KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TEXARKANA — The Texarkana Police Department is searching for a woman accused of stealing $18,000 from a local business where she was employed as a manager, and a reward is being offered for information leading to her arrest. Officials said Jill Wright was to make daily bank deposits as part of her job responsibilities, however she reportedly failed to make deposits for several days in May. According to our news partner KETK, her supervisors reported the theft to Texarkana PD who talked to Wright on the phone weeks ago. She reportedly agreed to visit the station to inform the department what was going on.

Wright allegedly never showed up and avoided calls from the police department. Continue reading Police searching for local manager they say stole $18k

TYLER – The Salvation Army of Tyler Family Store has reopened its doors after a fire caused the store to temporarily close last month. According to our news partner KETK, the North Broadway store is open to shoppers Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Store officials said the June 14 fire caused around $100,000 worth of losses. The Tyler Fire Department said, a cause of the fire has yet to be determined.

SMITH COUNTY — A three-vehicle wreck involving two 18-wheelers and one dump truck is causing traffic delays near the Smith and Van Zandt County line. According to our news partner KETK, DPS Sergeant Adam Albritton said at around 12:30 p.m., a dump truck had made a full stop on I-20 west near mile marker 546 due to traffic from a previous wreck. An 18-wheeler carrying chicken waste and byproducts attempted to slow down and make a stop but crashed into the dump truck and hit the guard rail. Another 18-wheeler attempted to stop, but reportedly failed due to the chicken waste and grease and crashed into the dump truck.

Hazmat crews are at the scene cleaning up the chicken waste. Traffic is being rerouted to a weigh station. Albritton said no injuries have been reported at this time. Officials do not know when roads will be cleared and urge drivers to use caution.

TYLER — The Tyler Police Department said one person has been cited in connection to a fatal pedestrian crash in Tyler on July 9. According to our news partner KETK, the unnamed person was cited with failure to yield the right of way, a Class C misdemeanor, in connection to the death of Sandra Abrego. Tyler PD did not release the identity of the person cited and did not comment if any additional charges would be added.

SMITH COUNTY – A pursuit ended in Smith County Monday morning after officials said that a car rolled over on I-20 according to our news partners at KETK. According to officials in Smith County, the sheriff’s office picked up the chase from Harrison County around 9 a.m. after the car involved was reportedly stolen from Mississippi. It was reported during the chase that shots were fired from the car at law enforcement and left I-20 onto Jim Hogg Road before getting on 69 and back onto I-20 heading west with more agencies joining the chase. Near the Van Zandt County line, the pursuit ended after the car rolled over. Law enforcement at the scene rendered first aid, and two passengers were detained while the driver was taken to the hospital to treat their injuries.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas (KETK) – The Nacogdoches Police Department said that one driver is dead after their vehicle left S.W. Stallings Drive and hit road equipment on Saturday. According to Nacogdoches PD, officers responded to the crash scene in the 400 block of S.W. Stallings Drive at around 9:49 p.m. on Saturday. Once they arrived at the scene, they found a single passenger vehicle that had been heading north when it left the road and hit road equipment sitting off the side of the road.

Our news partner KETK is reporting that the driver was taken by EMS to a local hospital but they later died. Nacogdoches PD is currently withholding the identity of the driver while they notify their next of kin. No other injuries have been reported from this crash and an investigation is ongoing.

UPDATE: Last week on the 6 month mark of Harley Morris being missing, his mother Wendi Attaway Morris went to his last known location to pass out flyers in hopes of getting his name brought back up. Shortly after that, according to our news partner KETK, a man reached out to the family saying he had seen someone matching Harley’s description. That possible sighting happened at the Longview Walmart on Estes Parkway recently. Today their message remains the same, hope that everything they are doing is helping keep Harley’s name alive.

“A man said that he might have possibly seen him in Longview near Estes and that he spoke to him, he was pretty sure, of course, he can’t be 100% sure that it was Harley, and so the police have gone and they’re investigating this, they’re hopefully pulling footage to be able to identify if this possibly was Harley,” Tyler Texas Missing Persons Support and Awareness Group founder Alexandra Ashcraft said. Continue reading UPDATE: Man comes forward with possible Harley Morris sighting

LINDALE – The Lindale Police Department reported there was a multi-vehicle crash, involving an 18-wheeler. The wreck occurred around 3:30 p.m. Sunday, on Interstate-20 east near Hideway Lake. Because the 18-wheeler jackknifed on the interstate, traffic was at a standstill for several hours. According to our news partner KETK, DPS troopers reported no injuries or fatalities. Traffic started getting back to normal around 9 p.m.

TYLER – The Northeast Texas Public Health District, NET Heath, is hosting several back-to-school health and vaccination clinics until Aug. 13. The NET Immunizations Coalition is helping East Texas students by giving them backpacks with school supplies, vaccinations, blood pressure checks and eye exams.

The following clinics will be held across East Texas in the coming weeks:

Thursday, Aug. 1
Tyler ISD School is Cool at the W.T. Brookshire Conference Center from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Continue reading NET Health is hosting back-to-school health clinics

RUSK COUNTY – NET RMA, The North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority announced a $15 million infrastructure project that will soon begin to revitalize the Henderson Overton Branch rail line. According to our news partner KETK, this project was financed by an $8.48 million federal grant. This grant was then matched by investments from private partners. Hundreds of job are expected to be created by this project.

Highlights of this rail line upgrade include:
Rebuilding transload zones in Overton and Henderson to support increased industrial activity.
Expanding track splits to accommodate more rail traffic.
Upgrading the switch to the Union Pacific mainline, which has not been modernized in over a century.

Glenn Green, Executive Director of NET RMA said, “This $15 million project is a direct result of NET RMA’s commitment to fostering economic development in East Texas rural communities. By investing in this rail line, we are not just building infrastructure but we are also building a better future for Rusk County and the surrounding areas.”

EAST TEXAS – FEMA has opened disaster recovery centers for those affected by severe weather April 26 to June 5. In Anderson County, the center is located at the Anderson County Courthouse Annex at 703 N. Mallard St. suite 103 and 103a. In Panola County, the center is at the Carthage Fire Department Training Building located at 808 W. Panola Street in Carthage.

According to our news partner KETK, both locations will be open daily 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. FEMA employees are available at each center to help any affected individuals who need to apply for storm damage assistance from Hurricane Beryl or any other recent storm. Anyone affected can also apply through FEMA online. To locate your nearest disaster recovery center click here.

MARSHALL – The Marshall Police Department said that two people were arrested Thursday after a driver-by shooting. According to our news partner KETK, operators received a call from someone who said that they were shot at late Thursday night on East Bowie Street, near Albert Street intersection. When police arrived at the scene, they found no one was injured.

The two identified suspects in the shooting are, 18-year-old Abdiel Vences and Jordan Hernandez, 17. Both are in the Harrison County Jail. Vences is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, engaging in organized criminal activity, failure to identify/giving false/fictitious information and possession of marijuana .

TYLER – Smith County District Clerk Penny Clarkston was arrested for contempt of court for not handing over information related to a high profile case. According to our news partner KETK, Court documents said that the district clerk was given several chances over the last two months to hand over information to the district court pertaining to the William Davis capital murder case. Davis was found guilty and sentenced to death in October 2021 after accusations that he intentionally blew air in the arterial lines of patients at a local hospital where four patients were killed and several injured.The case has recently reentered the spotlight with accusations that Davis’ defense team was harassing jurors in April.
Continue reading Smith County District Clerk arrested

CANTON – East Texas landowners made themselves heard at a public meeting Thursday night in Van Zandt County hosted by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, according to our news partners at KETK. They were there to ask questions and voice concerns about a proposed permit of land use of biosolids in Mabank. According to the EPA, biosolids come from the wastewater treatment process. It’s human waste converted into organic materials that can be used as fertilizer. The permit reveals that Denali Water Solutions, based in Arkansas, would distribute biosolids on a landowners farm in Mabank raising concerns about potential risks. Continue reading East Texans raise concerns on proposed land use of biosolids

TYLER – On Wednesday, July 24, the City Council approved a contract for the development of the Lake Tyler Master Plan, which will consider the City’s current and future needs at Lake Tyler and Lake Tyler East. The contract will total $449,275, and Halff Associates, Inc., was selected to provide the City with a comprehensive set of recommendations for the Master Plan. The Lake Tyler Master Plan will focus on areas like recreation and tourism, water quality, public safety, planning and development, and grant funding opportunities. Lake Tyler and Lake Tyler East are owned and operated by Tyler Water Utilities and are treated as a single reservoir. Continue reading Council approves development of Lake Tyler Master Plan

AUSTIN — Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar is reminding shoppers they can save money on clothes and school supplies during the state’s sales tax holiday on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 9-11. This will be the 25th year of Texas’ oldest sales tax holiday.

State law exempts sales tax on qualified items — such as clothing, footwear, school supplies and backpacks — priced below $100, saving shoppers about $8 on every $100 they spend. The dates of the sales tax holiday and list of tax-exempt items are set by the Texas Legislature. Continue reading Texas sales tax holiday is Aug. 9-11

TEXAS – The ACLU of Texas said Wednesday it found 51 school districts, including three East Texas school districts, in violation of the Texas CROWN Act, which bans race-based hair discrimination, and urged them to update their dress code policies, according to the Texas Tribune and our news partners at KETK. The Texas CROWN Act prohibits schools, workplaces and housing authorities from discriminating against hairstyles historically associated with race such as dreadlocks, cornrows or afros. Continue reading Three East Texas school districts violate the Crown Act

LONGVIEW — A 17-year-old is dead and another minor is injured after an alleged “thwarted burglary.” According to our news partner KETK, officers responded to a report of a residential burglary in progress on Mahlow Drive around 2:20 a.m. on Wednesday. Officials said that they found a 17-year-old male inside the residence with life-threatening injuries. Police said that the 17-year-old was taken to a hospital where he later died from his injuries. Longview PD said that “it was determined he was the suspect that unlawfully entered the home.”

Shortly after arriving on the scene, officers were notified that another juvenile arrived at a local hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries, and after investigation it was “determined the juvenile was associated with the incident on Mahlow Drive,” police said. Continue reading Teen dead following ‘thwarted burglary’

ANGELINA COUNTY — According to our newspartner KETK, a Lufkin man has died after spending nearly two days in the Angelina County Jail where he displayed “erratic and unusual behavior.” According to a release from Angelina County Sheriff Tom Selman, on Sunday deputies were dispatched in regards to a call of an individual at the Clawson Assembly of God church who reportedly had been behaving erratically and appeared to be under the influence of drugs.

Deputies located Michael Stolich, 46 of Lufkin, near a pickup truck in the parking lot. After speaking with him for several minutes, officials reportedly determined he was under the influence of some type of narcotic or intoxicating substance. Stolich was then taken into custody. Continue reading Inmate displaying ‘erratic behavior’ dies in custody

WINNSBORO – A family filed a lawsuit against Winnsboro ISD accusing the district of engaging “in a yearslong retaliatory campaign” against them after they tried numerous times to report bullying against their son according to our news partner KETK. The lawsuit, filed in federal court against WISD and its board members, asserts that the district ignored complaints of sexual harassment and physical abuse, detailing alleged instances in which the district retaliated against the plaintiff’s family.

Board members named in the lawsuit are Duncan McAdoo, Brandon Green, Stacy Brown, Jay Murdock, Kristie Amason, Billy Saucier and Brian Busby. The lawsuit accuses them and other high ranking school officials of violating Title IX and ADA laws in addition to FERPA violations. Continue reading Family sues Winnsboro ISD over harassment allegations

TYLER — The cause of death for a missing Tyler man has been released, according to our news partner KETK. The Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences at Dallas revealed Jose Alejandro Perez’s manner of death was ruled as “homicide violence including chop/blunt force injuries and neck compression.”

Perez initially went missing on April 26 from the Towne Oaks Apartments off Old Bullard Road, where his mother had last seen him. Officers reportedly discovered his vehicle at Autumn Glen apartments off Hollytree Drive, about a mile-and-a-half from his last known location.

By May 5, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office received a call at around 3:40 p.m. where the caller indicated human remains may have been located in the area of 15400 block of FM 346 East between Troup and Whitehouse. Continue reading Death of missing Tyler man ruled homicide

TYLER – The SPCA of East Texas welcomed a new Executive Director last week. According to our news partner KETK, Emily Heglund comes from Athens where she served as executive director for the TVCC Foundation in Athens for the past three years and worked as executive director of CASA Trinity Valley prior to that. Heglund will oversee the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of the SPCA of East Texas, their rescue and adoption program and their SNIPPET Clinic. “I first became involved with the SPCA as a foster home in 2020,” Heglund said. “I know firsthand the incredible impact this organization Heglund has a degree in news-editorial journalism from Texas Christian University, and a certificate in Fund Raising Management from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University Indianapolis.

TYLER – A juvenile suspect was arrested Wednesday for multiple bomb threats and swatting hoaxes in Tyler. A joint investigation was conducted by the Tyler Police Department, Smith County Sheriff’s Department, Collin County Sheriff’s Department, and the FBI. The Tyler PD apprehended the youth and charged him with six criminal offenses. The juvenile is currently at the Smith County Juvenile Attention Center.

TYLER — Two Smith County firefighters have been hit by cars while working traffic calls all within the span of a month. Officials weigh in on the importance of slowing down and moving over. “Reminding motorists to watch their speed, do all you can to pay attention, put your phones away,” Jeff Williford, TxDOT Tyler District public information officer, said.

According to our news partner KETK, Sunday on FM 850 east of Tyler a firefighter was working the scene of a wreck when a vehicle hit them and took off. The firefighter has since been released from the hospital and authorities are still searching for the person responsible. Continue reading Officials talk safety after firefighter hit by car

GREGG COUNTY — One person is dead following a shooting in Longview on Monday. According to our news partner KETK, the Longview Police Department said officers were dispatched to a shooting at the Townhouse South Apartments on W Loop 281 around 10 p.m. When officers arrived, they reportedly discovered a man had sustained a gunshot wound with life threatening injuries. The victim, identified as Isaiah Dickson, 21, was taken to a local hospital where he later died from his injuries.

Police said the incident appeared to be a disturbance between known parties with the suspect, Tavyon Stephenson, 18, shooting the victim and then fleeing the scene. Longview PD, assisted by the Marshall Police Department, located Stephenson in Marshall on Tuesday at around 1 p.m. where he was arrested alongside another individual on separate charges.

NACOGDOCHES – A Nacogdoches man was sentenced to 50 years in prison for murder in the case of a 2019 murder. According to our news partner KETK, Victor Torres was 19-years-old at the time he was initially arrested after a Sunday morning shooting in November 2019.

Authorities reported at the time that Torres approached five men who were working on a barn and began shooting at them with a .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle. Among the men, 34-year-old Jose Rojo-Velasco was pronounced dead at the scene. Torres reportedly told confessed to being the shooter and said he had an ongoing problem with one of the victims.

Torres was sentenced to 50 years in prison on July 5 for murder, and 20 years in prison for other charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The sentences are set to run concurrently.

TYLER – If you still need help from FEMA for damages suffered by severe weather in Smith County from April 26 through June 5, you can talk to them in person at the Disaster Recover Center in Tyler until Monday. FEMA will close its Disaster Recovery Center on July 29. Until then, it will be open 8 a.m. To 6 p.m. through Saturday at The Hub, 304 E. Ferguson St. in Tyler. As of Monday, July 22, FEMA had approved 3,261 Smith County residents for individual assistance, for a total of $12,098,877, Smith County Emergency Management Coordinator Brandon Moore reported.

The Disaster Recovery Center has been open nearly every day since June 22. Citizens have had the chance to get in-person help there by FEMA personnel, as well as representatives from the Small Business Administration, Lone Star Legal and the local nonprofit organization, Crisis Response Ministry. Others have applied for assistance by visiting http://www.disasterassistance.gov or calling FEMA’s helpline: 800-621-3362.

FEMA has set a deadline of August 15, for Smith County residents to register for individual assistance with their storm damages.
 

SMITH COUNTY — Two men have been indicted for aggravated kidnapping for ransom or reward in an incident Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith said is directly related to cartel activities. According to our news partner KETK, on March 17 at around 4:06 p.m., the sheriff’s office received a call of a woman claiming her husband was taken at gunpoint by two men in a red Honda passenger car. The woman’s sons reportedly followed the Honda and pulled over at a donut shop on Highway 271. The accused kidnappers, identified by the sheriff’s office as Julio Cesar Cordova and Walybert Eron Cordova-Rascon, allegedly threatened the sons with a gun and told them they had to pay a $10,000 ransom to get their father back. Continue reading Two men indicted for kidnapping