KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TEXARKANA (AP) — A service will be held Wednesday for a Texas police officer who died after being hit by a truck during a disturbance at a park. Texarkana police say a suspect was being held Sunday over the death of Officer William Sprague. Sprague was hurt early Friday responding to a call of about fights that broke out as about 100 people were at Grady T. Wallace Park. Police later arrested a man on a charge of aggravated assault of a public servant. The charge could be upgraded due to Saturday’s death of Sprague. Visitation will be Tuesday from 5:00 to 8:00pm at First Baptist Church of Texarkana. Sprague’s funeral will be at 10:00am Wednesday at the same church. Burial will be at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Malvern, Arkansas.

HENDERSON — A two vehicle accident in Rusk County has killed one person. Killed in the wreck around 12:30 Sunday morning was Mario Aguilar, 22, of Henderson. The Department of Public Safety reports Aguilar was southbound when he veered into the northbound lane and hit a truck and trailer. The accident happened on U.S. Highway 79, about two miles south of Henderson.

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 continue edge work on Interstate Highway 20 between State Highway 155 and State Highway 271. A second crew is scheduled to perform ditch maintenance in various locations on Farm Road 346 between Farm Road 756 (Paluxy Drive) and U.S. Highway 69. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two-lane areas. Continue reading TxDOT Project Updates

TYLER — A man and a woman, accused of trying to hit a Smith County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Sergeant with their vehicle, are in custody following a five mile, high-speed chase. Arrested was the driver, Alan Dale Crouch, 42, and his passenger, Amber Roxanne Johnson, 31. Continue reading Smith County Chase Leads to Two Arrests

LONGVIEW — A Longview shooting has left one person injured. It happened around noon Sunday in the 600 Block of Owings Avenue. According to the Longview News-Journal. The injured man is hospitalized with a gunshot wound to his body. Officers have detained two suspects, including one who fled the scene, for questioning. The investigation continues.

TYLER — A shooting on Eastside Drive has left a dad dead just before Father’s Day and his son charged with murder. Killed was Steven Lacey White, 62. James Jason White, 40, has been booked into the Smith County Jail. Bond was set at $500,000. Continue reading Smith County Man Charged with Murder

TYLER — Tyler’s Salvation Army has announced some cutbacks in the wake of dropping financial donations. Because of money being sent elsewhere, like donations being made to the Oklahoma tornado victims, the Salvation Army in Tyler is cutting some programs in an effort to help as many people as possible. Major Ben Lawrence says they are cutting the noon meal, starting on Monday. He also said they are cutting the hours at the Center for Hope during the day, which means loosing a full time employee, and they are limited on rent and utility assistance. If you’d like to help, donations can be mailed to P.O. Box 2050 Tyler, TX 75710, or they can be made online by going to http://www.salvationarmytyler.org and clicking on the “Yes” button.

LONGVIEW — The term interim is being dropped from the title for Longview school superintendent James Wilcox. The district re-hired Wilcox last year, saying he would aid the district in the search for a permanent replacement. District spokesman Adam Holland tells the Longview News-Journal, while there is not an active superintendent search, Wilcox will continue to review possible candidates. School board president Ted Beard said there was no timeline for hiring a full-time superintendent.

NACOGDOCHES — A Nacogdoches man is in custody on child endangerment charges. Arrested was Dennis Wade Broussard, 29. KETK reports Child Protective Services told authorities about a complaint of a man forcing a child to smoke synthetic marijuana. After interviewing numerous witnesses, a warrant was issued for Broussard’s arrest. He was arrested at his home Friday evening.

TYLER — Endocrinologist Christina Bratcher, MD, has joined UT Health Northeast. As an endocrinologist, she specializes in diagnosing and treating hormone imbalances that occur in diseases such as diabetes, osteoporosis, and thyroid disorders. Before coming to Tyler, Dr. Bratcher was a diabetes specialist at Diabetes America in Plano, where she had also served as director of clinical research. She has been an assistant professor of clinical medicine at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans. Continue reading New Doctor at UT Health Northeast

TYLER — The investigation is continuing today into a shooting at a Tyler motel that has left one person dead. Police received a call to the American Inn Motel, 1800 West Erwin just before 7:00 Saturday morning. They found a man dead inside room 218. The initial report was it appeared as if he had been shot once. According to Sgt. Robert Phillips, no identification is being released pending positive ID of the victim and next of kin notification. Since they are in the early stage of the investigation, additional information will be released when available.

LONGVIEW — The Gregg County Sheriff’s office has released the autopsy report in the death of county jail inmate Bobby Joe Madewell Jr. The 51 year old Madewell died at Good Shepherd Medical Center in March. He was rushed to the hospital after became unconscious after jailers used a stun gun to subdue him. The autopsy report said Madewell died of excited delirium and restraint. The report also said he suffered from vascular disease and had other health issues.

LONGVIEW — A Longview man has been taken into custody after authorities say he assaulted his wife from the roof of their car as it drove to Longview from Lakport. Charles Taylor Carroll, 23, was arrested by Gregg County sheriff’s deputies at Zippy J’s in the 4800 block of Estes Parkway. He is being held under suspicion of assault family violence with a previous conviction. His bond was set at $25,000.

HENDERSON — The boil water notice for Henderson has been lifted. The order was issued Thursday after construction ruptured a water mail. The boil water notice was lifted around 4:15 Friday afternoon. It was lifted after a Kilgore lab reported it found no harmful bacteria in the water.

RUSK — The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office says it has resolved some phone problems that developed Friday. Officials say Verizon went to work on the issue and got everything back up to speed. KETK reports 911 lines continued working the entire time, and a backup number was provided for non-life-threatening situations.

TYLER — A driver crashed her car into a house in Tyler and officials are still trying to determine what caused the woman to veer off the road. The accident happened at the corner of Richmond Road and Timberwilde around 2:00 Friday afternoon.There were reportedly no injuries involved.

TYLER — According to TxTag, this goes back to December of 2012. Disabled veterans, and those who were awarded the Purple Heart or Medal of Honor, are supposed to be allowed to ride on toll roads for free. But some vets got bills in the mail for traveling on Toll 49 that would prove otherwise. “All the vets that were traveling have gotten a bill,” said retired veteran Billy Hearon. “Disabled vets get to ride these toll ways for free, so I took advantage of it and then I got this bill in the mail.” Continue reading Officials Work on Free Pass for Veterans on Toll 49

NACOGDOCHES — An East Texan is behind bars after a bizarre crash. KETK reports it happened last weekend in Nacogdoches County along Farm Road 1878 and County Road 228. State troopers say Shari Kamile Brandon tried drowning her daughter in a creek after a crashing into a motorcyclist. After the crash, Brandon grabbed her daughter from the car and jumped into a nearby creek. Troopers say while Brandon and her daughter were in the creek, she tried drowning her daughter. The girl says she played dead and survived. Brandon’s charged with attempted capital murder.

TYLER — As part of the Tyler 1st comprehensive planning process, the City of Tyler is seeking input from residents about Tyler’s business environment and the economy. Residents may provide input in two ways:

· By going to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YFSXZBB or http://www.Tyler1st.com to complete an online survey. You may also use the second link to get more information on Tyler 1st or to view the original Tyler 21 plan.

· By attending a Public Open House from 5:30 to 7:00pm on June 27 at Harvey Convention Center, 2000 W. Front St. Continue reading City Seeking Input on Business and Economy

HENDERSON — Henderson residents are being warned to boil their water before consuming it. That’s the word from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The boil water notice is for everyone south and west of highway 79 north and Highway 64. The problem stems from construction that ruptured a water main. Continue reading Boil Water Order for Henderson

LOVELADY (AP) — Investigators say a fiery head-on traffic accident in East Texas has left three people dead. The Department of Public Safety says positive identification is pending on two victims of the accident just south of Lovelady. Trooper Heith White identified the third victim of yesterday morning’s crash as Deirdre Lester, 59, of Lovelady.

PALESTINE — The Palestine city manager is heading to Wills Point where he will be city manager. Mike Ohrt announced yesterday that he will stay on the job through July 12. Ohrt has been with the city for 10 years. He was named interim city manager in October, 2010. The word “interim” was dropped from the title in February 2011.

TEXARKANA (AP) — The Texas man whose wife is accused of sending ricin-laced letters to President Barack Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg in an attempt to frame him says the experience has been “like a really bad dream.” Nathan Richardson of New Boston told the Texarkana Gazette that he’s now questioning “everything” about his pregnant wife, even the paternity of the child she’s carrying.

Shannon Richardson was arrested last Friday and charged with mailing a threatening communication to the president. Authorities allege she was trying to make it appear the letters were sent by her husband. Nathan Richardson, a 33-year-old Army veteran, filed for divorce last Thursday. He told the Gazette he contemplated divorce last year but, until a few weeks ago, thought the couple had patched things up.

TYLER — The Tyler Police Department is seeking the whereabouts of Tracy Todd Smith, 45, who is a registered sex offender in Tyler. Smith appeared Wednesday in Judge Kerry Russell’s court for a hearing on a 2nd degree felony charge, “fail to comply with sex offender registration life/annually.” Court proceedings ended with testimony during the morning session. When court convened for the afternoon session, Smith failed to return to court, according to officials. The jury convicted Smith of the offense, and Russell issued a bond forfeiture warrant on Smith.

Anyone with information about this or any felony may contact Tyler-Smith County Crimestoppers at 903-597-CUFF (903-597-2833). Tyler-Smith County Crimestoppers will pay a reward of up to $1,000 for information that leads to arrests and charges filed against the suspects in this case or any felony case.

ARP — An Overton woman died in a one-vehicle crash that occurred five miles west of Arp, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Officials say Tanya Marie Ratcliff, 22, was driving east on Texas 64 shortly before 10:15 Wednesday night when her car ran off the road and overturned. Ratcliff was pronounced dead at the scene.

DALLAS — A reward of up to $10,000 is being offered for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the “Loan Ranger Bandit.” He’s believed responsible for ten bank robberies in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Texas, dating to January 2009, including two in Tyler. The FBI and local police in those three states are involved in the hunt. During the robberies, the armed man, who does not attempt to disguise his face, displayed a note demanding 20s, 50s and 100s and received an undisclosed amount of money. To date, no one has been physically harmed. Continue reading $10,000 Reward Announced for Capture of “Loan Ranger Bandit”

LONGVIEW — A Longview man was fined and jailed Wednesday on animal cruelty charges in connection with the seizure last week of an emaciated horse found wandering near Eastman Road. That’s according to KETK and the Longview News-Journal. Brian Fite appeared before Judge Arthur Fort during a hearing to decide whether Fite’s paint stallion would remain at Safe Haven Equine Rescue or be returned to its owner. Continue reading Man Fined, Jailed on Animal Cruelty Charges

EAST TEXAS — Expect the opposition to grow this summer to plans to build the Keystone XL Pipeline through East Texas. Several environmental groups say more than 62,000 people have volunteered to be arrested if necessary, in what activist Becky Bond calls the biggest burst of civil disobedience ever to drive home opposition to the pipeline. Bond says, “To be clear, our goal is not to get arrested; our goal is to stop the Keystone XL Pipeline by showing enough opposition to Keystone XL that President Obama will reject it.” Actress Darryl Hannah has already been arrested for blocking construction equipment in East Texas. Bond says the President has to get the message that the pipeline will contribute to global warming.

HAZLEHURST, MISS. (AP) – Long-missing suspect Linda Gale Reed will be arraigned Friday in Mississippi in an East Texas-linked case. She’ll go before Copiah County Circuit Judge Lamar Pickard on three counts of embezzlement. Reed was served with an indictment June 7 at the county jail. The court hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday in Hazlehurst. The 65-year-old Reed was reported missing in April of 2012. Her status changed from missing to wanted for embezzlement on October 15, 2012. Authorities say Reed allegedly embezzled $20,000 from her Mississippi employer, Moore’s Fabrications. She had worked for the company since 1999. They say an accountant found the money missing from petty cash fund. Her family searched for her for nearly five months before she was found in Longview, Texas. She was working as a bookkeeper under her own name.

TYLER — 26-year-old Marcus Allen Edmiston of Smith County has been arrested by the Smith County Sheriff’s Office. He’s accused of breaking into a home off south FM 756 in the early morning hours of June 11 and sexually assaulting a minor female. Edmiston was taken into custody at approximately 8:00 Wednesday evening subsequent to an arrest warrant being issued by State District Judge Christi Kennedy. Judge Kennedy has set bond on Edmiston at $750,000 on the charge of Burglary of a Habitation with Intent to Commit Sexual Assault. Additional charges may be filed pending the ongoing investigation. Edmiston remains in custody at the Smith County Jail at this time. Continue reading Man Charged in Smith County Burglary and Sex Assault