Today is
Tuesday June 09, 2026
LEESBURG -Our news partners at KETK report that man has been sentenced to more than 19 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to drug and firearms charges on Thursday.
Nathan Paul Hart, 36 of Leesburg, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamines and possession of a firearm for a drug trafficking crime, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas Damien M. Diggs.
According to Diggs, Hart was then sentenced to 170 months for the drug charge and 60 months on the firearms charge for a total of 230 months or 19.167 years. Federal court records showed that between August 2019 and August 2021, Hart was a part of a group who conspired to bring more than 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamines into East Texas. In November of 2020, Hart was stopped with another person in a car that was carrying around two kilograms of meth and a pistol. He also reportedly admitted to sending more than $22,000 to California to purchase drugs.
Hart will serve his two sentences one after the other and has also been ordered to forfeit $250,000, Diggs’ press release said. The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service – Criminal Investigations were all involved in the case
UPDATE: The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office said Mia James has been found safe.
ATHENS – Our News Partner, KETK, reports that the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office is searching for an 11-year-old girl who “is believed to have been picked up by an unknown subject.”
According to the department, Mia James, is around 5’11” tall and weighs 98 pounds. She was last seen near her home on County Road 3925 north of Athens while wearing black shorts and a teal hoodie with with the word “Venom” on it.
Anyone with information about Mia’s location is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 903-675-5128.
AUSTIN – Our news partner, KETK, reports that the Texas Supreme Court denied a petition from the Texas House of Representatives on Friday and ruled that a committee subpoena can’t block a scheduled execution like Robert Roberson’s was on Oct. 17.
The Texas House of Representatives Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence had asked the court for a writ of mandamus that would stop the Texas Department of Criminal Justice from executing East Texan Robert Roberson before he could testify in person or before the start of the 89th Texas Legislature on Jan. 14, 2025.
The court has denied that request and an opinion written for the court by Texas Supreme Court Justice Evan A. Young said the following:
Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW — Our news partner, KETK, reports that an East Texas woman has become the target of social media users who blame her for Peanut the squirrel’s death. The mother of two is now sharing her side of the story in an attempt to clear her name.
Mark Longo, the man who rescued Peanut, posted that a raid had been conducted at his home by New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation, who took Peanut and Fred the raccoon. The raid was conducted after the DEC received “multiple reports from the public about the potentially unsafe housing of wildlife that could carry rabies and the illegal keeping of wildlife as pet.”
Later, the DEC and Chemung County Department of Health confirmed that Peanut and Fred had been euthanized after biting one of the investigators issuing a need to conduct a rabies test, that would later come back as negative.Longo took out his frustrations online and posted: “Well internet, you WON,” Longo posted. “You took one of the most amazing animals away from me because of your selfishness. To the group of people who called DEC, there’s a special place in hell for you.” Read the rest of this entry »
TEXARKANA- Our news parner, KETK, reports that a Texarkana police officer was injured Thursday morning while working a I-30 crash when an intoxicated driver hit his patrol vehicle.
Officer Kevin Burk was working at the scene of a westbound I-30 rollover crash and parked his vehicle across the highway to divert traffic, the police department said. According to Texarkana PD, Burk was inside the unit flashing his lights when 30-year-old Matthew Patterson crashed into the side of the vehicle. Police said Patterson ignored all flashing lights and warning and was arrested for drinking while intoxicated. Burk was treated for minor injuries at a hospital and has since been released, the police department said.
“This serves as yet another reminder to never get behind the wheel of a vehicle if you’ve been drinking,” the Texarkana Police Department said. “Too many tragic things could happen in a heartbeat. It’s simply not worth the risk.”
The department said Patterson is sitting behind bars at the Bi-State Jail.
TYLER — Our news partner KETK is reporting that a former Tyler ISD employee was sentenced on Tuesday to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty to having improper relationships with students.
According to an affidavit, on April 15, three Tyler ISD students were discussing about J’Braylon Dewayne Fears, a paraprofessional at the campus, how he was “always surrounding himself around a bunch of little girls while on duty.”
“They were discussing how inappropriate it looked because of how close the girls were to him and how comfortable he looked while they were so close. The teachers were also discussing how students were skipping classes in [a teacher’s] classroom with Fears inside,” the affidavit said.
While the teachers were talking, a student approached them and told them of Fears, who she claimed was seeing a student at another Tyler ISD campus, was flirting with students at the middle school and asking inappropriate questions. Read the rest of this entry »
UPSHUR COUNTY – A February undercover investigation led to five East Texans sentenced to prison for methamphetamine distribution. On Tuesday, the last person awaiting sentencing received a combined prison term of 40 years according to our news partner KETK.
A search warrant was executed at Bob O’ Link Road where 39-year-old Cameron Scott Spears, 51-year-old Jimmy Wayne Skinner, 41-year-old Amanda Lynn Gage, 33-year-old Hailey Renee Shaddix and 45-year-old Benjamin Heath Evans were arrested.
The Upshur County Sheriff’s Office identified Spears as the main target of the investigation and he pled guilty on Tuesday to two charges of delivery of a controlled substance and one charge of possession of a controlled substance. The DA’s office said authorities performed an undercover operation because Spears had been selling and distributing “large quantities” of meth for a “long” period of time and they needed to penetrate the operation. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW — On Wednesday, a Louisiana man was sentenced to death after being found guilty of murdering an East Texas deputy in 2019. According to our news partner KETK, Gregory Newson was found guilty of shooting and killing William Chris Dickerson, a Panola County deputy during a traffic stop on New Year’s Eve in 2019. Newson was accused of fleeing the scene that led to a high-speed chase ending in a crash.
Prosecutors in the case were seeking the death penalty, asking the jury to look at the evidence when making their decision.
“Your verdict is not going to bring Chris Dickerson back,” Wes May, a state lawyer said. “It’s not going to fill the hole left in the shield that these men and women who testified in this case and who Chris himself represented, but it will be one step toward taking justice.”
VAN ZANDT COUNTY – Our news partner, KETK, reports that hundreds of Van Zandt County residents are against a Finnish-owned lithium battery project set to come in December.
In the rural town of Whitton, their community center was packed on Tuesday with concerned residents as a forum was held. The company behind the project is called Taaleri Energia out of Finland. According to the company’s website, they are one of the largest dedicated renewables investment teams in Europe.
“It’s been overwhelming engagement, discouragement, and honestly just sadness and frustration that not enough people know what’s going on”,said Nancy White, a Van Zandt County resident said.
Although the Van Zandt County Commissioners held a meeting with head of construction for the project on Oct. 31, David Dunagan, who lives near the site, is concerned.
They show the fire suppression system is optional, and then they will not answer the question of will they include it or not and then their lawyer sends out fire chief for the county saying, “you can’t come inspect our facility… It makes us very nervous,” Dunagan said.
Neighbors also point to a pipeline, they say runs directly underneath where the energy storage facility would be. Read the rest of this entry »
UPDATE: According to our news partner KETK, police continue to search for a Tyler 17-year-old who was last seen Nov. 1. The Tyler Police Department shared on Tuesday photos of what Lily Peppler was wearing on the day she went missing. Anyone with information on Peppler’s whereabouts is urged to contact the department at 903-531-1000.
TYLER — The Tyler Police Department is seeking the public’s help in finding a missing teen.
The police department said Lily Peppler, 17 from Tyler, was last seen on Nov. 1 at 8 a.m. leaving Legacy High School and walking in front of Mardel at Independence and S. Broadway. However, police said family have not heard from her since then, yet no evidence of foul play is suspected at this time.
BULLARD – Our news partner, KETK, reports that first responders worked to free an individual who fell into a Bullard wood chipper Monday morning, authorities said.
Nikki Simmons, the Community Outreach Coordinator for Smith County Emergency Services District 2, said they were dispatched around 8:37 a.m. to a traumatic injury at 49759 Hwy 69 in Bullard.
According to Simmons, firefighters were called to assist EMS after a person was reported to have fallen into a wood chipper. The person was freed from the heavy machinery before 9:30 a.m. and Simmons said they have been transported to the hospital.
At this time, the extent of the person’s injuries and their condition is unknown.
UPDATE: The two people found dead at a Tyler residence Sunday night have been identified as Rolanda Garcia-Vasquez, 38 of Tyler, and Fidel Meza-Marmolejo, 43 of Dallas, officials said.
The Tyler Police Department said Garcia-Vasquez lived at the residence.
ORIGINAL STORY: TYLER – A woman and a man were found dead at a Mockingbird Lane home on Sunday and the Tyler Police Department said they’re investigating it as a homicide-suicide. According to our news partner KETK, shortly after 7 p.m. officers were dispatched to a shooting at the 1400 block of Mockingbird Ln. When police arrived, they found a woman dead who looked like had been shot.
Officials said a man who appeared to have a self-inflicted gunshot wound was also found dead.
The identities of the individuals are being withheld until family can be notified and it is an active investigation, Tyler PD said.
PALESTINE – The City of Palestine said they’re planning a temporary water outage for a part of West Reagan Street this Tuesday. According to our news partner KETK, the outage is being done for utilities work and will impact West Reagan Street from South Durrance Street to South Fulton Street on Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience,†the City of Palestine said.
To learn more, visit the City of Palestine online.
UPDATE: Trinity County Sheriff Woody Wallace identified James Robert Belcher as the worker who was found dead at a cell tower in Trinity on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Wallace said that Belcher’s next of kin has been notified.
TRINITY COUNTY — A man was found dead after he apparently fell off a cell tower he was working on near State Highway 94, Trinity County Sheriff Woody Wallace said.
According to Wallace, the sheriff’s office got a call at around 7:15 a.m. on Tuesday from Mastec Network Solutions. The company asked them to do a welfare check at a cellphone tower located at 7587 State Highway 94 after worker assigned to that tower didn’t return home on Monday. When deputies arrived, they found the man dead after he seemingly fell off a platform raised about eight feet in the air, Wallace said.
The sheriff’s office is currently investigating the worker’s death.
CANTON – The Elmo Fire Department confirmed that one person was injured in a crash involving three 18-wheelers on Interstate 20 west of Canton on Saturday. According to our news partner KETK, the driver of one of the 18-wheelers was flown to a hospital in Tyler after being extracted from the truck cab.