Today is
Monday June 15, 2026
TYLER – 19-year-old Kirby Tyrone Mabry of Tyler was arrested Thursday in Tyler for sexual assault of a child. According to KETK, police say on June 7, Mabry went to a location where he knew two unsupervised girls were spending the night. Police say Mabry had sex with one of the girls who was under the age of 16. Mabry was booked into the Smith County Jail Thursday afternoon. His bond has been set at $500,000.
TYLER — An East Texas man has been indicted after authorities say they caught him promoting child porn on social media. KETK reports 27-year-old Jonathan Adair of Flint was arrested in April. Smith County detectives say they were tipped off by the Dallas Internet Crime Task Force. Task force members say they saw Adair’s IP Address posting child porn on Pinterest. He remains in the Smith County Jail.
LONGVIEW — A Longview man was arrested Wednesday after police said he ran away from officers and hid inside a neighborhood home. KETK and the Longview News-Journal report Stefan Omar Pentecost, 20, was held Thursday on bonds totaling $30,500, charged with evading arrest detention and theft of a firearm. Longview police responded at 11:38 a.m. Wednesday to a Birdie Place location in reference to a domestic problem. When officers arrived, they determined Pentecost had an outstanding warrant for his arrest, police said. Read the rest of this entry »
PALESTINE – The Palestine Police Department is searching for a missing woman. According to KETK, police say they got a call about local resident Ricki Deann Taylor early Thursday morning. Taylor, 46, was last seen Wednesday evening in Palestine. Anyone with any information regarding the whereabouts of Taylor is urged to contact the Palestine Police Department at 903-729-2254, Detective David Kassaw at 903-731-8482 or Det. Mark Harcrow at 903-731-8422. Information can also be submitted anonymously by texting “PALPD,” then the tip, to 847411.
TYLER — Two men have been indicted in Smith County for alleged child sex crimes. According to KETK, Ruben Candelario, 36, was arrested May 15, by the Smith County Sheriff’s Office on two counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact. The alleged incidents occurred on September 1, 2016, and August 1, 2015. Candelario has been placed on an immigration detainer remains in the Smith County Jail on $200,000 bond. Kendre Tennyson, 23, was indicted for sexual assault of a child. He was arrested for the offense on May 10. After Tennyson was put in jail, authorities added on a charge of indecency with a child by sexual contact via a warrant. Tennyson remains in the Smith County Jail on $850,000 bond.
TYLER — A Tyler woman sentenced to 10 years’ probation after pleading guilty to the May 2016 robbery of a Tyler gas station is back behind bars after being arrested on a warrant for revocation of probation. According to KETK, Candice Renae McGee, 29, was arrested on the warrant Wednesday. She served as the lookout in the Troup Highway robbery, in which three others were also involved, including the store clerk. There was no immediate word on how McGee reportedly violated probation. She’s held in the Smith County Jail without bond.
TYLER — Due to inclement weather, the Bergfeld Summer Showcase has been moved to next Thursday, June 29, at 6:30 p.m. The event had been set for last night to celebrate the redesign and reopening of Bergfeld Park’s Amphitheater and the new Centene Stage. Tyler Civic Theater and the City of Tyler are collaborating on the show. City personnel say everyone’s invited to watch and sing along to songs and scenes from the shows “Rock of Ages,” “Peter Pan Jr. the Musical” and “Legally Blonde the Musical.” Food trucks will be on site, and attendees are encouraged to bring blankets and portable seating. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — The United Way of Smith County will host the 24th annual Day of Caring today. Over 400 volunteers are donating their time and skills to complete multiple projects that can be “done in a day†for local nonprofits. The day begins at 7:30 a.m. with breakfast at First Christian Church and the dispensing of work assignments for 33 projects that are scheduled at local nonprofit organizations. The work day is over by 1:00; volunteers then return to First Christian for lunch and to celebrate and draw for door prizes provided by local merchants. According to a news release, the United Way sponsors the Day of Caring to showcase the value of volunteers and the impact their collective efforts can have on the community. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — State Representative Matt Schaefer of Tyler says his office was misled by a group claiming to be a veterans organization. Schaefer said the group sought logistical help with a political rally at the state Capitol, and he initially agreed. But he tells KTBB he withdrew the offer after learning the rally organizers have participants with a reputation for racist rhetoric. Schaefer added that an Austin restaurant was misled in a similar fashion. Jim Brennan is with The Texas Coalition of Veterans Organizations and said such problems are all too commonplace. He encourages people to contact his coalition with any questions about the legitimacy of anyone claiming to be part of a veterans’ group.
TYLER — Due to ongoing questions and concerns about the operation of golf carts on public roadways, the Tyler Police Department is issuing a reminder about the legal requirements and expressing its own safety concerns. According to a police department news release, Texas State Law (Transportation Code 502.001) defines a golf cart as a motor vehicle. The legal requirements for motor vehicles apply to the use of a golf cart on a public roadway. This includes the requirement that the operator be a licensed driver and obey all traffic laws. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — Identities have been released in a recent officer-involved shooting in Smith County. Sheriff Larry Smith says the suspect, Kenneth Alan Carner, is a Larue resident in his mid-fifties. Smith says Carner remains hospitalized and criminal charges are still pending. The deputy is Lauren Fite, who has been employed by the Smith County Sheriff’s Office for several years, first in the jail and in the Patrol Division since November 2014. In a news release, Smith says, “Deputy Fite has an exemplary record with the Smith County Sheriff’s Office and has excelled both as a Detention Officer and as a Patrol Deputy.” Read the rest of this entry »
KILGORE – A Kilgore teenager died Saturday from injuries sustained in a car wreck the night of April 29. KETK reports Jeremy “Jay” Cox, 16, suffered a traumatic brain injury in the wreck after he dropped off his prom date. Since the wreck, Cox had spent the last seven weeks in the Intensive Care Unit at Dallas Children’s Hospital. Cox’s mother, Rachel Rowe, serves as the Kilgore Police Department dispatch supervisor. Jeremy’s stepfather, John Rowe, is a detective with the department. Following the accident, friends of the family held fundraisers, including a benefit bass fishing tournament, in order to assist the family with its needs. Read the rest of this entry »
NEVADA COUNTY, Ark. – A Quitman man was killed in a crash Monday in Nevada County, Arkansas. According to KETK, Arkansas State Police say around 8:35 a.m., 48-year-old Lee Thomas Wise was killed along Interstate 30 when his pickup truck went off the roadway. Officials say Wise’s vehicle went into a ditch before hitting a tree. Authorities say it was raining at the time of the accident and the crash remains under investigation.
GILMER — Four East Texans have been indicted on murder charges related to a March homicide in Upshur County. Devontay Hunter, 20, of Lone Star; Xavier Mumphrey, 19, of Kilgore; Alize Sharda McFall, 20, of Kilgore; and Decorian Quantez Robbins, 19, of Avinger were indicted by an Upshur County grand jury, according to information released Tuesday by Upshur County District Attorney Billy Byrd’s office. KETK and the Longview News-Journal report each is charged with murder in connection to the death of 29-year-old Kendrick Lemichael Jackson. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW — Voting just got a little easier in Gregg County. KETK reports that come Election Day, people can cast their votes at any polling location within the county — a service that until now was only available to early voters. It’s a move that had earlier been made in Smith County. Gregg County Elections Administrator Kathryn Nealy and her team have been on a mission. to simplify voting. Nealy says, “We’ve had so many elections so close it could throw it into a run off and those one or two votes could make all the difference.” Gregg County finally got the OK from the Texas secretary of state to implement countywide balloting.