehouse Wildcat turned Oklahoma Sooner wide receiver Trey Metoyer has been booked into the Smith County Jail on another indecent exposure charge. On Monday, Metoyer was seen in the parking lot of Anytime Fitness on Troup Highway. A female employee of Anytime Fitness reported that she observed Metoyer exposing himself while he was sitting in his vehicle. Metoyer was arrested and taken to Smith County Jail on a $1,500 bond. KETK reports Metoyer has been previously charged for the same crime twice while he was at school in Norman, Oklahoma. He was suspended from the team for those two incidents, which police say happened in August and September of 2013.

TYLER — At a meeting this morning at the college, Tyler Junior College and Texas Woman’s University announce a dual enrollment program that will allow students to pursue a bachelor’s degree and an associate’s degree simultaneously, without leaving Tyler. The agreement will allow dental hygiene students to pursue an Associate in Applied Science and a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene simultaneously, said Carrie Hobbs, TJC department chair and professor of dental hygiene. The agreement will become effective for fall 2014 enrollment. Continue reading TJC, Texas Woman’s University Sign Dual Enrollment Agreement

TYLER — A longtime northside eyesore is on the way to disappearing from the Tyler landscape. The Tyler City Council has authorized the asbestos abatement bid and the demolition bid for the 815 W. Queen Street Demolition Project to the lowest bidders, Clean Air Remediation Services, in the amount of $27,250 and to Cactus in the amount of $40,630. Police Chief Gary Swindle says to the best of his knowledge, the original owner of the property died, and the estate and a succeeding owner failed to pay taxes on it. The property currently has the City of Tyler as the trustee over it. KETK reports the building once housed a nursing home and that the city no longer considers it structurally sound. Continue reading 815 W. Queen Street to Be Demolished

TYLER — The Tyler City Council has authorized City Staff to advertise for bids for the Lake Tyler Dam Repair project. Plans and specifications for the repair of the Lake Tyler Dam were originally submitted to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Dam Safety Section for review in September 2013. Upon review, the TCEQ requested revisions to the plans. City Staff revised the plans and provided the results of computer modeling to the TCEQ for a second review on Dec. 16, 2013. Construction of the project cannot begin until approval is received from the TCEQ. Continue reading City Accepts Bids for Lake Tyler Dam Repair

TYLER — The Tyler City Council Wednesday authorized city staff to advertise for bids for the construction of the West Cumberland Road Extension construction project. The West Cumberland Road extension will consist of four traffic lanes, raised landscaped medians, and sidewalks. Construction includes a proposed bridge crossing over West Mud Creek and provides connectivity for a future hike and bike trail, which will be bid separately at a later date. The length of the Cumberland Road project is approximately 2.4 miles. In addition, the existing section of Cumberland Road east of South Broadway will be widened from two to four traffic lanes. Continue reading City Seeks West Cumberland Road Extension Bids

TYLER — The Tyler City Council Wednesday approved the designs brought forward by Fitzpatrick Architects for a new South Tyler Police Substation. Officials say the development of the substation will provide multiple benefits to the citizens of Tyler, including closer proximity to police services such as Records, Property, Investigations, and Community Response Officers. The personnel of the Tyler Police Department are its most important asset and resource, therefore it is important to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of every police officer during their assigned duty times, explained Police Chief Gary Swindle.

Officials say an analysis of the current officer travel time for Beats 4, 5, and 6 revealed that those officers are spending 5,161.54 hours annually traveling to and from their area of responsibility at a cost of $219,107. It has been determined that the officers’ time could be better managed with a south substation, according to a city news release. The City will not be adding any personnel, but instead will be housing officers closer to their beats for improved service to Tyler citizens, according to the release.

Paid for by the Half-Cent Sales Tax, the new facility will be approximately 17,500 square feet and is estimated to be complete by 2016. The total design and construction cost for the building is estimated at $3.1 million (including interior equipment). The new station will be located on city-owned property at Faulkner Park with access from West Cumberland Road and South Broadway Avenue.

TYLER — The City of Tyler Half Cent Sales Tax Board has opened the annual Half Cent Sales Tax call for projects. The call for projects will run from Feb. 11 through March 31 and provides the citizens of Tyler, community leaders, Tyler City Council and City of Tyler staff the opportunity to bring capital projects forward to be considered for Half Cent Sales Tax funding. An open house will be held to gather public input on Thursday, March 6, from 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. in the Tyler Rose Garden Center located at 420 Rose Park Drive. Staff from each of the funded categories (Police, Fire, Parks, Airport, Traffic, Engineering and Drainage) will be available to talk with the public and gather data for possible future half-cent funded projects. Continue reading Half Cent Sales Tax Call for Projects & Annual Open House Announced

TYLER – The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has granted $1.29 million to collaborators the University of Texas at Tyler and Texas A&M University-Commerce to implement and evaluate what’s termed an innovative teacher residency program — said to be the first of its kind in Texas. According to information from both schools, The “Texas Teacher Residency Program (TRes): An Apprenticeship Model for Texas,” is based on the successful Urban Teachers Residency United Program in Chicago. It’s a one-year teacher residency program leading to a Master of Arts in Teaching degree and teacher certification in high school science or mathematics — fields in which teacher shortages persist, according to officials. Continue reading UT Tyler, A&M Commerce Get Big Grant for Teacher Residency Program