KTBB News, Weather, Talk

LINDALE — Smith County emergency crews responded to a reported car fire on Farm Road 16 in Lindale. According to KETK, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office said multiple fire departments were called to the scene of the wreck. Three people were in the car at the time of the wreck, all of which got out safely before emergency crews arrived. One of the passengers was a 2-year old in a car seat. He was not injured. One adult was treated at the scene by EMS.

BULLARD (AP) – A 91-year-old World War II veteran who lost everything when a wildfire torched his northeast Texas home last September has had his nearly dozen military decorations restored. Lloyd Wells says it was really great to be surprised with the replacement medals, including a Bronze Star, during a weekend ceremony at a school in Bullard. U.S. Rep. Louis Gohmert presented the Bronze Star and other medals to Wells as part of an observance of Armed Forces Day. His daughter, Kim Baker, told the Tyler Morning Telegraph she had hoped to be able to brighten her father’s life by finding a way to get a replacement set of decorations. Wells was in the Army from 1941 to 1945 and participated in operations in North Africa and Europe.

TYLER — Area law enforcement once again will be participating in the Click-It-or-Ticket enforcement program this Memorial Day period. Officers will be stopping violators for not wearing their seat belts from today through June 3. Texas law requires every person sitting in the front or rear seat of a vehicle to wear a safety belt. A child less than eight years old and less than four feet, nine inches tall must be secured in a child safety seat.

Drivers can be stopped and ticketed for a safety belt violation if they, or any of their passengers under the age of 15, are not buckled up or properly restrained. Traffic fines for failing to use a seat belt or secure a child in a safety seat can run from $25 to $200, plus court costs. One continuing challenge for authorities: people in pickup trucks. Larry Krantz of Tyler’s TxDOT office says only some 80% of passengers in pickups use seat belts, compared to 92% of passengers in other vehicles.

LONGVIEW — LeTourneau University plans to launch a new bachelor’s degree program in Health Information Systems, beginning Fall 2012. The program is pending approval from the Council of Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

This new program, which is available both in classes on campus and fully online, applies computer science to the health care field. This new degree seeks to fill the growing need in health care for professionals who have computer science training and experience and who can manage and maintain both software and hardware systems effectively. This new degree takes an interdisciplinary approach to a computer science degree, combining courses in computer science, business, and health care management. Graduates from this program will be able to answer the growing need for employees able to fill roles in computerizing patient information, clinical informational technology jobs, and other healthcare technology positions.

“It’s no secret that healthcare is one of the fastest growing industries in the United States,” said Dr. Larry Frazier, LETU’s dean of Arts and Sciences. “While we often think of doctors and nurses, we fail to recognize that every healthcare facility will require a staff of computer experts, who can maintain the facility’s technical infrastructure.”

Employment in the field of health information management is projected to grow faster than average; with overall health management employment expected to grow 16% by 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This means approximately 45,400 additional positions in health care management including health information systems will be created, Frazier said. Federal law requires that computerization of patient information must be secure, and the health care industry will require managers with a solid background in health, business and computer science to integrate and implement new technologies.

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 conclude pavement repairs on Westbound Interstate Highway 20 between State Highway 110 south of Van and Willow Branch Road near the Van Zandt County Line, then move to State Highway 57 (Grande Extension) in Tyler between State Highway 155 and Farm Road 2493 (Old Jacksonville Highway). Additional repair work by a contractor is under way for the next several months on Interstate Highway 20 between U.S. Highway 69 in Lindale and State Highway 110. 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.

LONGVIEW — Beginning Tuesday, Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews are scheduled to begin several days of seal coat work on South Loop 281 between Farm Road 2205 (Jaycee Drive) and Estes Parkway. Crews will skip over the area near Farm Road 2087 where the overpass is scheduled to be built. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress. Motorists should be prepared to reduce speed and merge in and around the work zone. Loose gravel may be present for several days following a seal coat application.

ALTO — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform pavement repair operations on State Highway 21 between U.S. Highway 69 in Alto and the Nacogdoches County Line, followed upon completion by the same work on Farm Road 177 in Mount Selman. Also this week in Cherokee County, construction crews are scheduled as early as Monday to begin resurfacing operations on U.S. Highway 175 between Farm Road 855 and State Highway 155 in Frankston.
Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress. Motorists are encouraged to seek alternate routes if possible to avoid delays.

VAN ZANDT COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue base and pavement-repair operations on Farm Road 859 south of Edgewood. Meanwhile, construction work continues on Farm Road 859 between Farm Road 1395 and State Highway 19 near the Rains County Line. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

RUSK COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to begin resurfacing operations in various locations on Farm Road 1716 between State Highway 43 and Farm Road 2011. The work is being done in preparation for a seal coat application later this summer. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers and pilot vehicles will control traffic.

WOOD COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue resurfacing work on Farm Road 17 between State Highway 182 and Farm Road 515 and on State Highway 110 north of Van. 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 edge and pavement repairs on Farm Road 3225 in Tool between State Highway 274 and the End of state maintenance. A second crew is scheduled to be at work on Farm Road 316 between U.S. Highway 175 in Eustace and Farm Road 1861 near Purtis Creek State Park. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two-lane areas.

TIMPSON (AP) — A slight earthquake was registered in East Texas near the Louisiana border, four days after a sharper shock struck the area.

The U.S. Geological Survey reports a 2.7 magnitude quake was registered about 1:30 Sunday afternoon just over a mile south of the town of Timpson. A dispatcher for the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office in nearby Center said no damage or injuries were reported.

A moderate, 4.3-magnitude earthquake had rattled the area early Thursday. A Shelby County sheriff’s dispatcher that morning reported fallen dishes and broken windows from the quake, but the only injury was an elderly woman who fell out of bed and cut her arm.

TYLER – An off duty Tyler policeman is being credited with saving a man’s life. It happened around11:15 Saturday night near the intersection of Loop 323 and Tanglewood Drive.

As officer Jason Compton was heading home he saw a group of people standing near the intersection. He found that a 42 year old man had stabbed himself six times in the chest and was lying bleeding in the street. From his first aid kit he used “quick clot,’ a chemically inert material in a mesh bag that speeds coagulation of blood. He held pressure on the man’s chest until EMS arrived. The man was taken to a Tyler hospital for treatment.

VAN – A water main break is responsible for a boil water notice from Carroll Water Supply. The notice, for customers south on Interstate Highway 20, is in effect until this afternoon. The break, that caused the problem, has been repaired.

LONGVIEW – Investigators are trying to determine what caused a fire that destroyed a Longview home. It was reported around 4:30 Saturday morning in the 1700 block of Lafoy Lane. No one was at home when the fire started and no injuries were reported. It’s not sure if anyone was living in the house, there was a for sale sign in the front yard.

KILGORE — A man is dead after an industrial accident at East Texas Lumber. Kilgore Police Capt. Roman Roberson tells KETK officers were called to the company Friday afternoon after a stack of materials fell on a customer, killing him. He has been identified as Joseph Barber, 56, of New London.

TYLER — Tyler Police Investigators along with the F.B.I. believe that the suspect responsible for Thursday’s bank robbery at Compass Bank at 6910 South Broadway may also be responsible for several other bank robberies. The suspect has now been dubbed as the “Loan Ranger Bandit” due to the suspect allegedly having robbed banking institutions where loans are given and where the suspect wore a Texas Ranger hat. Investigators believe that he robbed the Summit Bank on 1114 Highway 35 North in Benton, Arkansas, on January 16, 2009, and again on June 30, 2011. According to Tyler police, the suspect then came to Tyler and robbed the Altra Federal Credit Union located at 5523 Troup Highway. on August 11, 2011 before robbing the Compass Bank Thursday afternoon.

Investigators determined that the suspect ran east of the bank yesterday and more than likely jumped into a getaway vehicle. Police are seeking any information from any person who may have observed the suspect get into a suspect vehicle. Anyone with information about the suspect involved in this crime is urged to contact the Tyler Police Department, at 903-531-1000, or Crimestoppers at 903-597-CUFF (903-597-2833) or 1-800-575-CUFF. Crimestoppers will pay up to $1,000 for information that leads to arrests and charges filed against the suspects in this case or any felony case.

TYLER — Endorsements keep coming in for the May 29 GOP primary. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has announced his endorsement of Leo Berman (R-Tyler) for re-election to the Texas House of Representatives, District 6. General Abbott stated, “Leo Berman is a man of honor and tremendous courage. He is the best qualified candidate in the race with a conservative voting record to prove it.” Berman responded, “Greg Abbott is one of the greatest attorneys general Texas has ever had. He is a tireless defender of our constitutional rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I am extremely honored to have his support.”

Also, the board of Smith County-based Grassroots America – We the People has endorsed Republican Ted Cruz for the United States Senate. The conservative action organization’s executive director, JoAnn Fleming, said, “Constitutional Conservatives in Texas must wrest this United States Senate seat from the Austin establishment crowd and send a proven defender of the Constitution to Washington, D.C. We won’t have to worry about whether or not Ted Cruz understands the Constitution, his proven record of fighting and defending liberty is legendary.”

PALESTINE — Five people are taken into custody as authorities conduct a drug bust in Palestine. On May 17th around 2:45pm, members of the Palestine Police Department along with the tactical team of the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department served a narcotics search warrant at a residence located at 626 South Dorrance Street. Officers seized several grams of suspected cocaine, marijuana, PCP, and prescription medications as well as several items of drug paraphernalia. Additionally officers recovered two pistols on or near the property.

KETK reports that four of the five people arrested were arraigned Friday morning. LaBarius Robinson, 18, and Kevin Birdow, 31, were charged with first degree felony manufacturing or delivery of a controlled substance. Each received a $10,000 bond. Other persons charged, who were at the scene at the time of the warrant execution, were Isaiah Ringer, 22, and Diavonte Lockett, 18. They were charged with possession of marijuana under 2 oz. Each of those suspects received a $1,500 bond. An additional 63-year-old man, who was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, had not been arraigned at the time of inquiry.

WOOD COUNTY — Wood County officials tell KETK they have found the body of a missing man. Authorities say a man reported finding Gerald Haley, 62, in a wooded area. When deputies arrived on scene, they confirmed it was in fact Haley who had disappeared from his house on May 15. The body was sent to Dallas for autopsy. Officials said they do not suspect foul play.

TYLER — Three arrests are made in connection to a fatal March shooting. Tyler investigators have ruled the death of James Caleb Stanley, 19, accidental. Officials responded March 6th to the East Texas Medical Center facility on South Broadway and found the victim with a gunshot wound to the abdomen. He was transported to ETMC hospital where he died a short time later.

Investigators determined that Stanley and his girlfriend, Brittney Mizzles, 19, were involved in an argument on the night the incident. Mizzles had thrown a clothes basket at Stanley inside their residence that had a 22 caliber revolver handgun lying between some clothes in the basket. The gun discharged striking Stanley in the abdomen. The gun was sent off to be tested and the results indicated that the gun has safety malfunctions that would allow a cartridge to be fired without the trigger being pulled.

Brittney Mizzles told police that Stanley had been shot out in the street on Muller Garden and Fasulo and Farrer had taken the gun and attempted to hide it from police at the scene. Mizzles, (pictured) along with Justin A. Fasulo, 19, and Kavan J. Farrer, 19, were arrested and booked into the Smith County Jail. Mizzles is charged with false report to police, with bond set at $5000. Fasulo and Farrer are both charged with tamper / fabricate physical evidence; bond was set at $10,000 each.

HAWKINS — A Hawkins High School student died Thursday, a day after sustaining a head injury while playing flag football in his high school athletics class. Hawkins authorities say Jacob Gatlin, 15, died on Thursday morning of a fractured skull and a subdural hematoma. According to KETK, Jacob was not taken by ambulance from the school after the injury, but went home, where he started feeling ill. He was taken to a local hospital by EMS, and later to Dallas Children’s Hospital, where he died shortly after 9:30Thursday morning.

TYLER — Tyler Police are investigating an aggravated assault. It happened Friday morning shortly after 1:30 at the intersection of West 28th Street and North Border Avenue. Officers said the victim claims he was sitting in his uncle’s truck when an unknown male got in the drivers seat and an argument ensued. The suspect reportedly exited the vehicle and began walking down the street when the victim attempted to stop him. The suspect allegedly fired several gun shots in the direction of the victim. He was not injured. The armed man is described as a slender African-American, around 5’7 – 6 ft. tall, weighing between 150 – 180 pounds. He was said to be wearing a black shirt and black sweat pants.

LONGVIEW — Longview police say a transient was arrested Wednesday when police found drugs in her hotel room. According to the arrest report, Longview police went to a room at a hotel in the 2700 block of Eastman Road Wednesday afternoon to follow up on a tip they had received from Crime Stoppers. According to the Longview News-Journal, Amanda Wilkerson, 37, Winnsboro, allowed the agents to search her room and told them that she did have drugs in the room. She proceeded to show them where the drugs were located in a bedside nightstand. Police found marijuana and methamphetamine. Wilkerson was arrested and is being held on a $100,000 bond in Gregg County Jail for manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance.

TYLER — A life sentence is handed down in Tyler for Terrance Cuba in a robbery that turned violent last fall. Officials say the late September incident began at Preferred Medical, 805 North Glenwood in Tyler. According to the DA’s office, the business co-owner went to a work van in the back of the business and saw Cuba trying to take a GPS monitor out of the vehicle. Officials say the businessman confronted Cuba, whereupon Cuba pushed the man down and the two began to struggle. The victim was injured, and Cuba began running off.

The victim chased Cuba for half a mile to a mile. At one point, Cuba stopped, picked up a softball-sized rock, and threw it at the businessman’s head. The businessman kept chasing Cuba but lost track of him. Some witnesses, though, saw Cuba enter a house. Police went to the house after getting information and found Cuba there. Cuba was found guilty of robbery. He had two prior felony convictions on his record, along with numerous misdemeanors, and qualified for a sentence of 25 years to life.

LONGVIEW – A fire that started in the attic has damaged a Longview home. It was reported Thursday morning in the 200 block of Morris Drive. Fire Marshal Johnny Zackary said the fire started near an electrical box in the attic. No one was at home when the fire started and no injuries were reported.

NACOGDOCHES – A Nacogdoches man has been arrested on drug charges. Franklin Gines, 24, was arrested after officers received reports of drug trafficking occurring at College Park Apartments at 1516 Pearl Street. In an apartment officers recovered about ½ pound of marijuana and 129 grams codeine. Gines was booked into the Nacogdoches County Jail on charges of felony possession of marijuana and felony possession of a controlled substance.

POYNOR – The Department of Public Safety has identified the man killed in a one vehicle accident 4 miles north of Poynor. Killed was Matthew Joseph Bradley, 37, of Malakoff. The DPS report said his tires drifted off the right side of the road and he overcorrected. His vehicle then left the other side of the road and flipped and hit a tree. Bradley was rushed to East Texas Medical Center Athens where he died. The accident happened around 8:30 Wednesday morning on Farm Road 315.

TYLER — The Tara McSwain trial has been continued until the week of June 18. The case had most recently been on the docket for this week in Tyler’s 7th State District Court. The DA’s office explains that the trial was bumped due to a load of trials involving jailed suspects. Jailed defendants’ cases are given priority when scheduling trials; McSwain is currently out on bond.

McSwain, 38, is the former owner/manager of East Texas Billing and former manager of Apple Swim & Fitness Center. She faces nine counts of fraudulent possession of a controlled substance, a 3rd degree felony. Last June 16, an employee of Walgreens at 5415 S. Broadway called police and said there was a woman in the drive-thru attempting to pick up a fraudulent prescription for hydrocodone. Patrol officers and vice investigators arrived on the scene and took McSwain into custody after further investigation.

Investigators say they found several pieces of paper with physicians’ and patients’ names on them in McSwain’s purse. Police say the materials were discovered during the search incident to arrest and were believed to be used in a fraudulent manner. Police say because of her billing service for physicians, McSwain had access to doctor and patient information.

After investigators contacted several physicians and former patients, they say they developed probable cause that on six different occasions in 2011, McSwain provided fraudulent information to obtain a controlled substance from pharmacies in Tyler. On June 23, investigators arrested McSwain on six warrants for fraudulent possession of a controlled substance. McSwain was booked into Smith County Jail on a total bond of $120,000, set by Judge Randall Rogers.

TYLER — For the second consecutive year, the City of Tyler has published its Annual Report as an E-Book, with linked video, and as a printed document with QR Codes. The 20-page report outlines the financial status of the City and highlights new programs and achievements from 2011. “Because city revenue has continued to be lower than anticipated, we again made the decision to forgo printing the 25,000 copies of the annual report that we have printed in past years,” commented Mayor Barbara Bass. “By choosing to publish the report electronically, we have saved nearly $10,000. Also, the E-report is more interactive and environmentally friendly.” You can go to https://www.cityoftyler.org/ to access the report.

TYLER — Area law enforcement once again will be participating in the Click-It-or-Ticket enforcement program. The Texas Department of Transportation and its law enforcement partners kicked off the 11th Annual Click-It-Or-Ticket campaign at a press conference Thursday morning at T.B. Butler Fountain Plaza in downtown Tyler.

Officers will be stopping violators for not wearing their seat belts from May 21 through June 3. Texas law requires every person sitting in the front or rear seat of a vehicle to wear a safety belt. A child less than eight years old and less than four feet, nine inches tall must be secured in a child safety seat. Drivers can be stopped and ticketed for a safety belt violation if they, or any of their passengers under the age of 15, are not buckled up or properly restrained. Traffic fines for failing to use a seat belt or secure a child in a safety seat can run from $25 to $200, plus court costs.

TYLER — A judge has denied Kerry Max Cook’s request to move his case out of Smith County. According to KETK, he’s trying to prove he did not murder Linda Joe Edwards, Tyler, in 1997. Cook wants new DNA testing in hopes of being formally declared innocent. Judge Christi Kennedy will take on Cook’s case. Cook believes he won’t get a fair trial because Judge Kennedy’s husband worked for former prosecutor, Jack Skeen, who originally sent Cook to death row.

TYLER — A candidate for Upshur County constable was hospitalized in Tyler after a wreck early Wednesday. Two days earlier, Gary Wayne Henson had been arrested in Gilmer on assault charges. According to the Department of Public Safety, Henson, 34, ran the stop sign on Farm Road 555 at State Highway 154 in Gilmer shortly after midnight Wednesday. His vehicle landed in a ditch on the other side of Texas 154. Henson was taken to East Texas Medical Center in Gilmer after the wreck, and then transported by ambulance to East Texas Medical Center in Tyler.

Henson is a candidate for Upshur County Pct. 4 constable in the May 29 GOP primary. He was arrested Monday by Gilmer police and charged with assault causing bodily injury family violence. He was booked into the Upshur County Jail and released on $3,000 bond, according to judicial records.

Henson is opposing incumbent Pct. 4 Constable Phillip Hill and Dewayne LaGrone in the Upshur County primary.

NACOGDOCHES COUNTY — The Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office assisted the U.S. Marshall’s Office in arresting James Alan Garrett, 52, on an outstanding federal warrant. According to KETK, Garrett, who was paroled from federal prison after serving 23 years for armed robbery, was listed as a federal fugitive after he refused to report to his parole officer and boasted that he would never go back to prison.

Officers began the search near Chireno, where Garrett was supposed to have been living. He was not present at the home when deputies arrived, but was later located in the parking lot of a local nursing home located along U.S. 59 in Nacogdoches. After finding himself quickly surrounded by officers, Garrett was arrested without a struggle.

At the time of his arrest Garrett was wearing two layers of clothing and was carrying items commonly used during the commission of a robbery. Garrett was wearing a set of dark colored clothing underneath a layer of red colored clothing so that his appearance could be quickly changed. Garrett was armed with what first appeared to be a semi-automatic hand gun, but turned out to be an air pistol concealed in the waistband of his pants.

TIMPSON (AP/Staff) – A moderate earthquake rattled an area in east Texas near the Louisiana border. National Earthquake Information Center geophysicist Amy Vaughan says the quake happened at 3:12 a.m. Thursday and had a magnitude of 4.3. It was centered near Timpson, Texas. Shelby County Sheriff’s dispatcher Jacob Allen says the only injury reported they’ve received is an elderly woman who fell out of her bed and cut her arm. Allen says the quake caused broken windows and fallen dishes, but no major damage has been reported. Vaughan says the quake was felt within 75 miles of its epicenter. There have been reports of tremors in Smith and Gregg Counties. Vaughan also said the quake area was the site of a 3.9 magnitude quake on May 10.

LONGVIEW -– Longview police seek suspects after a Tuesday night shooting left one dead and two injured. Just before 10:00 Tuesday night, officers were dispatched to a shooting just occurred in the 2900 block of Signal Hill Drive. When officers arrived they found Deaundray Lamanze Rossum, 23, of Kilgore, deceased from an apparent gunshot wound, inside a vehicle. Police located another male inside an apartment at the location. That victim had also been shot several times and was transported to Good Shepherd Medical Center. During the investigation another victim was brought by private vehicle to Good Shepherd. Both victims sustained gunshot wounds but these injuries were non life-threatening.

Police believe that the suspects in this shooting were black males and may have been wearing hoodies. The case remains under investigation at this time. Anyone with information related to this investigation is encouraged to call Detective Kevin Freeman at 903-237-1199 or remain anonymous by contacting Gregg County Crimestoppers at http://www.greggcountycrimestoppers.org or 903-236-STOP (7867).