Today is
Monday June 08, 2026
WASHINGTON, D.C. – An East Texas man in jail for participation in the riot on Capitol Hill has asked for a pre-trial release. According to our news partner KETK, Ryan Nichols has been charged with several crimes, including an ‘act of violence in the Capitol’. In a court filing dated Nov. 1, he asked to be released on a personal recognizance. According to the filing, Nichols “categorically denies each charge and is eager to prove his innocence at trial.†He is being tried alongside Alex Harkrider, who was released on bond in April. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — Chapel Hill ISD is mourning the loss of a 14-year-old freshman. According to our news partner KETK, Fernando Martinez and his mother Julia died in a car wreck on Highway 31 Tuesday. CHISD said they are making counseling available to students who need special attention and support at each campus. There is also support available from the community. CHISD will try and maintain a normal routine and structure as the situation and people allow, and they encourage others to do the same. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — The lead defense attorney for William Davis, the former CHRISTUS nurse who was sentenced to death for killing several patients, was allegedly caught trying to solicit a prostitute during the month-long trial. According to our news partner KETK, Phillip Hayes was arrested Friday, Nov. 5, and released after posting a $2,000 bond. However, an arrest warrant obtained by KETK News reveals that an undercover deputy for the Smith County’s Sheriff’s Office posing as a prostitute made contact with Hayes in a text message. The warrant says that the sheriff’s office “posted advertisements on a website commonly used for human trafficking and prostitution.†Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — A former Smith County detention officer was indicted by a grand jury for an alleged relationship with an inmate. According to our news partner KETK, Amanda Gayle Megrail, 26, of Lindale was charged on Sept. 30 for violating the civil rights of a person in custody, following a year-long investigation. Megrail originally turned herself in over a year ago on Sept. 18, 2020 after she confessed to having a sexual relationship with one of the inmates at the Smith County Jail. Megrail was put on administrative leave during the investigation and eventually terminated from her employment by the Smith County Sheriff’s Office. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — East Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert, who has a well-earned reputation as a conservative firebrand, says that if he can raise one-million dollars in ten days, then he’ll run for State Attorney General. SMU Political Analyst Cal Jillson says the current AG, Ken Paxton, is seen as vulnerable. “He has been under indictment for the last 5 years and is also under FBI investigation. The bet is that if he goes down, the seat will be available”, says Jillson. Statewide offices in Texas rarely come open. Jillson says Gohmert has a strong case, but opponents will likely bring up his ties to the January 6th Capitol riot. A new report suggests he was one of several Republican members of Congress who helped plan the pro-Trump rally.
LONGVIEW — Longview ISD will lift their mask mandate beginning Nov. 20. According to our news partner KETK, the rescinding of the mandate is due to the ongoing decline in COVID-19 cases in the district. After Nov. 20, students, staff, and visitors will no longer be required to wear face coverings at district facilities or events. Superintendent Dr. James Wilcox said the decision was based solely on the data and facts available to the district. According to data presented during Monday’s LISD Board of Trustees meeting, there are only 13 active student cases and only 5 active staff cases which is less than 1% of the LISD community. Read the rest of this entry »
CHEROKEE COUNTY — Three men arrested in connection to the quadruple murder in New Summerfield have been indicted by a grand jury on capital murder charges, according to our news partner KETK. Jesse Pawlowski, 20, Dylan Welch, 21, and Billy Phillips, 37, were indicted on Oct. 6. They were detained on July 21, and are accused of the deadly shooting of four people in a trailer home near New Summerfield. The three men each received a bond of $1 million. Cherokee County Sheriff Brent Dickson said the shooting happened due to a robbery over clothes and guns. John Clinton, 18, Amanda Bain 39, Ami Hickey, 39, and Jeff Gerla, 47, were killed in the incident.
TYLER — A Tyler man was charged with manslaughter on Friday stemming from an October wreck on Loop 323. According to our news partner KETK, Jose Esparza, 23, has been charged with the death of a passenger in his car after a high-speed, three-car wreck in front of Mercados restaurant on October 14. According to a warrant obtained by KETK News, police were called to the scene at 8:45 p.m. Police determined that Esparza was driving westbound in a black corvette with a passenger named Pablo Avila. Esparza ran into the back of a white F250 at “a high rate of speed.†Read the rest of this entry »
MARSHALL — An East Texas man pleaded guilty on Thursday to distribution of information relating to explosives and destructive devices. According to our news partner KETK, Beau Daniel Merryman, 20, of Jefferson, had online conversations with undercover FBI employees between September and October 2019. Merryman gave officials detailed instructions on how they could make improvised explosive devices, such as pipe bombs and pressure-cooker bombs. He also stated that the IEDs should be used to target federal law enforcement and critical infrastructure, like electrical substations, which are high-voltage electric system facilities. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — Four people went to the hospital following a school bus-pickup crash Thursday morning near lake Palestine. According to the DPS investigator’s preliminary report, a Bullard ISD bus was traveling westbound on FM-344, turning south onto SH-155. The driver of a pickup was traveling northbound on SH-155 and struck the turning bus on its left driver’s side, causing the bus to roll onto its right side. There were two children on the bus as well as a bus monitor and the bus driver. The bus driver was transported to UT-Health East Texas – Tyler in stable condition. The children were transported by their parents from the scene to Christus Trinity Mother Frances – Tyler. The driver of the pickup truck was transported to UT-Health East Texas – Tyler. The crash remains under investigation.
TYLER — Tyler Legacy High School sent out a message to parents Wednesday stating that despite vague online rumors of a school shooting threat, there does not appear to be a danger to the campus at this time. According to our news partner KETK, a Snapchat post suggested there would be a school shooting, but Tyler Legacy Principal Kristen Walls said in the statement that the post in question does not refer to Tyler Legacy, nor does it appear to have originated from a Legacy student. The post does not mention any particular school in Tyler or the state of Texas. Read the rest of this entry »
EAST TEXAS — Tuesday was election day and Texas voter had the opportunity to vote on eight constitutional amendments for the state, each of which were passed by a two-thirds majority in both the Texas House and Senate. According to our news partner KETK, many counties also held elections for local offices and measures. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — The $45 million Smith County Road Bond passed with 62.4 percent of the vote Tuesday, November 2, 2021, according to complete but unofficial voting totals. Smith County ballots showed 6,759 people, or 62.4 percent voted for the issuance of bonds for road and bridge construction and major improvements. There were 3,962 people, or 36.58 percent, who voted against the bond. Smith County Judge Nathaniel Moran said he was proud of what Smith County has done so far in the Road and Bridge Bond Program and is excited to see it continue. “In 2017, the voters approved the first phase of our Road and Bridge Bond, and since that time, we have worked to improve about 200 miles of roadway,†Moran said. Read the rest of this entry »
GREGG COUNTY — Longview police responded to Walmart located on Gilmer Road in reference to a robbery just before 7:00 Monday morning. According to our news partner KETK, officers made contact with a victim who claimed that a man assaulted a victim in the parking lot, demanding their keys and money. Longview police identified alleged robber as Oscar Wright Jr., 54, of Longview. Officers located the suspect’s vehicle on Gilmer Road and made the arrest. Wright was charged with robbery and booked into Gregg County Jail.
TYLER — Hannah McCartney, of Lindale, Monday was sentenced to a second 30-year prison sentence in connection to a 2019 murder. According to our news partner KETK, in December 2019, McCartney and Jared Freelen of Lindale were arrested in connection with the murder of LaDarus Bell, of Tyler. Freelen was sentenced in April by a Gregg County court to 30 years in prison for the murder of Bell. According to judicial records, McCartney, Freelen and Bell had a plan to rob a man in Longview but when they went to execute the plan, the intended victim fired at the three and a bullet hit Bell in the head. Instead of seeking medical attention for Bell, they drove to a rural area along FM 2089 near Overton and dumped Bell on the side of the road where he died.