Today is
Friday June 05, 2026
BULLARD — According to our news partner KETK, a state death report reveals neighbors believed a Bullard man was attempting suicide by cop, which led to a deadly Bullard SWAT standoff on Dec. 8.
The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect as 53-year-old Shawn Turner Sr. of Bullard, who was firing a gun from the front porch of his home. Neighbors told law enforcement they were in fear and believed he was attempting suicide by cop. The state report revealed that Turner “retrieved an AR-style rifle and began firing at officers, at which point officers returned fire.”
Turner then allegedly went back into the house, where he continued firing at officers until he changed weapons and killed himself. Turner would have been charged with aggravated assault on a peace officer with a deadly weapon. The Texas Rangers are currently investigating the case.
CASS COUNTY — The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has suspended one of its troopers following a Sunday arrest for driving while intoxicated. According to our news partner KETK, 43-year-old Trooper Decori Charles Birmingham was suspended from his duties after being arrested by a fellow DPS trooper and charged with DWI. He was booked into the Cass County Jail without incident.
This comes after Birmingham was involved in a two-vehicle crash in Cass County at the intersection of State Highway 8 and State Highway 77 on Saturday. Birmingham was off duty at the time of the crash and was driving his personal vehicle. Birmingham has been with the Texas Department of Public Safety since 2014 and is stationed in Linden.
“DPS takes these allegations very seriously and the department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) has also launched a separate administrative investigation,” a DPS spokesperson said.
CENTER — Due to ongoing illnesses impacting students and staff, Excelsior ISD announced on Monday that its campus will be closed for the remainder of the week. The district said the decision was made to protect the health and well-being of the school community while ensuring students are safe during the upcoming holiday break. All activities and events will also be cancelled.
“This decision was made with the safety of our students, staff and families as our top priority,” Excelsior ISD said. “We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we take this precautionary step.”
NACOGDOCHES — According to our news partner KETK, a 36-year-old man was arrested on a murder charge following a stabbing late Saturday night in Nacogdoches. Nacogdoches Police Sgt. Brett Ayres said officers responded to a medical call just after midnight in the 300 block of East Main Street, where a person was reported to be bleeding. Officers located the victim, who had been stabbed multiple times in the chest, and EMS transported the victim to a local hospital, Ayres said.
Witnesses led police to Cruz De La Luz Vargas Nava, 36, of Nacogdoches, as the suspect. He was found shortly after and taken into custody on probable cause. The victim later died at the hospital, police said. Vargas Nava was subsequently booked into jail on a murder charge. The investigation remains ongoing.
TYLER — A panel of GOP candidates took place in Tyler, featuring Stuart Hene, John Nix and James Wynne, all of whom are competing for the position of mayor of the City of Tyler.
The current mayor, Don Warren, was first elected in 2020. His six-year term will conclude in 2026, following his third term. Voters in Tyler will have the opportunity to elect Warren’s successor in May 2026. Hene currently serves as the councilman for District 1 in central Tyler. He attended Rice Elementary, Hubbard Middle School, and Tyler Legacy High School (prior to its renaming). Hene earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Baylor University and obtained his law degree from the Oklahoma City University School of Law.
John Nix describes his journey to Tyler as a young carpenter armed only with tools and an old used car. Over the years, Tyler has become a place that he and his family proudly call home. As a small business owner, Nix says he understands the importance of having a well-functioning city. Nix served as Tyler City Councilman for District 6 from 2013 to 2019. Nix currently works as the president of Nix Construction, Inc. and Nix Builders and as the owner of Nix Properties, LLC. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – A Tyler driver is warning other motorists of a worn out curb that pops tires at the entrance of Sprouts on Broadway Avenue.
On Sunday night, Levi Rodriguez hit a curb on the driveway into the main entrance to Sprouts Farmers Market in Tyler. It was late at night and he did not see the hole before the jagged edge instantly flattened his tire. He said he talked to the Sprouts night manager who told him it happens multiple times a day to their customers. Rodriguez was not the only one that succumbed to this curb. He instantly posted to social media about what happened and received hundreds of comments with some people saying the exact same thing happened to them.
Rodriguez said the night manager told him it was a battle between the City of Tyler and the Texas Department of Transportation, to see who’s responsible for the repairs. The storm water inlet is owned by the City of Tyler and South Broadway Avenue is under the care of TxDOT. The city told our news partner KETK that private owner of the driveway is responsible for maintenance. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — Tyler fire crews were called to the Shiloh apartment complex early Thursday morning after a resident spotted flames on a neighbor’s balcony. According to our news partner KETK, the fire was reported around 4:30 a.m. at 2911 Shiloh Road. Crews evacuated the building as a precaution. While the flames did not damage the inside of the apartment, they did spread into the attic.
Structural damage to the roof forced the evacuation of all four top-floor units, and apartment management worked to relocate displaced residents into vacant units within the complex.
No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
LONGVIEW — A Texas DPS trooper was involved in a crash in Longview on Wednesday during an emergency call. According to our news partner KETK, a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper, escaped injury Wednesday after another vehicle struck the side of his patrol unit.
The trooper was responding to an emergency call when the crash occurred at the intersection of Gilmer Road and Loop 281, authorities said.
Albritton said the trooper is unharmed, and the other driver was taken to a local hospital as a precaution.
LINDALE — Investigators with the North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force arrested a Lindale man Tuesday following an online tip from X Corp, formerly known as Twitter.
According to our news partner KETK, the tip indicated that an individual had posted and sent direct messages soliciting child pornography in exchange for pornographic pictures of a minor in his family, Smith County arrest papers revealed. Some messages also included a video depicting an adult assaulting a child believed to be 12 to 14 years old.
Investigators traced one of the X accounts’ IP addresses to Lindale and obtained a search warrant for the resident’s home. An email linked to the account identified the suspect as Joshua Zane Attaway. On Tuesday, Smith County officials arrived at Attaway’s residence, where he was sitting outside. Attaway was interviewed, where he admitted to owning the X account and allegedly sending the messages. Read the rest of this entry »
UPDATE: The 19-year-old cyclist involved in the crash has died, according to Tyler Public Information Officer Andy Erbaugh. The identity of the cyclist has not been released.
TYLER – The Tyler Police Department is currently responding to the scene of a major crash that happened on E Fifth Street near Loop 323 on Sunday night. According to our news partner KETK and th Tyler PD, the crash happened in the 2600 block of E Fifth Street near the intersection of SSE Loop 323. Officials said that eastbound traffic is closed on E Fifth Street from west of SSE Loop 323.
The crash scene is still active and Tyler PD officers are in the road directing traffic. Tyler PD asked drivers to find alternative routes through the area.
UPSHUR COUNTY — The Upshur County Sheriff’s Office announced on Tuesday that it has reached an agreement to join the 287(g) Task Force. According to our news partner KETK, with an agreement reached, deputies will undergo training from ICE officials to educate them on enforcing immigration laws, multicultural communication, and avoiding racial profiling.
Upshur County Sheriff Larry Webb stated that he will use the resources available from joining the task force to ensure residents’ safety and well-being.
“In closing, the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to working alongside our law enforcement partners to ensure the safety and well-being of every citizen in our community,” Webb said. “We will continue to use every resource available to identify criminal activity within our county and to bring those responsible before the proper courts to answer for their actions.”
BULLARD — Bullard’s City Council voted on Tuesday evening to join ICE’s 287(g) Task Force program according to our new partner KETK. This comes after they voted last month to table the motion as the city attorney was not present at the meeting. The 287(g) Task Force Model is a partnership with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that allows local law enforcement to enforce U.S. immigration laws, including identifying and processing immigrants with pending or active criminal charges.
In November, Smith County Precinct 4 joined the Task Force Model Program while Precinct 1 declined to join the same program, as Constable Ralph Caraway said his office will continue to enforce the law and protect its community without expanding its responsibility for “targeting any person because of race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, color or creed.”
Bullard has become the second city in Smith County to join the Task Force Model, following the Arp Police Department’s addition on Nov. 14.
Check here for all East Texas agencies currently signed on to ICE’s 287(g) program.
HOPKINS COUNTY — More than $370,000 worth of stolen equipment and trailers from several states have been recovered due to a multi-agency investigation in East Texas.
According to our news partner KETK, the case began when investigators from the Northeast Texas Auto Theft Task Force, in collaboration with the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office and several other agencies, investigated reports of trailers and heavy equipment acquired using fraudulent documents. As the investigation expanded, investigators identified links to similar thefts in several Texas counties, including Cooke County.
Cooke County investigators then partnered with the task force, combining their resources and information, which led to the discovery of a key lead in the investigation.
On Monday, investigators executed a search warrant in Kaufman County, where they recovered 14 confirmed stolen items, including equipment and trailers. These items had been reported stolen across five states: Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Missouri. Read the rest of this entry »
RAINS COUNTY — The criminal case against Rains County Judge Linda Wallace has been dismissed, according to newly released documents from the Rains County District Clerk’s Office and our news partner KETK.
The dismissal comes after months of developments connected to the investigation and prosecution of Rains County Justice of the Peace Jenkins Franklin. A full timeline of events is below:
MAY 1: Rains County Justice of the Peace Robert Jenkins Franklin was arrested and charged with official oppression and witness tampering. According to a federal lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Rains County Justice of the Peace Robert Jenkins Franklin allegedly threatened a defendant to plead guilty in a case over which Franklin had no jurisdiction. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Thanks to the Texas Resilient Landscapes Initiative, Texas landowners can now earn up to $80,000 by reforesting their land. Landowners with 10 to 150 acres of land are being invited by the initiative to reforest their land through a number of different methods including: shredding or mulching for tree planting at $168.75 per acre, prescribed fire burns at $37.50 per acre, direct seeding of trees at $337.50 per acre, planting live cuttings at $375 per acre, planting bareroot or containerized seedlings at $5.60 per seedling and providing temporary browsing protection for seedlings at $4.90 per seedling.
Non-federal, non-industrial and tribal or local government forest landowners can apply to the initiative by Jan. 23, 2026 and another application period will open in the summer or fall of 2026.
To apply or learn more, visit the Texas A&M Forest Service online.