Today is
Tuesday June 09, 2026
TYLER – Earlier this month we told you about a phony delivery driver who stole over $60,000 worth of jewelry from a Tyler store last December. A suspect is now in custody. Investigators obtained a warrant for 49 year old James Albert Oliver of Longview. This week, Oliver was arrested at a Longview motel. Oliver, who was also wanted on outstanding warrants out of Florida and Gregg County, was booked into the Gregg County Jail. He is being held on bonds totaling over $1 million. Investigators say it was Oliver, wearing what appeared to be a UPS uniform, who took the package of jewelry from the Zales store on South Broadway, and then fled.
JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville’s new city manager didn’t waste any time getting to work. Monday, Greg Smith was unanimously approved for the post. He was at work the following day. He comes to Jacksonville from Shenandoah, just south of Conroe. He has been city administrator there for eight years. He has also served as city manager in Henderson, Overton and Angleton. Smith was one of 43 applicants for the position. That was trimmed to four from which the two finalists, Smith and Chuck Ewings of Ennis, were picked.
LINDALE – A controlled burn just west of Lindale got out of control Tuesday afternoon. It has now been contained to seven acres. Smith County Fire Marshal Connie McCoy-Wasson said the fire spread to high stacks of plastic tree tubs, causing the black smoke seen throughout the county. The fire crossed the property line into a pine thicket, which slowed the wind and the fire. A plow line is around the fire, but it will continue to smolder for hours. Some firefighters will be monitoring it throughout the night. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Abel Keith Fulton, 19, has pleaded guilty to the unlawful possession of ricin. The plea was entered on Tuesday in an appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge John D. Love. Prosecutors say from August to September 2016, Fulton possessed ricin at his home. Ricin is a biological toxin that can be fatal if ingested, inhaled, or injected. There is no known antidote or cure for ricin poisoning. Fulton made the ricin using supplies that he purchased online. He now faces up to 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.
MARSHALL – Three Marshall residents have been arrested for auto theft. Booked into the Harrison County jail for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle were Richard Parrott Jr., 29, (pictured) Renae Pack, 24 and Vernon Williams, 29. They are said to be responsible for the theft of three vehicles from Garrett’s Automotive Center on East East End Boulevard last Sunday. Two of the vehicles were recovered in Marshall and the third was found in Harrison County. The case remains under investigation.
TYLER (AP/STAFF) — A Tyler man on death row for the slaying of a 93-year-old woman during a robbery at her home has received an execution date. State District Judge Christi Kennedy signed an order Monday setting Clifton Williams, 34, for lethal injection June 21 in Huntsville. The execution is for the fatal beating and stabbing of Cecilia Schneider at her home in Tyler in July 2005. Evidence showed Williams entered through a back door, attacked her and then set her body and bed on fire. He fled with her car and her purse containing $40. Authorities said he wanted money for drugs. Defense attorneys argued he was mentally impaired and ineligible for the death penalty. Williams came within hours of execution in July of 2015 when the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals halted his scheduled punishment.
TYLER – Robert E. Lee High School senior, Fritz Hager III, has been named one of six finalists in the National Endowment for the Arts 2018 Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge. This is a national songwriting competition where the winner receives $25,000. The finalists, five individual composers and one pair, will each have their songs published by Samuel French. They will find out late next month who gets the top prize. The winner will be announced in New York during a weekend of workshops with well-known musicians, singers, songwriters and producers. Read the rest of this entry »
CHANDLER – A Henderson County couple is accused of exposing a baby to drugs. Arrested over the weekend were Christian Alexander David Hart, 25, and Katie Lynn Sheppard, 22. During a CPS investigation, the Chandler couple and a 10 month old child each tested positive for methamphetamine. Both have been charged with endangering a child. Hart is also charged with violation of bond or a protective order. Both remain in the Henderson County Jail. Read the rest of this entry »
MARSHALL – Marshall police are trying to locate an armed robber. Just before midnight on March 13th, the man held up the Alon Food Fast Fina on West Grand Avenue. Armed with a handgun, he demanded money and cigarettes from the clerk. He later fled the business in an unknown direction. The suspect is described as a black male who was wearing a mask, red hoodie, blue jeans and dark colored shoes. The store’s employee was not injured. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY – Wednesday is Texas Tobacco Free Kids Day, and some students have a message to pass along. At least 70 students and faculty at 5 Smith County schools will be wearing shirts about standing up to tobacco. The number 70 represents the number of people who die every day in Texas from tobacco related deaths. The activity is an awareness event to encourage students to live tobacco-free lives. It also serves as a way to encourage schools to participate in efforts to help kids achieve this goal. High schools taking part in the campaign are John Tyler, Robert E Lee, the TISD Early College High School as well as high schools in Chapel Hill and Whitehouse.
PALESTINE – The University of Texas at Tyler will invest around $600,000 to make safety renovations to the Innovation Academy STEM charter school facility in Palestine. School officials made the announcement Monday night at a town hall meeting in Palestine to parents of students attending the school. There had been some concern the school may have to close. The Innovation Academy closed its primary Palestine building last summer after the state fire marshal flagged safety concerns. A short-term facility solution was using Mathis Hall on UT Tyler’s extension campus in Palestine, which allowed classes to continue this academic year. The renovations will begin soon as possible. No date has been set on completion. The charter school has over 200 students from second through 11th grades. Read the rest of this entry »
GILMER – Gilmer police are seeking the name of a man taking pictures of children at a playground in the city. The photographer is a white male, who appears to be in his 40s, and had a baby at the playground of the Yamboree Grounds. He was said to have been driving a Chevrolet Silverado pickup. He was taking pictures of girls going down a slide. A witness said it appeared the man was attempting to take photos up the dresses of the children. If you know who was driving this truck, you are asked to contact Gilmer police.
LONGVIEW – The Sabine River Authority of Texas will award the City of Longview a Community Assistance Program Grant. The $10,000 will be used to assist the city to build a pond on the city’s arboretum site at 706 West Cotton Street. The city says this will help prevent run-off and improve drainage.
TYLER – A Tyler man is heading to prison on child porn charges. Benjamin Andrew Cole, 34, pleaded guilty in state district court in Tyler Monday morning. He pleaded guilty to child pornography charges and an online solicitation charge. He was sentenced to 8 years in prison. Cole was arrested last August 17th following an extensive investigation by the Department of Public Safety. He has been in the Smith County Jail since his arrest. The child porn charges stem from incidents which investigators say occurred on August 17, 2017, and September 25, 2017. The online solicitation charge is said to have occurred on August 17, 2017.
KILGORE – Two drivers have been killed in a two vehicle accident in Kilgore. It happened just before 4:00 Sunday afternoon on U.S. Highway 259 near Farm Road 349. One driver, 19 year old Dakota Patrick Harris, of Kilgore, later died in a Tyler hospital. The other driver, 79 year old Mary Virginia Cameron, of Overton, died in a Longview hospital. Police reports indicate Cameron’s car drove into oncoming traffic, for unknown reasons, and hit Harris’ car head-on. The accident remains under investigation.