Today is
Monday June 08, 2026
HENDERSON – A former Tatum police officer is being charged with second-degree sexual assault. Arrested Friday was Terry Lofties, 26. He is accused of assaulting a 60 year old woman. Pending an investigation, he was suspended from the police department when the complaint was filed earlier this month. He has since been fired from the department.
GILMER – An Upshur County man has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for the death of an 11 month old boy in March of last year. Javarrious Troy Kimeyan Dixon, 22, of Gilmer, pleaded guilty on Friday to injury to a child with a deadly weapon. The grand jury indictment said that Dixon “intentionally or knowingly” caused the death of 11-month-old Armani Troy Berrospe by “striking him on or about the head, face and neck with the hands, fists, arms or feet” or with an unknown object. The Upshur County Sheriff’s Office said in March, 2017, that deputies responded to a 911 call to Farm Road 2088 near Bettie in reference to an injured child. The child was taken to East Texas Medical Center-Pittsburg, where he later died from the injury. The autopsy report showed the boy died of “blunt force injury to the head.” .
TYLER – The Tyler school district is investigating a video that has turned up on the social media that shows a John Tyler teacher pushing a student. But the school district says the video may not show the whole story. According to a TISD statement, the preliminary investigation reveals the teacher was assaulted first, and the video doesn’t show the entire situation. The teacher has been put on administrative leave. And the district says the student will be disciplined according to the district’s code of conduct.
SMITH COUNTY – Motorists on Interstate Highway 20 are asked to be alert for wet conditions and a fatal accident. The two vehicle accident occurred on the west bound lanes near the 546 mile marker, near the Smith/Van Zandt County line. Expect traffic delays in the area. We will have more information when it becomes available.
LONGVIEW – In state district court in Longview Friday, a Kilgore man pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a child. Sentenced to 35 years in prison was Brigido Sanchez. He waived all rights to appeal. Sanchez, who was arrested in May of last year, also has an Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold for illegal entry into the United States from Honduras. According to investigators, the sexual abuse happened in 2015 when the victim was 12 years old and also in 2017 when the victim was 13 years old.
CORSICANA – The state representative whose district covers the Palestine area, is asking the governor to call a special session this summer on school safety. The request comes from State Representative Byron Cook. The request comes in the wake of the school shooting at Santa Fe. In his letter to the governor, Cook says he commends the governor on the school safety roundtables that have started. But he says much more must be done. Cook says, if we act now, “we can implement state policy and appropriate funding to ensure that our schools will be safer before the next school year begins.” The letter was sent to the governor the first of this week.
MARSHALL – The East Texas Baptist University Enactus Team has partnered with the Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD) clients at Marshall’s Community Healthcore (CHC) center to create a soap-making company. It is called the Heavenly Scents Soap Company. The students developed a marketing plan, obtained initial funding, created a website, and trained IDD clients to make artisanal glycerin and goats milk-based soap lines. They sell their produce to the public through craft shows, boutiques, and an online store. The company currently offers Lavender Goat’s Milk Soap Bars, Strawberry Vanilla Soap Bars, and Vanilla Goat’s Milk Soap Bars for $7.00 each. All profits go back into Heavenly Scents Soap Co., benefiting IDD clients at CHC. You can go to http://www.heavenlyscentsoap.com to learn more about the product.
TYLER – Following the action of the city’s planning and zoning commission, the Tyler City Council has approved some big changes for the Broadway Square Mall. The changes would add nearly 118,000 square feet of new retail space to the property. The plan calls for adding restaurants on outlying sections of the property, along South Broadway, changing the parking layout and adding three retail stores on the south side of the mall. Also included in the changes is the demolition of the building where Sears is located and rebuilding it smaller.
TYLER – Tyler Sister Cities installed Peace Pole in the Tyler Rose Garden. It displays the message, “May Peace Prevail on Earth,†and highlights the international cities that have established formal collaborations with Tyler. The pole stands about six feet high and lists six Sister Cities and points in the direction of each country and provides the distance you would have to travel to reach each city. More peace poles will be placed around the city, as funding allows.The Tyler Sister Cities program began in 1982 through efforts of former UT Tyler President Dr. George Hamm. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – With the help of a state grant, extra police patrols will be out in Tyler over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, starting Friday. The additional patrols are targeting DWI drivers and seat belt violations. Police spokesman Don Martin says a suspected drunk driver will be asked to submit to a breath test. If they refuse, officers will obtain a search warrant signed by a judge on call to have blood drawn by a nurse on staff at the Smith County Jail. Officers will also be watching to make sure all occupants are properly restrained with a seat belt. That includes those in the back seat. The extra patrols will be on the street through Monday.
HENDERSON – Rusk County authorities are asking for the public’s help in locating a man accused of beating a child. The Rusk County Sheriff’s Office says he is Raheem Marshall, 25. He is wanted for injury to an 18 month old child. Marshall is described as a black male around 5’8 weighing around 155 pounds. He was last seen in the Carthage area. If you know where he can be found, you are asked to contact the Rusk County Sheriff’s Department.
TYLER – TISD has announced its valedictorians and salutatorians from the 2018 graduating class. Emmanuel Daniels is the Valedictorian at John Tyler High School and Cody Olson is the Valedictorian at Robert E. Lee High School. The salutatorians are Bryce Holloway at John Tyler High School; and Kamal Bains at Robert E. Lee High School. John Tyler High School will graduate on Friday, June 1 at 7:30pm. Robert E. Lee High School will graduate on Saturday, June 2 at 7:30pm. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – It appears as if smoking in bed was responsible for a Tyler fire death. On May 18th, the body of Shirley Bradshaw, 71, was found in her bed in her home on East Second Street. Her bed was on fire. Tyler Fire Fire Marshal Paul Findley said it was determined the fire started at the foot of her bed and was most likely caused by improperly disposed of smoking materials. She had limited mobility and disposed of the items by throwing them on the floor. There were numerous cigarettes and matches found in the area where the fire started. The preliminary autopsy report showed she died from smoke inhalation.
LONGVIEW – An investigation of mail in ballots in Gregg County is underway. County officials announced the investigation during a mid day news conference on Wednesday. The investigation is over the large number of mail-in ballots cast in the Pct. 4 commissioner’s race. Over 800 mail in ballots were received. Because of the mail in vote, Shannon Brown defeated former Longivew City Councilwoman Kasha Williams by 5 votes. A voter in the precinct, the Rev. D.J. Nelson, has filed a complaint with the Secretary of State’s Office and the state is investigating.
LONGVIEW – Several East Texas youth are among the finalists for the 2018 youth blues guitar competition at the Big Pines Blues Festival Junior Showcase in Longview. The finalists will will face off in head-to-head competition to determine winners in two age groups on Saturday afternoon, May 26, on the Heritage Plaza stage. Among the Junior Showcase contestants in Grades 6 through 8 are Ethan Rivers, 11, of Athens; Austen Walls, 12, of Chandler; and Cody Lattis, 13, of Murchison. The grade 9-12 hopefuls include Grant McInnis, 16, Bullard. Read the rest of this entry »