Today is
Monday June 08, 2026
LONGVIEW — A Longview man has been found in Texarkana after earlier being the subject of a statewide Silver Alert. According to our news partner KETK, 76-year-old Jerry Marlar had last been seen Wednesday evening on Turner Drive, one block east of the hospital district in Longview. His family confirmed that Marlar has been located, and DPS now lists him as found on their alerts page.
TYLER — Tyler Police are working an accident on Troup Hwy, in front of Walmart. According to officials, the accident has knocked out power to the intersection of Shiloh Road and Troup Hwy. All traffic lights are out. Police are in the roadway directing traffic. Motorists are encouraged to seek alternate routes and drive with care in that area. Additional details were not available.
TYLER — An Alabama man wanted for more than ten child sex crimes was arrested in Smith County late Monday night by the US Marshals. According to our news partner KETK, 34-year-old Johnny Ray Johnson was booked into the Smith County Jail just after 8:00 p.m. It’s unclear if Johnson will be extradited back to Alabama or what led authorities to tracking him down in East Texas. He was wanted on a wide range of charges, including: 6 charges of possession of child pornography, 2 counts of producing child porn, 1 count of child rape, 1 count of sexual torture and 1 count of sexual abuse.
TYLER (AP) – A defense attorney for a former nurse accused of killing four patients at an East Texas hospital in 2017 has told jurors that his client was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. A prosecutor called him “a serial killer” who found the perfect place to hide. Thirty-seven-year-old William George Davis, of Hallsville, is accused of injecting air into the arteries of four patients recovering from heart surgery at the Christus Trinity Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler. His capital murder trial in Tyler began Tuesday with a not-guilty plea.
TYLER — Former Tyler Legacy principal Daniel Crawford pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance Monday morning and was sentenced to three years deferred adjudication and 120 hours of community service. According to our news partner KETK, if Crawford follows all the conditions of the plea deal, the charge will be dismissed from his record. Crawford was arrested after police went to his home on June 2 because a caller said that a man was bleeding from his head. According to an arrest affidavit, Jennifer Crawford, Daniel’s wife, opened the door for officers. Read the rest of this entry »
CHEROKEE COUNTY — Department of Public Safety Troopers responded to a reported plane crash in Cherokee County around 4:30 Sunday afternoon. According to the preliminary report, the Cessna 182 single engine plane was traveling from the Cherokee County Airport to a private landing strip on CR-4716. Due to a strong tailwind, the aircraft landed too fast and ran through a barbwire fence before striking several trees. The pilot, Waun R. Harrison, 73, of Troup, was transported to UT-Health East Texas – Jacksonville in stable condition.
MARSHALL – Officials say escaped Harrison County inmate worker Roy Vaughn has been captured. According to a news release, Vaughn walked off from a work detail at 6:15 Friday morning. He was caught at 1:30 Saturday afternoon by Harrison County K-9 units and deputies who had been searching locations throughout the day and night​ in Marshall and throughout Harrison County. He was arrested on an escape warrant at an address on East End Blvd. He will now be charged with escape from custody and placed in general population of the jail, according to the release.
LONGVIEW — The Oak Forest Country Club clubhouse in Longview will be closed for an extended period after suffering “heavy smoke and heat damage†on multiple floors Thursday morning. According to our news partner KETK, the Longview Fire Department was called to the scene around 7:30 Thursday morning. Fire Marshal Kevin May said crews upgraded the fire to a two-alarm case due to flames spreading to both the first and second floors. The cause was not immediately known, but the fire has been put out. No injuries were reported.
TYLER — The City of Tyler is offering a rebate for city employees who are fully vaccinated. According to our news partner KETK, Tyler officials discussed the COVID-19 Vaccination: Medical Insurance Premium Rebate Program during a meeting on Wednesday. The program is voluntary. Those who are eligible for the incentive are any full time or part time regular employees of the city of Tyler. They must have contributed premiums in 2021. Eligible employees can receive up to $730 dollars if they are on the City of Tyler medical insurance plan or $500 for employees enrolled outside or as a dependent of an outside medical insurance program. Read the rest of this entry »
CHEROKEE COUNTY — An hours long standoff is over following the arrest of one suspect. According to our news partner KETK, Cherokee County Sheriff Brent Dickson said the standoff happened around 3 p.m. Wednesday on County Road 1207 in the Moon City community. Officials arrived with secure warrants for the arrest of Mark Duran on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on a family member and felony possession of a firearm. When the authorities attempted to make the arrest, Duran barricaded himself inside. Duran suffered minor injuries from attempting to break windows to escape. The standoff ended around 7 p.m.
LONGVIEW — A summit held Tuesday in Longview focused on how elected officials can better support students academically. According to our news partner KETK, many students fell behind with classes because of the pandemic, and officials say it’s going to take time and money to catch them up. “We’re trying to do all that we can for our students who did miss so much of their education last year,†Marshall ISD Superintendent Richelle Langley said. “Not only getting them caught up, but also getting them on the grade level or above the grade level where they need to be.†Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — On Monday, parents banded together to speak up at a Tyler ISD board meeting about COVID-19 related topics like mask and vaccine mandates. According to our news partner KETK, vaccines and masks in schools have been hot topics since the start of classes. These subjects have divided parents and staff in school districts across the state and here in Tyler. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — At approximately 7:25 Monday morning, DPS Troopers responded to a two vehicle crash involving a Tyler ISD school bus (32) on FM-2493 at CR-149 in Smith County. The investigators preliminary report indicates that the school bus was stopped south bound on FM-2493, waiting to make a left turn onto CR-149 when it was struck in the back end by a southbound Mazda passenger car. No injuries were reported on the bus or for the driver of the Mazda. The children were transported by another Tyler ISD bus to school. No other information is available at this time.
TYLER — A Tyler attorney has been sentenced to prison for federal employment tax violations. John Bennett White IV, 61, pleaded guilty on Feb. 1, 2021, to failure to pay employment taxes and was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison Wednesday by U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker. According to court documents and statements made in court, White was an attorney and firm manager for a Tyler law firm, J. Bennett White, P.C., where White had significant control over the finances of the firm and had a duty to account for and pay over the employment taxes on behalf of the firm’s employees to the IRS. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — Tyler Fire Marshal’s Office identified suspects after an early morning fire at the Salvation Army gymnasium. According to our news partner KETK, Firefighters were called to 715 N. Spring Ave. at 3:25 Wednesday. When they arrived, firefighters found a trash can on fire next to the gymnasium. Heat from that fire caused the glass doors/windows nearby to break, which allowed smoke to enter the building. The fire department was clear from the scene around 4:30 a.m. The Tyler Fire Marshal’s Office is currently investigating the incident and has identified suspects, though they have not yet released their names. The fire remains under investigation.