Today is
Sunday June 14, 2026
WOOD COUNTY — An 18-year old has died after he lost control of his vehicle and ran off the road. According to the Department of Public Safety, it happened around 7:15 Sunday morning on Highway 154, around 9 miles outside of Quitman. DPS Troopers say Stephen Love was driving east when he lost control of his Chevy Camero and ran off the road into a wooded area. He died at the scene of the crash. Love was a senior at Quitman High School. The school released the following statement on Facebook: “Quitman ISD is saddened by the loss of one our students. Stephen Love will be missed by his classmates, teachers, coaches, and all that knew him. The district would like to extend our condolences to his family and friends.”
ARP — New details have emerged after the Arp Elementary School counselor was arrested. According to KETK, Barbara Lynn Orpineda, 31, of Arp, was arrested Wednesday by the Arp Police Department on two counts of improper relationship between a student and educator and two counts of sexual assault of a child. She was booked into the Smith County Jail on $200,000. She has since been released. It’s uncertain whether the accusations happened on school grounds or inside Orpineda’s home or elsewhere. The accused counselor was a former teacher at Arp Middle School. She recently transferred to the elementary school and has been working on a yearly probationary period without being certified through the state. Read the rest of this entry »
HENDERSON COUNTY — A Henderson County traffic stop lands two men in jail. Deputies stopped a car Tuesday night on FM 315 in Chandler and noticed the driver, Michael Oldham, moving around the car in a suspicious manner. Deputies found marijuana and drug paraphernalia in the console of the vehicle. One of the passengers, Joshua Spivey,(pictured) admitted to having drug paraphernalia and meth. More drugs were found in his boot when he was booked into the county jail. The two were charged with possession. Oldham was also charged with driving without a license.
LONGVIEW — Two men are behind bars following a prostitution sting in Longview. Longview Police along with CODE agents conducted an undercover prostitution operation on East Marshall Avenue. During the five-hour operation, two suspects, Jermaine Darnell Jackson, 35, of Longview, and Jorge Armondo Lopez, 39, of Marshall, were arrested for prostitution. Police said the operation was designed to attract “Johns†to solicit sexual conduct from undercover officers.
MARSHALL — Marshall Police are investigating the death of a Texas State Technical College student. Officers responded to a dorm on the campus of TSTC around 9:40 Sunday night and found Derrick Lockwood, 23, Jasper, dead. His body was sent to Forensic Medical of Texas in Tyler for an autopsy.
TYLER — A UT Tyler student was struck by a car while he was walking Sunday. According to a University statement, Justin Bartie, a member of the Patriots Mens Basketball Team, was accidentally struck by a car while walking and is currently in ICU. Doctors do not believe his injuries are life-threatening. Additional information was not available due to privacy concerns.
GREGG COUNTY — A Gilmer man was sentenced Monday to life in prison for sexually assaulting a clerk working in a South Longview convenience store more than five years ago. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, Shawn Michael Willard, 33, was convicted June 16 of aggravated sexual assault after pleading guilty to charges stemming from the Feb. 16, 2013, incident at the former Chanel Stop and Shop on Mobberly Avenue. Willard entered the establishment just after it opened at 7:00 that Saturday morning, forced the victim into a back room and sexually assaulted her, threatening to cut her throat if she fought back. He then choked her and pressing down on her throat with his foot.
LONGVIEW — Authorities have identified at least two suspects they say were involved in more than six dozen cases of vandalism of vehicles across Longview last week. According to the Longview News-Journal, Jose Edmundo A. Pintor-Cervantes, 21, of Longview, was booked Friday into the Gregg County Jail for violating probation on a 2016 drunken driving conviction and an Immigration & Naturalization Service detainer. Police said Pintor-Cervantes is one of two suspects in more than 76 reported cases of vandalism that allegedly occurred during the early morning hours of Oct. 16 in Longview. The identity of the second suspect has not been released. Read the rest of this entry »
NACOGDOCHES — The Nacogdoches County Sheriff Office is investigating the death of a Mexican National that occurred on a farm located on Fm 343 near Fm 225. On Saturday morning shortly after 8:00, the Sheriff’s office was dispatched to the farm in reference to a worker that was ran over by a tractor. Deputies and EMS found the victim near the tractor. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity has not been released. The report said the victim was apparently standing up on the side of the tractor when he cranked it. The tractor was in gear and jerked forward when it was cranked. This caused the victim to fall off the tractor and got pinned underneath the back tire.
SMITH COUNTY — An East Texas man was arrested over the weekend for kidnapping. According to KETK, Smith County judicial records show Salman Ali Quraishi, 20, of Tyler, was arrested around 12:20 Friday afternoon by University of Texas at Tyler Police. He’s been charged with two counts of kidnapping and one count of criminal trespassing. Quraishi was booked into the Smith County Jail and was released Saturday on $200,500 bond. Quraishi is listed as a Freshman and Finance major from Plano in the UT Tyler student directory. Read the rest of this entry »
HENDERSON COUNTY — A Christian flag continues to fly over an East Texas school over objections from an atheist group. No action was taken at the latest LaPoynor school board meeting. Three people spoke up in favor of keeping the flag. The Freedom from Religion Foundation filed a complaint. The organization’s Sam Grover calls this an open and shut case. The LaPoynor superintendent says they may take up the issue at the next board meeting.
LONGVIEW — A new distribution center could soon bring hundreds of jobs to one East Texas city. Longview is in the running to house a new Dollar General Distribution Center, which could bring with it as many as 400 new jobs and also a 700 million dollar impact on the city over the next 25 years. The Longview Economic Development Corporation says the proposed project would create a 1-million square foot facility in the city’s north business park. If built, it would be the 17th distribution center in the Dollar General supply chain.
TYLER — Tyler Police said a two vehicle wreck early Sunday morning left a 19-year-old dead and another man injured. It happened around 1:10 on Paluxy Drive, just north of Coaches & Cowboys. According to the police report, a 2014 GMC Sierra, driven by Dakota Payne, 27, Diana, was traveling northbound on Paluxy when he drove into the southbound lane striking a 2000 GMC Yukon head-on. The driver of the Yukon was identified as Cody Allbright, Flint. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Payne was transported to Christus Trinity Mother Frances Hospital by EMS with unknown injuries.
SMITH COUNTY — Early voting in Smith County began today. The election will include a Smith County Bond for road and bridge projects, elections for the cities of Arp and Whitehouse, and several statewide Constitutional Amendments. Early Voting will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, October 23-27; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. October 30 through November 1; and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. November 2-3. Election Day is Tuesday, November 7. The Smith County Commissioners Court called a $39.5 million bond election. If approved, the money received from the bonds would be used to pay for major county road and bridge projects over three years – Phase I of a two-phase, six-year Road and Bridge Capital Improvement Project. Details of the plan can be found on the county’s website page, https://www.smith-county.com, along with an educational video about the road bond. Read the rest of this entry »
GREGG COUNTY — Gregg County jury selection set for Monday has been canceled. Residents who received a summons to report Monday may disregard it. Their names will be reshuffled into the database for future jury service.