Today is
Sunday November 24, 2024
ARP – A Harris County man has been killed in a Smith County accident. It happened just after 3:00 Thursday afternoon on U.S. Highway 64, three miles west of Arp. Dead at the scene was Lejuan Keith Holmes, 47, of Humble. In stable condition in a Tyler hospital was James Whitney Callis, 43, of New London. The Department of Public Safety says Holmes changed lanes, hitting the car next to him. That car then hit a tractor-trailer rig driven by Timothy Julius Johnson, 53, of Bullard. Johnson was not injured. The crash remains under investigation.
TYLER – Tyler Police are searching for a Critical Missing Person who is identified as Anthony Patrick Dodds, 17. He is autistic and acts the age of 9-10. He was last seen in the area of Paluxy and Loop 323 around 7:30 Friday evening. He is 5’05 tall, 132 pounds, black short hair, brown eyes, wearing glasses. He was last seen wearing a green/white horizontal striped shirt “Guess”, blue jeans, blue/black Nike shoes. If you locate or have any information related to this subject please contact the Tyler Police Department immediately at 903-531-1000.
VAN ZANDT COUNTY – State troopers were called to the scene of a two vehicle fatal accident on State Highway 64 and County Road 2132 in Van Zandt County. One person has been killed. Highway 64 was shut down as emergency responders worked to secure the scene. The road has since been reopened. More information will be released as it becomes available.
TATUM – A Tatum high school school student has been arrested after being accused of bringing a gun on the campus. He is said to have showed the gun to other students around 4:30 Wednesday afternoon. They reported it to school officials on Thursday. The student and his belongings were removed from the classroom and searched, but no gun was found. Surveillance footage showed he had a real or fake gun, but he did not threaten anyone.
LONGVIEW – The Longview city council has approved the purchase of property for the police department headquarters. The building will sit on seven acres near their current building, which they share with the municipal court. The new building will nearly double the size of the current 31,000 square foot facility. The price tag for the new building on Luckett Street is $33.4 million. It should be ready to move into within three years.
SMITH COUNTY – A fatal accident in eastern Smith County remains under investigation. The three vehicle wreck occurred on U.S. Highway 64, just east of County Road 298, between Chapel Hill and Arp. The accident involved two passenger cars and a truck tractor towing a semi-trailer. One person was dead at the scene and one person was taken to a Tyler hospital for treatment.
TYLER – It’s life in prison for a Smith County murder. In a Thursday court appearance, Charles Edward Lennon III, 30, pleaded guilty to murder. He had been charged with the July 2018 death of Rachel Lynn Jackson of Bullard. She died after being beaten with a tire knocker. And, because he failed to pay probation fees, Lennon’s probation was revoked on two prior cases of possession of a controlled substance. On each of those charges he had been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Those sentences will run concurrently with the life prison sentence.
TYLER – Two African elephants from San Diego, California, are now living at Tyler’s Caldwell Zoo. They come from the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. They are both 8 years old. Such a big transfer takes a lot of time and effort. It has taken over two years to plan the transfer. The move to Tyler came as a recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan. All AZA-accredited facilities work together to manage populations, participate in breeding programs, and promote conservation and education goals. Zoo officials say the elephants have made the transition even quicker than expected. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – A capital murder defendant appeared in a Tyler court Thursday for a pretrial hearing. Gustavo Zavala-Garcia, 26, of Bullard, is accused of the November 2016 death of Kayla Gomez-Orozco, 10. Her body was found days later inside a well on the suspect’s property following her abduction from a Bullard church. During the hearing, several routine motions were handled. Still pending are defense motions to suppress statements he made to authorities after his arrest and a defense request for a change of venue. State District Judge Jack Skeen said those will be handled at a later date.
TYLER – Don’t be surprised to see a Tyler Fire Department truck on the campus of U-T Tyler Friday night. The truck will be there in connection with the school’s homecoming activities. One of the events is a fireworks display. It had originally been scheduled for Saturday evening. But, with rain in the forecast, the fireworks were moved to Friday night. The fire truck will be on stand-by during the fireworks to provide services, if needed. The display is expected to begin at around 9:00pm and should last for 15 to 20 minutes.
HENDERSON – The Henderson Police Department is alerting area residents of a SWEPCO scam. Someone has been calling claiming they work for SWEPCO. They say that the person they called needs to make a payment with them or their services will be cut off. The company says they don’t make such calls. They say, if you are in doubt, call SWEPCO using your bill statement to check billing inquires. The SWEPCO number is 1-800-611-0964.
FLINT – Night work has started on the new Farm Road 2493, Old Jacksonville Highway, project in Smith County. The project, with limits from Farm Road 2813 in Gresham, south to Farm Road 346 in Flint, will widen the existing two-lane road to five lanes with curb and gutter and bike lanes. Night work started Thursday night at the intersection of FM 2493 and FM 346 in Flint. Motorists can expect a slow-down in their evening commutes at this location with work being conducted daily from 8:00pm to 500am. The contractor will be placing detour pavement in preparation for concrete paving work at the intersection. TxDOT says the anticipated completion date of the $14.5 million project is the fall of 2022.
EAST TEXAS – A discount store chain is closing some of its stores around the country, including several in this area. Fred’s discount chain is closing 159 stores. The Memphis-based company said the closures are taking place at “underperforming†and “unprofitable†stores. Included on the list are stores in Tyler, Whitehouse, Lindale, Kilgore and Gladewater. The company plans to close the stores by the end of next month.
EAST TEXAS – State troopers in East Texas are joining others in the state in being equipped to combat opioid overdoses.The state troopers are receiving NARCAN kits, along with tactical emergency training. The kits can help reverse a known or suspected opioid overdose. This tool can also help save the lives of law enforcement or first responders who may be exposed to a lethal levels of substances such as fentanyl on the job. Last year state troopers seized 94.5 pounds of fentanyl, which constitutes more than 23 million lethal doses. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 80-100 times stronger than morphine.
TYLER – A Tyler man is heading to prison after pleading guilty to a Smith County shooting death. Larry Cowart, 41, entered his guilty plea in state district court Thursday morning. Cowart had been charged with murder. In a plea deal, he pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Judge Christi Kennedy sentenced him to 13 years in prison. He was accused of the shooting death of Heath Bearden, 43, last June. The shooting occurred at a home on County Road 1145.