Today is
Wednesday June 10, 2026
TYLER – A Smith County Jury has found Jessie Liggins, 38, of Arp, guilty of continuous sexual abuse of a child. The jury then sentenced him to life in prison without parole. He was arrested by Smith County sheriff’s deputies last July. Investigators learned the suspect has assaulted the girl, under the age of 14, on various occasions over an 18 month period. The last assault was witnessed by a family member, who reported the incident to authorities.
TYLER — A Smith County jury sentenced Jeromy Stewart, 38, to two years in state jail for burglarizing Classic Toyota in Tyler. On August 24, 2018, Stewart entered the auto shop and stole various tools. Tyler Police recovered several of the tools from local pawn shops. Officers also found numerous other tools Stewart had stolen during his brief stay in Tyler. He had previously been convicted of multiple felonies for theft, burglary and cocaine possession. The jury assessed the maximum jail sentence and a $4,400 fine.
HARRISON COUNTY — A missing Harrison County man was found dead Saturday after dozens of East Texas families, including the man’s family members, spent days searching. According to our news partner KETK, Howard “Howie” Waldon, 34, of Uncertain, was found in Jeem’s Bayou in Louisiana early Saturday morning after friends, family and volunteers spent the past week searching for him, Waldon’s wife Amanda Waldon said on Saturday. “They said a fisherman found his body in the water in Jeems Bayou, off of LA Highway 2,” Waldon said. “It looks like he wrecked and ran off into the Louisiana side of Caddo Lake off of Highway 2.” It appears he ran off the road. Waldon was last seen leaving a restaurant in Jefferson around midnight April 13.
LONGVIEW — Longview Police are investigating a Sunday night homicide. According to the department’s Facebook page, officers responded to the Belaire Manor Apartments on Young Street just after 11:00. Marcos Solis, 23, was found dead at the scene. One person was detained for questioning. Authorities said the investigation is ongoing and is being considered a domestic violence incident.
SMITH COUNTY — Due to weather conditions Wednesday night, several roadways remain closed due to downed power lines and/or trees. Two of the most heavily damaged roads in Smith County, CR 1125 (Greenbriar Road) and CR 1113 (Lake Placid Road) have been cleared for drivers but crews continue to work to clean up downed trees and power lines. Smith County Road and Bridge crews are working to clear 19 county roads with downed trees. They include CR 1148, 1150, 1151, 192, 1113, 1139, 1134, 1205, 1206, 1140, 196, 1141, 2103, 2161, 235, 337, 397, 437 and 438.
EAST TEXAS — Some East Texas schools started classes late or canceled them altogether on Thursday due to power outages from early-morning storms. According to our news partner KETK, Brownsboro ISD schools and offices were cancelled for Thursday. Kilgore High School also canceled classes, but it was business as usual for all other campuses. Due to a widespread power outage, Chapel Hill ISD delayed school start time by two hours. Palestine Westwood ISD also had a two hour delay. Buses ran with a delay of two hours.
ATHENS — A child is dead after being hit by a falling tree. Athens Police were called to a home on West Tyler Sunday afternoon. According to our news partner KETK, police said the child’s parents told investigators that a tree had fallen on the child while it was being trimmed. The child was rushed to a local hospital in a private vehicle, then airlifted to Children’s Medical Center in Dallas where the child later died. The unidentified child attended Bel Air Elementary. In a statement put out by Athens ISD, the district wrote: “It is with great sadness that we have to share that one of our sweet kindergarten babies has passed away in a tragic accident. Counselors will be available all week to support our students. Please keep this student’s family and friends in your prayers.”
HENDERSON COUNTY — An Athens man is fatally shot Thursday night. According to Henderson County Sheriff, Botie Hillhouse, William Lebleu, 33, was shot twice with a shotgun around 7:00 pm and was pronounced dead a short time later at a Tyler hospital. Stewart Prewitt, 53, of Athens, has been charged with felon in possession of a firearm. Hillhouse said an argument earlier in the day led to the shooting. Lebleu reportedly went to the residence on Brentwood Circle, south of Athens, with what appeared to be a handgun. When he brandished the weapon, which later proved to be an airsoft gun, Prewitt shot him. The case has been handed over to the Henderson County District Attorney. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — The Tyler City Council Wednesday awarded a contract to conduct a traffic study to the firm Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc., a national company with offices in Dallas. According to our news partner KETK, the firm said it will spend about a year looking at the city’s varying types of equipment and technology. Engineers say much of that equipment and technology is out of date. The city operates more than 160 traffic lights and none of them are automated. Many of them have been deemed obsolete or structurally deficient. Read the rest of this entry »
BIG SANDY — Classes were canceled at Big Sandy I.S.D. Wednesday following an online threat. Big Sandy Police, the Upshur County Sheriff’s Department and the Texas Rangers are all investigating the threat. According to our news partner KETK, school officials were made aware of a social media threat around 10:00 Tuesday night after parents notified the district. After reviewing the post, Big Sandy I.S.D. made the decision to cancel all classes scheduled for Wednesday. This comes almost one year after Big Sandy I.S.D. was put on a precautionary lock-down following a threat made online.
RUSK COUNTY — A single vehicle wreck Monday night claimed the life of a Jacksonville man. David Allan Cooper, 43, was pronounced dead at the scene just before midnight. According to the DPS report, Cooper was traveling south on US-79, about 5 miles outside of Henderson, when his vehicle drifted off the west side of the roadway, struck a culvert and went airborne. The vehicle rolled several times and ejected Cooper. He was not wearing a seatbelt. A crash investigation is underway.
GREGG COUNTY — The pastor of First Baptist Church of Longview’s Hispanic ministry died Friday after a lawnmower he was operating rolled over on top of him, according to our news partner KETK. Longview Police Lt. Shane McCarter said Fabio Gimenez, 50, was operating a zero-turn lawnmower when the accident occurred about 3 p.m. on Glenda Drive. He said Gimenez died at the scene. Gimenez was the Puertas Abiertas (open doors) pastor at First Baptist. “Pastor Fabio Gimenez was involved in a serious lawnmower accident and tragically passed away from his injuries,” the church posted on Facebook. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — A San Antonio area man convicted of criminally negligent homicide is seeking an appeal of his conviction. According to our news partner KETK, in December 2017, James Fulton, 43, of Bulverde, was convicted in connection with the death of Haile Beasley, 21, and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Fulton’s attorney is looking to overturn the conviction of criminally negligent homicide and grant a new sentencing trial. On the night of May 14, 2016, Fulton’s truck hit Beasley’s car head-on in the eastbound lanes of Grande Boulevard in Tyler. Read the rest of this entry »
HARRISON COUNTY — A fiery wreck on I-20 in Harrison County leaves three people dead, one injured. The two vehicle crash happened just after 11:00 Monday night on I-20 east, about 8 miles east of Marshall. According to the Department of Public Safety, a semi-trailer was traveling east when it was struck by an eastbound car. The impact caused the car to flip, landing upside down, and catching on fire. The front passenger and the two rear passengers were killed in the wreck. The driver was transported to LSU Health in Shreveport in serious condition. Names have not been released. An investigation is underway.
HENDERSON — The Henderson Police department has joined Kilgore PD in saying that the school shooting threat that spread throughout East Texas on Sunday is “not credible.” According to our news partner KETK, they concluded through multiple interviews that the threat came from a fictitious social media account. Multiple agencies were brought into the investigation, including the FBI. Despite the threat being deemed not credible, there are extra security precautions being taken at all five school districts involved — Henderson, Overton, West Rusk, Chapel Hill, and Kilgore. Classes were in session as normal Monday in all five districts.