KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER – According to a press release from The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) and the FBI, there are several imposter scams involving individuals claiming to be members of the USMS, court officers, or other law enforcement officials.

The USMS is urging people to report the calls their Local FBI office and file a consumer complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, which has the ability to detect patterns of fraud from the information collected. Texas residents have experienced a recent uptick in these scam calls.

During these calls, scammers attempt to collect a fine for phony threats of arrests or other legal sanctions due to claims of identity theft, failing to report for jury duty, civil process issues or under the premise of a false crime. They then tell victims that they can avoid arrest by making a payment first. Often that means withdrawing cash and transferring it to “the government” by depositing cash into bitcoin ATMs or other electronic means such as prepaid cards. Continue reading U.S. Marshals warn against phone scams

Tyler – The East Texas Food Bank kicks off the free Summer Food Program for children on Tuesday, June 3, at 35 East Texas locations with a special event at the Glass Recreation Center in Tyler from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. featuring food, activities and more. “It’s so important to make sure children do not go hungry in the summer just because school is out,” said David Emerson, CEO of the East Texas Food Bank. “Here in East Texas, 1 in 4 children are food insecure so it’s up to our community to make sure we fill that meal gap when the school year ends and kids lose access to free and reduced-price meals they depend on.” ETFB will help ensure children don’t go hungry when school is out—tackling geographic, financial, and systemic barriers to food access. This summer, ETFB will serve 106,000 meals to over 3,000 children. Meals are provided at various community sites Monday-Friday. There is no need to register. The program is for children 18 and younger. Besides the meal, some of the locations at parks, churches and libraries offer other free activities for children. Check with the Summer Food Program you plan to visit for more information. For the full list of locations and serving times visit EastTexasFoodBank.org/SummerFood or by calling 903-597-3663.

LONGVIEW – Our news partner KETK reports that the Longview Fire Department said they responded to a fire at the Alpha Omega Recycling facility on Sunday.

The fire was reported after workers at the Alpha Omega facility on 315 Whatley Road noticed that smoke had started coming from chemicals. Longview Fire Department said this smoke suggested the materials in the facility had spontaneously combusted.

After Longview firefighters had responded to the facility, the found smoke coming from the back of an exterior structure. Longview Fire Department said their firefighters were able to contain the fire damage to the structure and one of its walls.

No injuries were reported and Longview Fire Department estimated the fire did around $50,000 in damage. The fire department responded to the facility with six fire engines, three ladder trucks, two ambulances and six support vehicles.

The facility, which is owned by the Amlon Group, recycles liquid waste, metal industrial waste and hazardous materials for businesses.

TEXARKANA — A man was arrested over the weekend in connection with a Texarkana homicide and is accused of firing more than 50 rounds into the house that led to the death of a 21-year-old.

According to our news partner KETK, detectives were able to find the suspect and worked with Houston PD officers last week to arrest 24-year-old Benjamin Brem.

Just after midnight on May 10, officers responded to a shots-fired call in the 1300 block of Carroll Street. According to police, officers discovered an injured 52-year-old man and 21-year-old Jaylen Betts dead inside the house. The 52-year-old man was taken to the hospital; however, an update on his condition has not been released. More than 50 rounds were fired into the house from the street, according to officers. Brem is expected to be brought back to Texarkana from Houston and will be booked for murder and evading arrest.

UPDATE: According to the Texas DPS, 32-year-old Trevor McEuen who was wanted for murder was taken into custody early Monday morning in Van Zandt County after a SWAT standoff.
McEuen is being held at the Kaufman County Jail on the following charges: Capital murder by terror threat/other felony, five counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, arson, murder.

VAN ZANDT COUNTY, Texas (KETK) — Kaufman County has issued a $10,000 reward for information leading to the capture of a man wanted for murder.

According to the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office, around 5:33 a.m. on Monday, Trevor McEuen removed his ankle monitor and left his family’s home in Van Zandt County hours before he was due in court on a murder charge, the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office said. Continue reading 2023 fatal shooting suspect in custody

Tyler – The East Texas Food Bank will have their summer food kickoff event Tuesday, at 11:00 a.m. at the Glass Recreation Center in Tyler. Food Bank CEO David Emerson will be the keynote speaker, as he will talk about the benefits of the program, and feeding kids this summer. Lunch will be served for kids 18 and younger. Activities like face painting, balloon animals and games will be offered. ETFB will have Summer Food sites at 35 locations in East Texas. To see a map for those locations, go here.

TYLER — Our news partner KETK reports that The National Institutes of Health has issued UT Tyler a $441,000 grant for funding to develop cancer-targeting nanotechnology.

“At UT Tyler, we’re committed to advancing research that can save lives,” interim dean of UT Tyler Fisch College of Pharmacy Dr. Pamella Ochoa said. “This NIH grant not only affirms the excellence of our faculty but also highlights our continued role in driving scientific innovation that can benefit East Texas and beyond.”

1 in 10 adults has received a cancer diagnosis, according to UT Tyler. Dr. Santosh Aryal’s and Dr. Farah Deba’s research will focus on using immune system cells to target cancer with nanotechnology. Continue reading $441K grant given to UT Tyler to develop cancer-targeting nanotechnology

COOKVILLE – A man in connection to the death of his wife who was found dead in Cookville on Sunday, according to a report from our news partner KETK.

The Titus County sheriff’s office said they responded to a possible murder reported on Sunday in the 500 block of County Road 3130 in Cookville. When deputies arrived at the scene they found a dead woman that was identified as Amy Denmon Allen, 54.

Amy’s husband, Michael Paul Allen, 52, was taken in to custody at the scene. According to the sheriff’s office, he was then interviewed by the Titus County Criminal Investigation Division and arrested for murder.

Allen was arraigned on Monday and his bond has been set at $1 million. The sheriff’s office is continuing to investigate this case.

FLINT – Our news partner KETK reports that a Flint man was arrested on Saturday evening after shoving his disabled mom’s head into a wall and elbowing her in the mouth.

According to a Smith County arrest affidavit, a deputy talked to the victim at her home on Frederick Circle about an assault that happened on Saturday between her and her son.

The victim told the deputy that her son, Kerry Dewayne Campbell, “has changed ever since he has gotten into a relationship,” and he was upset because she wasn’t letting him bring his girlfriend to his house.

The affidavit said that Campbell attempted to enter her home, but she was holding the front door closed to prevent him from coming in. “Then [the victim] stated that Campbell grabbed her torso and moved her out of the way,” the document said. “Campbell grabbed her by the face and shoved her head into the wall, and then Campbell elbowed Kerry’s mouth.” Continue reading Flint man arrested after injuring family member

CROCKETT – Our news partner KETK reports that a Crockett woman has been arrested after allegedly selling counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl that led to a man’s death.

The Crockett Police Department said that they received reports of an unresponsive man on May 21 and went to the person’s apartment on Sallas Street at around 11 p.m. Once on the scene, officers along with Houston County EMS discovered the individual had died, which was believed to be caused by a drug overdose.

Inside the victim’s apartment, officers reported finding small blue pills marked “M 30” which are known to resemble oxycodone or Percocet. Further investigation led officials to believe that the pills were counterfeit and contained fentanyl, causing the victim’s death. Continue reading Woman arrested for selling fentanyl-laced pills, leading to a death

WOOD COUNTY – Our news partner KETK reports that an East Texas man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting his adopted children.

In 2018, the Wood County Sheriff’s Office began investigating Kevin Ray Larsson after one of his adopted children reported he had been sexually abusing them. According to officials, the child reported that Larsson had improper relations with her when she was 5-years-old.

As the investigation continued into 2023, at least six of Larsson’s adopted children claimed that he had sexually assaulted them, according to a press release from the Wood County District Attorney’s Office. Larsson later admitted to having inappropriate sexual conduct with one of the children. Continue reading Man sentenced to 30 years for sexually assaulting six adopted children

UPDATE: KAUFMAN COUNTY – According to the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office and our news partner KETK, 32-year-old Trevor McEuen, wanted for murder, was taken into custody early Monday morning.

McEuen is being held at the Kaufman County Jail on the charges of capital murder by terror threat/other felony, five counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, arson, and murder.

Authorities said more information about his arrest will be released later. Continue reading UPDATE: Murder suspect in custody after a month on the run

TYLER – According to our news partner KETK, a woman was arrested after attempting to steal a wig from a corpse at a funeral home in Tyler. The funeral director notified the Tyler Police Department on May 23 that Tonya Boyd had gone into the preparation room and had removed the wig from a body, according to a Smith County arrest affidavit. Officials spoke with the funeral director on May 28, who stated that Boyd had been at the funeral home earlier in the day before the incident and was asked to leave. Later that day, Boyd returned to the funeral home, and employees witnessed her exiting the building with a wig in hand but did not realize it belonged to one of their clients.

According to the affidavit, the witness stated that he knew Boyd and that she had a problem with drugs. It was also reported that Boyd had been involved in several criminal activities around the funeral home in the past. The director reported that he had purchased a new wig to replace the stolen one and the family had been notified. Following the investigation, Boyd was charged with theft of property from a human corpse.