Today is
Wednesday June 10, 2026
ANGELINA COUNTY — Residents in Angelina County are urged to be on the lookout for mail theft. So far, two suspects have been arrested for stealing mail. According to our news partner KETK, Angelina County Sheriff Greg Sanches said, ““What we’re asking is people to make sure they get with their neighborhood, kind of keep an eye out,†said Angelina County Sheriff Greg Sanches. “If you’ve got cameras you can at least point your camera toward your mailbox.†The sheriff says the thefts are happening in the rural communities. The sheriff also said the thieves have postal service decals on their vehicles and are driving right up to the mailboxes. Read the rest of this entry »
UPSHUR COUNTY — An Upshur County inmate, jailed on two counts of sexual assault of a child, died suddenly on Thursday. According to our news partner KETK, Omega Lynn McCellon, 65, felt ill in his cell and suddenly became unresponsive. An Upshur County deputy, who was a certified EMT, provided immediate assistance until medics arrived. McCellon was transported to Good Shepherd Hospital in Longview where he was later pronounced dead. An autopsy has been ordered. The Texas Rangers are investigating the incident.
TYLER — A Tyler man is sentenced to life in prison after his latest brush with the law. Larry Hicks, 47, was sentenced Wednesday for the assault of a parole officer. Officials said in May 2018, the officer went to Hicks’ residence to check on him because he had just installed an ankle monitor three days prior. Hicks had since cut the ankle monitor off. Hicks charged at the parole officer and assaulted him. When law enforcement arrived, Hicks refused to exit the residence, leading to an hour and half standoff with Smith County Sheriff’s Office Deputies. Read the rest of this entry »
LUFKIN — Blue Bell may be thinking about changing its packaging in light of the ice cream licking case. In a statement, the Brenham based creamery says it is ‘looking at methods within our manufacturing process to add additional protection to the carton.’ The company didn’t get specific, but Blue Bell has been criticized following the case in Lufkin for not including familiar protections in is packing process, like seals under the lid or some sort of plastic wrapping. Blue Bell says when it makes its ice cream, it flips the package which freezes the ice cream to the lid, and should make it obvious when a package has been opened.
PALESTINE — An 84 year old Palestine woman has been charged in the death of her husband 35 years ago. Johnnie Albritton was fatally shot in May of 1984 while he was entering his Leon County home. The case was first investigated as a murder during a burglary in progress. But Sheriff Kevin Ellis started looking back at the case in 2015 and even reached out to the TV show Cold Justice. He assigned two investigators exclusively to the case. Norma Albritton was arrested July 1. She’s currently free on a $50,000 bond. Ellis said she did not seem confused and didn’t confess or deny the crime.
GREGG COUNTY — Henderson woman was arrested Tuesday afternoon for DWI with a child under the age of 15 and evading arrest. According to our news partner KETK, Laura Biggs, 36, of Henderson, was taken into custody around 2:15 p.m. The age of the child is unknown. She was booked into the Gregg County Jail. Bond has not been set. Biggs has an extensive criminal record. This is her second DWI arrest with a child in the car. She was convicted in 2017 for the same crime and sentenced to 10 years in prison. She was released on probation earlier this year. Biggs has multiple past convictions for assault on family members over the past two decades.
SMITH COUNTY — Two teens have been arrested following a lengthy narcotics investigation. According to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, a search warrant was issued July, 2 at the Foundry Apartments on Varsity Drive. Smith County Narcotics Investigators found Devonte Jones III (pictured), 19, and Braylen Jones, 17, to be in possession of marijuana, disposable cartridges containing liquid THC, a large amount of cash and drug paraphernalia. Investigators also recovered a handgun inside the residence with the serial number removed. Read the rest of this entry »
CHEROKEE COUNTY — Law enforcement officials are investigating a fatal vehicle/pedestrian accident. It happened around 3:15 Sunday afternoon on Highway 69, 3.5 miles north of Rusk. According to DPS Troopers, a north-bound truck towing a trailer struck a pedestrian after she reportedly ran into the roadway chasing after a dog. Katherine Ann Petty, 60, of Garland, was taken to a Tyler hospital where she died a short time later.
GREGG COUNTY — A Longview man was arrested Sunday on a warrant for child sexual assault in Arlington. According to our news partner KETK, Tavares Jerome Akins Jr., 24, was booked for drug possession and misdemeanor traffic violations. He was also charged for child sexual assault and aggravated sexual assault after officials found an outstanding warrant in Arlington. Akins is being held in the Gregg County Jail with bond set at $1,500 for the drug and traffic violations. Bond has not been set for the charges in Arlington.
TYLER — Tyler police are investigating after a man’s body was found with multiple gunshot wounds near a grocery store Friday morning. According to our news partner KETK, the body was located near the Brookshire’s parking lot on Roselund Boulevard, in the Bergfeld Shopping Center. Police are investigating the cause of death as a possible suicide. The body has been sent for autopsy. Detectives and a crime scene unit remain at the scene. A portion of the parking lot has been blocked off.
LUFKIN — It’s a video that has sparked outrage — a woman licking a half-gallon of Blue Bell Ice Cream and returning it to the store freezer. It appears that the tub has been found. Blue Bell posted on its website that it has identified a Walmart store in Lufkin as the store where the incident took place. A woman recorded herself on Instagram taking the lid off of a half gallon of Blue Bell Tin Roof Ice Cream, licking the top, putting the lid back on and putting it back into the freezer. The “Little Creamery in Brenham” says based on security footage, the location and inspection of the carton, it believes that it has recovered the tampered container. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — A Tyler man has been charged with murder following a weekend homicide. Humberto Leal, 39, was booked into the Smith County Jail Tuesday with bond set at $500,000. According to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a home on County Road 328 West around 1:25 Sunday morning and found the body of Luis Rene Murrufo, 36, of Tyler, inside a vehicle. He had apparently suffered fatal stab wounds. Another victim was found with a gunshot wound and was sent to the hospital with what are termed non-life-threatening injuries. The identity of the wounded person was not immediately available. Murrufo’s body was sent for autopsy.
EAST TEXAS — A Carthage man has been convicted of drug trafficking. On June 28, Winfred Earl Ware Jr., 30, was found guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, obstruction of justice and witness tampering. Over a three year period, Ware distributed more than 50 grams of meth. Ware created fake Facebook posts pretending to be a government official trying to prove his innocence. Ware sent these to the court in one last attempt to save himself, but upon examination, the government determined that the Facebook posts were bogus. Ware faces a minimum of 20 years in federal prison.
SMITH COUNTY — An Overton man is arrested on charges of aggravated sexual assault of a child. According to our news partner KETK, Octavian McKee, 18, was booked into the Smith County Jail Thursday. Judicial records indicate the arrest stems from an incident back in December of last year. McKee’s trial is scheduled for August 12. His bond was set at $350,000.
NACOGDOCHES COUNTY — A Nacogdoches man has been arrested for assaulting his girlfriend late Saturday night. Nacogdoches County Sheriff Deputies found the victim bleeding from the head and face. Malcom Creamer, 35, was found in the back bedroom and appeared to be heavily intoxicated. An investigation revealed that Creamer assaulted his girlfriend with a .40 caliber pistol by hitting her in the head several times with the weapon. Creamer was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was booked into the Nacogdoches County Jail.