Today is
Sunday June 14, 2026
EDGEWOOD — Edgewood police say three runaway teens have been found. According to KETK, they were discovered Monday along CR 3504 and were being evaluated by medical staff. Earlier in the day, police teamed up with other Van Zandt County law enforcement agencies in searching for the three, aged 12 to 16. The teens have been identified as Cheyenne Andrews, Bryan Nyman, and Steven Shumate. Officials took to the air and ground to search for the teens and recruited volunteers to assist.
LONGVIEW — A Texas A&M senior defensive tackle was arrested Sunday morning on several charges. According to KETK, Zaycoven Henderson, 23, of Longview, was a passenger in a car when he was seen pointing a gun at multiple people at a College Station apartment complex. Police pulled the car over as it was attempting to leave and also found marijuana. Authorities say they also found the rifle Henderson was waving in the woods nearby. A release from officers says Henderson threatened at least three people claiming he would kill them. Henderson was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, tampering with evidence and possession of marijuana. Henderson has been suspended indefinitely from team activities as a consequence for his actions.
EAST TEXAS — Here’s a look at work planned in the district during the week of December 11, 2017. These 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.
In Smith County, the contractor for the Lindale Relief Route will be closing all lanes of I-20 (eastbound and westbound) to conduct work on the Toll 49 Northbound Bridge, and to place concrete for the deck of the Mainlane Bridge over I-20. The closure is slated for 9 p.m., Thurs., December 14th to 5 a.m., Fri., December 15th. Local law enforcement will be assisting with work zone traffic control redirecting motorists to the frontage roads. Message boards have been installed to provide advance notice of the closures. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — North-bound Toll 49 has been closed from SH 64 to I-20. This closure is expected to last until 7:00 Wednesday morning. The closure is directly related to the closure of I-20 and the removal of the damaged bridge at FM 849, near Hideaway. Drivers should plan for delays. All north-bound traffic will be diverted onto SH 64. South-bound lanes will remain open. Drivers are asked to obey all message boards and allow for extra time to reach your destination.
TYLER — All lanes of traffic are currently shut down in the 1800 block of Troup Highway due to a box truck striking a guide wire. A power pole was broken and power lines were across the roadway. Drivers are urged to use alternate routes if traveling in this area. Motorists are currently being detoured around this location.
GREGG COUNTY — An East Texas gang member has been sentenced to 11 years behind bars on a deadly conduct charge. According to KETK, Otto Estell, of Longview, was sentenced Monday to 10 years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and one year in State Jail. He’s a TYB gang member. The case stems from an October 10, 2016, incident in which Longview police responded to a shots fired call. Police at the scene located two people who matched the suspect’s description, however, the suspects were able to get away. No on was hurt inside the home where shots were fired. Police recovered the weapons used in the shooting and later arrested Estell at Good Shepherd Medical Center after receiving a report of an individual admitted with a gunshot wound to the buttocks. Estell will serve half of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.
LONGVIEW — A Longview man has been arrested on numerous drug charges. Michael Jermaine Roberson, 25, of Longview was held Tuesday on bonds totaling $108,500, according to the Longview News-Journal. Officers arrested Roberson after watching him as he repeatedly left his apartment to meet with people in their vehicles. Roberson was said to be in possession of heroin, cocaine, marijuana, Xanax, digital scales and a coffee grinder with heroin residue. He was charged with three counts of manufacturing or delivering, possession of a dangerous drug and possession of a controlled substance. Roberson was also charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and evading arrest. Roberson attempted to outrun officers when they tried to arrest him during a traffic stop.
NACOGDOCHES — An East Texas man surrendered to police in connection with the robbery of a gas station. According to KETK, Darrell Twain Forney, 47 of Nacogdoches, turned himself in to authorities at the Nacogdoches Police Station Thursday. He was wanted in connection with the Wednesday night robbery of a Chevron on University Drive and Martinsville. Forney’s in the Nacogdoches County Jail charged with robbery. His bond has not been set.
DALLAS (AP) – The suspect in the fatal shooting of a Texas state trooper during a traffic stop on Thanksgiving Day had previously beaten a deputy and tried to take his gun, but had the charges dismissed or reduced to a misdemeanor in a plea deal. Police camera footage from the 2015 incident shows Dabrett Black, Lindale, beating the deputy. The deputy suffered black eyes, a broken nose and lacerations. The footage also shows him talking to the in-car camera saying to imagine if he had a weapon. A plea agreement filed in March 2016 shows a Smith County prosecutor recommended a one-year jail sentence on a misdemeanor charge in lieu of the two felony charges.
EAST TEXAS — A Mount Pleasant junior high coach and teacher was let go Monday as an investigation continues into inappropriate communication between him and multiple students within the district. According to KETK, the Mount Pleasant School Board voted to terminate Justin Choate’s employment agreement at Monday’s board meeting. Marshall added that a number of law enforcement agencies are currently investigating Choate including the TEA, CPS, and the Titus County District Attorney’s office. But Marshall says that the investigation has nothing to do with inappropriate touching. It’s all about inappropriate communication. Choate was a history teacher at Mount Pleasant Junior High, and the head coach of the 7th grade football team. He also coached pitchers and catchers for the baseball team.
LONGVIEW — A former Kilgore College student charged last year with sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking is back in jail after assaulting a man in Lake Jackson. According to the Longview News-Journal, Malik Antoine Brown, 19, of Richwood was indicted on the trafficking charges last November in the U.S. District Court in Galveston and held in the Gregg County Jail for more than two weeks on a U.S. Marshals Service detainer. He was released in December on $50,000 bond with the condition he remained in his home. A U.S. magistrate judge found Nov. 22 that Brown had broken the conditions of his bond, assaulting a man at a Motel 8 in Lake Jackson.
TYLER — Tyler Police search for two men wanted in an aggravated robbery. Devonte Antoinne Black (pictured), 23, and Dikembi Spencer, 18, both of Tyler, are wanted following a November 14th armed robbery at Fox Run Apartments. Police said it happened between the hours of 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. The suspects reportedly stole a pound of marijuana along with a firearm. They are considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Tyler Police Department, at 903-531-1000, or Crimestoppers at 903-597-CUFF (903-597-2833). Crimestoppers will pay up to $1,000 for information that leads to the arrest and charges filed against the suspects in this case or any felony case.
SMITH COUNTY — DPS says the scene has been cleared after multiple agencies responded to a multi-vehicle wreck on Highway 110 near FM 849, just west of Toll 49. According to KETK, Highway 110 was shut down on both sides for a time. Two people were taken to a local hospital for treatment, but their injuries are deemed non-life threatening. Authorities said a garbage truck was stopped when a car ran into it. The other cars then followed, causing the pile-up. Five vehicles were involved, including the garbage truck.
HENDERSON COUNTY — An East Texas man has been charged with murder following a Sunday morning altercation in Payne Springs. Doyle Wayne Deason, 65, has been charged in the death of Bryan Rodgers, 43. Henderson County Sheriff Deputies were responding to a suspicious person call around 5:00 in the Cherokee Shores Subdivision when they found Deason, armed with a butcher knife. Rodgers was located nearby with a stab wound and taken to ETMC in Gun Barrel City. He was pronounced dead around 6:45. Deason suffered a minor gunshot wound. Officials said he confessed to stabbing Rodgers.
DALLAS (AP/STAFF) — The suspect in the shooting death of a state trooper during a Thanksgiving Day traffic stop in East Texas was charged Friday with capital murder of a law enforcement officer. Dabrett Black, 32, of Lindale, is being held in the Brazos County jail in Bryan. He is accused of fatally shooting Trooper Damon Allen on Thursday. The Texas Department of Public Safety said in social media posts late Thursday that Allen initiated a traffic stop shortly before 4:00pm on Interstate 45 near Fairfield. DPS said Black shot Allen with a rifle after the trooper walked back to his vehicle. Allen died at the scene, DPS officials said, adding that he had been with the department since 2002. An obituary posted Friday by the funeral home said Allen is survived by his wife Kasey, three daughters and a son. Read the rest of this entry »