Today is
Monday June 08, 2026
LONGVIEW – Making his mark one mile at a time, our news partner, KETK reports that Kyndal Ray Edwards is taking a journey across America and shining a light on a topic people have a hard time talking about.
A walking testimony, Edwards started his journey in prison, knowing that he wanted to change his life and walk for a cause bigger than himself.
“I want to shed some light on it and let people know that there is hope,” Edwards said.
In order to raise awareness for mental health Edwards will be walking across all four corners of the lower 48 states of America. Read the rest of this entry »
NACOGDOCHES COUNTY — Officials have located the body of a man they believe has been missing since January. This is the second body found as part of the missing persons investigation. According to our news partner KETK, the Lufkin Police Department discovered a body they believe to be Michael Allen in the 5900 block of Old Tyler Road in Nacogdoches County. Allen’s family has been notified, however, officials said the body has been sent for an autopsy to confirm the identity.
In February, officials said they found the body of another man, which they believe to be 79-year-old Robert Saxon, who was reported missing at the same time Allen was. The body was found in Sabine Parish, La. Despite it being more than a month since the first body was discovered, the Lufkin Police Department said they are still pending autopsy results to officially identify the body.
At this time, the Lufkin Police Department said John Wayne McCroskey is a suspect and is being questioned. He is being held in the Angelina County Jail on unrelated charges.
TYLER – Our news partner, KETK, reports that the Tyler Police Department is warning residents of scammers pretending to be local or federal law enforcement in order to ask victims for money. A victim of a scammer recently reported the incident to the Tyler PD stating that she received a call from somebody claiming to be a U.S. Marshal. The victim was instructed to pay money and received an additional call from someone claiming to be a member of the Tyler PD and told her she would be arrested if she did not pay the money.
The Tyler PD released a statement claiming that they would never ask anyone to pay them money over the phone. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY – Our news partner, KETK, reports that an elderly man has died after falling from a ladder while trimming trees Monday afternoon. According to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, around 4:30 p.m., deputies responded to a home in the Chapel Hill area off of Highway 64, where they found 76-year-old Bobby Finley dead in his yard.
Officials said Finley was standing on a ladder while trimming a tree in his yard with a chainsaw when a limb he cut fell into the ladder, knocking him to the ground. The sheriff’s office believes Finley hit his head and back area when he fell to the ground, ultimately causing his death.
VAN ZANDT COUNTY – An Edgewood man was arrested after deputies reportedly found illegal narcotics inside his vehicle. According to the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office and our news partner KETK, on March 17, a Van Zandt County criminal interdiction deputy saw a vehicle committing multiple moving violations and initiated a traffic stop.
The deputy saw multiple indicators that the people in the vehicle were possibly concealing something illegal. A Wills Point PD K9 unit performed a search around the vehicle, and officers were alerted to the presence of illegal narcotics. During the search, officials said suspected meth was located on Timothy Dwayne Henson of Edgewood. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Our news partner, KETK, reports that the fourth annual “Sources of Strength” Retreat is expected to host over 200 students from 11 different high schools from all over East Texas this week.
Next Step Community Solutions, a Texas-based nonprofit, will host this retreat on Wednesday at the W.T. Brookshire Conference Center in Tyler. Sources of Strength is a peer-led suicide prevention program. The evidence-based conference-style retreat will feature different groups and adult leaders that will rotate through sessions.
“Each year we are able to bring more students together and celebrate all that they’ve accomplished over the past school year while also teaching them new ways to grow,” Sources of Strength program manager Adriana Gonzalez said. Read the rest of this entry »
RUSK – The Good Samaritan Food Pantry and Thrift Store is used to giving to people but over the past few weeks the nonprofit said they’ve had several thefts from the donation center in Rusk. Our news partner, KETK, reports that the Rusk Police Department has posted several photos of nine different thieves, and seven of them have been identified with assistance from the public.
“The donations are sold here in the thrift store, and then the proceeds are used to buy food for our food pantry and that feeds the community,” Good Samaritan Public Relations, Lana Z said. “So, when those donations are being stolen, it’s taking the funds that we are able to buy food for.” Read the rest of this entry »
HENDERSON COUNTY – A $2 million bond has been set for an East Texas man arrested for allegedly killing his sister Monday in Henderson County. According to the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to the shooting of 30-year-old Samantha Moore in the Bonita Point subdivision just outside of Gun Barrel City. Moore was transported to a local hospital where she later died from her injuries.
According to our news partner KETK, deputies learned Moore’s brother, John Tyler Clague, 37 of Mabank, had shot her and fled the home. Investigators learned that Clague had been taken to a home in the Harbor Point subdivision. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY – A Smith County couple has been arrested after a 9-year-old girl accused her stepfather of sexually assaulting her, according to our news partner KETK. The Smith County Sheriff’s Office became aware of the case on March 12 after a CPS worker reported a 9-year-old girl was reportedly being touched inappropriately by her stepfather, Damian Francisco.
The incidents were reported to have occurred in the family’s home in Tyler. The CPS worker was alerted to the case after the victim, records indicate, told teachers at her school that her stepfather had touched her inappropriately.
Following the report, the victim was taken to the Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) where a forensic interview was conducted. The affidavit stated that the victim cried for the first portion of the interview and claimed that her mother told her that it was her fault they had to do the interview. The victim said the mother threatened she and her siblings may not see her again. Read the rest of this entry »
GUN BARREL CITY – According to our news partner KETK, the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man wanted in connection to a fatal shooting that happened near Gun Barrel City on Monday. The shooting happened near Bonita Point which is just outside of Gun Barrel City in Henderson County. Officials identified the man they were searching for as John Clague. The sheriff’s office reported that the body of Clague’s sister was found dead on Monday.
Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse said Clague was in a travel trailer on a property in the Harbor Point subdivision. The tactical team responded to the property to try and contact Clague. He then allegedly tried to run from the trailer but was apprehended by a K9 unit. Hillhouse said that EMS was checking out Clague for injuries before he gets transported to the Henderson County Jail.
NACOGDOCHES – Our news partner, KETK, reports that the University of Texas System Police Department at Stephen F. Austin State University has received a $150,000 grant to fund equipment and training.
The Nacogdoches Law Enforcement Foundation, a nonprofit that assists agencies serving in Nacogdoches, awarded the grant. The $150,000 grant will cover at least 30 duty tourniquets with carriers, along with two automated external defibrillators for new patrol vehicles.
Korey Kahle, a lecturer of computer science at SFA, has been the head of the foundation since it began in March 2022. Recently, the foundation also helped Cason Snider, who was injured in a Nacogdoches County two-vehicle crash in 2017.
WOOD COUNTY – Our news partner, KETK, reports that a Wood County woman was sentenced to 30 years in prison after “repeatedly striking” a woman with a metal pole.
According to the Wood County District Attorney’s Office, around 10:30 p.m. on April 6, 2023, Ruby Dee Isaacs and three other people arrived at the victim’s home uninvited, holding weapons including a knife, machete, pepper spray and a homemade metal pole with a sprocket attached to the end.
Officials said that after a verbal dispute, Issacs repeatedly struck the victim in the face and body with the metal pole. The attack caused serious injuries to the victim’s face, requiring several stitches in her chin and staples in her forehead. Read the rest of this entry »
CENTER – Our news partner, KETK, reports that a 12-year-old from Center ISD accomplished an impressive feat during the 2025 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo this week by selling a market barrow pig for a record $501,000.
Dallas Martinez, who is currently in the sixth grade, was named Junior Market Barrow Grand Champion and sold his championship market barrow pig for $501,000, which breaks the previous record by over $100,000.
Martinez has been competing in major stock shows since he was 9-years-old. The student’s father, Berto Martinez, is a member of the Center ISD faculty working for the maintenance department.
SMITH COUNTY – The Smith County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a contracted medical employee working at the Smith County Jail for allegedly bringing pills to an inmate according to our news partner KETK. Jessica Riley, 41 of Tyler, was working in the jail as a medication tech when she was arrested at around 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Officials said an investigation was started after investigators were given information claiming that Riley had been illegally dispensing controlled substances to an inmate.
The sheriff’s office said that investigators were able to review video that allegedly showed Riley passing something to an inmate from her medical cart.
Officials then searched the cell of Tyirese Ladale Dews, 24 of Tyler, who was arrested for the unrelated charge of promoting prostitution on March 6. Two tablets of Seroquel were found inside the bunkbed in Dews’ cell, according to a press release. Read the rest of this entry »
UPDATE: The Carthage Police Department has arrested the suspect accused of hitting a 5-year-old child with their car on Sunday. According to our news partner KETK, the suspect, Jhavorry Crayton, was found in Longview on Thursday afternoon and was arrested. Crayton was taken to the Gregg County Jail and charged with collision involving injury, evading arrest and tamper or fabricating with physical evidence.
The child injured in the crash was identified to KETK as 5-year-old Jude Brown. Jude is now out of the hospital but will need surgery. Read the rest of this entry »