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SMITH COUNTY — Smith County Fire Marshal Chad Hogue spoke at Commissioners Court on Tuesday warning residents of increased grass-fires. According to our news partner KETK, Hogue told the court that if Smith County doesn’t see rain in the next week there may be a need for a burn ban. From Aug. 27 to Sept. 3 there were nine grass-fires in Smith County and from Sept. 3 to Sept. 10 there were 27, Hogue reported. The Fire Marshal urged that residents be extra cautious when doing burning of any kind, and to refrain from burning on windy days.

“There is a chance of rain on Wednesday from Tropical Storm Francine, but Hogue said he is afraid it will be little or no rain with heavy winds,” Smith County officials said.

On Tuesday, the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) for Smith County went up to 659 from 641 the previous week, the KBDI measures forest fire risk and maxes out at 800, according to the release.

HAWKINS – The Hawkins ISD Board of Trustees accepted Superintendent Susan Morton’s retirement on Monday following her recent arrest for driving while intoxicated, according o our news partners at KETK. Morton was arrested after a minor accident in La Marque, Texas on Aug. 23 by the La Marque Police Department. Morton was then booked into the Galveston County Jail for charges of driving while intoxicated and collision involving damage to a vehicle less than $200. The Hawkins ISD Board of Trustee’s meeting agenda for Monday night’s meeting included plans to consider Morton’s retirement and interim superintendent candidates. Board president Blake Warren shared that during the meeting they voted to hire Marc Levesque for interim superintendent. Continue reading Hawkins ISD Superintendent retires following DWI arrest

SMITH COUNTY – Our news partners at KETK say that a burning car was found with the 20-year-old owner’s body in the trunk and now arrest documents for three people accused of his murder reveal phone records led to their arrests. Shortly before 5 a.m. on Sept. 1, a vehicle was reported to be on fire on CR 4132 and CR 4135 in Turnertown. The Rusk County Sheriff’s Office said after the fire was put out they located human remains inside. 20-year-old Kameron Montre Anderson from Bedford was identified as a shooting victim and owner of the vehicle during a press conference on Saturday. During the same press conference, Rusk County and Smith County officials said two adults and a juvenile were arrested in connection to the murder. Continue reading Phone location data leads to arrests of homicide suspects

BIG SANDY — According to our news partner KETK, a suspect has been arrested after allegedly making threats against Big Sandy ISD campuses on Friday. The Big Sandy Police Department said they received calls on Friday at around 11:30 a.m. of someone making threats to attack Big Sandy ISD schools. Officers were stationed at Big Sandy ISD campuses and requested for additional assistance from other law enforcement agencies in Upshur County.

Police said all law enforcement remained on campuses from noon until school was released. Officers then provided extra security at the football game that night. Throughout the weekend, the police department continued their investigation and located the suspect who reportedly made the threats against the schools.

An arrest warrant was served at a home in Upshur County at around 2:30 p.m. on Monday and the suspect was taken into custody. Continue reading Big Sandy PD arrests suspect after threats to ‘shoot the school up’

Two arrested in connection to dog fighting bust in Smith CountyTYLER — According to our news partner KETK, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office have arrested two men in connection to a dog fighting bust north of Tyler on Monday where nearly 60 dogs have been recuperated.

The sheriff’s office said at around noon on Monday the Smith County Animal Control were notified after someone found wounded dogs near a home on CR 4136. On Tuesday, the sheriff’s office arrested 34-year-old Kerry Jones of Tyler and 31-year-old Michael Jones. Kerry has been charged with cruelty to non-livestock animals and participating in the earnings of or operations of a facility used for dog fighting. He is being held at the Smith County Jail under a combined bond of $560,000.

Michael has been arrested with cruelty to non-livestock animal and is being held at the Smith County Jail on a $500,000 bond. Continue reading Two arrested in connection to dog fighting bust in Smith County

TEXARKANA — A 7-month-old was taken into Child Protective Services’ custody after East Texas officials located her inside a vehicle at a hospital parking garage according to our news partners at KETK. The Texarkana Police Department received calls of a baby reportedly locked inside a vehicle at a hospital parking garage. When officers arrived, they found security officers and several nurses surrounding the car. “They told us that someone had noticed the parked car’s motor was running and then saw an infant alone in a safety seat inside the car,” the Texarkana Police Department said. “They were able to get into the car through a window that had been left cracked and got the baby out.” While trying to locate the owner of the vehicle, Britney Petro went up to officers and said the vehicle and the child were hers. She reportedly told officers she had left her 7-month-old baby alone in the car because she could not find a babysitter that morning. Continue reading Mother leaves 7-month-old in hospital parking garage

NACOGDOCHES – Arrest documents for a 23-year-old charged with murder depict a firearm robbery according to our news partners at KETK. According to the Nacogdoches Police Department, officers responded at around 1:01 a.m. on Sep. 9 to Fulgham Street and found a shooting victim. The victim was taken to a local hospital where he later died. 23-year-old Jalen Boughton was arrested for murder and was taken to the Nacogdoches County Jail. Boughton’s arrest papers say he reported being involved in the shooting to police and claimed to investigators that the victim took a firearm from his vehicle and took off running. The documents said Boughton chased down the victim until he caught up with him and the victim appeared to make suspicious movements and that’s when Boughton shot him.

LONGVIEW — The Longview Police Department is investigating the validity of a threat made by a student online, according to Pine Tree Independent School District. On Monday, district officials said they were made aware of a student’s online “threatening remarks” during Friday’s home football game. According to our news partner KETK, the issue was quickly dealt with in cooperation with Longview PD, the district said.

“While our local PD investigates the validity of this threat, we want to remind parents to talk to their students about the seriousness of making any type of threatening comments,” Pine Tree ISD said. “We will always take every threat seriously because nothing is more important than the safety of our students and staff.”

UPDATE: Nine local fire departments worked together to contain a 13-acre pasture fire Sunday evening and two structures were saved, Elderville-Lakeport Volunteer Fire Department said.

“We ask that you use extreme caution when burning outdoors,” officials said. “The relative humidity will be low for the next few days, and fires will grow rapidly with the wind.”

Elderville-Lakeport VFD said it took over two hours to contain the fire.

Rusk County Commissioners had discussed a burn ban for the county but decided that the weather doesn’t require that right now. Continue reading Several fire departments contain 13-acre pasture fire

TYLER – Two adults and a juvenile have been taken into custody for capital murder after a man’s dead body was found in the trunk of a burning vehicle in Turnertown on Sept. 1. At a press conference on Saturday, Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith and Rusk County Sheriff Johnwayne Valdez, described how the body of Kameron Montre Anderson, a 20-year-old Black male from Bedford, was found in the back of his own car after he’d been shot and killed.

According to our news partner KETK, Anderson was shot at a home near Troup on County Road 2163. He was then put in the trunk of his own car, which was then driven to Turnertown in Rusk County and burned with an accelerant.

An investigation by Rusk County Sheriff’s Office, Smith County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Rangers determined that Nathaniel Hall, 18 of Troup, was a suspect. Hall was arrested by the Tyler Police Department on Wednesday after a traffic stop in which a stolen 9mm handgun and an AR15 were reportedly found. Continue reading Three in custody after dead body found in trunk of burning car

UPDATE: The Longview Police Department said that Creer has been found safe.

LONGVIEW – According to our news partner KETK, the Longview Police Department is searching for an 85-year-old Black woman who was reported missing on Saturday. Gracie Creer, 85 of Longview, is 5’7″ tall, weighs around 100 pounds and has brown hair and brown eyes. Creer was last seen near Toler Road at 1 p.m. on Saturday while wearing a black jacket, dark pants and a black wrap around her head.

She was last seen driving a silver Dodge Journey with the Texas license plate RXV4402 and a dented front left fender.

Anyone who’s seen her is asked to contact the Longview Police Department at 903-237-1199.

KILGORE – Our news partners at KETK report that Kilgore-native and Oscar winning songwriter Will Jennings died at 80-years-old in Tyler on Friday. Jennings, who co-wrote Celine Delion’s Oscar winning song “My Heart Will Go On” from “Titanic”, was at his home in Tyler when he died on Friday morning. No immediate cause of death was reported but his health was declining for several years. The 2006 Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee attended both Tyler Junior College and Stephen F. Austin State University.

PALESTINE – The Palestine Police Department is searching for three people after several different kinds of drugs were found in a local residence. According to our news partner KETK, on Aug. 29, 51-year-old Jerryl Mims Sr, was arrested by officers at his home on Texas Avenue. Mims was reportedly clutching a bag of suspected methamphetamines and had another bag of suspected methamphetamine in the seat of his vehicle. Palestine PD said he had over 13 grams of methamphetamine. Continue reading Palestine PD looking for three people on drug and distribution charges

TEXARKANA – Our news partners at KETK report a 38-year-old man was arrested Tuesday afternoon after Texarkana police said he ran away from a four-vehicle crash that he caused. According to the police department, Frederick Duckett, 38 of Texarkana, caused a crash on W. 7th Street and Jarvis Parkway and then took off running. An official, who was there when the crash happened, caught up to him and took him into custody, the Texarkana Police Department said. TPD said Duckett claimed he could not use his legs or move his body, “despite having just ran more than a quarter mile moments before.” Duckett was medically cleared at a hospital and was then taken to the Bi-State Jail. Texarkana police said one of the drivers involved in the four-vehicle crash was injured, therefore Duckett is facing a felony charge. Duckett is being held on a $15,000 bond for collision involving injury.

MORRIS COUNTY — Omaha police are searching for a man who has not been seen since mid-August and are asking the public for assistance in locating him. According to our news partner KETK, Dustin Perkins was last seen Aug. 15 in Naples, Texas. Perkins is approximately 6 feet tall and about 175 pounds. He was last seen wearing a gray shirt and blue jeans. Officials in Omaha said that with information on Perkins, to call the Omaha Police 903-844-2305 or the Morris County Sheriff’s Office at 903-645-2232.

JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville Police Department said that a pedestrian is dead after being hit by a train at the crossing on North Gillespie Avenue on Friday according to our news partners at KETK. According to Jacksonville PD, the crash happened in 100 block of North Gillespie Avenue near Highway 79 at around 11:01 a.m. when the pedestrian was walking in front of the train. The man was pronounced dead at the scene and officials are notifying his family members. The railroad crossing has reopened to traffic, Jacksonville PD said.

LINDALE – The Lindale News & Times recently announced that the newspaper is closing down after 124 years of covering the area. According to our news partner KETK, the paper’s publisher says that the paper lost money for five years straight before it was decided to shut it down.

Jim Bardwell, the paper’s publisher, said that much of the advertising for Lindale’s small businesses has moved into print magazines and social media platforms like Facebook. Decline in local news outlets is accelerating despite efforts to help. The shift to online advertising led the paper to launch a digital version which ended up having more subscribers than their physical newspapers but even that wasn’t enough, according to Bardwell.

“That’s why we also have a digital version of the paper each week. And we have many digital subscribers. Actually many more than print subscribers. The cost is the same, but they get their news much quicker. But again – no ad revenue means no newspaper,” said Bardwell.

Any Lindale News & Times subscribers who would like a refund for the remaining time on their subscriptions are asked to email classifieds@lindalenews-times.com with their name, address and phone number.

HAWKINS – Hawkins ISD Superintendent Susan Morton was arrested for driving while intoxicated in La Marque, Texas on Aug. 23. According to our news partner KETK, Morton was arrested by the La Marque Police Department after a “minor accident” which happened in the 2400 block of Gulf Freeway at around 7:49 p.m. in La Marque. According to a La Marque PD arrest report, there were three vehicles involved in the crash a 2005 Ford Explorer, a 2018 Kia Forte and Morton’s 2023 Ford F-150.

Morton was then booked into the Galveston County Jail for charges of driving while intoxicated and collision involving damage to a vehicle less than $200.

Hawkins ISD Board President Blake Warren released the following statement when asked about Morton’s arrest: “Due to state confidentiality laws, Hawkins ISD cannot comment on this personnel matter or release any information at this time.”

Morton was still listed as Superintendent of Schools on Hawkins ISD’s website, as of Thursday evening.

VAN ZANDT COUNTY – A bridge demolition will cause all I-20 lanes at FM 859 near Canton to close over the weekend, TxDOT said. According to TxDOT, the demolition is expected to begin on Saturday night and end Sunday morning. “Traffic will be diverted to the frontage roads using the FM 859 exit ramps, which will travel past FM 859 and re-enter I-20 using the FM 859 entrance ramps. Motorists should use caution when traveling through the work zone and expect delays,” TxDOT said in a statement. In place of the existing bridge that is set to be demolished, TxDOT said a new bridge is expected to be completed by March 2025.

TYLER – The University of Texas at Tyler is ranked in the top 500 nationwide by the Wall Street Journal as noted on the publication’s America’s Best Colleges for 2025 list. The ranking aims to guide prospective students across the nation while recognizing the colleges doing an outstanding job in higher education. Continue reading UT Tyler ranked among America’s Best Colleges by Wall Street Journal

PANOLA COUNTY — An East Texas student was arrested on Wednesday after a loaded .38 caliber handgun was found in their vehicle in the school’s parking lot, according to the Panola County Sheriff’s Office.The sheriff’s office said Panola Charter High School notified them at around 9:30 a.m. that a firearm was found in a students vehicle on campus. Deputies say the 17-year-old student was overheard talking about having a gun in his vehicle.

“During a subsequent search by school staff, a loaded .38 caliber handgun was recovered,” according to the report from the sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s office said the student was taken into custody for possession of a firearm in a prohibited location and was taken to the Panola County Detention Center. ‘We have no reason to believe that this incident was related to any school-related threat,” PCSO said. “Upon review of the situation we have no reason to believe that any specific student or campus was targeted.” Continue reading Student arrested after loaded gun found on campus

HOPKINS COUNTY – Three suspects have been identified in connection to the overdose death of a 16-year-old girl, the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office said. According to our news partner KETK, a death investigation began on July 17 when a 16-year-old girl reportedly overdosed. “The toxicology report showed a newer synthetic drug found in her blood stream called N-Pyrrolidino Protonitazene,” the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office said. “This drug is 25 times more potent than fentanyl.”

According to the release, they were able to identify the person who supplied the pills to the victim.

“At this time three suspects have been identified and the investigation is still ongoing,” the sheriff’s office said.

TYLER – The East Texas community is mourning fallen Dallas Police officer Darron Burks, who was a Tyler Junior College alum and was killed Thursday while on duty. According to NBCDFW, the 46-year-old Burks was sitting in his car when he was shot by a 30-year-old man who also shot two other officers.

Before becoming a police officer, Burks was a teacher. Prior to becoming a teacher, the TJC Alumni Association said Burks was an alum and member of the Minority Student Association. Burk also attended Dallas College. And was a graduate of Paul Quinn College.

The Dallas Police Department said in a statement, “Officer Burks served with unwavering pride and commitment on the Dallas Police Department until his untimely passing. His bravery, dedication, and selflessness were evident in every aspect of his work, and he was a beacon of hope and security for those he served.”

SMITH COUNTY – Smith County Road 3203 reopened Wednesday, after road and bridge crews repaired the washed-out road and replaced the culvert damaged from severe weather in May and June of this year. Smith County has an interactive map that lists all county road closures. You can find that map by clicking here.

UPSHUR COUNTY – After being sentenced to life in prison in 2023, an appeals court upheld the conviction on Friday of a man who murdered and burned the body of a Longview woman according to our news partners at KETK. According to the Upshur County Criminal District Attorney’s Office, 43-year-old Carlton Grant will spend life in prison without parole after a Texarkana appeals court upheld his sentence for the murder of Rachel Rhoads.

The release said Rhoads’ roommate was mutual friends with Grant and his girlfriend. In March 2018, Grant strangled Rhoads with a homemade garrote and a zip tie in her vehicle after she agreed to drive him and his girlfriend home. Afterwards, he and his girlfriend would dispose of Rhoads’ body by dumping it in a utility right-of-way and burning it. Continue reading Appeals court upholds man’s life sentence

TYLER – The annual Tyler Rose Festival Arts and Crafts Fair is returning to Tyler’s Bergfeld Park, 1510 S. College Ave., on Saturday, Oct. 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 20, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Parks Department is now seeking vendors who hand-make and create the items they sell, author books, and sell plants and food items to participate in this annual event. Vendors must apply online through http://www.TylerParksandRec.com. The Fair will feature more than 90 booths offering handcrafted items for sale, including photography, fine and unique jewelry, hand-poured candles, furniture, bath and body products, clothing, pottery, sewing, wreaths and florals, art-mix-media paintings, and more. This will be an excellent event to get a jump-start on holiday shopping, especially for unique, one-of-a-kind gift ideas. Food trucks and live entertainment, including The Johnnie Helm Band and the Tuxedo Catz, will be available on both days. Admission is free. For more information about this event or about becoming a vendor, please contact Debbie Isham at (903) 531-1214.

WOOD COUNTY — According to our news partner KETK, an East Texas mother reportedly died from a cardiac event after being jailed for abusing her toddler, who was found to have severe physical injuries.

According to the sheriff’s office, investigators were notified of a child abuse/neglect case of a 23-month-old toddler girl with injuries that “resulted in an emergency removal from the mother.” The sheriff’s office identified the mother as Tori Huggins who lived with her boyfriend Adam Woods. The toddler was taken to a hospital where they determined she was severely malnourished, dehydrated and had a fractured left forearm that had reportedly been broken for at least two weeks and bruises from head to toe which were in various stages of healing.

The sheriff’s office said the toddler was consuming human feces and candy wrappers as food that caused a blockage in her abdomen. Continue reading Texas mother dies in jail after arrest for abuse of toddler