Today is
Saturday July 25, 2026
SMITH COUNTY — A Garland woman pleaded guilty in Smith County to smuggling migrants. According to our news partner KETK, on Thursday, Sheri Lin Ha, 24, pleaded guilty to smuggling of persons and received five years of deferred adjudication. Ha was indicted by a grand jury in December 2021 on charges for smuggling seven undocumented migrants in her car. The woman was arrested in July 2021 after Smith County authorities pulled over the Ford Expedition she was driving. Officials noticed there were seven male passengers in the vehicle, who were undocumented migrants from Guatemala. During the stop, deputies also found a vial of illegal drugs on Ha. Officials believed she was trafficking for profit, said Sgt. Larry Christian, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer.
WHITEHOUSE — After more than 40 years of service, Ronny Fite is being remembered as one of the strongest leaders the Whitehouse community has ever had. According to our news partner KETK, due to complications with COVID-19, lifetime resident and longtime Fire Chief of Whitehouse Fire Department has died at the age of 68. Fite devoted his life to the betterment of our East Texas community. “He always cared for his community. He was pro-Whitehouse. Whatever it needed or whatever it took, he was going to make sure that they had it. With the Fire Department, you know he tried to make it the best in the county,†said President of Emergency Services District 4, Johnny Brown. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — A 33-year-old man and a 75-year-old woman were indicted for their roles in a cryptocurrency money laundering scheme in East Texas. According to federal authorities, Manik Mehtani, of McLean, VA, and Lois Boyd, of Amelia Court House, VA, were indicted by a federal grand jury, charging them with a violation of the Travel Act, money laundering and money laundering conspiracy. According to the indictment, Boyd and Mehtani allegedly plotted with others to receive money from victims of fraud schemes and launder the money through cryptocurrency. They allegedly have routinely structured deposits in order to avoid requirements of reporting transactions and to conceal the nature and source of the money. Read the rest of this entry »
GILMER — Upshur County authorities confirmed Thursday that the chief deputy district clerk was arrested for official oppression. According to our news partner KETK, 51-year-old Jon Christopher Coleman, from Gilmer, was arrested by Texas Rangers. Additional details surrounding the circumstances of the investigation were not available. Coleman was arraigned by Justice of the Peace Potter and released on $3,500 bond.
TYLER — Eastbound traffic on the Loop between New Copeland Road and T.K. Gorman resumed late Thursday afternoon after being shut down since early morning. Tyler police said a drunk driver wrecked into a power pole, breaking it. The driver was taken to the hospital with minor injuries and when released, booked into the Smith County Jail for driving while intoxicated. Oncor crews worked nearly all day to repair the pole and get the road reopened.
TYLER — Former Smith County elections official Denise Hernandez pleaded guilty Wednesday morning to spiking drinks with colon cleanser and giving them to her employees without their knowledge. According to our news partner KETK, Hernandez was charged with two counts of assault causing bodily injury, a Class A misdemeanor in Texas. She had faced up to one year in jail for each charge along with a maximum fine of $4,000. Hernandez agreed to a plea deal that included 18 months of deferred adjudicated probation with no fine and cost of court proceedings. A Smith County prosecutor said that the two victims in the case agreed to the conditions of the plea deal. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW — Longview Fire Department Battalion Chief Justin Jenkins was given a Unit Citation Award for saving a man’s life in an apartment fire. According to our news partner KETK, Jenkins was presented with the award on Feb. 24 for his heroism in the line of duty from the Longview Fire Department. On Jan. 22, at 7:36 p.m., LFD was called to 717 S. Green St. for an apartment fire. Jenkins had just returned to Fire Station 1 from a prior response and quickly arrived at the new fire. When he arrived, he began performing his size up around the building. Residents and bystanders notified Jenkins that there was a man still inside of the apartment. Read the rest of this entry »
GREGG COUNTY — One person is dead and three others are injured after a rollover crash half a mile west of Longview between Estes Parkway and Old Kilgore Highway. According to DPS, a 2020 Honda Passport towing a small box trailer was traveling west on I-20 in the outside lane. A 2004 Volvo Conventional Tractor towing a 2007 Featherlite trailer was also traveling west, approaching the Honda from behind. DPS said that the driver of the Volvo failed to control its speed and struck the towed trailer, causing the Honda to roll onto its side into the center median and its towed trailer to vault over the concrete barrier into the eastbound lane. The Volvo traveled into the center median, struck the concrete barrier and caught fire. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW — A man was shot Friday night in Longview while he was reportedly committing a burglary, according to our news partner KETK and a statement from the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office. The release said that around 8 p.m. on March 4, deputies were called to a Longview home for a shooting on Juanita Road. When they arrived, they found Matthew Dillon George, of Longview, suffering from a gunshot wound. Detectives soon figured out that he was shot “while committing burglary,†according to the statement. The release said that the homeowner “verbally gave orders for George to leave, which he refused.†The homeowner then shot George because she was “fearing for her safety.†Read the rest of this entry »
FRANKSTON — A 54-year-old man was hit and killed by a pickup truck near Frankston early Friday morning. According to our news partner KETK, around 5:20 Friday morning, DPS troopers responded to the scene of a vehicle-pedestrian crash on SH 155, roughly three miles south of Frankston. A preliminary investigation indicated that 31-year-old Antonio Roman, of Palestine, was traveling north bound on SH 155 in a 2019 Ford F-250. At the same time, 54-year-old Ian Folakan, of Frankston, was walking south in the northbound lanes, straddling the inside and outside lanes. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — Tyler police arrested a man early Saturday morning after he allegedly attempted to kidnap his ex-wife from the Super 1 Foods near Gentry Parkway and Beckham Avenue before leading officers on a vehicle pursuit. According to our news partner KETK and Tyler PD spokesperson Andy Erbaugh, the suspect, identified as 37-year-old Adrian Perez, was apparently thwarted in his attempt to kidnap his ex, though it is still unclear how. When officers initially responded to the scene, they learned that the suspect had allegedly used or displayed a weapon in his kidnapping attempt. Shortly after, officers obtained a warrant for attempted aggravated kidnapping and immediately began searching for Perez. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW — The Longview Police Department is looking for a missing woman. According to our news partner KETK, 45-year-old Barbara Alexander is approximately 5’6″ tall, weighs 195 lbs and has black hair and blue eyes. Alexander was last seen on Friday at 10:00 a.m. near the 2000 block of South High Street in Longview. She was wearing a burgundy long sleeve blouse and a long gray skirt. Police are asking anyone with information on Alexander’s whereabouts to contact Longview Police Department at 903-237-1199.
TYLER — A Tyler man was arrested early Friday morning and accused of hitting a woman and another vehicle with his car. According to our news partner KETK, 25-year-old Devonte Crawford-Milton was taken into custody by the Smith County Sheriff’s Department for outstanding warrants. Tyler police say Crawford-Milton was allegedly driving recklessly and struck another car along with a woman in the parking lot of Fuzzy’s Taco Shop on Troup Highway. The woman suffered minor injuries from the crash. Investigators say Crawford-Milton drove out of the city but was later arrested by Smith County deputies. He has a lengthy criminal history with three convictions for theft and two for assault. He was out on bond awaiting trial for a charge of evading arrest. Crawford-Milton still remains in jail, and detectives said they are working to charge him with aggravated assault for the incident at Fuzzy’s.
SMITH COUNTY — A Smith County jury sentenced Yoelvis Herrera, 33, of Houston, to 65 years in prison and $5,000 fine on Wednesday for the offense of Unlawful Interception of an Electronic Communication. Prosecutors presented evidence that on December 4, 2019, financial crimes detectives with the Tyler Police Department located a credit card skimmer inside a pump at a local gas station. The skimmer was removed and surveillance was set up at the pump. On December 8, 2019, detectives observed the defendant open the gas pump door and look inside for the skimmer. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — A 70-year-old woman was killed after she failed to control her speed at a red light which resulted in a five-vehicle crash, according to our news partner KETK and the Texas Department of Public Safety. On Monday around 1:20 p.m. DPS troopers were called to the five-vehicle crash about two and a half miles west of Tyler in Smith County. According to DPS, Mary Grooms, 70, of Murchison, was driving a 2007 Infiniti G35 westbound on State Highway 31 in the inside lane approaching a red light. Read the rest of this entry »
AUSTIN — A Tyler man has been renominated by Gov. Greg Abbott to be the presiding officer of the North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority. It will be for another two-year term that will run through February 1, 2024. According to our news partner KETK, the RMA is a political subdivision that was created to “finance, acquire, design, construct, operate, maintain, and expand or extend transportation projects in 14 counties in North East Texas,†according to a press release from Abbott’s office. Gary Halbrooks is the CEO of Venue Properties, a real estate company involved “in the brokerage, development, investment, and management of commercial real estate throughout the southwestern and southeastern United States,†per their website. Read the rest of this entry »
WHITEHOUSE — A Whitehouse ISD bus was involved in a wreck Wednesday morning, according to the district’s Facebook page. Our news partner KETK reports, the wreck was on Highway 69 just south of FM 346, which is roughly seven miles west of the high school campus. First responders were called to the scene, but no students were taken to the hospital. The district said that no serious injuries were reported. A separate bus picked up the students and brought them to their campuses.
RUSK COUNTY — The Rusk County Sheriff’s Office arrested two people, seized drugs, a firearm, 17 electronic gaming machines and gambling paraphernalia from the “Susie Q†game room on County Road 3291 in Garrison during an evidentiary search warrant. According to our news partner KETK, on Monday, RCSO executed a search warrant based on allegations of illegal gambling. During the search, they recovered 17 electronic gaming machines, gambling paraphernalia believed to be associated with keeping a gambling place, suspected “crack cocaineâ€, suspected marijuana, money and a firearm. Read the rest of this entry »
MARSHALL — Authorities say a Harrison County man, 38-year-old Brandon Phillips, has been found safe after going missing. According to our news partner KETK, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office had been asking for the public’s help in locating Philllips. A truck belonging to Phillips was found near Hallsville and investigators say that it was found “in a manner that [they] believe he left the location on foot.†Officials did not say how long Phillips had been missing.
TYLER — No students were injured after a Tyler ISD bus crashed early Thursday morning. According to our news partner KETK, Tyler ISD Chief Communications Officer Jennifer Hines said the bus hit a pole at Old Jacksonville Highway and Rice Road. There were some high school students on board, but no injuries were reported. A release from the school said Bus 34 was involved and that Bus 42 was also delayed as they were offering assistance and took the students to Tyler Legacy. Records show that the call about the crash came into first responders around 7:40 a.m. All students were safe and in school by 8:30 a.m.
TYLER — Tyler police continue to investigate a double homicide and apparent suicide following a shooting at the LaQuinta Inn on south Broadway Tuesday night. According to Public Information Officer Andy Erbaugh, just before 10pm, officers were called to the hotel following reports of shots fired. Officers found Grasiela De Paz Rodriguez, 34, and Alvaro Israel Martinez, 23, both of Tyler, shot multiple times in their car. Witnesses said they saw the gunman flee the scene after the shooting. Investigators tracked the alleged shooter to a home near Smith County city limits. The alleged suspect, identified as Javier Estrada, 30, of Tyler, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Erbaugh said Rodriguez and Estrada had children together but were estranged at the time of the homicide.
TYLER — Tyler police are investigating a double homicide and apparent suicide following a shooting at the LaQuinta Inn on south Broadway Tuesday night. According to Public Information Officer Andy Erbaugh, just before 10pm, officers were called to the hotel following reports of shots fired. Officers found a Hispanic man and woman shot multiple times in their car. Witnesses said they saw the gunman flee the scene after the shooting. Investigators tracked the alleged shooter to a home outside Smith County city limits and found the alleged suspect dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Erbaugh said that all names of those involved are being withheld pending family notification.
LONGVIEW — The Longview ISD Board of Trustees is calling for a $227 million bond election to address various facility needs and campus improvements, according to a release. According to our news partner KETK, the Longview ISD Board of Trustees approved the election order for four bond propositions during their Feb. 14 regular meeting. If approved by voters on May 7, the propositions will fund significant renovations to the Longview High School campus, a new Career & Technical Education facility, an Extracurricular Events Center, a new Early Childhood campus, and various other repairs and facility updates. Read the rest of this entry »
MARSHALL — Marshall police are investigating a homicide after a teenager was fatally shot in the city on Saturday. According to our news partner KETK, officials received calls on Feb. 12 that a person was shot at City Park at 200 Pope St. Marshall police and paramedics arrived at the scene and found a 16-year-old boy with a gunshot wound to his neck. The teenager was later pronounced dead at the location. The Marshall Police Department’s Criminal Investigators and Crime Scene Detectives began a homicide investigation. Detectives worked all night and continue to look into the incident. No arrests have been made. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — Two more suspects in the catalytic converter thefts from January 28th in Tyler have been identified, and one has been arrested. Police say Andre Tyrell Pete, 25, has been arrested in the Houston area and booked into the Harris County Jail. He will be transported back to Smith County. Both suspects are from Houston; Darius Reggie, 20, is still wanted. Both face charges of aggravated assault of a public servant, engaging in organized criminal activity, evading arrest/detention and 4 counts of theft of material. DeAnthony Brown, who is already in jail, had five more charges added: engaging in organized criminal activity with a $250,000 bond and 4 counts of theft of material. If you have any information, call Tyler police at 903-531-1000 or Tyler-Smith County Crime Stoppers at 903-597-2833. Read the rest of this entry »
HENDERSON COUNTY — A Chandler man who was indicted for his involvement in a 2020 fatal crash was sentenced 12 years to prison. According to our news partner KETK, Brandon Taylor Collins, 20, was arrested for three counts of intoxication manslaughter after he allegedly drove drunk and crashed into an East Texas couple that was expecting their first child together on Oct. 25, 2020. 23-year-old LeAnna Hester was driving south on FM 315, near Coffee City when she was struck head-on by Collins, said DPS. Hester who was expecting was pronounced dead at the scene, and Blake Stanford, 24, who was in Hester’s car was taken to a local hospital in Tyler where he later died. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — A Tyler man was indicted by a Smith County grand jury for sex trafficking. According to our news partner KETK, Brandon Lee Johnson, 26, was indicted on the following charges: continuous trafficking of persons, sexual assault of a child and compelling prostitution under age of 18. The Tyler man was arrested on June 3, 2021. He was found with a minor who was a victim of sex trafficking, said the office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The United States Marshal’s Task Force in Tyler made the arrest. Johnson’s arraignment hearing is planned for Feb. 11.
OVERTON — Overton police responded to the site of an early Tuesday morning crash involving a train and a pedestrian. According to our news partner KETK, Chief Bryan Pool released a brief statement on the department’s Facebook page saying the crash was north of town and happened sometime before 5 a.m. They are being assisted by the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office. Pool said in an update at 1:15 p.m. that the victim was a 17-year-old boy. He did not release a name but said the teen was a local. All crossings have remained blocked with the exception of Front Street at Highway 135 on the south side of town. There was no official word on how long the crossings would be blocked, and police have asked drivers to use caution.
PALESTINE — Robert Roberson has been on death row for almost 20 years since he was convicted of murdering his daughter in 2003. According to our news partner KETK, he was set to be put to death in 2016 but was saved a few days before by a stay of execution. During his time on death row Roberson has maintained his innocence. Nikki Curtis was 2-years-old when she died after being taken to a hospital. Doctors had suspicions of child abuse saying she passed away from “shaken baby syndrome.” Roberson has presented new evidence showing his daughter was sickly, and saying at the time of her death she had undiagnosed pneumonia. Read the rest of this entry »
CHEROKEE COUNTY — The Cherokee County Sheriff’s office is investigating a fatal shooting that left two men dead near Highway 79. According to our news partner KETK, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s office received a call just before 3:00 a.m. Sunday morning from the Rusk County Sheriff’s office saying that two injured men had been found on the side of Highway 79 at the Cherokee-Rusk County line. Deputies found two African-American males dead from apparent gunshot wounds. Cherokee County Criminal Investigation Division, Special Investigations Unit and the Texas Rangers were called in to investigate. Identities have not been released pending family notification. Read the rest of this entry »