TYLER – Our news partner KETK reports that a man was arrested after a standoff with law enforcement on Friday night. Deputies with the Smith County Sheriff’s Office responded to a disturbance call in the 9800 block of CR 4136 just northwest of Tyler around 10:45 p.m. When they arrived, they said 29-year-old Victor Morales ran into the residence and barricaded himself in a bedroom.
Several minutes after failed attempts at contact, Morales allegedly called his wife and told her that he was locked in the bathroom with a gun and the baby was on the bed. The SWAT Team entered the residence and retreived the baby from the bedroom. The baby was unharmed and was safely returned to the mother. Morales was taken to the Smith County Jail and booked for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, endangering a child, assault family violence and evading arrest/detention.
TYLER – Police are investigating a homicide after a man was found dead in Tyler Saturday morning. According to our news partner KETK, around 7:40 a.m., the Tyler Police Department and EMS responded to a shooting on McKenzie Drive. The victim, identified as Jaraine Tyrone Johnson, 38, of Tyler, was taken to a local hospital by EMS but reportedly died. A first-degree murder warrant was obtained for Leeautrey Morgan, 31, of Tyler, who was identified as the victim’s brother. He was booked into the Smith County Jail with bond set at $1 million.
LONGVIEW – CHRISTUS Good Shepherd Hospital in Longview has been named one of 262 hospitals in the nation who have met high-level standards for cardiac patient care. According to our news partner KETK, the hospital was awarded the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR (National Cardiovascular Data Registry) Chest Pain – MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award for 2023.
This is the hospital’s first time winning the award and the first time any hospital in Longview has won the Platinum Performance Award, according to CHRISTUS Health. Only 262 hospitals have won the award across the entire United States.
TYLER – According to our news partner KETK, the city council announced on Wednesday that they approved a new ordinance that will reduce the school zone speed limit to 20 mph at 12 schools throughout the city. To see a full list of changes click here.
In addition to those changes, a stretch of Old Bullard Road will have a decreased speed limit. The portion of the road between Amherst Street and Old Jacksonville Highway will now have a speed limit of 30 mph, down from its previous speed limit of 45 mph.
TYLER – The Guardian of Seniors’ Rights Award is given by the 60 Plus Association in recognition of Members of Congress who vigorously fight and defend the rights of senior citizens. Congressman Moran in a statement said, “Our seniors have spent their lives working to serve and better our communities, and I’ve made it a priority in Congress to safeguard their voice and rights.”
GILMER – One person is dead and four are injured after several fire departments responded to the scene of a fire at the Firehouse 9 Farm event venue in Gilmer, officials said. Officials said they responded Tuesday morning around 10:33 a.m. to the fire at 4101 Locust Road. Upshur County officials said the incident involved “fireworks explosions and other volatile incendiaries. Authorities said that 58-year-old Jared Maddox was found dead at the scene. According to our news partner KETK, the fire is being investigated by the Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office and ATF. Sheriff Webb and Upshur County Emergency Management Coordinator Mark Nichols are also on the scene, a release stated. There is no indication of foul play.
HARRISON COUNTY – A man is dead after an early morning shooting in Harrison County on Tuesday. Our news partner KETK reports that EMS, the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office and Harrison County Sheriff’s Office responded to the shooting in the Ore City/Lazy Lakes area. Officials said they found Jeremy Vick, 35, had been shot and began receiving medical treatment. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead. HCSO officials said they are currently investigating the incident as a homicide.
KILGORE – Kilgore Police announced on Tuesday that the city’s “Fourth of July Extravaganza†has been canceled after an accident.
According to our news partner KETK, Officials said the accident, involved the equipment carrying the fireworks for this year’s show. The band and fireworks show has been canceled, but the city pool will continue to be free for the day.
KILGORE- The Kilgore Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance in identifying the individuals that burglarized the local Super Food Mart. According to our news partner KETK, on June 7 around 4:30 a.m., individuals are seen on surveillance footage stealing from the Super Food Mart located at 206 SH 31. Officials said the suspects left the scene heading east on Kings Highway in a white SUV. The Kilgore Police Department said, “If you have any information as to these person’s identity, please contact Detective Justin Murphy at 903-218-6904 or Justin.Murphy@cityofkilgore.com. Please reference case number 2306-0550.”
PALESTINE, Texas – According to our news partner KETK, A man was arrested after a traffic stop allegedly led to a drug bust with approximately 80 grams of methamphetamine being seized.
On June 11, around 2:30 a.m. Corporal Nathan Perkins and his K9 partner Hera with the Palestine Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle with an expired registration on Crockett Road just north of the southern Palestine city limit. Robert Robison, 46, identified himself using a Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) offender card. Robison was arrested for driving with a suspended license.
An open-air sniff check on the vehicle reportedly led to a search of the vehicle after Hera alerted to the presence of the odor of a controlled substance. During the search, officials said Perkins was able to locate a syringe loaded with methamphetamine under the center console and several blue pills suspected to be counterfeit Alprazolam located in a backpack in the passengers seat. A search at the Anderson County Jail revealed four bags of methamphetamine weighing approximately 80 grams located in a sunglasses bag that Robison had concealed in his groin area.
UPSHUR COUNTY – Our news partner KETK reports that a Winnsboro man prosecutors deemed a habitual offender was sentenced to 40 years in prison in Upshur County Court. Terry Davis, 50, was charged with possession of more than one gram but less than four grams of methamphetamines. On Jan. 5, officers saw a vehicle pass them with an expired registration and followed the vehicle to a gas station where they met Davis. Authorities said they noticed “a pink bag hanging out of his pocket that he was trying to conceal.†At the time of that arrest, Davis had just been released weeks earlier from prison for the same crime in a different county.
LONGVIEW – Our news partner KETK reports that the Longview Board of Trustees have approved the a plan to convert old school busses into food trucks and to engage the services of architects for facility improvements and inspections.
Board members unanimously approved the plan brought to them by San Antonio-based Cruising Kitchens to convert two of their older school busses into food trucks, but the plan is pending funding approval from the TDA and/or USDA. If the funding is approved, the cost of the project would not exceed $432,583.77 and will not require the use of local funds.
TYLER – The University of Texas at Tyler is offering free dementia and brain-related screenings to the East Texas community. According to our news partner KETK, the screenings will be conducted at 3531 S. Broadway Ave. in Tyler. To make an appointment or get more information, you can call 903-630-7479 or email marc@uttyler.edu. expect an appointment to last anywhere from five to eight hours, as the length of interviews and testing vary from patient to patient.
TYLER – Two local Girl Scouts were honored with a prestigious award for their community work.
According to our news partner KETK, Aspen Cunningham and Jordan Crum were awarded the Gold Award, which is given to exemplary scouts who help fix a community problem or make a lasting change in the world.
Cunningham’s venture revolved around improving day to day environments for local and transitory birds at Tyler State Park. She developed bird homes to furnish birds with a dependable water source that is solar powered with battery reinforcement and put away from park predators.
At White Oak High School, Crum organized a health fair on campus just for high school students. Free eye exams, the police department’s drunk driving simulation, interactive booths, and a demonstration on the effects of smoking on the lungs were among the activities Crum invited community partners to host. The fair pulled in 420 students.
HALLSVILLE – According to our news partner KETK, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office said they arrested a man in connection to a Sunday fatal shooting that left two men dead on Roberson Road in Hallsville.
The Harrison County Sheriff’s Office says that around 7:36 p.m. on Sunday, deputies and investigators responded to a call of shots being fired. Two men were then discovered dead in the front yard of a Roberson Road property from what appeared to be gunshot wounds. The dead were identified as Keyan Jernigan, 29, and Duane Jernigan, 49.
A reported suspects vehicle was seen nearby and 26-year-old Darius Celedra Gates Jr. was found to be the driver and he was arrested. Gates was booked into the Harrison County Jail and accused of evading capture/detainment with a vehicle, unlawful ownership of a gun by a felon, possession and delivery of marijuana and capital murder of multiple persons.