Today is
Monday June 08, 2026
ATHENS — Our news partner, KETK, reports that three people were arrested after officers found suspected meth in an Athens home over the weekend. According to the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, on Sunday around 8:10 p.m. officers conducted a narcotics search at a home on County Road 1502. During the search, Terry Frank Alotto was found with a quantity of suspected meth that was packaged in a gallon sized bag, baggies to manufacture and distribute narcotics, a firearm and cash officials said.
Christi Lynn Pass and David Wayne Balser were also found with suspected meth. Alotto was charged with manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of firearm by a felon. Pass and Balser were both charged with possession of a controlled substance.
All three were booked and transported into the Henderson County Jail.
MABANK – Firefighters from Payne Springs Fire Rescue were dispatched to the scene of a home burning in the Hidden Hills Harbor near Mabank on Sunday morning. According to our news partner KETK, the single-wide trailer was totally engulfed when the first Payne Springs Fire Rescue crew arrived at the scene. When a second crew arrived a short time later, officials said the fire was able to be extinguished. The home’s heavy metal roof required Henderson County Precinct 2 to respond to the scene with a backhoe. Gun Barrel City Fire Department, Long Cove Fire Department, Log Cabin Fire Department, Malakoff Fire Department, the Henderson County Fire Marshal’s Office, UT Health EMS and the American Red Cross also responded to the scene.
Payne Springs Fire Rescue said one adult and two children were treated for minor injuries by EMS. They were all reportedly released before the firefighters cleared the scene.
HENDERSON COUNTY — Our news partner, KETK, reports that an East Texas woman has been arrested after a Thursday traffic stop revealed she reportedly had meth and hydrocodone in her truck.
According to the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, officers including a K-9 unit, conducted a traffic stop at around 5:45 p.m. in the 6200 block of Clear Creek Road in Mabank on a black Dodge Ram truck driven by Natasha Ann Longbine. During the traffic stop, an open air sniff of the vehicle was conducted by K-9, Valco, who gave a positive alert for narcotics, initiating a search of the vehicle. “During the search, deputies and investigators were informed by Natasha that she was concealing hydrocodone on her person,” the police department said. “As the search continued Deputy Rodriguez located suspected marijuana inside of the vehicle.”
An officer witnessed Longbine lean on the front passenger side of the vehicle, and reach into the patrol vehicle’s wheel wells. Officers then found a small black zipper bag with a large amount of suspected methamphetamine and baggies used for packaging and distribution of narcotics.
Longbine was arrested for manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance, possession of a dangerous drug, possession of marijuana and tampering or fabricating with physical evidence.
TYLER- Lance Phillips, the son of a Smith County elected official, is seeking to change the location of his upcoming trial due to family prominence. Phillips, 41, of Tyler, is charged with the assault of a peace officer or judge for accusations related to a County Commissioners Court meeting on April 2nd, where he was held in contempt of Court and removed.
Phillips’ attorney asked that the trial, which was set for February 4, 2025, to be postponed so that he may gather evidence to support a venue change. The lawyer cited that Lance Phillips’ parents (former Smith County Precinct 3 Commissioner, Terry Phillips, and current Smith County Clerk, Karen Phillips) are notable figures in the county, as well as the amount of news reports and views of videos involving Lance and his family. The hearing to address the venue change and other issues will be held on February 26th.
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LONGVIEW – On Thursday, a new Command Bus and Bearcat were unveiled after Gregg County and the City of Longview partnered to update old equipment.
The Gregg County Sheriff’s Office and the Longview Police and Fire agencies will be able to use these vehicles. This is the third command center for the city and county. The last time the mobile command post was updated was in 2006 and the last “Bearcat” was updated in 2009.
Longview Police Chief Anthony Boone shared how the new equipment will benefit the city in several ways. “It could be used for natural disasters. It could be used for any type of larger crime scenes. If we have an ongoing active shooter or barricaded subject event, so it will have multiple uses at the city and the county level,” Boone said. Read the rest of this entry »
SULPHUR SPRINGS- Our news partner, KETK, reports that a 25-year-old has died after he crashed into an 18-wheeler on Thursday, the Sulphur Springs Police Department said.
Police officers were dispatched to the 1100 block of Industrial Drive West at around 8:53 p.m. in reference to a major crash. A preliminary investigation indicates that an 18-wheeler was driving westbound on Industrial Drive West while a 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe was driving behind the 18-wheeler. The police department said the driver of the Tahoe failed to control their speed and struck the rear of the trailer.
Officials said the Tahoe driver, identified as Alfonso Alvarez Jr., 25 of Sulphur Springs, was pronounced dead at the scene by a Justice of the Peace. Two occupants of the 18-wheeler were reportedly not injured. “Please keep all involved in your thoughts and prayers,” the police department said.
TYLER– Records show that two children found their mother’s body and alerted an adult after an apartment shooting on Jan. 6.
According to our news partner, KETK, Tyler Police Department officers responded to an apartment in the 9000 block of Bellwood Lake Road and spoke with Cheyenne Russell’s roommate, who found her dead on a couch underneath a blanket with blood on her face.
The roommate told a Tyler PD detective that Russell had moved into the apartment with her children on Jan. 5. The roommate said she left the apartment at around 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 6, and that she was texting Russell throughout the day. Arrest documents show that Jorian Jackson, 29 of Plano, was at the apartment that day to drop off some Christmas presents to a child of his and Russell’s.
“Russell texted [the roommate] that Jackson was questioning their relationship and why they broke up approximately one year ago,” the documents said. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – An East Texas man was given a life sentence on Tuesday after being found guilty of street gang activity in connection to the murder of Brandon Edwards. According to our news partner KETK, Kevin Dale Higgins, 58, was sentenced for his role as president of the Ugly Man Cossacks gang. He was arrested in April for allegedly giving orders to an “outlaw motorcycle gang” that led to the death of Edwards in May 2020.
Edwards was identified as a Sergeant at Arms of a local 1%er Cossacks an “outlaw motorcycle gang chapter.” According to the affidavit, the rivalry between the gangs stemmed in part, from “each ‘club’ claiming to be the ‘real Cossacks.’”
Chad Crowell, who was also arrested in April 2024 for his involvement in Edward’s death, is awaiting is trail that is set for March 31.
TEXARKANA — According to our news partner KETK, a Texarkana registered sex offender was arrested Thursday morning after “800 files of suspected child pornography” were reportedly traced back to his Google drive account. Police were alerted in December by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) about a report from Google.
The report allegedly showed that “over 800 files of suspected child pornography” had been uploaded to a Google Drive tracing back to a Texarkana address. Detectives identified the account to belong to registered sex offender, 69-year-old Kenneth Davenport.
Officials said that officers searched Davenport’s home and seized several electronic devices. Davenport was then arrested for possession of child pornography. Davenport is in custody at Bi-state jail and his bond has not been set at this time.
SMITH COUNTY– The Smith County Animal Control and Shelter shared some recent progress photos of several dogs that were saved from a dog fighting ring last year and are ready for adoption. These dogs are part of a group of nearly 60 dogs that were rescued by the shelter after a dog fighting ring was broken up on Sept. 9, 2024.
Kerry Jones and Michael Jones were both arrested for cruelty to non-livestock animals in connection to the ring. The dogs were in such bad condition that many of them were wounded, and 11 of them had to be euthanized. On Thursday, the shelter shared before and after photos of dogs from the ring that are still waiting to be adopted.
The shelter said each of the dogs were evaluated and found to be friendly. Read the rest of this entry »
HENDERSON COUNTY — An East Texas man is behind bars after officials reportedly found child pornography in his home according to our news partner KETK.
On Wednesday, Henderson County Crimes Against Children’s Task Force and Henderson County Sheriff’s Office searched the home of Dustyn Loyd, 24 of Murchison, on FM 2339. According to officials, during the search Loyd was arrested for online solicitation of a minor and three charges of possession of child pornography. Loyd was transported to the Henderson County Jail and is currently awaiting arraignment.
TYLER – A year has passed since Harley Morris’ disappearance, and despite the tireless efforts of his family and authorities, they are no closer to finding him than they were when he first went missing. According to our news partner KETK, Harley was last seen on January 21, 2024. Three days later, the Tyler Police Department issued a missing person report. The department followed up with two additional requests for residents and businesses north of Gentry Parkway to North Loop 323 to review cameras or door on the day he went missing for any signs of Harley.
They also asked the community to check their property for items Harley was known to be wearing at the time of his disappearance: a Prime 102 cap, black shoes, and a black/grey hoodie. In an effort to aid the investigation, a Facebook group was created where community members pieced together a timeline of Harley’s final known hours.
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UPDATE: After being on the run for two weeks, Jorian Jackson, wanted for the deadly Tyler apartment shooting was arrested on Wednesday evening. Officers served a search warrant at around 2:45 p.m. at his grandmother’s house on Highway 31, where they located him. Jackson is headed to the Smith County Jail for first-degree murder and will be held on a $1 million bond. The grandparents have been arrested. They are identified as Carolyn Johnson, 75, and Willie Johnson, 75, both from Tyler. They’ve been charged with hindering apprehension, with bond set at $50,000 each.
TYLER — The Tyler Police Department is searching for a Plano man for his suspected involvement in a Monday apartment shooting that killed a woman. Officers were dispatched to an apartment complex on Bellwood Lake Road at around 3:05 p.m. in reference to a homicide. When authorities arrived, they reportedly found a woman, later identified as Cheyenne Russell, 26 from Nacogdoches, with multiple gunshot wounds. Police have identified the suspect as 29-year-old Jorian Jackson.
CASS COUNTY — Our news partner KETK is reporting that an Arkansas man has been sentenced to 40 years after touching an East Texas child while he and his fiancé visited her family’s home.
The Cass County Criminal District Attorney said that Dillon Austin Venson, 24 of Pocahontas, AR., was found guilty of two counts of indecency with a child by contact and not guilty on an aggravated charge. Venson was sentenced to a total of 40 years in prison and will not be eligible for parole until he has served half the time, along with a $10,000 fine on each charge. According to the DA’s office, during the spring and summer of 2023, Venson and his fiancé visited the victim and her family at their home in Queen City.
During the first occasion, the victim younger than 14, woke up to Venson touching her leg and moving his hand to her private area the document stated, the DA’s office said. He then proceeded to touch her private area over her underwear. Read the rest of this entry »
HENDERSON, Texas (KETK) — Henderson ISD board of trustees named Brian Bowman as the new superintendent, expected to begin in February. Bowman will bring over 20 years of educational leadership experience to HISD, much of it being in East Texas according to our news partner KETK.
Bowman currently serves as superintendent of Diboll ISD where he “managed a $20 million budget, secured major grants to enhance infrastructure and programming and implemented initiatives that improved student outcomes.” He has also spent time in the classroom as an administrator in a number of school districts including Gilmer High School where he served as principal. While he was principal, he lead the campus to achieve many academic distinctions and strengthen ties with the community.
Earlier in his career, Bowman was Director of Community and Media Relations at Longview ISD. While in this position, he managed public relations during a $267 million district bond project and expanded parent engagement initiatives. Read the rest of this entry »