Today is
Thursday November 28, 2024
TYLER – A convicted Tyler robber has had his appeal rejected. The 12th Court of Appeals in Tyler has affirmed the robbery conviction of Letroy Dewayne Merritt. The Shreveport, Louisiana man had been sentenced to 25 years in prison for the robbery of the Walmart store on South Broadway in February of 2017. Merritt was an Assistant Manager of the store. Investigators believe he played an intricate role in planning and assisting with the robbery. Three others, who were also charged in the case, have been all been sentenced. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – The playground at Brookshire’s wildlife museum is changing locations. The playground is being moved to Fresh on the Old Jacksonville Highway. According to a posting on the museum’s Facebook page, they are expanding the current playground area for toddlers and young children on the patio at FRESH. A new playground for older children will be located near the store’s north entrance. Both areas will be shaded and fenced, and they will include state-of-the-art playground equipment that is being moved from the Brookshire’s museum. The transition will take place over the next few weeks. There could also be a change for the museum down the road. The company said it is evaluating options for the museum. And they added, “while we do not discuss potential plans, we will make an announcement when any plans are finalized.”
TYLER – The murder trial of Gustavo Zavala-Garcia is being pushed back a couple of months. State District Judge Jack Skeen decided that 10 items collected at the scene will be sent off for DNA testing. He took the action after both the defense and prosecution said the testing was necessary. It will take a month to collect the items and at least 5 months for the DNA testing. So the trial, which had been scheduled in March, will come up sometime in May. Zavala-Garcia is charged with kidnapping 10 year old Kayla Gomez from a Bullard church in November, 2016. Her body was found 4 days later in a well on the man’s property.
TYLER – The 85th annual Texas Rose Festival began in Tyler Thursday morning. Rose Queen Amanda Hiles told KTBB, “I am so excited that Rose Festival is finally here. There’s been a lot of preparation for this event, and I know everyone is excited.” She added, “The Rose Festival has been such a long family tradition in my family, and it is just so special to be a part of something so big for Tyler.” Anticipating another year of big crowds, she said, “I hope that everyone will come out…and enjoy the time together that we’ll have in Tyler.” The wide variety of activities includes the queen’s coronation, the Rose Festival Rose Show display, men’s and ladies luncheons and the big Rose Festival Parade on Saturday morning. You can go to http://www.texasrosefestival.com for a list of all the activities.
KILGORE – Two persons thought to be involved in felony offenses are being sought by Kilgore Police. The Facebook posting doesn’t say what crimes they may have committed. They are identified as Lyle “DJ” Lee, who is 36 years old and Kayla Joy Webster who is 21. Lee is 5’3 and weighs 125 lbs. He is heavily tattooed. Webster is 5’2 and weighs 100lbs. She has red hair and a piercing in her lip. Kilgore police says anyone who encounters either or both of them is urged to call 911. Read the rest of this entry »
GLADEWATER – Gladewater residents now have a safe way to dispose of their unwanted prescription drugs. The police department has installed a prescription drug drop box. It was provided by the Piney Woods Substance Abuse Coalition, which is funded by a grant from Texas Health and Human Services. The drugs deposited in the box will be incinerated through a partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration. According to data from the Regional Needs Assessment, published by the Prevention Resource Center in Longview, the rate of prescription drug abuse among 7 through 12th graders is higher in East Texas than the state average. The drug drop box at the Gladewater Police Department is a good way to combat prescription drug abuse as well as the opioid crisis.
LONGVIEW – The Gregg County Sheriff’s Department is looking for the person, or persons, who took two golf carts, belonging to a Gregg County church, on a joy ride. Both carts were extensively damaged in the joy ride between late Saturday night and Sunday morning. One suspect appears to be a young white or Hispanic male. The suspect’s vehicle is possibly a 2004 to 2008 Ford F-150 extended or crew cab pickup, with a white hardtop tonneau cover on the bed. The sheriff’s department is asking for the public’s help in identifying the suspects in the criminal mischief case. If you can help, call Gregg County Crimestoppers or the sheriff’s department.
EAST MOUNTAIN – A two vehicle accident in Upshur County has left one person dead and one slightly injured. It occurred on State Highway 300, just under 3 miles east of East Mountain around 4:30 Monday afternoon. The Department of Public Safety report says Ricardo Refugio Quezada, 25 of Gilmer was trying to drive across the road when he failed to yield the right of way and was hit by a car driven by Karen Yvette Wallace, 50 of Gilmer. Quezada died at a Longview hospital while Wallace was treated and released.
JACKSONVILLE – The Department of Public Safety has released the name of the victim of a fatal Cherokee County crash. Killed in the one vehicle accident was Brandon Steven Morton, 35, of Jacksonville. The initial reports shows his pickup left the road and ended up in a ditch where it hit a tree. The accident occurred shortly before 9:00 Sunday night on Farm Road 22, just over 3 miles southeast of Jacksonville.
JACKSONVILLE – Hundreds showed up for a Jacksonville meeting to get answers on their contaminated water. Representatives from the Craft Turney Water Supply Company and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality were on hand for the session. Our news partner KETK reports the public’s questions were often met with the boards inability to answer since the investigations is ongoing. One of the unanswered questions was how the chemical that caused the problem got into the water. Even though the water ban, which was issued October 3rd, has been lifted for most residents, there are some who are still under the do not use the water notice. And there is no time line when their water will be safe.
GLADEWATER – Police in Gladewater have charged two persons with the sexual assault of a child. Arrested Monday were Jessie Ray Sorrells, 33, of Gladewater, and Tiffany Diana LeBlanc, 36, of Longview. Sorrells is charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child and LeBlanc is charged with continuous sexual abuse of a young child or children. The police say their investigation shows both suspects were present and both took part in the sexual assault of the same child. They say they have also learned that LeBlanc had been involved in the repeated sexual abuse of a child for several months before to this case was opened. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW – A Longview murder suspect is now back in Gregg County. Judicial records show Ladadrian Deontae King, 22, of Longview was booked into the Gregg County Jail on Monday. His bond has been set at $1,000,000. He was arrested in Mabank last week and had been held in the Kaufman County Jail. King was arrested in connection with the September 29th shooting death of Henry England Williams, 32. He was found wounded and sitting in a chair on his front porch on Clover Lane. He died nearly three hours later at a Longview hospital.
PALESTINE – The burglary of a Palestine convenience store is under investigation. It was reported just before 3:00 Monday morning at Kim’s Convenience Store on East Palestine Avenue. The ignition of a stolen pickup had been tampered with and driven through the front doors of the store. The rear end of the vehicle was still inside the store when officers arrived. It appears the suspects were trying to steal the store’s ATM machine, but the truck became high centered from the debris from the crash. Nothing appears to have been taken from the store.
HENDERSON – The Henderson School District has been the victim of a financial scam that has cost it over $600,000. Our news partner KETK reports the school district sent a direct electronic payment to RPR Construction Company. The company is overseeing work at the district’s former elementary school and high school stadium. Five days after the transfer it was discovered the money was actually transferred to a fraudulent account and not the RPR account. The investigation is now in the hands of the United State’s Secret Service. School superintendent Keith Boles says they will pursue every means to recoup the money and bring the criminals to justice. A local attorney told KETK, it was important to get the word our since the same thing could happen to other school districts.
NEW YORK – Sears filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday. They plan to close 142 unprofitable stores in the hopes that it can stay in business. At its peak, the operator of Sears and Kmart had 4,000 stores. Now, it will be left with a little more than 500. In September it was announced the Sears store in Tyler’s Broadway Square Mall will close its doors in December. In May, the mall received zoning approval from the city of Tyler to tear down the Sears building and replace it with new retail space. The store’s liquidation sale is now under way. With Monday’s filing, the company has secured $300 million in financing from banks to keep the operations going through bankruptcy. It’s also negotiating an additional $300 million loan from Lampert’s ESL Hedge fund.