KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER (AP) – A 1941 Pearl Harbor victim’s Purple Heart found along a California road has been returned to his East Texas family thanks to a teacher and his students. Ken Hooper is a history and archives instructor at Bakersfield High School in Bakersfield, Calif. Hooper was on hand Tuesday in Tyler for the presentation to survivors of Robert Bates. Kris Wilson of Edom says the medal will help her uncle’s memory live on. Relatives say the USS Arizona sailor’s Purple Heart was likely given to his mother but lost after she died in 1945. The medal was found last month by a trucker near a Veterans of Foreign War Post in Bakersfield. Hooper’s students doing computer research also learned some casualty lists wrongly spelled Robert Bates’ first name – as Tobert.

CADDO PARISH, LA. — A Minden, La., man is jailed for allegedly selling bogus newspaper ads in Louisiana and East Texas. According to Caddo Parish Sheriff Steve Prator, David Dix, 61, went to several businesses in Louisiana and told them he worked for a local newspaper. He then reportedly sold ads and told workers they would appear in the June edition of the paper. When the ads did not appear, businesses contacted the paper and discovered they had been duped by Dix, according to authorities. Some of the businesses reportedly used checks to pay the suspect. In turn, he allegedly altered the checks by adding his name and is accused of cashing them for his own personal use.

KETK reports Dix was booked into Caddo Correctional Center on two counts of theft and one count of forgery. His bond was set at $75,000. The accused thief was brought to CCC from Desoto Parish, Louisiana, where he was being held on similar charges. He is awaiting transfer to other jurisdictions including Bossier, Claiborne, Jackson, and Bienville parishes, and Harrison County, Texas.

BEAUMONT – A 62-year-old Diboll woman has pleaded guilty to theft of federal funds. Melva Darlene Blakemore pleaded guilty to an Information charging her with theft of federal funds on Tuesday in Beaumont before U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone.

According to information presented in court, in May of 2008, while Blakemore was employed as a Senior Investigator with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, she advised a woman receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance that she had been overpaid $2,520 on her Lone Star Card. Blakemore told the woman that if she did not repay the money, she would be indicted and prosecuted. Blakemore also advised the woman that if the money was paid in cash, with no receipt expected, Blakemore would send the money to someone she knew in Austin and that no charges would be filed.

The woman contacted local authorities who were able to observe her meeting Blakemore in a Nacogdoches parking lot. Blakemore left the parking lot and drove away with the money before stopping to deposit a portion of it into her bank account. The remainder of the money was found in her vehicle. Blakemore faces up to 10 years in federal prison and restitution of up to $31,008. A sentencing date has not been set.

TYLER — The upcoming city council election in Tyler has been canceled. KETK reports that’s because all the candidates are unopposed. This won’t affect any other local elections, including the Tyler ISD bond election, which is scheduled for May 11.

TYLER — The John Tyler High School principal has been placed on administrative leave, according to Tyler ISD. KETK reports an interim principal has been named, but details are limited at this time. According to a statement from TISD, “John Tyler High School Principal Michael Timms is on administrative leave. As this is a personnel matter, state law limits the amount and nature of the information that can be shared at this time. Joe Coburn, director of secondary instruction, is currently serving as the interim principal at John Tyler High School. Tyler ISD wants to assure parents and the community that school has continued to operate without disruption.”

TYLER — Authorities say two Kansas men were arrested Friday by federal investigators for involvement in a multi-state dog fighting ring, including dog fights near Tyler. Saturday, according to KETK, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office was asked to help with the investigation by the FBI and the Texas Department of Public Safety. Pete Davis, Jr., 38, (pictured) and Melvin Robinson, 41, both of Kansas City, Kansas, were charged with one count of buying, selling and delivering dogs for participation in an animal fighting ring. The complaint says Davis and Robinson had as many as 60 dogs, mostly pit bulls, that they trained and took to dog fights. Officials say the dogs were kept at a farm in Harrison County, Missouri, and the suspects’ homes in Kansas City. The animals were reportedly taken to fights as far away as Dallas.

An FBI investigation that began in November 2012 allegedly revealed Robinson placed harnesses on dogs and chained them to a treadmill for several hours at a time to train them. Authorities say the treadmill was equipped with a plywood box to keep the dogs on the machine. Weights were also put on the dogs to strengthen them and there were caged live chickens in front of the treadmill as bait, according to officials. During the probe, law enforcement reportedly discovered dogs were killed during training and fighting and their bodies were thrown away.

On Sunday, March 17, the suspects reportedly held three dog fights involving six dogs at the farm in Missouri to prepare for a fight in Dallas. Robinson and Davis allegedly planned on betting $20,000 to $30,000 on a dog they were training for the fight scheduled for March 23. The fights are reportedly known as “dog shows.” After the dogs were collected by authorities, the ASPCA agreed to house and care for the animals.

LONGVIEW — Even as a lawsuit is contemplated in the death of a Gregg County Jail inmate last week, preliminary autopsy results have been released — and the report says, “There are no signs of notable trauma or foul play.” Tarrant County Deputy Chief Medical Medical Examiner Dr. Marc A. Krouse issued the report on Bobby Madewell Jr., 51. He says provisional pathologic findings include the following:

1. Superficlal blunt force injuries of head, face, torso and extremities; no internal injuries
2. Moderately severe single vessel coronary atherosclerosis
3. Hepatic steatosis with early cirrhosis
4. Mild nephrosclerosis
5. History of collapse following application of Taser (or similar device) and administration of haloperidol

Krouse says the cause of death is “pending follow up laboratory examinations and microscopic examination”; the manner of death listed as “pending.” Krouse adds, “Toxicology screens, laboratory testing (tryptase) and microscopic slide preparation have been ordered.”

LONGVIEW — The mother of a man who died this past week in Gregg County Jail custody has hired the attorney who successfully sued the county in the 2010 death of another inmate. That’s according to KETK and the Longview News-Journal. Jarom Tefteller, hired by Betty Madewell to represent her and and her son’s estate, said Monday his first task would be finding out more about what happened to Bobby Madewell. Officials have said Madewell died early Thursday at Good Shepherd Medical Center, where he was taken after jail staff subdued him with a stun gun.

“We need to get more information before we start accusing anyone,” Tefteller said. “If that leads me to believe they did something wrong, I don’t have a problem going to federal court and taking this case to a jury.” Tefteller was prepared to do that when he represented the family of Amy Lynn Cowling in a wrongful death lawsuit against Gregg County, which ended ended earlier this year with a $1.9 million out-of-court settlement. That lawsuit claimed Cowling died after being denied prescription medicines, including Xanax.

Betty Madewell said this past week that jail staff knew her son had a prescription for Xanax but would not give it to him because the anti-anxiety drug is not on the jail’s list of approved medicines. Bobby Madewell had become “erratic and extremely violent” when jail staff used a stun gun to subdue and restrain him, Sheriff Maxey Cerliano said Thursday in a prepared statement. The case remains under investigation.

TYLER — Two businesses were impacted by a fire at a Tyler gas station late Tuesday night. Tyler fire officials tell KETK, the fire broke out just before 11:00 at the Exxon station near the intersection of West Front St. and South Palance Ave. According to KETK, five engines and one Ladder Company, along with a district chief and an investigator, responded to the scene. The fire was in a 10×12 storage building outside the station. The storage building was destroyed, amounting to at least $400 in damage.

The residual heat from the fire also damaged another nearby business, Robertson Automotive. There were no injuries involved, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation. A store employee reported seeing someone around the structure minutes before the fire. Fire Investigators are interviewing witnesses and will continue to review area surveillance videos to help determine the cause of the blaze.

TYLER – A 34-year-old Tyler man has been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking crimes. Marco Aguilera pleaded guilty on September 4, 2012, to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. He was sentenced Tuesday in Tyler to 40 months for the drug conviction and 60 months for the firearms conviction. U.S. District Judge Michael H. Schneider ordered the sentences to be served consecutively for a total of 100 months in federal prison.

According to information presented in court, in March 2012, Aguilera possessed and distributed methamphetamine in a Tyler apartment. He admitted to conspiring with others to distribute more than 150 grams of methamphetamine in the Tyler area. A federal grand jury returned an indictment on April 11, 2012 charging Aguilera with federal drug trafficking violations.

TYLER – Two North Carolina women have been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas. Chelsea Elizabeth McDowell, 27, of Hickory, NC, and Sandra Christilov Sylvester, (pictured) 41, of Lawndale, NC, pleaded guilty in November 2012 to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. McDowell was sentenced to 54 months in federal prison and Sylvester to 66 months in federal prison yesterday in Tyler by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Schneider.

According to federal authorities, up until January 29, 2011, McDowell and Sylvester conspired with others to assist in transporting methamphetamine and money obtained from selling drugs to East Texas. During that time, both women were arrested in the Eastern District of Texas for possessing methamphetamine. They each admitted to being responsible for distributing methamphetamine through East Texas to Atlanta, Georgia. A federal indictment was returned on April 11, 2012, charging them with federal drug crimes.

TYLER — Cyclists who want to ride on Loop 49 have received mixed news. The Northeast Texas Regional Mobility Authority says cyclists will be allowed on Toll 49 from Highway 110 South, near Whitehouse, to Highway 155 South, near Noonday. However, they are banned from other parts of the toll road. But KETK reports, in order to ride on Loop 49, cyclists must raise $60,000 for striping and signage. And they need to raise that money by July

ALTO — The Alto police officer who was involved in the shooting death of James Eric Griffin, 48, in January will not be charged by authorities. KETK reports Smith’s case case received a “no bill” from a Cherokee County Grand Jury. The Texas Rangers concluded their investigation in this case, and the Grand Jury reviewed evidence including surveillance video, crime scene photographs, forensic evidence and autopsy results, and concluded that officer Smith did not break any laws. According to Alto police, Smith is not yet back on duty. He will return to the Alto police department for duty pending police Chief Jeremy Jackson’s approval.

At around 4:40pm on Wednesday, January 13, authorities were dispatched the scene of an officer-involved shooting in Alto on Highway 69. An alleged thief, identified as James Eric Griffin, 48, attempted to rob the Pick N’ Go convenience store of cigarettes. The convenience store worker said he called 911 because Griffin had machete. According to the Department of Public Safety, Griffin allegedly charged an Alto officer with a machete in the 200 block of Highway 69 after leaving the store. The officer then shot Griffin as he was being rushed. Sergeant Troy Ansley of the Alto Police Department stated, “Our hearts and prayers go out to the family of the lost. It is time for our community to pull back together and work with one another.”

LINDALE — A big tenant is setting up shop in Lindale. The Lindale Economic Development Corporation sold more than 17 acres of its industrial park to Tyler’s’s FedEx ground office. Construction’s already underway for the 163,000-square-foot distribution center. FedEx says it makes more sense to have a location closer to Interstate 20. Tyler currently has two smaller distribution centers, but they’ll be consolidated at the Lindale location. No jobs will be lost in the process. According to FedEx, when the new facility opens, positions will transfer from existing stations in Tyler. The company says it could even add workers if needed to meet the high demand in the region. The facility is expected to be working by June or July, 2014.

HOUSTON (AP) – A Texas prisoner who got 10 years for a Nacogdoches County burglary has won a federal appeals court ruling that allows him to appeal an additional 25-year sentence for having a prohibited cell phone in his prison cell. Kenneth Richards, 45, argued his appeal to a federal district was within a required one-year time period but Texas prison officials didn’t mail it quickly enough. By the time it got to court in 2011, the time limit had passed and a judge refused it. But the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed Tuesday with Richards, who contends the timing of appeals filed by inmates themselves is based on when they’re delivered to prison authorities, not when they’re received by the court. Richards’ burglary conviction was his fourth.

NACOGDOCHES — Two women were caught on a home surveillance system burglarizing a house in Nacogdoches County. Nacogdoches law enforcement tells KETK the burglary happened on January 11th in the western part of Nacogdoches County. The women forcibly entered the house during the day, but the house was equipped with a camera that caught the women in the act. Officials are now trying to identify the women involved.

If you have any information on the identities of these suspects, call Crime Stoppers at 560-INFO (4636), hit the SUBMIT A TIP icon on the Crime Stoppers Facebook page, or go to http://www.ncstips.com to send a tip on the web. All information is confidential, and you never have to give your name. If the information you give results in an arrest or grand jury indictment, you could be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000.

WHITE OAK — If you live in the White Oak area and weren’t in the dark early Tuesday morning, you were one of the lucky few. SWEPCO told KETK a crash is what caused about 4,000 people to be in the dark. Workers got busy, though, and by early afternoon, SWEPCO was reporting all power had been restored.

TYLER — Starting Monday, April 1, Smith County citizens will have the opportunity to bring trash and bulky items to the Greenwood Farms Landfill for free. The Smith County Environmental Crimes Unit, Precinct Constables, and the Smith County Commissioners Court are working together to host the 2013 Smith County Wide Clean Up event April 1 – 14. During the two-week period, the County will provide vouchers to the public that are good for up to three cubic yards of trash and bulky items per person – the equivalent of about a full-sized truck bed. Vouchers are available to pick up at all Justice of the Peace and Constable Precinct offices or the Smith County Courthouse Annex, suite 100.

There is a limit of one voucher per household, and businesses may not participate in the voucher program. The vouchers are valid Monday-Friday, 6:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., and on Saturday 6:30 a.m. to noon. The vouchers come with a list of items that the Greenwood Farms Landfill, an Allied Waste Company, will not take. Directions and a map to the Greenwood Farms Landfill are provided with the vouchers. “Manager Zach Briscoe of Greenwood Farms provides us with services every year to make the County Wide Clean-up event possible. We could not do this without their generosity,” Smith County Environmental Crimes Officer Tommy Goodman said.

Items not accepted during the Countywide Clean Up include hazardous waste, pesticides, herbicides, solvents, gasoline, oils, paint, acid, batteries, asbestos, Freon, whole tires, refrigerators, freezers, televisions and computers. For more information or to pick up your voucher, please call: Constable Pct. 1 (Tyler) at 903-590-2609; Constable Pct. 2 (Noonday) at 903-590-4840; Constable Pct. 3 (Troup) at 903-590-4744; Constable Pct. 4 (Winona) at 903-590-4879 or Constable Pct. 5 (Lindale) at 903-590-4901.

AUSTIN — A Tyler man is one of two persons appointed by the governor to the Texas Transportation Commission. for terms to expire February 1, 2019. The commission oversees the Texas Department of Transportation.

Named to the panel, subject to Senate confirmation, is Jeff Austin III of Tyler. Austin is vice chairman of Austin Bank Texas N.A. in Jacksonville. He is also a board member of First State Bank in Athens and Capital Bank in Houston, and past president of First State Bank in Frankston. He is a member of the American Bankers Association Government Relations Committee and Bank CEO Network, and past board member and past chairman of the Texas Bankers Association. He is a member of The University of Texas at Tyler Health Center Development Board, presiding officer of the North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority, and a board member and past president of the East Texas Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Austin received a bachelor’s degree and Master of Business Administration from The University of Texas at Tyler, and is a graduate of the Southern Methodist University Southwestern Graduate and Intermediate schools of Banking and Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program.

Also named to the panel is Arlington attorney, businessman, former franchised automobile dealer, and past vice president of Van Tuyl Group, Victor Vandergrif.

VAN ZANDT COUNTY — A man has been arraigned in a Van Zandt County shooting that left his wife dead and her boyfriend critically wounded. Larry Michael Maples, 34, of Ben Wheeler, is held without bond on a capital murder charge. Bond was set at $100,000 on a second-degree felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The incident happened around 6:00 Sunday morning at 2642 Farm Road 26, west of Canton.

LUFKIN — A Lufkin man has been accused of sexually assaulting an 8-month baby boy. The incident is said to have occurred last Friday. Booked into the Angelina County Jail was Randy Lee Casper, 37. He was charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child. Bond was set at $10,000.

TYLER — Tyler Police are looking for the suspect that robbed the Food Fast at 4201 University Boulevard, and they released video of the incident Monday. It happened just before 4:30 Sunday morning. The clerk told officers that he was taking out the trash when he was approached by an unknown black male with a handgun. The clerk was reportedly ordered back into the store where the suspect took an undisclosed amount of cash and fled in an unknown direction. The clerk was not injured.

The suspect is described as 6’0 and thin, wearing a red hoodie, dark pants, red shoes and a black backpack. Anyone with information is asked to contact Tyler Police.

TYLER — The League of Women Voters held a public discussion of the proposed TISD bond issue Monday evening. Opponents keyed on discipline and academic concerns, saying those need to be dealt with before money is spent on facilities. Supporters of the bond proposal said aging facilities need to be addressed — and that a proposed career and tech center will be a great addition. Attendees had an opportunity to weigh in during a question-and-answer session. Voters will decide May 11 whether to move forward with three new middle schools, two renovated elementary schools, and the career/technology center.

JACKSONVILLE — Lon Morris College may get more cash to pay its creditors. KETK reports mineral interests acquired by the college in several states were sold for more than $1.3 million. Attorney Hugh Ray III says the interests were originally valued at $300,000 but the school’s chief restructuring officer was able to market them for more money. If the sale is approved this week, the bank will get more than $1 million, and the college will get more than $300,000 to pay its creditors.

GLADEWATER — An East Texas war hero for whom a stretch of U.S. Highway 80 may soon be named was honored Saturday at the Gladewater Memorial Cemetery to mark Medal of Honor Day. According to KETK, Master Sgt. Travis E. Watkins, who died near Yongsan while defending his unit during the Korean War, is the only known Medal of Honor recipient buried in Northeast Texas. The ceremony included a proclamation by Gladewater’s mayor and the reading of Watkins’ citation for the Medal of Honor. State Rep. David Simpson, R-Longview, has filed a bill in Texas House to name U.S. 80 from U.S. Highway 271 to Big Sandy the Sergeant Travis E. Watkins Memorial Highway.

TYLER — As part of Keep Tyler Beautiful’s mission to encourage the ongoing beautification of Tyler, the board has selected UT Health Northeast to be awarded the Beauty and Business Award. According to a Keep Tyler Beautiful news release, board members select businesses that show pride in the community through the efforts of business owners to be good community neighbors. The board presented the award Monday morning.

“We are honored to receive this award from Keep Tyler Beautiful because it recognizes our efforts to preserve and maintain the scenic beauty that surrounds us,” UT Health Northeast President Dr. Calhoun said. “At UT Health Northeast, our focus is on caring for the whole person. Studies show that patients with a view of nature tend to recover faster. Patients and visitors to our campus often comment on its beauty and how peaceful it is.”

The grounds of UT Health Northeast were extensively landscaped during the construction of its new Academic Center, which houses the Cancer Treatment and Prevention Center. The landscaping included the planting of more than 7,800 azalea bushes. Construction of the Academic Center’s shell and first floor were completed in September 2011.

JACKSONVILLE — A major wreck in Jacksonville on Sunday night caused authorities to block off part of Highway 69 from Quevado Street to Jeanine Street. KETK reports that as a result of the accident, utility poles were knocked down and are in the roadway. The section of roadway was reopened around 11:30 Monday morning.

AUSTIN (AP/Staff) — The Texas Senate has approved new rules to help small brewers expand. Under a bill sponsored by Tyler’s Kevin Eltife and passed 31-0 Monday, changes to the beer industry’s pricing structure would accompany an overhaul of regulations that apply only to craft breweries. The bill still must pass the House. Current laws prohibit some pubs from packaging their beer for retail stores and selling beer to tour visitors.

VAN ZANDT COUNTY — A man has been arraigned in a Van Zandt County shooting that left his wife dead and her boyfriend critically wounded. Larry Michael Maples, 34, of Ben Wheeler, is held without bond on a capital murder charge. Bond was set at $100,000 on a second-degree felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

The incident happened around 6:00 Sunday morning at 2642 Farm Road 26, west of Canton. According to the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office, Maples contacted authorities and confessed to shooting the two individuals. Investigators determined that Maples had arrived at the residence and shot the owner, identified as Moses Clemente, 47, of Canton, following a brief altercation. Authorities say Maples then shot and killed his wife, Heather Maples, 34, of Ben Wheeler.

Heather Maples was pronounced dead at the scene by a Van Zandt County Justice of the Peace. Clemente was transported to Mother Francis Hospital in Tyler where he was treated for a single gunshot wound to the abdomen. He is listed in critical condition and is expected recover fully. Sheriff Lindsey Ray says Heather Maples and Clemente had a relationship before she married Larry Maples. The Texas Rangers were called in to assist with the investigation and the processing of the crime scene. Maples was transported to the Van Zandt County Jail in Canton.

JACKSONVILLE — A major wreck in Jacksonville on Sunday night has caused authorities to block off part of Highway 69 from Quevado Street to Jeanine Street. KETK reports that as a result of the accident, utility poles were knocked down and are in the roadway. City officials are investigating the crash and are unsure when the road will reopen.