Today is
Monday September 23, 2024
SMITH COUNTY â Smith County Precinct 1 Constable Curtis Traylor-Harris and two high-ranking deputies were indicted on Thursday for felony theft by a public servant and a misdemeanor of official oppression, according to Smith County District Attorney Jacob Putman. Precinct 1 Chief Deputy LaQuenda Banks and Pct. 1 Sgt. Derrick Holman were charged along with Harris. Harris, Banks and Holman were arrested in November 2021 for allegedly stealing from a Tyler residence while they were working. They were previously charged with theft, official oppression and abuse of official capacity. Those who are convicted with theft by a public servant will receive a third-degree felony. They could get a fine not greater than $10,000 and be sentenced between two to 10 years in prison. Read the rest of this entry »
ALTO â A sophomore student died after collapsing during a basketball game against Mount Pleasant in Alto on Tuesday. Devonte Mumphrey fell in the second quarter of the game and later passed away, according to our news partner KETK. He was a basketball and football player at Alto High School. Earlier this month, Mumphrey had been nominated for Week 12 for Mr. Texas Basketball, which is selected by Dave Campbellâs Texas Basketball. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER â Tyler’s top business official is upbeat and shares his thoughts after the Tyler metro area was ranked first in Texas for job growth from December 2020 to December 2021. The area also ranks sixth in the nation. There were 8,800 more jobs, which is an 8.3% increase, according to the Texas Workforce Commission, Current Employment Statistic. Texas metro areas were ranked by the change in the number of jobs that the area had in December 2020 in comparison to December 2021. The top five has Abilene at 5, followed by McAllen-Edinburg at 4, Midland 3, Austin Round Rock at two. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER â Two Family Dollar stores in Tyler were robbed by armed burglars Monday night. Around 8:30 p.m. on Monday, Tyler Police responded to a call of an armed robbery at the Family Dollar on West Bow Street. About 45 minutes later at approximately 9:15, officers also responded to an armed robbery at the Family Dollar at Front and Beckham. According to officials, the stores appear to have been robbed by similar suspects. It is currently unknown how much or what was taken from each location. The suspects in these two cases are described as two males who were armed. They were seen leaving both locations in a white SUV (pictured). This case remains under investigation. If you have any information on either of these two cases contact Detective Molina at 903-531-1097.
PALESTINE â A 16-year-old boy is dead in Anderson County after he was fatally struck by a pickup truck on Thursday. According to police, at approximately 8:15 p.m., DPS Troopers responded to a vehicle-pedestrian crash near 4015 FM-2574 roughly 10.7 miles northeast of Palestine in Anderson county. The preliminary investigation indicated that a 2006 2500 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck was traveling southwest on FM-2574 when a pedestrian stepped out into the roadway and was struck by the front of the pickup, according to our news partner KETK. The 16-year-old boy, from Palestine, was pronounced dead at the scene and was taken to Rhone Funeral Home in Palestine. The driver of the pickup, 49-year-old Richard Taylor, of Palestine was not injured. Police said that the investigation is currently ongoing and have offered no further information at this time.
VAN ZANDT COUNTY â A Tyler man died after he lost control of his truck in icy conditions on State Highway 64, about 6.5 miles east of Canton in Van Zandt County, according to our news partner KETK. Mickey A. Jones, 43, of Tyler was driving west on Highway 64 at an unsafe speed for the road and weather conditions, according to the DPS. Jones lost control of his car and began to spin clockwise until he eventually slid off the north side of the highway and into a ditch where he hit a tree, according to DPS. Jones died at the scene. DPS said that Jones was not wearing a seatbelt and that there was ice on the road at the time of the crash.
TYLER â Animal control and rescues say they have received an abundance of calls and messages about strays and pets that have been left outside to fend for themselves recently, according to our news partner KETK. âIf itâs cold outside, bring your dogs inside. Make sure they have proper dog houses and a place where they can get out of the rain and the wind,â says Kerri Long, Tyler Police Department Community Response Officer. Long is taking it into her own hands to help out. She was tagged many times on a Facebook post about mistreated animals, so she gave out her own personal number. Long took time out of her day to go out to each welfare check and made sure someone responded if she couldnât. Long says officers would rather educate people instead of giving them a ticket. She also says her love for animals is what inspires her to step up to help. She also asked dispatch to send her to all of the animal calls. She says she was only doing her job, but others believe she went above and beyond the call of duty.
SMITH COUNTY – A pregnant womanâs car was swept away by rising water in Smith County on Thursday, and she had to be rescued. According to our news partner KETK, the situation happened near County Road 113 and County Road 119 in the Roddy Branch area near Mud Creek. Authorities said the woman got out of the vehicle safely. The arctic blast created a significant amount of rain and ice accumulation. Experts said it only takes two feet of moving water to lift a car. Read the rest of this entry »
CHEROKEE COUNTY – The Cherokee County Sheriffâs Office identified the two people killed in a shooting Sunday morning.23-year-old Jakari Hogan and 20-year-old Ronnie Pearson, both from Shreveport, were killed from apparent gunshot wounds, according to Cherokee County Sheriff Brent Dickson. According to our news partner KETK, the Cherokee County Sheriffâs office received a call at approximately 2:50 a.m. Sunday from the Rusk County Sheriffâs office saying that two injured men had been found on the side of Highway 79 at the Cherokee-Rusk County line. Upon deputiesâ arrival, the two men were found dead from apparent gunshot wounds just barely inside the Cherokee County line. Cherokee County is still investigating this case and is currently pursuing any and all leads. If you have any information regarding this case, they ask that you please contact the Cherokee County Sheriffâs Office at 903-683-2271.
 TYLER â On Sunday, to celebrate the 3rd anniversary of their Free Day, Tyler Thrift allowed East Texans to come and get free items. According to our news partner KETK, in addition to the free items, customers also received free snacks, drinks, and pizza. The store allowed groups to have 10 minutes to grab whatever they want. New items were brought out between each group, so Tyler Thrift said there were plenty of items for everyone. People could get back in line as many times as theyâd like and Tyler Thrift said there was no limit on how many items guests could take. The store also provided bags and boxes until they ran out.
 TYLER â On Saturday Sharon Shriners appointed their new Divan, a term they use for their leading officers according to our news partner KETK. Sharon Shriners is a group most famously known for driving the tiny cars at the Texas Rose Parade complete with their signature hats, also known as a âfezâ. The group is also very active in the community, such as holding toy drives during the holiday season. The former head of Sharon Shrine said that as their group evolves, itâs important to signify their changes in leadership. âIt happens every year, and for most of us, we have been here for a long time,â said Carl Auvil, the past potentate. Beyond East Texas, this group of men has helped raise money for Shriners International which builds hospitals across the country for families with children who are burn victims or have orthopedic impairments. One of their hospitals is located in Galveston.
GREGG COUNTY, Texas â A 68-year-old woman died after a two-vehicle fiery crash in Gregg County on Friday night around 10:32 p.m. on I-20 a mile and a half west of Kilgore. According to our news partner KETK, Linda Blaney, 68, of Shreveport, LA was driving a 2004 Mazda Tribute east and was in the inside lane disabled when she appeared to have had a single-vehicle crash. An 18-wheeler also driving east in the inside lane hit her, according to DPS. Blaneyâs car caught on fire and was engulfed in flames. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the 18-wheeler identified as Jeremy Ragle, 40, of Emory did not have any injuries, according to DPS.
There has been a rise in vehicle burglaries in East Texas. Criminals are looking for anything they can get their hands on. According to our news partner KETK , the one valuable item they all want are firearms. âThereâs nothing worse than you going home or outside to your vehicle in the morning and leave for work and find your car door open,â said Sheriff John Wayne Valdez, Rusk County Sheriffâs Office. According to the Sheriff Valdez, Rusk county had 65 vehicle related thefts in 2021. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER â A 17-year-old is behind bars after an investigation into threats of a school shooting at Winona High School. According to our news partner KETK, the investigation started when the FBI National Threat Operations Center got an anonymous tip about the threat of a school shooting at an unknown date and time in the Smith County area. The case was assigned to the FBI Tyler Division as well as investigators with the Smith County Sheriffâs Office Wednesday. The investigation began that same morning when a Smith County investigator and two FBI agents went to Winona High School where they met with school administrators. Through their initial investigation, they identified the suspect as 17-year-old Tyler Auston Tate, a 10th grade student at WHS. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER â A bicyclist is dead after reportedly getting struck by a vehicle about a mile northwest of Tyler, DPS officials said. According to our news partner KETK, 30-year-old Kevin Mann Jr. of Evart, MI, was driving a 2013 Chevrolet Silverado north on SH-110 when a bicycle rider turned in front of his vehicle around 5:50 p.m. Thursday. 47-year-old Tony Ellisor of Tyler was on the bicycle. He was struck by the vehicle and taken to UT Health East Texas â Tyler where he later died from his injuries. Mann was not injured in the crash.