Today is
Wednesday June 10, 2026
TYLER — A Tyler murder trial has been postponed until May. According to our news partner KETK, Christopher Hardy, 24, Tyler, is accused of killing Darryl Washington during a 2017 shooting at Chelsea Creek Apartments in Tyler. Two other men were also injured during that shooting. Investigators determined the incident was drug related.
VAN — Van ISD announced on its Facebook page that the district is mourning a student who died following a car crash. According to the post, Fernando Vela, an 8th-grade student at Van Junior High School, died from injuries sustained in a single-car crash Saturday night. “Fernando had a lot of friends and students looked up to him,” said Van Junior High Principal Richard Pride. “He was a leader among his peers. He was energetic, athletic, respectful, and had a great love for his family. This is a sad day for the Van Junior High School family. Fernando will be greatly missed.” Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — According to our news partner KETK, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a body found in a wooded area off Highway 69 and I-20. The unidentified body was located around 2:20 Saturday afternoon by some kids playing in the woods. The body was sent to Dallas for autopsy. Additional details were not available.
SMITH COUNTY — The Smith County Fire Marshal’s Office has released the names of a mother and daughter who died in a house fire last week. Alejandra Mayorga Chavez, 66 and Herlinda Beltran, 35, died the Tuesday, February 12. Smith County Assistant Fire Marshal Chad Hogue said there was no foul play suspected and the cause of the fire is still under investigation. Chapel Hill, Jackson Heights, Winona and Red Springs Fire Departments all responded to the scene.
HENDERSON – A suspect has been arrested in a fatal shooting in Henderson. The Longview News Journal reports Randy Buford Wynn, 63, was arrested in Louisiana. The arrest followed a Sunday night shooting at the Oak Manor Apartments on South Van Buren Street. Killed were Justin Smith, 31 and Holly Jones, 37. The ijured, who are said to be in stable condition, are Billie Pyers, 65, and Cassandra Shaffer, 26. Wynn is facing two capital murder charges in Henderson. What led to the shooting has not been released.
TYLER — Tyler police are searching for an aggravated robbery suspect that held-up a gas station Thursday night. It happened around 10:35 at the Metro Food Mart on W. Gentry Parkway. Officers said the suspect pointed the handgun at the clerk, demanded money and ran off with an undisclosed amount of cash. He’s described as a black male, early 30s, 180 lbs, wearing a black hoodie and blue jeans. He also had a bandana covering his face. No injuries were reported.
SMITH COUNTY — A Mineola man wanted for aggravated assault and burglary has been arrested. Dustin Dwayne Radney, 28, was accused of forcing his way into his ex-girlfriend’s home north of Lindale. He is said to have stolen a handgun and then physically assaulted the ex-girlfriend. Radney has been charged with with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, burglary with intent to commit assault and theft of a firearm. He was booked into the Smith County Jail with bond set at $100,000.
SMITH COUNTY — A Smith County Jury Wednesday sentenced Yoerlan Suarez-Corrales, 39, to life in prison for engaging in organized criminal activity involving gas pump skimmers. Suarez-Corrales, along with two other suspects, were arrested in June after they were caught on video attempting to steal information from skimmers they had installed. The three suspects were also caught on video at the Sam’s Club in Tyler using victim’s identifying information on re-encoded credit cards that had been stolen from gas pumps by skimming devices across Texas. Suarez-Corrales had been on probation for credit card skimming in Louisiana for three months when he committed the offense. He will be eligible for parole in 30 years.
EAST TEXAS — A bill has been introduced in the Texas House that would help students who have seizures. Sheri Dudo, founder of the non-profit Purple Warriors says this affects many kids. Sam’s Law would mandate all school employees watch a video on seizure recognition and first aid, school nurses will watch a much longer video and the child’s neurologist and parents will give the school a form detailing what to do if that child has a seizure in school. She says children worry about having a seizure in front of their classmates and how people will respond, and this training will make them safer. The bill is named for Samantha Watkins, an 18 year old Kilgore High School student, who died after a massive seizure at home in December of 2016. She’d been showing signs of the epilepsy a few months before.
GREGG COUNTY — Longview police have arrested a juvenile student in connection with recent threats made against another student at Judson STEAM Academy. Police reported in a social media post Tuesday that the juvenile was arrested on a charge of terroristic threat and taken to the Gregg County Juvenile Detention Center. Police have not released that person’s name. According to our news partner KETK and the Longview News Journal, police were on the campus north of Longview this week to probe what Longview ISD had described in a Sunday night Facebook post as a “vague threat†from a source claiming to be a student there. Longview police Lt. Shane McCarter said police were following up on texts that had been sent and were conducting interviews to determine the person who first sent the texts. McCarter said the Judson threats were directed toward a student.
GREGG COUNTY — The mother of an East Texas toddler has been charged in connection to the child’s death. According to our news partner KETK, Daylain Anisse Jones, 24, was arrested Saturday for making a firearm available to a child. The charge is a misdemeanor, according to Officer Shane McCarter of the Longview Police Department. The death of 3-year-old Geneva August occurred June 14, 2018. Although the cause of death was an accidental self-inflicted gun shot wound, Jones is now facing charges. At the time of the shooting, LPD issued a statement saying: “Make every effort to child-proof your home and make it a safe and enjoyable place for them to grow up.”
ATHENS — Athens ISD has announced the time and place of the funeral for Christopher Bonilla. Christopher, 13, died Friday when his school bus was hit by a train in Athens. According to our news partner KETK, his funeral has been scheduled for Friday at 11 a.m. in the Athens High School gymnasium. Ahens ISD also has announced that classes at all campuses have been canceled for that day. Christopher was a student at Athens Middle School. Another student on board, Bonilla’s cousin, is still in critical condition at Children’s Hospital in Dallas. The school bus driver involved in the crash, John Stevens, was released from the hospital Monday. Toni Clay with the district says he had a clean record and had been a bus driver for more than a decade. Police say they’re still investigating and haven’t said whether Stevens will face charges.
ATHENS — Hundreds of students across the state show support for a school district in East Texas. They showed up for class Monday morning wearing maroon, one of the Athens school district’s colors. Athens lost a student Friday when a bus collided with a train. A second student was hurt and continues to recover at a hospital in Dallas. Counselors were also called in at the schools Monday. Union Pacific says its data show the train was sounding its horn for 30 seconds before the crash. Video of the incident has been turned over to police.
KILGORE — A trial date has been set for the woman accused in the 2016 kidnapping of a Kilgore College Rangerette. According to our news partner KETK and the Longview News Journal, Nancy Alice Motes, 59, is scheduled to go to trial April 15 on two charges of aggravated kidnapping stemming from incidents said to have occurred Dec. 29, 2016. Motes allegedly visited the residence of Dana Blair, longtime Rangerette director, and her daughter Alexa. Motes reportedly drew a firearm, forced her way into the home and kidnapped Alexa. Motes was indicted in June 2017 by a Gregg County grand jury. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW — Longview police are investigating a “vague threat” towards Judson STEAM Academy, according to the Longview ISD website. The website goes on to say that the threat was “determined to be unsubstantiated rumors”. According to our news partner KETK, the school district tweeted about the threat on their school account but it has since been deleted. The threat was said to have been made in a series of text messages by someone claiming to be a Judson STEAM Academy student. Despite being ruled unsubstantiated, Longview police will increase police presence around the school as the investigation continues.