Today is
Thursday June 11, 2026
LONGVIEW — Police are investigating two drive-by shootings at the same residence. Sgt. Shane McCarter of the Longview Police Department confirmed two shootings occurred at a home on Lane Wells. According to our news partner KETK, the first shooting occurred September 29 at 2:30 am, the second shooting Monday at 10:30 am. Neighbors and residents of the home are cooperating with the investigation. The targeted occupants say they are unaware of why anyone would want to hurt them. No injuries have been reported. The incident is now classified as a “deadly conduct” event.
LONGVIEW — Longview police responded to a report of shots fired around 12:45 Saturday morning on Clover Lane. An individual called 911 and reported that a man had been shot on his front porch and was bleeding. Officers found the victim, Henry England Williams, 32, sitting in a chair on his front porch. Williams was transported to a local hospital where he died around 3:30 a.m. from injuries he sustained from being shot. Anyone with information is asked to contact Gregg County Crime Stoppers at 903-236-STOP.
TYLER — Tyler Police continue to investigate a hit and run wreck involving a cyclist. It happened just before 10:00 pm September, 24 on Grande Blvd. Officers said a 38-year-old man, wearing a reflective vest and flashing lights on his bicycle, was struck as he was heading eastbound on Grande Blvd near Sutherland Street. The cyclist struck the windshield, then landed in the traffic lane. The driver failed to stop and render aid. A vehicle drove up on the injured person after it happened and called first responders. The bicyclist was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries. The suspect vehicle should have front end damage and possibly a broken windshield. Tyler police are asking for anyone that may have information contact the department 903-531-1000 or Tyler Crime Stoppers 903-597-2833.
GREGG COUNTY — A Gladewater man accused of scalding a 3-year-old child has been indicted by a Gregg County grand jury. According to our news partner KETK, Deion Marquis Sanders, 22, was arrested July 3 after Gladewater police were contacted by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Officials said the child had been seriously injured while in the custody of a caregiver. The 3-year-old was taken to a Longview hospital with severe burns, then later transferred to a medical center in Dallas. Sanders told officers he held the child under hot water to clean him up after he soiled his pants. Sanders also admitted to smoking marijuana.He was indicted for causing serious bodily injury to a child and remains in the Gregg County Jail on $100,000 bond.
EAST TEXAS — The FCC will be voting today to propose rules implementing Kari’s Law. The law requires phone systems to let people dial 911 directly, without having to dial a prefix – like “nine” – to reach an outside line. It was named after Kari Hunt Dunn. She was murdered by her estranged husband in front of her children at a motel in East Texas. Her daughter tried to call 911 from the motel room phone four times, but the call wouldn’t go through because she needed to dial another number first. Governor Greg Abbott signed Kari’s Law in 2015. A national version of the law was signed by President Trump earlier this year.
HENDERSON — Police have arrested 28-year-old, Damian Faustino Paz-Santovenia, on allegations that he installed a skimmer at a gas station in Henderson. According to our news partner KETK, investigators said they were able to identify Paz-Santovenia using fingerprints that were lifted from the skimmer at the Exxon gas station on Kilgore Drive. Paz-Santovenia, who was born in Cuba and living in Houston, was caught on camera at a Henderson Wal-Mart where police said several victim’s credit card numbers were used. An arrest warrant was issued for Paz-Santovenia on August 24th. Paz-Santovenia was booked into the Rusk County jail on Saturday, charged with second-degree unlawful interception of an electronic communication. He is currently being held on a $250,000 bond.
SMITH COUNTY — A trial date has been set for a woman accused of killing two people while driving intoxicated on Toll 49. According to our news partner KETK, Jessica Lauren Vass, 35, of Lindale, is set to be in court for a jury trial Monday, September 24, in Judge Jack Skeen’s court. On the night of April 12, 2017 State Troopers responded to a three-vehicle accident on Toll 49, just north of Highway 64. The preliminary crash investigation revealed a car, driven by Annette Burkhart, 56, of Garland, was stopped southbound on the side of the roadway with a flat tire. A pickup truck, driven by Gary McCrary, 62, of Flint, was stopped behind the disabled car and McCrary was assisting Burkhart in changing the flat tire. Read the rest of this entry »
GREGG COUNTY — A roadway is open again after a tanker truck hauling fuel caused traffic delays following a leak. FM 2087, just before the overpass at I-20 in Longview, was tempirarily shut down. TxDOT now says the area has been cleared.
EAST TEXAS — East Texans are busy helping out with Hurricane Florence relief. Red Cross of East Texas in Tyler sent five volunteers to the Carolinas and Virginia before Florence arrived, and the Longview Fire Department dispatched a fire captain trained in water rescues. According to our news partner KETK, Red Cross volunteers Allan and Janet Sherman headed September 11 to Texarkana to pick up an emergency response vehicle bound for Charlotte, North Carolina, said East Texas Executive Director Tammy Prater. She added David Brown of Gilmer left last week to meet a driver in Oklahoma headed to Virginia. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW — The murder trial is underway for a Longview man charged in the fatal shooting of a Gladewater man outside a nightclub in 2017. According to our news partner KETK, a jury was picked Monday to hear arguments in the case of Kyron Delyn Adams, 39, accused of shooting Thomas Lynn Harper, 34, after a fight outside J’s Place on February 4, 2017. According an arrest warrant filed by Longview police, Adams shot Harper in the back after a fight. Adams faces charges of first-degree murder and third-degree unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. Adams has been held in the Gregg County Jail on $600,000 bond and a Texas Department of Criminal Justice parole warrant since Feb. 9, 2017.
LONGVIEW — Additional details are still not available concerning a Longview shooting that left one person dead and one injured. Both were taken to to Christus Good Shepherd Medical Center where Lee Brightman Jr., 29, died. An 18-year-old suffered non-life threatening injuries. His name has not been released. According to the Longview Police Department’s Facebook page, the shooting happened around 3:45 Thursday afternoon at a business on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. . Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — The City of Tyler wants to inform Tyler Water Utilities and Municipal Court customers who used the one-time payment option through the Click2Gov online-payment system to notify their banking institution and have a new debit or credit card issued. According to our news partner KETK, It applies to online and in-person options. Fraud cases are still being reported to the Tyler Police Department after the city was notified that an unknown third-party was able to gain access to payments made through the system. The system is used to collect payments for utilities and municipal court fines and fees. The date range of the breach is June 18, 2018, to Aug. 21, 2018. Read the rest of this entry »
RUSK COUNTY — A date has been set for the execution of a Rusk County man who murdered his girlfriend’s baby. According to our news partner KETK, Blaine Milam, 28, will be put to death on January 15, 2019 for killing Amora Carson. In December 2008, Milam, along with the child’s mother, Jessica Carson, beat Amora to death with a hammer in an alleged exorcism. The pair were found guilty back in 2011. Carson was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
TYLER — A big celebration is held at UT Health Tyler to honor volunteer Vennie Jackson as she celebrates her 100th birthday. Mayor Martin Heines has proclaimed September 11 Vennie Lee Jackson Day in Tyler. She also gets a certificate from Governor Greg Abbott and a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol provided by Congressman Louie Gohmert. “Miss Vennie” continues to work the front desk after more than 30 years of helping out at the hospital. So what keeps her going? Ms. Jackson credits her belief in the Lord and her enjoyment of being involved with people. “Miss Vennie” says she doesn’t have the words to express how excited she is about all the attention — and she adds that she has no plans to quit. Read the rest of this entry »
LUFKIN — A suspect wanted on felony warrants is in stable condition following an officer involved shooting in Lufkin. It happened around 10:30 Monday night following an anonymous tip. Lufkin police responded to an apartment complex where the suspect, Todd Sturgis, 26, was said to be hiding in a bedroom. He refused to show his hands and continually reached under a mattress. Sturgis was tased but it was ineffective. He then attempted to take an officer’s gun when the officer fired a single shot striking Sturgis in the torso. Read the rest of this entry »