TYLER – Arrest records show that six people have been arrested after they reportedly tried to cash forged checks totaling $46,161. According to our news partner KETK, an arrest warrant for Tony Lee Head alleges that, between March 31 and April 2, he passed a forged check to Brookshire’s that said it was from Integrity Turf Management or Integrity Tree Care & Landscape.
According to Head’s arrest affidavit, the company did not authorize that check or any of $46,161 in forged checks addressed to Tony Lee Head (pictured left), Jessica Carmon Henderson, Dale Forbus Reynolds, Howard Bowen, Kevin Ray Eddins and Lizabeth Marie Arnold.
A Tyler PD detective who was investigating the check forgery case said the case started when Henderson was employed by Integrity Turf Management (ITM) as an accountant for about a month. Henderson reportedly was given access to the business’s Intuit QuickBooks and all of their financials. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – The Tyler Fire Marshal’s Office said that a Dairy Queen near The Village at Cumberland Park in Tyler was struck by lightning on Sunday. According to our news partner KETK, the fire from the strike didn’t burn that much of the building but firefighters did have to tear out part of the ceiling inside the fast-food restaurant to check for fire. No injuries were reported from the fire and lightning strike. The Dairy Queen will have to be closed for at least a couple of days for repairs, according to the fire marshal’s office.
TYLER — According to our news partner KETK, a recent study from the University of Texas at Tyler found the economic impact the solar eclipse had in the City of Tyler. The total solar eclipse was observed in Tyler on April 8 and the Hibbs Institute for Business & Economic Research released a study that found visitors brought in about $7.7 million.
According to the study, researchers estimated the economic impact of visitors and their expenditures during the solar eclipse weekend including dining, entertainment and shopping at retail stores. The influx of tourists was anticipated several weeks beforehand, allowing hotels to considerably raise their rates for the event weekend, which had been fully booked. The study found that booked hotels brought in about $1 million and the calculated visitor spending during those days was $6.7 million. However the study did not take into account locals who joined the visitors and their estimated expenditures.
For a full breakdown of the study including the methodology, people can visit the current edition of the Hibbs Briefs.
TYLER – According to our news partner KETK, the Texas Game Wardens said that their Marine Theft Investigation Unit seized over $100,000 of equipment at the Sealy Big Bass Splash Tournament last weekend. The Marine Theft Unit reportedly patrolled the tournament for two days and inspected 300 boats, 243 motors and 100 trailers in that time. San Augustine, Sabine, Angelina, Jasper, Tyler and Nacogdoches County Game Wardens helped the unit inspect the boats which were attending what Texas Game Wardens said is the largest amateur fishing tournament in the state.
TYLER – After severe weather hit East Texas, several power companies and cooperatives have reported that 12,752 people are without power as of 9:00 a.m on Monday. Our news partner KETK has compiled a list of power outages in East Texas counties.
GILMER – The Gilmer Police Department said they seized guns, drugs and cash while executing a search warrant on Thursday. Our news partner KETK is reporting that the Gilmer PD executed a search warrant at a residence which allegedly housed two known drug dealers in Upshur County at around 6 a.m. on Thursday. While searching the home Gilmer PD officers reportedly found two guns, $2,269 and 36 grams of black tar heroin. A request for more information was not immediately fulfilled by Gilmer PD. We will continue to update as more info becomes available.
LUFKIN – According to our news partner KETK, officials are investigating after an overnight shooting in Lufkin that left a man injured. According to police, officers responded to a report of a man with a gunshot wound to the head around 10:20 p.m. in the 100 block of West Laurel Avenue after the man had sought help from a neighbor. The man was flown to an out-of-town hospital where he remained in stable condition, according to authorities, and the incident is under investigation.
“The man told officers he had been robbed and shot by a man that he knew but he didn’t know the suspect’s name,†officials said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Lufkin Police Department at 936-633-0356 or Crime Stoppers at 936-639-TIPS.
LONGVIEW – A Longview woman plead guilty on Thursday to manslaughter in the death of a 41-year-old man from Longview after an argument reportedly turned into physical violence. According to our news partner KETK, the Longview Police Department responded to a call at around 7:48 p.m. on May 13 to the 400 block of E. Pliler Precise Road due to a reported shooting. When officers arrived, they reportedly saw Chris Baker, 41 of Longview, who had been injured. The Longview Fire Department took Baker to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries and he died the following day. Detectives spoke with Jeanne-Marie Minter, who reportedly told officers Baker and her had been arguing, and that turned into physical violence. Police said Minter got away and retrieved a firearm, went back to the room where her and Baker argued and then shot him. Minter plead guilty to the death on Thursday and was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
TYLER – Smith County authorities have arrested the national president of a motorcycle gang for ordering the death of man in 2020. According to our news partner KETK, 57-year-old Kevin Higgins of Kemp, was arrested Tuesday in the death of Brandon Edwards of Chapel Hill. Investigators determined that Kemp ordered the death of Edwards, a rival gang member in fall 2019. Higgins, who is identified as the national president of the motorcycle gang Ugly Man Cossacks, had fellow member Chad Crowell carry out the murder in May 2020.
Initially three members of the Ugly Man Cossacks were arrested in Edwards death. All three have been convicted of organized crime activity in connection to the case. Kevin Higgins is in the Smith County Jail with his bond set at $2.5 million.
CHEROKEE COUNTY – The Cherokee County District Attorney said a Jacksonville man was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday after a jury found him guilty of capital murder. According to our news partner KETK, Brandon Branton was charged with the 2020 stabbing murder of Randy P. Davenport. Davenport’s body was reportedly found near Love’s Lookout in July of 2020 and he was deemed the victim of an “apparent homicide.†Branton was sentenced to life in prison without parole after eight days of testimony and deliberation, the district attorney said.
He was charged alongside codefendant Ja’Michael Rusk, whose case is still pending.
TYLER – A skunk in Tyler tested positive for rabies, marking the second positive rabies test this month. According to our news partner KETK, Tyler Animal Services was alerted by the Texas Department of State Health Services on Wednesday that one skunk they had submitted for analysis tested positive for rabies. The city said that the skunk had been found near the 1200 block of Larkspur Lane and that any individuals and animals with possible exposure have been identified and addressed. This is the second skunk in the month of April to test positive for rabies in Tyler. Officials warned that preventative immunization is the only effective defense against rabies, and to make sure that pets are up to date on their vaccinations.
LONGVIEW – More than a dozen East Texas school districts are asking voters for millions of dollars in bond measures. Longview ISD is proposing $456 million in updates and new facilities according to our news partner KETK. After two failed bond proposals, Longview ISD is asking for voters’ support on another multi-million-dollar measure. “In November we asked voters to vote on two propositions, we’ve broken that into five,†Wayne Guidry, assistant superintendent of finance, said. Proposition A, with a price tag of $237 million, would go mostly toward high school renovations, CTE building expansion and security upgrades across all 13 campuses. “Proposition B, is a new early learning center, proposition C, D, and E are just addressing our athletic facilities it’s been about 35 years since we’ve addressed the majority of those facilities,†Guidry said. The district is hoping that this third time is the charm. The last time Longview residents approved a district bond was in 2008.
GLADEWATER – According to our news partner KETK, the Gladewater ISD board of trustees unanimously made the decision on Monday to move to a four-day school week and opted not to have classes on Mondays. Unlike other districts that decided on having a four-day school week with Fridays off, the district of Gladewater will not be in session Mondays of the coming school year. The school board president said this will help attract and retain teachers, giving them more flexibility in their personal lives.
“As you are trying to be competitive in the workplace and attract staff, you want you want to offer something different,†Ross Morgan, school board president, said. “The main component teachers are absent because they have to go to the doctor or they have to take their child to the doctor or maybe a parent to the doctor. A lot of doctor’s offices aren’t open very long if all on Fridays and that was one kind of long discussion or kind of a really important point as to why Mondays are better.†Read the rest of this entry »
MARSHALL – The Marshall Police Department said that they arrested a man and a woman following a theft incident at a Walmart in Marshall on Friday night. According to our news partner KETK, officers were called to the scene on Friday to respond to a shoplifting incident involving a man and a woman. Bridgette Eleanor Peyton, 32 of Burlington, WI, was arrested for failure to identify as a fugitive, credit or debit card abuse, theft of property worth between $100 and $750 and two warrants from Wisconsin.
After Peyton was detained, officers were reportedly told about a fight happening in the parking lot. Marshall PD said the fight was between the owner of a vehicle and a man allegedly caught trying to break into some cars in the parking lot.
Nicholas Eberle, 41 of Franksville, WI, was arrested after a reported short foot chase and charged with theft of property worth $750 and $2,500, evading arrest and detention, failure to identify as a fugitive and a warrant from Wisconsin. Read the rest of this entry »
HARRISON COUNTY – A 44-year-old woman was arrested on Sunday in Harrison County after drugs were found during a traffic stop. According to our news partner KETK, Teresa Oney, of Harleton, was stopped for defective equipment at Highway 80 and Loop 281 where deputies conducted a probable cause search. Officials said marijuana and methamphetamines were found, and Oney had five active warrants for her arrest. She was arrested for possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, tampering with evidence and the active warrants.