Today is
Thursday June 11, 2026
HENDERSON COUNTY — The Henderson County Sheriff’s Department has added a high-tech drone with the latest law enforcement tools and a trained, licensed pilot to their operation. Sheriff Botie Hillhouse said the drone will be deployed during manhunts, cases of kidnapped or missing children, missing elderly, active shooter sites and post-crime scene analysis. The Inspire 1 drone is equipped with a complete camera system for both video and still photography and it has zoom and thermal capabilities so the pilot can see up close and at night. It also has GPS tracking and can reach speeds of 49 miles per hour. Read the rest of this entry »
HENDERSON COUNTY — The body of a woman reported missing last month has been found in Athens. According to our news partner KETK, on August 8, Diana Lynn Musella, 75, of Athens, called her sister and said that she had become lost while driving. Musella stated that her car had somehow become disabled and that she was disoriented and unable to provide her location. After several attempts to locate Musella herself, her sister contacted law enforcement. Police initially attempted to locate Musella through cell phone data but received unreliable and inconsistent information from the cellular provider. A state-wide Silver Alert was issued but failed to produce viable leads. Read the rest of this entry »
HENDERSON COUNTY — A six-month-old baby has died after she was left in a vehicle all day Thursday. The Henderson County Sheriff said the baby’s father, Jackson Tetrick, 24, of Brownsboro, has been charged with criminally negligent homicide. Tetrick was arrested in the parking lot of the Brownsboro Elementary School around at 6:40 Thursday night. Investigators said he took his wife to work, dropped off another child at school before he returned home. Tetrick went to work in Athens a short time later. When he picked up the older child from school at 3:30, he realized he didn’t drop off the infant at the sitter’s house that morning. Emergency CPR was administered by school staff. The child was pronounced dead at 4:40. The baby’s body was sent to Dallas for autopsy.
MCALLEN (AP) – A South Texas man has been sentenced to more than four years in federal prison after being convicted on charges related to ramming a Border Patrol vehicle during a human smuggling attempt. Victor Eduardo Acevedo-Ventura was sentenced on Tuesday during a federal court hearing in McAllen. He had pleaded guilty last year to charges of smuggling and assaulting a federal agent. Prosecutors say Acevedo-Ventura, from the South Texas city of Edinburg, had been caught in October 2017 trying to smuggle six immigrants who had illegally entered the U.S. The 24-year-old Acevedo-Ventura fled the scene near the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint but later twice slammed his car into a Border Patrol vehicle that pursued him. No Border Patrol agents were severely injured.
TYLER COUNTY – Four people have been killed in a traffic accident in Tyler County, including one man from Tyler. According to our news partner KETK, the crash happened around 1:45 Monday afternoon between Ivanhoe and Woodville. DPS Troopers said a Ford F250 pickup driven by Travis Layne Jordan, 18, of Devers, was traveling south when it crossed over into the north lanes and hit a Dodge pickup towing an RV driven by Robert Alan Beard, 48, of Tyler. Beard (pictured), Jordan, and his grandparents, Harvey Lamar DuBose and Ann Jones DuBose, both of Hull, died at the scene. A passenger in Beard’s truck, Leslie McCaa, 41, of Tyler, was transported to a Beaumont hospital with serious injuries. Troopers continue to investigate the cause of the crash.
TYLER — A crash has closed a Tyler street for repairs to a utility pole. Tyler police said the accident happened at the intersection of Front and Palace early Monday morning. Starting at Front and Borden Street, crews closed all westbound lanes of traffic. East Front Street was closed at the Palace intersection. Oncor crews have been on the scene working to repair the damaged pole and lines. Drivers have been instructed to use alternate routes until further notice. Keep checking this web page for updates.
TYLER — The Tyler ISD Board of Trustees approved the budget for the 2018/2019 school year during Monday night’s regularly scheduled meeting. Even though state funding decreased this year, Tyler teachers are getting raises. Each teacher will be making $1,500 more a year. Administrative staff members are getting 3% raises. The property tax rate for Tyler ISD will not be going up. That’s because of higher property tax valuations. Home values have gone up across the city, which means the average homeowner will see just a $51 increase on their property tax bill. The school district will also hire four more police officers for their schools.
UPSHUR COUNTY — A Longview man has been sentenced to the maximum 10 years in prison in an April 2017 driving while intoxicated crash in Upshur County. According to the Longview News Journal and our news partner KETK, Gene Arthur Smith, 57, was driving on a farm-to-market road April 1, 2017, when his vehicle hit a tree. Smith was not seriously injured. His blood alcohol level was tested at 2.5 times the legal limit. At the time of the crash, Smith was on probation out of Van Zandt County on a charge of manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance. He has five previous arrests for felony offenses.
HALLSVILLE — No serious injuries were reported when a truck stalled on the tracks near Hallsville was struck Saturday by Amtrak’s westbound Texas Eagle. According to the Longview News-Journal and our news partner KETK, a truck being towed stopped on the tracks at Stephens Road east of Hallsville when a towing strap broke, said Lt. Jay Webb of the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office. The Amtrak crew saw the vehicle but was unable to stop the train, which was traveling about 60 mph, in time to avoid collision. No one was in the truck and no injuries were reported on the train as a result of the incident, though three passengers were treated for heat exhaustion in the aftermath. Read the rest of this entry »
GREGG COUNTY — A woman accused of trying to sell her daughter for sex after a Longview police sting has been indicted on charges of sexual performance on a child, promotion/possession of child pornography and attempted trafficking of a person under age 18. According to the Longview News-Journal and our news partner KETK, the indictment of Carrie Songer Kelly, 44, of Lone Oak stems from an investigation that led to her arrest June 12. She remains in custody in the Gregg County Jail on a $200,000 bond. Kelly, formerly of White Oak, is accused of engaging in sex acts with her 8-year-old daughter and trying to sell the girl for sex after the Longview police sting led to the discovery of graphic videos on her phone. Read the rest of this entry »
GREGG COUNTY — A Longview woman has been indicted for arson causing death in connection with a fatal fire. According to our news partner KETK, Kimberly Nicole Bruton, 32, of Longview, was originally arrested on March 10, 2018, but released the following day on lack of evidence. On March 9, officials responded to a fire on 103 Cherie Lane in Longview. Lisa Tesmer and Randall Russell, a father and daughter, were identified as the victims and the residents of the duplex. The search warrant says Deputy Fire Marshal Clint Steelman arrived on the scene to find Bruton, “Standing outside the residence holding a 32-ounce bottle of charcoal lighter fluid.” Read the rest of this entry »
HENDERSON COUNTY — Three East Texans have been arrested on drug charges in Henderson County. Arbra Leon Peavy, 53, and Miranda Arnold, 37, were arrested at a residence in Payne Springs after a search warrant was served Monday. Peavy was charged with manufacturing and delivering. Arnold was wanted on several outstanding warrants out of Seven Points. Read the rest of this entry »
FLINT — Texas Rangers are investigating a fatal standoff in Smith County. According to our news partner KETK, on Sunday afternoon, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office received a welfare concern call on Neely Drive in Flint. When authorities arrived, a woman on scene appeared erratic. Officers made their way inside the house and found the woman had a pistol. After the woman refused to put the gun down, she was shot once in the arm by a deputy. After hours of negotiating with deputies, the woman shot and killed herself. Her name has not been released.
LAKE PALESTINE — The man rescued from Lake Palestine Tuesday has been charged with possession of a controlled substance. DPS Troopers said Joseph Van, 41, of Flint, lost control of his SUV while texting and driving and crashed into the lake. He was pulled to safety by two nearby boaters. Van was booked into the Cherokee County Jail with bond set at $25,000.
HARRISON COUNTY — A Hallsville ISD parent is arrested Tuesday after she allegedly carried a gun on campus.According to our news partner KETK, 43-year-old Lorraine Haas, of Longview, has been charged with unlawfully carrying a weapon in a prohibited place. She was at the junior high school campus when she apparently showed the gun to another person. Haas was disarmed and arrested by Hallsville ISD police. She was booked into the Harrison County Jail and later released on $10,000 bond. Haas is licensed to carry a concealed weapon in Texas. Citizens, including handgun license holders, are prohibited from carrying firearms on the physical premises of a school building.