Today is
Sunday July 26, 2026
SMITH COUNTY — Smith County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a possible deceased person call just before 8:00 Saturday morning. According to our news partner KETK, the body was found on the side of the roadway on the 2700 block of Old Gladewater Hwy. When deputies arrived, they found a man, identified as Jerome James, 49, dead from a gun shot wound. An autopsy has been ordered. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Smith County Sheriff’s Office at (903) 566-6600. Tyler Police and the Smith County Sheriff’s Office are investigating whether four homicides in eight days could be connected. Police have said they suspect at least two of the recent killings are linked and possibly drug-related. The Sheriff’s Department along with the Tyler Police Department will hold a press conference for media on Monday at 3:00pm.
TYLER — Union Pacific Railroad has closed Palace Avenue and Elm Street at the railroad crossings for maintenance and repairs. Work is expected to be complete by 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 15. Travelers are encouraged to find an alternative route and to pay attention to all traffic signs and workers.
MARSHALL — A Marshall resident and former state trooper accused of sexually abusing a child has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Louis Paul Weems pleaded guilty to indecency with a child on Dec. 3. He was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine and register as a sex offender. According to the Marshall News Messenger and our news partner KETK, Weems was stationed in both Marshall and Marion County as a DPS officer. He was originally suspended from his law enforcement position in November 2017 after allegations of misconduct surfaced and a criminal investigation was launched by the Texas Rangers. Weems was indicted in April by a Cass County grand jury for continuous sexual abuse of a child, indecency with a child by contact, and indecency with a child by exposure. Weems had been employed with the department since September 2008.
TYLER — Tyler police say several recent homicides could be drug related and connected. The first homicide happened on North Summitt Avenue. Mario Guzman, 32, was found fatally shot on his front porch early Friday morning. The second murder happened Monday afternoon on West Barrett Street, a few blocks from Guzman’s residence. Bennie Jackson, 65, was also found shot on his front porch. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
HENDERSON COUNTY — A homicide investigation is underway following a shooting in Henderson County Monday afternoon. Deputies responded to a residence on Woodridge West, near Chandler, just before 2:00. Beverly McBride, 17, was was found on a couch inside the home with a gunshot wound to the head. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Her father, Gabriel McBride, 46, was found on the living room floor. He had also been shot in the head and was airlifted to a Tyler hospital. He remains in critical condition. Texas Rangers are assisting with the investigation. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office at 903-675-5128.
SMITH COUNTY — The Smith County Sheriff’s Department is searching for a local man wanted on several felonies. Cody Keaton Kovarik, 26, Tyler, is wanted on one count of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, as well as numerous counts of felony evading. Anyone with information on Kovarik’s location is urged to contact the Smith County Sheriff’s Office at 903-566-6600.
TYLER — Police are still trying to learn what led to the death of Tyler man. Just before 3:00 Friday morning, officers found Mario Nicolas Guzman, 32. He was found with a gunshot wound near a door of a residence on Summit Avenue. Guzman was pronounced dead at the scene. Anyone with information about potential suspect(s) involved in this crime are urged to contact the Tyler Police Department at 903-531-1000, or Crimestoppers at 903-597-CUFF (903-597-2833).
GREGG COUNTY — Longview police arrested a woman Monday on suspicion of beating her 9-year-old son with an extension cord. According to the Longview News Journal and our news partner KETK, Alicia Denise Palmer, 25, of Longview, is free on bond after being charged with injury child/elderly/disabled person with intent to commit bodily injury. Palmer was arrested after an officer responded Monday evening to a convenience store on South Eastman Road. A naked boy said he ran away from his mother, who had beaten him. The boy sustained welts on his left arm and buttocks. The boy’s mother, Palmer, told police that she made him take off his clothes before she gave him a “lick†with an extension cord because he had gotten into trouble at school. Palmer also faces payment plans on warrants from Longview police for speeding 15 to 19 mph in a 30 mph zone and for no driver’s license.
SMITH COUNTY — The Smith County Sheriff’s Department announced the arrest and indictment of four suspects on Federal drug and firearm related charges. Suri Rivera-Zuniga, 24, Kevin Russ Ivy, 57, Angelica Jaimes-Loredo, 30, and Stephen Paul Barton, 54, (pictured) were indicted November 14th, 2018, by a Federal Grand Jury in the Eastern District of Texas. According to officials, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Investigators, Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigation Division and the Drug Enforcement Administration launched a long term investigation into the distribution of dangerous drugs in Smith County as well as surrounding counties. The investigation lasted approximately seven months. During the course of the investigation, approximately four kilograms of Methamphetamine and two firearms were seized.
LONGVIEW — A lawsuit alleging corruption at the Texas Department of Public Safety spills over into the unsolved 2016 murder of prominent Longview businessman Ronnie Horaney. According to the Longview News Journal and our news partner KETK, the federal suit, filed Tuesday by former Longview resident Ty Clevenger on behalf of retired Mount Pleasant-based DPS investigator Darren Lubbe, raises multiple accusations of DPS cover-ups by superiors and retaliation against Lubbe in a 24-page claim. The complaint says the Texas Rangers discovered their lead investigator in the Horaney case was involved in a sexual relationship with Horaney’s widow. Lubbe and his attorney allege that the lead Ranger, Brent Davis, helped Mrs. Horaney recover proceeds from her husband’s life insurance policy, badly compromising the murder investigation. Read the rest of this entry »
PITTSBURG — The investigation continues into the death of a woman whose body was found Monday morning along a road in Pittsburg. She has been identified by Southwest Forensic Institute as Tashiana Sharday Taylor, 24, of Pittsburg. No word yet on the cause of death.
WHITEHOUSE – A missing Whitehouse woman has been found and is safe. The silver alert was issued for Mildred Hightower, 83. She was last seen Monday afternoon and was reported missing Tuesday morning. The Silver Alert was discontinued Tuesday afternoon after she was found safe in Carthage.
EAST TEXAS — It’s been just over one year since a D-P-S Trooper was killed during a traffic stop. Trooper Damon Allen was shot to death during a stop for speeding on I-45 near Fairfield on November 23rd, 2017. According to court records, the 41-year-old Allen was shot while checking a driver license in the front seat of his patrol vehicle. Dabrett Black, of Lindale, was arrested for Allen’s killing. The 33-year-old is charged with capital murder, and remains in the Limestone County Jail. A judge is expected to set Black’s trial date in January.
PALESTINE — Palestine police have arrested three people after a shooting sent two victims to the hospital on Sunday. According to our news partner KETK, just before 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, officers from the Palestine Police Department responded to a residence on Lamar Street in reference to a reported shooting. Officers arrived and found two victims with apparent gunshot wounds. The male victim was identified as Alex Afshari, 19, of Palestine. The female victim was identified as Christine Kelly, 18, of Palestine. Both victims were transported to a local hospital. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — Tyler Police are searching for an armed suspect after a restaurant manager said he was tied up and robbed. It happened just before 2:30 Monday morning at Razzoo’s on south Broadway. The manager told officers he was outside when he was approached by a man with a handgun. The victim said he was ordered back into the building and forced to open the safe. The manager claims he was tied up before the suspect fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of money. The victim said he was able to eventually cut himself loose and call police. The suspect was wearing all black clothing, gloves, and a ski mask. Anyone with information is asked contact the Tyler Police Dept at 903-531-1000.
TYLER — An armed suspect accused of robbing a pizza delivery driver has been arrested. Tyler police responded to the Foundry Apartments on Varsity Drive around 9:40 Sunday night following a call from a Domino’s Pizza delivery driver. The victim claims he was in the parking lot of the apartment complex when he was approached by a man with a pistol. The suspect reportedly demanded the driver’s money and pizza, then fled on foot behind a shed. Arriving officers found Brant Miller, 18, with the stolen property. He was booked into the Smith County Jail on charges of aggravated robbery and evading arrest.
SMITH COUNTY — Smith County troopers were busy Friday morning, responding to three separate crashes within a small amount of time. According to our news partner and the Department of Public Safety, the first crash occurred at on Highway 64 at FM 279 involving a semi and passenger car. No word on any injuries. The second crash occurred about a quarter mile west of the first wreck involving Tyler ISD school bus #25. No students were reported injured. A second bus arrived shortly after and transferred the students to school. DPS said the driver of the truck involved in that crash was injured, the extent was not known. The third crash happened near near FM 2661. Additional information was pending.
CHEROKEE COUNTY — A shooting the morning of November 7 led to capital murder charges for two men from Rusk. According to our news partner KETK, Sheriff James Campbell said Trevor Lawson, 18, was found shot to death at County Road 2117, in the Maydelle Community. Campbell said the specifics as to what led to the murder are under investigation and have not been determined. Cody Ray Roberts, 17, and Jontae Jamaile Johnson, 20, both from Rusk, have been charged with capital murder. They are being held in the Cherokee County Jail on $1 million bond each.
SMITH COUNTY — The Smith County murder trial for a Whitehouse man, which had been scheduled for Monday, has been reset for February 4. According to our news partner KETK, Martin Wesley Reynolds, 21, was charged with murder last November in the shooting death of Andrew Carpenter, 19, of Tyler. Carpenter was found shot inside a home on Deerwood Drive and was later pronounced dead. Nathan Garcia, 20, of Whitehouse, was arrested on one count of murder. Colton Wade Tate, 21, was charged with murder and tampering with physical evidence. James Hunter Ansley, 26, was charged with tampering with physical evidence. Daniel Cole Perry, 23, was charged with tampering with physical evidence. Ansley and Perry had their charges dismissed. Tate’s trial is slated for December 17.
TYLER — A two vehicle wreck on Toll 49 left a 9-year-old Arp girl dead, 5 others injured. It happened around 1:00 Sunday afternoon at Toll 49 and FM 2493. According to the DPS report, the driver of a 2017 GM Denali, Valerie Miller, 34, Arp, was traveling west on the toll road when she crossed the center line and hit a Ford Escape head-on. The driver of the Escape, William Pritchard, 29, Tyler, was transported to a Tyler hospital in serious condition. Miller was also transported to a Tyler hospital in serious condition. 9-year-old Leah Miller, who was in Valerie Miller’s vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene. Three other girls, ages 10, 8, and 4, were taken to the hospital in serious condition. All occupants were restrained.
VAN ZANDT COUNTY — A teen that was passing vehicles in a no-passing zone that killed three people in a crash has now been charged with three counts of manslaughter. According to our news partner, KETK, on October 30, troopers were called Highway 19, just south of Highway 80, in response to a two vehicle wreck. The driver of a truck, Jessie Michael Brown, 19, of Fruitvale, was said to be passing vehicles in a non-passing zone and hit another truck head-on. The driver of the other truck, Connie Wells, 61, of Wills Point, and two young male passengers were pronounced dead at the scene. The juveniles were identified as 14-year-old Adam Thomas Tuma and 11-year-old Elijah William Gabriel Tuma, both of Wills Point. Read the rest of this entry »
CHEROKEE COUNTY — The Cherokee County Sheriff’s office is investigating after a shooting at a location between Maydelle and Rusk. According to our news partner KETK, a teenager was shot and killed at a house on CR 2117. Officials confirm two people have been taken in for questioning. Another person of interest is still wanted.
GLADEWATER — Details are limited following a reported officer involved shooting Sunday in Gladewater. According to our news partner KETK, one man is recovering after he was allegedly shot by a police officer. The father of the man shot told KETK his son was suicidal and the situation escalated quickly. Gladewater police are expected to release more information shortly.
GLADEWATER — Two Gladewater ISD staff members have been fired after a 4-year-old student was left on a bus for 7 hours last week, Superintendent Sedric Clark said Tuesday. According to the Longview News Journal and our news partner KETK, a pair of employees, the driver and bus monitor, failed to follow “the practices in place†on October 22, resulting in the Head Start student’s neglect, Clark said. He added, the most important thing, he said, is that the student “is fine.†Clark said the district, along with Head Start administrators at the Region 7 Education Service Center, are investigating. Child Protective Services and Gladewater police also are investigating.
EAST TEXAS — A woman wanted by the Smith County Sheriff’s Office is now in custody. April Nicole Moore, 24, was booked into the Shelby County Jail Wednesday. She was wanted on multiple felony charges, including burglary and interference with emergency request for assistance. She’s also been charged with fugitive from justice.
UPSHUR COUNTY — A Gilmer ISD bus headed home from a volleyball game in Emory Tuesday night was involved in an accident. According to the DPS report, a car headed west on State Highway 154 crossed the center line and struck the bus on the left front side. The driver did not stop. 15 students were on the bus. No injuries were reported. The bus driver was unable to provide and details regarding the vehicle that hit the bus. Officials are searching for that hit and run driver.
TYLER — A Tyler teen has been indicted for impersonating a public servant. According to our news partner KETK, back in February of this year, Tyler police arrested a man who they say impersonated an officer and tried to pull a victim over at gunpoint at the intersection of Highway 64 Loop 323. The victim told police the driver had activated red and blue lights on the dash. They were able to record the suspect’s license plate as he left the area. Later, an officer located the suspect vehicle at the intersection of South Broadway and Loop 323. Officers stopped the vehicle and discovered a red and blue strobe light. Khristian Welch, 18, of Tyler, admitted to pulling the victims over after he says they ran a red light. Welch was arrested and booked into the Smith County Jail on one count of impersonating a public servant. He released the same day on a $20,000 surety bond.
TYLER — A Tyler man has been indicted after stabbing a man at a local American Legion. According to our news partner KETK, on February 4, around 11:50 p.m., Tyler officers responded to an aggravated assault call at the American Legion on North Gaston. Police found a man stabbed in the abdomen. Witnesses said Richard Lamont Evaige, 67, of Tyler, pulled a knife and stabbing the victim following an altercation. The victim was taken to a local hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries. Evaige was later found at his residence and arrested. A Smith County grand jury indicted Evaige on one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
RUSK COUNTY — Rusk County Sheriff’s office officials have arrested James Paul Calvert. Calvert, 47, was on the run for two counts of child sexual assault, burglary of habitation and escape. According to our news partner KETK, several agencies were searching for the suspect. He was brought into custody around 9 p.m. Sunday.
EAST TEXAS — Incumbent Senator Ted Cruz holds a slight advantage of the congressmen from El Paso, Beto O’Rourke. Both made stops in East Texas Thursday. According to our news partner KETK, Cruz attributes his current lead over O’Rourke to Texans standing strong with Texas values. “If you want higher wages, more jobs, a secure border and safety in schools then you have to get out and vote,” said Cruz. Cruz refers to his contender as a far left radical agenda that can’t compromise the truth behind the Lone Star state.
O’Rourke is the closest candidate to trump a Republican for a senate seat in decades. “I’m ready to win, the people of Texas are ready to win,” said Beto O’Rourke. “We want to be able to begin the work that we have described over the last 22 months of this campaign.” Thursday’s stops will be O’Rourke’s last in the area before the November 6th elections.