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Thursday June 04, 2026
KARNACK — The financial director for Karnack ISD was arrested Thursday for allegedly stealing public funds for personal use. The Harrison County Sheriff’s Office said an investigation was launched in early February after the school district reported suspected financial irregularities in district funds. Subpoenas were issued, and officials reviewed financial and credit card records. Authorities allege the review revealed that Karnack ISD’s financial director, Courtney Johnson, used district funds for personal expenses through unauthorized credit card transactions.
Officials said the probe identified more than $128,000 in district funds that were allegedly misappropriated.
Since then, Johnson has been charged with theft by a public servant, misapplication of fiduciary property of a financial institution and credit card abuse. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — A 29-year-old man is dead following a road rage shooting in Tyler on Friday evening. The incident occurred at around 5:10 p.m. in the eastbound lanes of Grande Boulevard while vehicles were stopped at a red light at Paluxy Drive, according to our news partner KETK.
The victim, identified as Trevor Julian, 29, of Whitehouse, was a passenger in a Tesla. Investigators determined that Julian exited the vehicle and approached the driver of a pickup truck stopped behind the Tesla. Lance Cpl. Julian, a native of Carthage, served as an automotive maintenance technician with Headquarters Regiment, 3d Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Kinser in Okinawa, Japan. The pickup truck driver was identified as Dayton Morgan, a 23-year-old man. Authorities say Morgan shot Julian during the encounter.
Julian was transported to a local hospital, where he died. Morgan was arrested on a warrant for murder and has been booked into the Smith County Jail. His bond has been set at $1 million. The investigation remains ongoing, and officials have not released additional details at this time.
TYLER – The Tyler Police Department said that a bus driver was injured on Friday when a Tyler ISD bus and a pickup truck crashed on Loop 323 near South Broadway Avenue. According to Tyler PD and our news partner KETK, the crash happened on Loop 323 around 4:30 p.m. just to the west of South Broadway Avenue. Around 20 students were on the bus when it collided with a pickup truck, leaving the driver with minor injuries.
Tyler PD said the crash was cleared from the roadway by 5:12 p.m. and that Loop 323 is all the way back open to traffic.
LONGVIEW — The Gregg County Commissioners Court has approved an agreement to establish a police department for Longview ISD. The Longview ISD Police Department will maintain ongoing communication with the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office in the event of emergencies.
“If they need additional law enforcement for a situation that takes place on campus, we will readily respond,” County Judge Bill Stoudt said. “This clarifies that we are a backup agency if they ever need assistance.”
The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement will now begin the formal review process required for the department to obtain licensure. Longview ISD officials say they hope to have the process complete by this summer.
TYLER — Tyler Junior College (TJC) could be adding three new buildings to its campus with the passage of a $167.3 million bond, set to be voted on in the May election. In a unanimous vote on Thursday, the TJC Board of Trustees called for a bond election that would pay for three new construction projects and improvements to existing facilities, costing an approximate $167,328,269 million. The proposal for the construction projects was developed by TJC’s Facility Planning Committee, which consists of college representatives and community members.
“The committee identified three major projects to provide for TJC’s community partnerships, student learning environments, workforce preparation and the college’s technological and physical infrastructure,” the institution said. “These areas were selected, in part, because they impact the entire campus.” Read the rest of this entry »
HENDERSON COUNT — A family altercation turned deadly in Henderson County after a 22-year-old man was shot and killed by a relative on Feb. 6. Deputies were called to a disturbance in the 6300 block of County Road 4507, just outside of Athens, following an altercation between 22-year-old Timothy Parker and his 45-year-old stepfather, according to Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse and our news partner KETK, .
After the two separated, Parker returned to the scene with a gun and shot his stepfather. The stepfather’s dad then allegedly shot Parker. The sheriff told KETK News that Parker was pronounced dead at the scene. Emergency crews arrived and began treating the stepfather before transporting him to a local hospital to be treated and is expected to recover.
An investigation into the shooting is ongoing. The case will be forwarded to the Henderson County District Attorney’s Office and a grand jury will ultimately determine if any charges will be filed.
GLADEWATER — Gladewater ISD is asking voters to approve an $8.1 million bond for safety upgrades, new buses and career and technical education improvements, a proposal district officials say would not increase the current tax rate. The single-proposition bond would span 15 years and address transportation needs, facility renovations and equipment upgrades across the district, according to our news partner KETK.
Superintendent Rae Ann Patty said the bond would not raise the district’s interest and sinking (I&S) tax rate, which is currently .253336. The district passed a bond in 2014 that is set to expire in 2045 and has since paid down that debt enough to add the proposed $8.1 million while maintaining the same tax rate, according to Patty.
The proposal includes the purchase of new school buses that meet updated safety standards, including seatbelt requirements. Patty said that if the bond does not pass, buses would still be prioritized but the number purchased would be reduced due to budget constraints. Read the rest of this entry »
PALESTINE — A man was arrested in Palestine on Wednesday for allegedly promoting child pornography online. The Palestine Police Department began an investigation in January after receiving several reports from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. It was reported that an individual living on Crestline Drive was uploading, downloading and distributing child sexual abuse material online. Further investigation led police to believe that the IP address used to upload the images was linked to the same residence.
On Wednesday, the police department searched the home and arrested 27-year-old Juan Carlos Torres. He has been booked into the Anderson County Jail on charges of promotion of child pornography and is being held on a $500,000 bond.
UPDATE: As of Thursday afternoon, the teens are in stable condition and Tyler PD said the injuries are non-life threatening. More information will be released as the investigation continues.
TYLER — Two teenagers were injured in a shooting Wednesday night on Gentry Parkway near the Banana Tree Club. According to Tyler Police Department PIO Andy Erbaugh and our news partner KETK, officers were dispatched at approximately 9:03 p.m. to the 1000 block of West Gentry Parkway following a call reporting an aggravated assault.
At the scene, officials found two 14-year-old victims with gunshot wounds. One teen had been shot multiple times in the leg and the other sustained one gunshot wound to the arm. Erbaugh said emergency medical services (EMS) responded and began treating the victims at the scene. Authorities said the suspect fled in a white vehicle last seen traveling west on Bow Street. No suspects have been detained as of Wednesday night.
Detectives and crime scene personnel are en route to the scene of the crime to begin an investigation. Additional details have yet to be released. This is a developing story and KETK News will update this article as more information becomes available.
ALBA — The Alba-Golden Independent School District (ISD) has scheduled a $20.6 million bond election for May. They aim to build a new Career and Technology Education facility and a new District Gymnasium that the district says aligns with its ongoing commitment to enhance learning environments.
The decision follows a recommendation from the Panther Legacy Vision Team, which consists of 36 members, including students, families, alumni, community members and district staff. This team has been evaluating the long-term facility needs over the past few months. If the bond is approved, the district expects to maintain a tax rate that remains lower than that of surrounding districts.
Further details will be released in the coming months. For any questions, individuals can reach out to Superintendent Shelby Davidson at the AGISD administration building or via email at [email protected].
SMITH COUNTY — Smith County commissioners voted Tuesday to move forward with seeking an independent audit of the county’s road bond program after a local watchdog group raised concerns about a reported $7 million discrepancy.
Grassroots America first brought the issue before the Smith County Commissioners Court, according to our news partner KETK. During its Dec. 16, 2025, meeting financial records tied to the voter-approved Road Bond Program were questioned. On Tuesday, commissioners approved a motion authorizing the county’s purchasing director to advertise for and receive sealed bids for requests for proposals for independent auditing services to review road bond expenditures and compliance. Any contract resulting from the bid process will return to the court for final approval. Read the rest of this entry »
HENDERSON COUNTY — The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a missing man who was last seen on Feb. 2. According to the sheriff’s office and our news partner KETK, Devarrius Demontre Richardson was last seen in Log Cabin on Feb. 2. He was later reported missing by the Log Cabin Police Department. Anyone with information regarding his location is urged to contact the sheriff’s office at 903-675-5128.
UPDATE: The Wood County Sheriff’s Office said that a missing woman was found dead in a wooded area on Saturday morning. Dispatch received a call on Friday night about an abandoned car they saw stuck on a Wood County Electric Cooperative power line right of way path near County Road 4539 according to the sheriff’s office and our news partner KETK.
The car was determined to belong to 76-year-old Laurie Harberson who was last seen on Jan. 23 near Winnsboro. Deputies searched the area around the car on Friday night but nothing was found until a more intensive search with UTV’s and a K9 was done on Saturday morning. Harberson was found dead during the Saturday morning search, about a half mile away from the right of way path in a densely wooded area. The sheriff’s office believes she died of exposure to the recent winter weather that came through East Texas.
Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY – A civil lawsuit filed against Smith County in 2023 was settled on Thursday after more than 100 former Smith County Jail inmates alleged they were held in custody for unreasonably long periods. According to court documents and our news partner KETK, the plaintiffs in the case are former Smith County inmates Ladarion Hughes, Angela Alonzo and Demarcus Lively, who alleged that their constitutional rights were violated by the county’s policy and practice of holding individuals in jail for days or weeks beyond their release dates.
All three plaintiffs in the case stated that they were held in the Smith County Jail past their expected release dates, including Hughes, who was subjected to 27 days of unlawful incarceration from late 2021 to early 2022. Additionally, Alonzo stated that he was held in custody for 33 days beyond his 2022 release date. Read the rest of this entry »
GLADEWATER – A Gregg County man was sentenced to 18 years in prison for possession of child pornography on Thursday. Elijah Paul Leggett, 24 of Gilmer, was first arrested for possession of less than 50 depictions or videos of child pornography on March 18, 2025, after a CyberTip came into the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office on Aug. 29, 2024, according to our news partner KETK.
The CyberTip showed that a user on the social media app Kik had uploaded 34 videos of child pornography. The tip showed that the videos were all uploaded from the same IP address and a sheriff’s office investigator was able to identify Leggett as a suspect. The investigator got a search warrant for Leggett’s residence in Gladewater and his residence was then searched on Oct. 2, 2024. Leggett’s affidavit shows that during the search, the investigator interviewed him after he had waived his right to an attorney. Read the rest of this entry »