Today is
Wednesday June 10, 2026
PITTSBURG — Pittsburg police received a report of a runaway teen, Jacob Wesley Perry on October 7 and are asking the public for information regarding his whereabouts. According to our news partner KETK, Perry, 17, was last seen in a 2008 white Dodge pickup bearing a TX license plate BT14248 which was found abandoned in Holbrook, Arizona. He is described as a white male weighing 160 lb. and is 5’7″ tall. Police state there is no signs of foul play and ask if you have any information to call the Pittsburg Police Department at (903)-856-3330.
GREGG COUNTY — Gregg County Jurors have found Montorio Harris not guilty in the 2017 shooting death of 34-year-old Donald Ray Kenney on Friday. According to our news partner KETK, the 27-year-old had been in the Gregg County Jail on a $200,000 bond since February 5, 2017, after police found Kenney’s body along railroad tracks near Southwest Loop 281 in Gregg County. The trial began Monday, September 30 with jurors reaching their decision Friday, October 4.
TYLER — Tyler police have arrested a suspect in a shooting at a home on Jan Street that they believe was related to drug activity. Around 9:55 p.m. Thursday, 18-year-old Levi Mercer told responding officers he had been shot in the stomach during a struggle with a person later identified as 17-year-old Marcus Bell of Tyler, who was also shot during the incident. Officers found Bell around midnight at his home on Alpine Street and learned he had been shot in the left upper thigh. Police say the gun used in the incident was found inside the Jan Street home. Both teens went to the hospital. Upon release, Bell was jailed on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, with bond set at $150,000.
SMITH COUNTY — A Flint man has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to produce, transfer, and forge false identification documents. Jose Luis Marquez Rodriguez, 53, pleaded guilty on Oct. 1 before U.S. Magistrate Judge K. Nicole Mitchell. He agreed to the forfeiture of several firearms and ammunition; a computer and three printers; $9602 cash; funds in three bank accounts totaling $21,359.09; and two pieces of property in Flint. Rodriguez also agreed to a money judgment in the amount of $308,961.09, representing proceeds received from his conduct. According to information presented in court, beginning in April 2009, Marquez Rodriguez was involved in a conspiracy to produce and sell fictitious U.S. identification documents to others. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — The Smith County Commissioners went into an executive session on Tuesday to discuss purchasing the John Tyler Agriculture Learning Center for the future site of the Smith County Road and Bridge Facility. According to our news partner KETK, the property is a 10-acre farm located off northwest Highway 69 in Smith County. Tyler ISD decided to sell the property in August and accepted sealed bids until September 12. The district reserves the right to waive any informality or reject any or all bids. Currently, there is no negotiation between the Commissioner’s Court and Tyler ISD but the Commissioners voted to offer to purchase the property for $140,000 from Tyler ISD. There is no word on if Tyler ISD will accept or deny the offer.
GREGG COUNTY — Texas Rangers are investigating after a Gregg County Sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a burglary suspect. The suspect was later identified as Dewayne Morgan W/M age 37 of Tatum, deputies responded to a call at the home off I-20, near the West Access Road, at 10:47 Sunday night. The homeowner told deputies he had shot at the burglar, but it’s unclear if the burglar was hit. The suspect ran across I-20 into the eastbound ditch where the deputy used his taser. A violent encounter ensued, and the deputy shot the man. The suspect was transported to a Marshall hospital where he later died. The deputy was transported to a separate hospital for treatment of his injuries,and later released.
WOOD COUNTY — A woman is killed in a wreck involving an ambulance Saturday. According to the DPS report, the crash happened on FM-515, four miles northwest of the city of Yantis, in Wood County. Jennifer Annette Dougherty, 44, of Quinlan was traveling west on FM-515 when she drove into the eastbound lane of traffic. Dougherty struck a 2016 Chevrolet ambulance driven by Erica Lynn Blalock, 24, of Quitman. Dougherty was pronounced at the scene. Blalock was treated and released. The crash remains under investigation.
EAST TEXAS — TxDOT is planning to conduct the following construction and maintenance work throughout the district during the Week of Sept. 30, 2019. Schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure or other unforeseen issues. Slow down and pay attention when traveling through work zones. In Smith County, the new bridge on CR 1113/Lake Placid Road at Butler Creek has been opened to traffic ahead of schedule. The contractor will continue to conduct minor work at this location. Tyler Maintenance and Special Jobs crews plan to conduct mill and inlay operations at various locations on SH 110 from north of I-20 to FM 16 for the next few weeks. Crews will also perform routine maintenance such as edging, and pothole and sign repairs, on various roadways around the county. Expect lane closures with flaggers providing traffic control. Much more at https://www.txdot.gov/
LUFKIN — Lufkin police are investigating after a man was shot Sunday night. According to our news partner KETK, authorities say they got reports of gunfire around 10:30 P.M. near the intersection of Paul Avenue and Arena Street. Police say they arrived on the scene to find a man with a gunshot wound. They attempted to find the shooter but weren’t able to locate anyone connected to the crime. The victim was taken to the hospital, his condition is unknown.
CHEROKEE COUNTY — Troopers responded to the scene of a helicopter that made a hard landing in a field near the intersection of CR-3703 and CR-3702. No injuries were reported.
CHEROKEE COUNTY — A Rusk woman has died following a wreck just north of the Rusk city limits. According to the Department of Public Safety report, Rachael Paralee Finley, 38, was driving north on Highway 69 around 6:30 Wednesday night when her vehicle veered off the roadway. She reportedly over-corrected and rolled her Toyota Sequoia several times. Finely was pronounced dead at the scene. The crash remains under investigation.
SMITH COUNTY — A Tyler man was arrested late Wednesday night for possession of child pornography. According to our news partner KETK, Matthew Kyle Landua, 25, was taken into custody by Smith County Sheriff’s deputies after 11 p.m Wednesday night. He was booked into the Smith County Jail with bond set at $750,000.
BEN WHEELER — An abandoned church in Ben Wheeler was destroyed after a late-night fire on Monday. According to our news partner KETK, the church was known as Bethlehem CME and was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived just after 10:30 p.m. There were no walls left standing and the building was nearly consumed. Witnesses said that the church had not been in use for some time. There were no utilities connected to the structure. There were no signs that the building was targeted because it was a church or due to its religious affiliation.
HARRISON COUNTY – After a 5-year-old boy died from injuries sustained during a suspected child abuse case in East Texas, the Harrison County District Attorney’s Office may upgrade charges to murder punishable by the death penalty or life in prison. According to our news partner KETK, when deputies arrived at the house of Danielle Faulkner and her boyfriend Larry Prudhomme, investigators were told the child fell off their porch causing him to have a seizure and trouble breathing. While treating the boy, EMS noticed he was extremely bruised all over his body and told deputies that they didn’t feel the amount of bruising was consistent with falling off the porch. Read the rest of this entry »
GILMER — Gilmer City Council voted to declare the East Texas town a Safe Haven for the Unborn on Tuesday, September 24. In a 4-1 vote, the city passed the ordinance, which bans abortions at all stages within city limits and prohibits abortion businesses from setting up shop within the town. Gilmer is now the sixth city in Texas to pass such an ordinance, following in the footsteps of Waskom in June and Omaha and Naples earlier this month. With a population of nearly 5,000, Gilmer became the largest Texas jurisdiction to take such a stand.