KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TATUM — The Rusk County Sheriff’s Office is reaching out to citizens to assist in identifying a suspect in a theft of batteries from a BP American Production Company oilfield lease on County Road 2145 in Tatum. On August 11, around 6:00pm, an unidentified white male entered onto BP property and took two 12 volt, Optima Gel, Deep Cycle batteries, with “Stolen from BP” branded across the top. According to KETK and the sheriff’s office, the batteries are valued at approximately $250 each. The suspect was captured on a hidden camera located near the batteries.

Any information may be reported to the Rusk County Crime Stoppers at 903-655-8477 or Rusk County Sheriff’s Office at 903-657-3581. The Rusk County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 for information leading to the suspect’s arrest.

HOUSTON (AP/Staff) – Texas landowners are vowing to fight on despite a county judge’s ruling that a Canadian company can run a pipeline across private property to bring crude oil to Gulf Coast refineries. Red’Arc farm manager Julia Trigg Crawford is behind the lawsuit. She says in a statement Thursday she is disappointed by the ruling from Lamar County Court-at-Law Judge Bill Harris that TransCanada can use eminent domain to obtain right of way across her family’s farm. Harris issued the ruling late Wednesday. Crawford says she will take her battle to the state Legislature.

TransCanada wants to build a pipeline from Alberta, Canada, to Gulf Coast refineries. While it awaits a U.S. State Department decision on that project, it plans to construct a section of pipeline from Oklahoma to the Gulf. That portion of the pipeline would run through much of East Texas

TYLER — One person is in custody in connection with a Tyler drive-by shooting. It happened just after 12:30 yesterday morning at 829 West 32nd Street. The victim said a grey sedan had fired several shots at the house. The suspect’s vehicle was found a short time later and after a brief pursuit, four black males jumped out of the car, while it was still moving, and fled. Officers were able to apprehend one of the suspects, identified as a juvenile. The other suspects were able to evade arrest.

Inside the vehicle, officers found a firearm and other evidence. The captured suspect was taken to the police department and was interviewed by detectives. He was charged with aggravated assault and evading arrest. He’ll be transported to the Smith County Juvenile Attention Center due to his juvenile status. No one was injured at the victim’s house.

WILLS POINT (AP) – Officials say nobody was hurt in a fiery wreck involving a freight train and a gasoline tanker truck in East Texas. Union Pacific spokeswoman Raquel Espinoza says the accident happened around 1:30 yesterday morning in Wills Point. Emergency crews applied foam as spilled gasoline from the truck burned for several hours. The flames were nearly out by about dawn.
Espinoza says the trucker jumped from the cab before the train hit the rig, which apparently became stuck on the tracks. Espinoza says the residential-area crossing is not equipped to handle a big tanker. She says a conductor and an engineer were on the train hauling containers with mixed freight. No hazardous materials were on board. Some nearby homes briefly were evacuated, as a precaution.

TYLER — A woman who confessed to robbing a Tyler bank will have a long time in prison to think about her actions. After deliberating over 5 hours Wednesday, a jury sentenced Vanessa Ashley Ashford, 28, to 50 years in prison. On Monday, she had pleaded guilty to the March 29th robbery of the Regions Bank at 1810 East Southeast Loop 323. The Shreveport, Louisiana woman decided to let a jury determine her punishment.

The bank was robbed by a woman with a large knife. Witnesses were able to get a partial license plate of the woman’s car. Tyler Police Officers responding to the area located a black Chevrolet Impala at University/Lazy Creek in Tyler and initiated a traffic stop. The officers found a bag full of money and an exploded die pack in the trunk of the woman’s car.

After she was arrested for the Regions Bank robbery, she admitted to officers she also robbed the Telco Credit Union on West Front Street in Tyler back on February 29th.

LUFKIN — A jury has found a Lufkin man guilty of the stabbing death of Frederic Gilmore back in March. The jury deliberated in just under two hours Wednesday before returning the guilty verdict against Rodney Evan Shepherd, 44. The punishment phase of his trial starts on Friday.

Gilmore was found lying in the front yard of a home at 908 Rowe Avenue. He had a stab wound in his neck. He was taken to the hospital where he died. Gilmore told officers that he and Shepherd had been arguing inside the house. The argument then moved outside where Shepherd said he stabbed Gilmore.

TYLER — Tropical Storm Isaac is getting better organized. KTBB’s Dr. Bob Peters said Wednesday morning that Isaac was moving through the eastern Caribbean, and will probably intensify to a hurricane Thursday morning. Peters says eventual landfall will probably be in Florida, most likely Monday. He adds that landfall could be in Tampa Bay, and it could be Monday night, with peak winds of about 95 miles an hour. KTBB owner/general manager Paul Gleiser will be in Tampa covering the Republican National Convention.

JACKSONVILLE — Things are not going very well for Lon Morris College, and now they seem to be getting even worse. The financially troubled school is about to start classes with drastically scaled-back enrollment, staff, and student offerings. Now, according to KETK, the school has confirmed with the Jacksonville Daily Progress that its Title IV status is in danger. Title IV funds are authorized under the federal Higher Education Act of 1965; they cover Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, and other programs. In a letter from the U.S. Department of Education, officials say they’re withholding the funds from the college, citing LMC’s bankruptcy status.

This week an attorney for the school told the paper he felt it was against the law to deny Lon Morris the funds just because of the bankruptcy, but that a court has ruled otherwise. One student told KETK she’s already transferred to Jacksonville College over the matter. She says she loves Lon Morris, but that the school could have given students a heads-up. College officials also told the newspaper they’re still trying to work with the DOE to see if they can work something out. The college said it planned to send out a media release, which has not yet been received.

TYLER — The current outbreak of West Nile virus is the largest ever through August in the United States — and Texas has the most cases of any state. Both Gregg and Smith Counties have confirmed cases now. KETK reports there are 7 confirmed cases in Gregg County, of which one was a fatality. There’s one case in Henderson County and 3 cases in Van Zandt. Wednesday, it was learned that there are 5 patients in Mother Frances Hospital with confirmed cases, and ETMC has 3 confirmed and 2 pending.

First, the good news: most mosquitoes don’t carry the disease. Only about 1 in 500 may be infected. And 80% of those bitten by an infected mosquito do not get sick. Severe cases, though, lead to a loss of consciousness that is near coma. If you are over 50 you will have a tougher time with the disease, and to date there is no vaccine for West Nile virus.

In another bit of good news, the Northeast Texas Public Health District’s George Roberts (pictured) says eventually, things will ease up. According to Roberts, when nighttime temperatures start to drop into the 50s, the cooler weather will start to control the mosquito population. You can go to http://www.healthyeasttx.org/ for more information on the West Nile virus.

TYLER — A 50-year-old Forrest Hill woman has been sentenced in Tyler federal court to prison for drug violations. Marsha Annette Harris pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute hydrocodone, alprazolam, and promethazine with codeine. She was sentenced yesterday to 10 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Schneider.

Federal prosecutors say from May 2009 to May 2010, Harris engaged in a conspiracy to purchase hydrocodone, alprazolam, and promethazine with codeine from numerous pharmacies in East Texas. The conspiracy involved using rental vehicles to travel to pharmacies where fraudulent prescriptions were used to illegally purchase controlled substances which were then sold to several customers.

TYLER — A 26-year-old Winnsboro man has pleaded guilty in Tyler federal court to selling mortgaged cattle. Michael Kord Chapman pleaded guilty yesterday to an Information charging him with conversion of mortgaged property. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge John S. Love. According to information presented in court, between February 18, 2011 and April 7, 2011, Chapman sold approximately 158 head of cattle valued at over $83,400.00 that had been pledged as collateral on a loan from the Farm Services Agency. Instead of paying the loan, Chapman kept the proceeds of the sale for himself and converted them to his own use. Chapman faces up to 5 years in federal prison at sentencing. A sentencing date has not been set. Chapman has agreed to pay restitution of $83,622.42 to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Services Agency.

AUSTIN (AP) – Gov. Rick Perry has appointed an East Texas author and junior college instructor as the new state historian. Perry’s office said Wednesday that Bill O’Neal of Carthage is slated to serve in the post until Aug. 22, 2014. O’Neal is a nonfiction author and history instructor at Panola College in Carthage. He is a member of the Texas State Historical Association and past president of the East Texas Historical Association. O’Neal received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from East Texas State University, now known as Texas A&M University-Commerce. He is a board member of the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame and former board president with the East Texas Medical Center Regional Healthcare System.

AUSTIN — A Tyler man changed his routine. Because of that, he is a millionaire today. Bernardo Orozco has won $1.4 million in the Weekly Grand scratch off game from the Texas Lottery.

Orozco had always limited his purchases to Monday through Saturday. After church on Sunday, Orozco decided to change up his routine. And is he glad he did. and now he has more than a million reasons to be glad he did. With his scratch off win, Orozco will receive $1,000 per week for the next 20 years.

“I always feel good when I buy Texas Lottery tickets because I know that the money goes to help good causes,” said Orozco. “But to win a prize like this is an incredible blessing for me and my family, and I am very grateful.” Orozco said he plans to donate some of his winnings to his church and is planning to buy a new house. He also said he’ll keep buying his tickets on Sundays.

Orozco purchased his ticket at the Panaderia De Leon located at 323 North Beckham Avenue in Tyler. The retailer is eligible for a $10,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.

Orozco is the second person this month to win at least $1 million after playing the lottery in Tyler. Local resident Rickey Henderson claimed a $1 million scratch-off prize in early August.

AUSTIN — Governor Rick Perry has named Bill O’Neal of Carthage Texas State Historian for a term to expire August 22, 2014. O’Neal is an award-winning nonfiction author and a history instructor at Panola College. He is a member of the Texas State Historical Association, West Texas Historical Association, Society for American Baseball Research, Western Writers of America, and Wild West History Association Advisory Board, and a fellow and past president of the East Texas Historical Association. He is also a board member of the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame, volunteer Sunday school director for Central Baptist Church, and past board president of the East Texas Medical Center Regional Healthcare System. O’Neal received a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in history from East Texas State University and attended post graduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin.

TYLER — Preparation for the Smith County jail expansion project gets underway. According to KETK, the 16-month project is expected to bring road closures and limited parking for nearly a year. According to information from the county, the city of Tyler is barricading one lane of Spring Avenue from Elm Street to Erwin Street, and traffic will flow north only. One lane on Erwin will be blocked from Spring to Fannin, and traffic will flow eastbound only. One lane of Fannin Ave. will be closed from Erwin to Elm, and traffic will flow southbound only. These lane closures will only affect a one block radius around the construction site.

Some business owners are concerned, but at least one admits there’s a price to be paid for progress, “and you learn to live with it.” County Commissioner Jeff Warr says the effect on drivers should be minimal — and the nearly 100 construction workers should bring extra business to downtown restaurants.

GILMER — Two men are being treated at a Tyler hospital after their single engine plane crashed near Gilmer. The plane went down just southeast of the Gilmer airport shortly after taking off. The two Texas men aboard the plane are identified as Mike McClendon of Southlake and Brian Jones of Joplin. Their injuries were not thought to be serious. The FAA will attempt to discover why the plane crashed.

TYLER — The president of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Dr. Kirk A. Calhoun, is one of 16 people appointed to the committee that will advise The University of Texas System Board of Regents on the selection of the next president of The University of Texas at Arlington. Board of Regents Chairman Gene Powell named the members of the advisory search committee yesterday. The committee will recommend a list of potential candidates, without ranking them, for the board to consider. The next president of UT Arlington will succeed President James Spaniolo, who in June announced his intention to leave the top post once his successor is in place.

In 2011, Dr. Calhoun also served on the board of regents’ search committee that recommended candidates for president of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

LONGVIEW — Next week, Gregg County will adopt its 2012-2013 budget, including a quarter-cent tax rate decrease. Despite that, revenue will go up by about $480,000. Officials tell KETK higher property values and new construction are responsible for the extra money.

TYLER — It was always a bit of a long shot. But one local doctor-owned hospital decided to take on the new health care law and its restrictions on facilities like theirs. KETK reports Texas Spine and Joint Hospital was in the midst of a $22 million expansion when the Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare, was passed. It restricted hospitals owned by doctors, who take Medicare and Medicaid money, from expanding beyond a certain point. The feeling is, such facilities have a vested interest in ratcheting up the bill for treatment.

Now, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the hospital should have used the standard procedure for challenging a Medicare rule. That involves finishing your expansion, treating your first patient, being denied reimbursement, and then challenging the rule. The expansion continues within the rules allowed by the healthcare law, and the hospital’s owners have some decisions to make. They could ask the 5th Circuit for a review by the entire 5th Circuit, not just one panel. Or they could appeal directly to the Supreme Court.

TYLER – A 35-year-old Zwolle, Louisiana man has pleaded guilty in Tyler Federal Court to drug trafficking charges. Kinte Vanness Garner pleaded guilty Tuesday in Tyler to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of methamphetamine before U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith K. Guthrie. According to federal prosecutors, up until September 2011, Garner conspired with another person to acquire and distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine throughout the Tyler area. A federal grand jury returned an indictment on Oct. 5, 2011, charging Garner with federal violations. Garner faces a minimum of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not been set.

SMITH COUNTY — Officials with the Jackson Water Supply Corporation in eastern Smith County say a boil water notice issued last week is still in effect. The affected area is South of Hwy. 31 East and North of CR 223. You can go to http://www.jacksonwatersupply.com/ to keep up to date.

TYLER — Residents had another chance to weigh in on the city of Tyler’s proposed budget during today’s City Council meeting. As part of the proposed 2012-13 budget, Tyler is planning to decrease its property tax rate by $.0012, to 20.77 cents per $100 valuation. A hearing was held at 9:00 this morning. Another hearing and final adoption of the budget are scheduled for September 12.

MARSHALL — A 54-year-old former Gilmer man, now living in Tyler, has been sentenced to federal prison for child pornography violations in East Texas. Patrick Edward Wornick pleaded guilty on June 1 to possession of child pornography and was sentenced to 80 months in federal prison on Aug. 20. Wornick was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,000.

According to information presented in court, on October 6, 2011, law enforcement officers executed a federal search warrant at Wornick’s Gilmer residence for suspected child pornography after images were reported to being uploaded to an internet website from Wornick’s internet provider address. During the investigation, Wornick admitted to downloading child pornography and subsequently gave permission for the search of his computer. A forensic analysis revealed 600 images of child pornography, some of which depicted prepubescent minors under 12 years of age engaged in sadistic or masochistic conduct.

TYLER (AP/STAFF) – Investigators say a tire blowout caused an overloaded SUV to crash in East Texas, killing two boys and three girls. Department of Public Safety trooper Jean Dark says three other children and two adults were hurt in the single-vehicle rollover Monday near Van. One adult and one child were uninjured in the crash.

The SUV was being driven by Federico Acuna, 35, of Marshall. Acuna lost control of the GMC Envoy, which rolled several times before stopping on its top. Investigators say the SUV did not have child safety seats and that nine of the children were ejected from the vehicle. Because the children were not restrained, the driver, who lost two daughters, two nieces and a nephew in the wreck, could be charged with five counts of criminal negligent homicide.

DPS identified the children who died as: Rosvaelia Jaimes, 13; Omar Jaimes, 7; Saideth Acuna6; Ulisa Acuna, 3 and Urit Jaimes, 2. All were from Marshall. They were reportedly on their way to Splash Kingdom waterpark.

LUFKIN — The Lufkin Daily News is reporting that a 10-year-old boy was taken by helicopter to a Houston hospital after being hit by a truck while riding his bicycle Monday afternoon on Atkinson Drive. The accident happened around 4:45 p.m. Monday when the boy crossed Atkinson Drive at Trenton Avenue on his bicycle and was struck by an ABC Auto Parts truck driven by Misty Haffner, 31, of Lufkin. According to the Lufkin Daily News and KETK, an emergency room nurse who witnessed the accident said she saw Haffner attempt to stop. She estimated the truck was going around 40-45 mph. Lufkin Police and Fire blocked Atkinson Drive to allow a medical helicopter to land.

The boy was then moved from an ambulance into the helicopter by his flight nurses and airlifted to Memorial Hermann in Houston with a possible head injury, according to his father. Haffner was arrested on an unrelated warrant.

TYLER — Tyler school trustees have decided not to put a bond issue on the November ballot. Instead, they are looking at next May to present the issue to voters. The action came Monday at a special session of the school board. Interim Superintendent Gary Mooring says the board has had a tough time coming to a conclusion on how to proceed and when to call a bond election. Mooring tells KTBB the trustees want to make the right decision at the right time for the community — and that they need more time to do it.

Grassroots America – We the People board member and Chairman of the Tyler ISD Watchdog Committee Rick Eisenbach applauded the school board’s action. He told school trustees, “The economic climate in which we live today makes it ever more difficult for people to vote for more debt.” He said there are too many things to be considered before voting on a bond election. “Until the Board puts forth a bold, decisive plan to deal with the recent failing ratings of the two high schools, addresses a new academic covenant with the community, and faces the discipline problems head-on to give teachers relief, we cannot give a favorable nod to a bond election of any kind.”

JoAnn Fleming, Executive Director of Grassroots America – We The People, told school trustees there are five ways the district’s long-range plan is incomplete. She said these matters should be addressed before a bond election is called. According to Fleming:

1. Prove up cost estimates. Construction costs per square foot are too high when compared to other school construction projects in Texas. Rethink adding “bells and whistles” that drive up costs.

2. Clarify the district’s timeline for redrawing attendance zones. Parents deserve to know where children will attend school before they vote to approve a plan.

3. Prove up and justify proposed new academic delivery system. Dr. Reid’s plan to create fifth- and sixth-grade centers should be backed up with evidence demonstrating that such a plan has measurably improved academic success where this plan has been implemented.

4. Prove up and justify estimated reduced annual operating costs in the proposed plan with detailed itemized cost centers for each facility and the district as a whole.

5. Address why TISD has abandoned portions of its 2001 Covenant with the Community regarding academics. The document, which was compiled after months of study by all three presidents of local higher education institutions (TJC, UT-Tyler, and TX College) was intended to dramatically raise the bar and produce measurable improvements in academics.

TYLER — A Louisiana woman is facing up to life in prison after pleading guilty to robbing the Regions Bank on Tyler’s South Southeast Loop in March. Vanessa Ashley Ashford, 28, of Shreveport, entered her plea Monday in an appearance in 241st State District Court. She decided to let a jury decide her punishment.

The bank was robbed by a woman with a large knife. Witnesses were able to get a partial license plate of the woman’s car. Tyler Police Officers responding to the area located a black Chevrolet Impala at University/Lazy Creek in Tyler and initiated a traffic stop. The officers found a bag full of money and an exploded die pack in the trunk of the woman’s car.

After she was arrested for the Regions Bank robbery, she admitted to officers she also robbed the Telco Credit Union on West Front Street in Tyler back on February 29th.

LONGVIEW — A Longview man has been charged with the sexual assault of a teenage girl. Arrested was James Darwin Vance, 31. The 13 year old girl was found walking along a Gregg County road early Friday morning. She told a motorist who stopped to help her that she wanted to be taken to the police station. The victim claimed that she told her mother that Vance had assaulted her, but the mother didn’t believe her. The girl was taken to Good Shepherd Medical Center for an exam.

In an interview with authorities on Sunday, Vance has said the sex was consensual. Following an investigation, Vance was booked into the Gregg County Jail. His bond was set at $100,000.

TYLER — A Winnsboro woman has been sentenced to federal prison for bank fraud. Mellissa Kay Morris, 48, pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. She was sentenced yesterday in Tyler to 27 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Schneider. Morris was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $108,101.28.

According to federal prosecutors, while employed as assistant manager of Pioneer Credit Company in Mt. Pleasant, Morris devised a scheme in which she fraudulently created new loan applications for customers who did not have active loans. Morris used the customer’s name, social security number and other identifying information to create the loan application. Morris would them approve the loan, issue a check in the name of the customer on Pioneer’s account, sign the check on behalf of Pioneer and then forge the signature of the customer on the check. Morris then used those funds for her personal gain. This fraudulent activity resulted in a financial loss of at least $200,000.

TYLER — A Carthage woman has been sentenced in federal court in Tyler to prison for drug violations. Christine Stephens Carroll, 31, pleaded guilty in February to possession of pseudoephedrine with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine. She was sentenced yesterday to 71 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Schneider.

Federal prosecutors say on October 22, 2008, Carroll purchased cold pills containing 2.40 grams of pseudoephedrine from a Brookshire Brothers store in Carthage. Carroll also admitted to purchasing cold pills on 64 different occasions from October 22, 2008 to April 15, 2010, which amounted to approximately 137.78 grams of pseudoephedrine, with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine. Carroll was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 6, 2011 along with three co-defendants.

Carroll’s husband, Billy Glenn Carroll, was sentenced to 100 months in federal prison on June 1, 2012. Roy Daniel Tatum was sentenced to 115 months in federal prison on March 29, 2012. Officials say charges are still pending against the fourth defendant, Dean Allen Tucker.