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TYLER – On Oct. 16, the Tyler City Council approved a 10-year tax abatement agreement with Hiland Dairy to support its upcoming expansion. This project, which is expected to generate up to $98 million in new investment, will create 30 new jobs with an estimated average annual salary of $66,000. The expansion project will add over 90,000 square feet of dry and refrigerated storage, as well as production space, significantly increasing Hiland Dairy’s capacity. The expansion includes eight additional production lines, with space available for two more lines in the future. This move aims to alleviate the current overcapacity of the Tyler facility, which produces one million gallons of milk per week and serves major local customers like Brookshire’s Grocery Company. Continue reading Tyler approves new tax abatement for Hiland Dairy

NACOGDOCHES – Our news partners at KETK report that two East Texas police officers are being recognized for their bravery after disregarding risk to stop a woman from jumping off a Nacogdoches bridge. According to the Nacogdoches Police Department, officers were called shortly before 12:20 p.m. on Sept. 27 to a bridge on W. Austin Street where a woman was threatening to jump. Nacogdoches Police Officer Seth Stover was the first person to get there and the department said he immediately began talking to the distraught woman. Afterwards, Officer Chris Snider arrived and also attempted to convince the woman to get on their side of the guardrail. Although the officers tried their best to talk the woman off the ledge, it seemed like the woman was ready to jump, the police department said. Stover and Snider then prevented the woman from jumping by pulling her over the guardrail and disregarding the risk to their own safety. “We commend these officers for their selfless actions in saving someone experiencing a mental health crisis,” Nacogdoches PD officials said. “Their exceptional efforts undoubtedly saved the life of the woman that day.”

LONGVIEW – Our news partners at KETK report an optometrist’s arrest documents reveal he sent inappropriate photos to a minor living across the country and was taken into custody while at his Longview office. 51-year-old August Michael Wallace, a licensed Longview optometrist per the Texas Optometry Board, was charged with online solicitation of a minor and is currently behind bars at the Gregg County Jail. According to Wallace’s arrest documents, Homeland Security spoke to the Longview Police Department on Sept. 30 and handed over evidence pertaining to a Texas man who sent a 16-year-old photos of his genitalia and description of sexual acts he wanted to do to the minor. Continue reading Longview optometrist charged with online solicitation of minor

TRINITY COUNTY — According to our news partner KETK, a minor’s diary entry has been submitted as evidence following an investigation into an East Texas man accused of sexually assaulting her. On Oct. 6 investigators were made aware of a potential child sexual assault case. The department said the case involved a 15-year-old who had possibly been sexually assaulted about four or five years ago.

Deputies spoke to the mother of the child who alleged the assault occurred over the course of a few years. The victim reportedly “made an outcry to her mother after referencing a dream [she] had previously had.” Deputies were also told that multiple sexual assault accusations had been made against Justin Brandon Herring in the past, the sheriff’s office said. Warrants were obtained for Herring who was arrested on Thursday and booked on two counts of continuous sex abuse of child under the age of 14 and two counts of indecency with a child sexual contact. He is being held at the Trinity County Jail on a $600,000 bond. Continue reading Diary entry leads to arrest for sexual assault

PALESTINE – A district court will not throw out the execution warrant for Robert Roberson III, an East Texas man on death row accused of killing his daughter. According to our news partner KETK, Roberson, a Palestine native, was convicted of killing his 2-year-old daughter Nikki in 2002 and sentenced to death. He has maintained his innocence while on death row for the past 20 years, with an execution date scheduled for Oct. 17.

The defense’s motion to vacate Roberson’s execution warrant was denied by Judge Alfonso Charles, who is the Presiding Judge of the Tenth Administrative Judicial Region, on Tuesday. Charles was also asked to decide whether to remove the previous now-retired judge, Deborah Oakes Evans, from the case. He denied both the motion to recuse the execution warrant and the motion to vacate Judge Evans from the case.

Roberson attended court remotely via Zoom from the Polunsky Unit in Livingston where death row inmates are housed. Arguments were heard in front of a full courtroom of reporters of spectators.
Continue reading Execution warrant upheld for East Texas man

SMITH COUNTY – Smith County donated surplus computer equipment to Mustard Seed Ministries that will be refurbished and given to local school children. Dr. Karen Jones, founder and president of Mustard Seed Ministries, received the donation from the Smith County Information Technology Department on Monday, October 14. Items included 178 desktops, 110 laptops, 70 monitors, 12 printers, five servers, seven scanners, and three switches. The donation was approved earlier in Commissioners Court.

For years, Smith County has donated outdated and broken computer equipment to Mustard Seed Ministries. The nonprofit organization dismantles and reassembles the equipment and donates them to school children who do not have computers. Mustard Seed supplies schools in Tyler, Whitehouse and Mineola.

Mustard Seed Ministries, is a nonprofit organization of the United Methodist Church. For more information, visit http://www.mustardseedcomputers.com.
 

MARSHALL Our news partners at KETK report that a 19-year-old accused of committing burglaries across the City of Marshall is now behind bars. According to the Marshall Police Department, Stanislav Nathan Mironyuk, 19 of Marshall, was arrested Friday morning after officers responded to a building on E. Burleson Street for an alarm call. When police arrived to the building at around 4:40 a.m., they reportedly found a man in a mask, identified as Mironyuk. Police also found items linking Mironyuk to a burglary, a bag of tools commonly used in burglaries and mail from different addresses, the police department said. Continue reading 19-year-old suspected of burglaries across Marshall

LONGVIEW – Our news partners at KETK report that a public meeting was held in Longview on Monday to help bring a much-wanted State Veterans Cemetery to East Texas. The state cemetery board and a local family met in Longview on Monday to generate local support for how they want to honor these heroes in East Texas. Debra Christian of Gregg County has always wanted to honor her father, who fought to protect his country. “Being a military family, the military brat, that’s just all my dad would have wanted,” said Christian. When her father passed away, Christian wanted to honor his service by having him buried at a state veteran’s cemetery, but that meant he would have to be laid to rest far from home. “I started realizing a need because my father was a combat solider and when he came home there was an issue with being buried at a state cemetery because of distance,” said Christian. Continue reading Officials push for East Texas state veterans cemetery

HOUSTON (AP) — A Palestine man this week could become the first person executed in the U.S. for a murder conviction tied to the diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome.

Robert Roberson, 57, is scheduled to receive a lethal injection on Thursday for the 2002 killing of his 2-year-old daughter, Nikki Curtis. Roberson has long proclaimed his innocence. His lawyers as well as a bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers, medical experts and others don’t deny that head and other injuries from child abuse are real. But they argue his conviction was based on faulty and now outdated scientific evidence and say new evidence has shown Curtis died from complications related to severe pneumonia.

But prosecutors maintain Roberson’s new evidence does not disprove their case that Curtis died from injuries inflicted by her father. Continue reading East Texas man facing execution Thursday

SMITH COUNTY — Since issuing a burn ban on October 8, Smith County officials have been called out to about 50 calls for illegal burning. “Due to the burn ban being in place for about a week and the information being highly promoted, we are transitioning to issuing citations rather than giving warnings,” Smith County Fire Marshal Chad Hogue said.

As of Tuesday, October 15, the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) for Smith County was at an average of 727. The KBDI ranges from 0 to 800 and is used to determine forest fire potential. For the next several days, there is very little chance of rain and low humidity, increasing the fire danger even more.

“The Fire Marshal’s Office would like to thank Smith County residents for understanding the potential fire danger conditions and choosing not to burn during this burn ban,” he said.

The Commissioners Court issued an “Order Prohibiting Outdoor Burning” on Tuesday, October 8. It is in effect for 90 days, unless conditions improve, and the Commissioners Court approves terminating the order early. Continue reading Smith County Burn Ban update

TYLER – Texas Governor Greg Abbott has issued a disaster declaration for many counties across the state including several in East Texas due to the current risk for wildfires.

The declaration was issued by Governor Abbott on Thursday. You can find the list of counties, including the 27 East Texas counties bolded, on our news partner KETK’s website or by clicking here.

Abbott also directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to activate more emergency response resources to support firefighters working on wildfires across the state.
Continue reading 27 East Texas counties declared disaster areas

LONGVIEW – According to our news partner KETK, a Longview woman who was on trial for murder in a 2021 fatal shooting case has been sentenced to nine years in state prison after she pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Tolla McNeely, 43 of Longview, was initially arrested for murder in connection to the death of Jose Manuel Delarosa, 40 of Henderson, in 2021. At the time, Longview PD reported that McNeely shot Delarosa while they were arguing in a car parked at 110 Triple Creek in Longview.

Delarosa was then taken to a local hospital where he died. The murder charge against her was dismissed and she will now serve up to 9 years in state prison for manslaughter.

KETK spoke with David E. Moore, McNeely’s attorney, and he said that she was able to plead down to manslaughter instead of the murder charge against her because of “extenuating circumstances” in the case.

UPDATE: The Longview Police Department said Thomas has been found as of 4:31 p.m. Previous story: LONGVIEW — The Longview Police Department have issued a missing person alert for a 27-year-old woman. According to our news partner KETK, missing is Allison Thomas. She is described as 5 foot and 2 inches tall, around 130 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. Allison was reportedly last seen wearing a black top and jean shorts. She also has a tattoo of a red and blue feather on her upper left arm.

Allison was last seen around East Marshall Avenue, near Christus Good Shepherd Medical Center. Anyone with information regarding her whereabouts is asked to contact Longview Police at 903-237-1199.

HOPKINS COUNTY – An organized criminal group took items including firearms and tools from several unlocked vehicles Monday morning. The Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office said the burglars are likely the same people who committed crime sprees in other counties. According to the sheriff’s office, footage uncovered by investigators shows unknown people as they burglarized vehicles on Monday in the southern part of Hopkins County. “Additionally, we have discovered that this is likely the same criminal organization that has committed similar crime sprees in multiple counties to the south of Hopkins County,” the sheriff’s office said. 100 miles south of Hopkins County, Rusk County authorities faced a similar issue in mid-September. Continue reading Crime spree targets unlocked vehicles in East Texas

TYLER — The City of Tyler said that street repairs on East Dawson Street will block the west entrance of CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital’s Dawson parking garage this week. According to our news partner KETK, East Dawson Street to Clinic Drive will be closed from Monday, Oct. 14 to Friday, Oct. 18. The city of Tyler said to use South Fleishel Avenue to get to the emergency room entrance or the parking garage.

TYLER – Tyler Fire Marshal Joey Hooton confirmed that one family was displaced after a one-alarm fire at the River Oaks Apartments in Tyler on Saturday. The fire was eventually put out and law enforcement has cleared the scene. Officials from the Tyler Fire Marshall’s Office and the Tyler Police Department responded to the scene in the 4400 block of Troup Highway at around 9:30 a.m. on Saturday.

According to our news partner KETK, the cause of the fire is currently unknown but looks like it started in a closet before it ended up leaving eight units with smoke damage and displacing one family.

HALLSVILLE, Texas (KETK) – The West Harrison Volunteer Fire Department said that firefighters responded to a wildfire near FM 2625 south of Hallsville and Marshall on Sunday.

West Harrison VFD said the Hallsville Fire Department and Emergency Services Districts 3 and 4 responded to the scene off of FM 2625 near Cave Springs Road. Hallsville Fire Department assistant chief Bert Scott told our news partner KETK that the fire was more than 120 acres in size and took three hours to contain.

No structures were damaged by the blaze and officials said the Texas A&M Forest Service also responded to the scene with their bulldozers. The Texas A&M Forest Service said the fire was 138 acres in size and 100% contained as of 6:22 p.m. on Sunday.

Harrison County Judge Chad Sims issued a county-wide burn ban on Oct. 9.

TYLER – Smith County has won a 2024 County Best Practices award from the Texas Association of Counties for their program to recruit jail detention officers from local schools according to our news partner KETK. The county said their Detention Officer Program is the first of it’s kind in the state. The program was started to help address recruitment issues at the Smith County Jail by getting interested high school students to take the state jailer exam after they graduate.

The program was started by Smith County Sheriff’s Office chiefs Jimmy Jackson and Gary Pinkerton. The program has reportedly been a success since Smith County has reported that they’ve gone from having over 20 vacancies for several years, to having zero openings in 2024. One jail officer that was hired right after graduating from John Tyler High School is Justtice Taylor, 19 of Tyler. She, Pinkerton and Jackson have been recruiting at local schools including at her alma mater. Continue reading Smith County receives award for high school officer recruitment

ATHENS – Our news partner KETK reports that Jerry Fontenot, 59 of Athens, was arrested at his residence for four counts of animal cruelty causing death, 12 counts of animal cruelty and two counts of cruelty to a livestock animal. Deputies arrived at Fontenot’s home they found four dead dogs still in chains, 12 other dogs in bad health along with a pig and a donkey. He’s being held at the Henderson County Jail on a total bond of $26,000.

LONGVIEW – The Longview Police Department announced that 2 people were arrested after a search found multiple kinds of drugs and firearms. According to our news partners at KETK, Longview SWAT and the Gregg County Organized Drug Enforcement Unit found fentanyl pills, ecstasy, cocaine, marijuana and two firearms while executing a warrant. Demichael Johnson, 33 of Longview, and Shadiamond Chaseberry, 32 of Longview, were arrested and taken to the Gregg County Jail without incident. Johnson was charged with two counts of manufacturing and delivery of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana and unlawful possession of a firearm and his bond was set at $154,500. Chaseberry was charged with possession of marijuana with a bond set at $1,000.

TYLER – Our news partner KETK reports that a fatal two-vehicle wreck occurred Friday afternoon on Highway 64 near Chapel Hill High School. Smith County Public Information Officer Larry Christian said at around 4:18 p.m. deputies responded to a crash on Highway 64 near County Road 289. Roads were blocked well into Friday evening and an investigation is pending.

VAN ZANDT COUNTY – A Van Zandt County man was sentenced to six years in a state prison in September after pleading guilty to animal cruelty charges to non-livestock animals. According to our news partner KETK, an SPCA reports said James Henry Eubanks was arrested on Jan. 19 after an investigation led to the removal of 10 “cruelly treated dogs” from a property near Wills Point.

The SPCA release also detailed, “At the time of this investigation, about 6 p.m., the temperature in the area was 15 degrees Fahrenheit. A total of 10 Pitbull-type dogs were confined to the property. Six of the dogs were separated out and confined to their own kennels and of those six dogs, three were deceased. The four remaining dogs were running loose on the property and were attempting to find a windbreak from the freezing wind. Investigators were not able to locate any food available to the dogs and all water sources on the property were frozen solid. Eubanks was identified as the caretaker of the dogs.”

Courtney Burns, SPCA of Texas chief investigator of the Animal Cruelty Investigations Unit concluded in the release, “Animal crimes are notoriously known to yield weak punishments, so getting a sentence of six years in prison is a tremendous win for the SPCA of Texas and Van Zandt County.”

TYLER – Tyler Police report that an argument early Friday afternoon quickly compounded into a shooting leaving one person dead. According to our news partner KETK, officers responded to a shooting at 3800 SSW Loop 323, at Taqueria Juniors. TPD reports the shooting suspect has been a “repeat customer” at the restaurant and there have been disagreements prior to this shooting. Police said that there was an argument at the business that escalated into a physical altercation and ultimately ended in a the fatal shooting. One person has been detained and is being questioned by police.

SMITH COUNTY – Since issuing a burn ban on Tuesday, Smith County officials have given out four citations and several warnings for burning. As of Friday, October 11, the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) for Smith County was at 719. The KBDI ranges from 0 to 800 and is used to determine forest fire potential. “The potential for fire to spread easily will remain until we receive significant rainfall,” Smith County Fire Marshal Chad Hogue said. For the next seven days, there is very little chance of rain and low humidity, increasing the fire danger even more. Continue reading Smith County burn ban update

TYLER – Our news partners at KETK report that as the climate continues to dry in East Texas it is now causing some ranchers to put hay out early for their cattle. Normally, hay does not get put out until after the first frost but now that the grass is drying up, ranchers need to supplement. “I’m about two weeks away,” said Malcolm Williams, East Texas rancher. The clock is ticking for ranchers to start thinking about putting out hay for their cattle. Continue reading Dry weather, hay out early