Today is
Wednesday June 10, 2026
LONGVIEW — Longview police are looking for a truck involved in a fatal accident on Tuesday. Killed as he was directing traffic around a previous accident was George Earnest Melton, 59, of Longview. it occurred on Loop 281 at Birdsong Street around 5:45 Tuesday morning. It began when a motorist fell asleep and hit another vehicle head-on. The vehicle that hit Melton is believed to be a 2003 to 2006 silver or gray Lincoln Navigator. It should have damage to the front driver’s side and be missing the front portion of the fender and a head light.
GREGG COUNTY — The Gregg County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a death after responding to a disturbance call. According to our news partner KETK, deputies found a person in need of medical help on Rabbit Creek Circle around 2:30 Thursday afternoon. The unnamed person was taken to the hospital where they later died. Officials said they are not investigating the case as a homicide. The body has been sent for autopsy.
PEORIA, Ill. (AP) – Federal prosecutors in central Illinois say a Texas man has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for child pornography charges involving more than 40 girls in eight states. Prosecutors said Tuesday that a federal judge sentenced 36-year-old Mark P. Barnwell of Whitehouse, Texas, on Jan. 9. Authorities say he used false Facebook profiles to contact girls and advertise modeling opportunities. Prosecutors say Barnwell directed the girls to send him sexually explicit photos and threatened to post the nude photos online if they failed to send more. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — The TSA pre-check mobile enrollment will begin Jan. 21 at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport. Initially, the enrollment site was scheduled to be in Tyler through Jan. 25. Because the response was so great, the mobile enrollment center has been extended another week from Jan. 28 through Feb. 1. The TSA pre-check mobile enrollment center will be in the commercial terminal building at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport. The mobile enrollment center will be near the baggage claim area. Signage is present to provide location information inside the terminal. Officials said they anticipate no delays as a result of the federal government shutdown. Go to the TSA Website at http://www.tsa.gov for full details to enroll.
RUSK COUNTY — A Texas appeals court has delayed this week’s scheduled execution of a man convicted of killing his girlfriend’s 13-month-old daughter during what the couple had said was part of an “exorcism” in Rusk County. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Monday granted the stay for Blaine Milam. His execution was slated for Tuesday. Milam’s attorneys say his conviction was based on “now discredited” bite mark evidence. They also argue he is intellectually disabled and therefore ineligible for execution. The 29-year-old Milam would have been the first inmate put to death this year both in the U.S. and in Texas. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – A fatal Tyler accident remains under investigation. It happened just before midnight on Wednesday on South Broadway near Amherst. Killed was Anthony Gonzalez, 26, of Tyler. His motorcycle was slowing or had stopped for the red light when it was struck from behind by a pickup truck. The truck then hit a power pole and was engulfed in flames. The truck’s driver and his passenger were treated and released from a Tyler Hospital. Investigators obtained a search warrant for the blood of the pick-up’s driver and it was submitted to the Department of Public Safety Lab for testing. The accident had traffic in the area shut down for hours.
SMITH COUNTY — A Smith County man has been killed and his son has been charged with the murder. Booked into jail early Tuesday morning was was Tony Terrell Chase, 32, of Tyler. He called the sheriff’s department around 8:30 Monday night, saying he had just shot his father, Edward Rolando Blaylock, 51. The shooting is said to have followed a family dispute at a home on County Road 129, southwest of Whitehouse. Investigators say Chase offered no resistance when he was arrested. He has now been charged with murder and is being held in the Smith County Jail under a $750,000 bond.
EAST TEXAS — TxDOT is planning to conduct the following construction and maintenance work throughout the district through Jan. 7, 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.
TYLER — Turn Lanes Project: The contractor is scheduled to continue concrete work on Rice Rd. at Broadway Ave. The project is removing the existing medians to extend the turn lanes and adding right turn lanes to various intersections in Tyler. Work locations include US 69, Cumberland Rd., Independence, South Donnybrook, Rice Rd., South Town and Grande Blvd. and Old Jacksonville Highway. Read the rest of this entry »
UPSHUR COUNTY — A weather balloon caught on fire Saturday after it crashed in Upshur County. According to our news partner KETK, the crash happened west of Gilmer, near Lookout Lane. Gilmer Fire Department and Upshur County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and found inflamed lithium batteries inside of the balloon. The Upshur County Fire Department say the flames started because of the batteries. The owner of the balloon have not been identified and there are no reports of injuries.
CHEROKEE COUNTY — Two people are jailed following a wild traffic stop in Cherokee County early Saturday morning. According to the Sheriff’s Department, a deputy was attempting to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle for failure to maintain a single in the Jacksonville area. The deputy said he smelled an alcohol odor coming from the driver, identified as Cristian Diaz, 25, of Longview. Diaz attempted to run and was caught a short time later when the passenger, Corina Castaneda, 30, of Jacksonville, caught up with them and grabbed the deputy’s neck from behind. Diaz again ran off and was caught a second time when Castaneda again grabbed the deputy. Pepper spray was dispensed and Diaz was held by several passing motorists. Read the rest of this entry »
HENDERSON COUNTY — The trial for an East Texas mother found competent has been moved. According to our news partner KETK, Sarah Nicole Henderson, 29, will now stand before a jury April 1. A pretrial hearing was originally scheduled for Thursday, January 3, but was canceled and moved to the 17th. She is charged with capital murder after the deaths of her daughters, KayLee Danielle, and Kenlie in November 2017. Henderson had been ordered to go under a psychiatric evaluation in April. The notice of insanity defense was given August 22, 2018. A competency hearing was held the following day where she was found competent to stand trial.
SMITH COUNTY — The Smith County District Attorney has dropped the capital murder charge against the father who was arrested along with his son for the beating death of a Tyler woman. According to our news partner KETK, back in July, Bullard police arrested Charles Edward Lennon III, 29, and Charles Edward Lennon, Jr., 56, for the death of Rachel Lynn Jackson, 31. According to J. Brett Harrison, the attorney for Charles Edward Lennon, Jr, the D.A. declined the capital murder charge prior to Tuesday’s motion hearing. On Tuesday, Lennon Jr. was released on a bond after a judge set conditions of release during a motion hearing. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — Tyler Police responded to a reported shooting just after 4:00 Sunday evening at the Westwood Shopping Center on Loop 323 and Chandler Highway. Witnesses were able to give a suspect and vehicle description, leading to the arrest of one suspect. The victim was transported to a local hospital and is in critical condition. Identities have not been released. Crime Scene personnel searched neighborhoods along Greenbrier Road, between Highways 31 and 64, for evidence involved in the assault. Investigators are asking citizens or businesses in the area with surveillance video showing a silver Toyota Avalon in the area between 4:15 and 4:40 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 16 to contact Tyler PD at (903) 531-1000. Police are also searching for a red bandana or hand gun in that area. Citizens are asked not to touch any of the potential evidence.
SMITH COUNTY — Smith County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a possible deceased person call just before 8:00 Saturday morning. According to our news partner KETK, the body was found on the side of the roadway on the 2700 block of Old Gladewater Hwy. When deputies arrived, they found a man, identified as Jerome James, 49, dead from a gun shot wound. An autopsy has been ordered. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Smith County Sheriff’s Office at (903) 566-6600. Tyler Police and the Smith County Sheriff’s Office are investigating whether four homicides in eight days could be connected. Police have said they suspect at least two of the recent killings are linked and possibly drug-related. The Sheriff’s Department along with the Tyler Police Department will hold a press conference for media on Monday at 3:00pm.
TYLER — Union Pacific Railroad has closed Palace Avenue and Elm Street at the railroad crossings for maintenance and repairs. Work is expected to be complete by 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 15. Travelers are encouraged to find an alternative route and to pay attention to all traffic signs and workers.