Today is
Sunday July 26, 2026
NACOGDOCHES — A sophomore at Stephen F. Austin State University has been found dead in her campus residence hall Friday. According to KETK, Erin Valenta, 20, was a music major and a resident of SFA’s Lumberjack Village. She graduated from Allen High School in 2016. A residence hall staff member was called to perform a welfare check, which had been requested by a friend. There were no signs of foul play, and an autopsy has been requested. Counseling is being made available to SFA students, faculty and staff members through SFA Counseling Services on the third floor of the Rusk Building.
EAST TEXAS — A Lufkin teenager turned himself into authorities after Tyler Police identify him in a gas station robbery. Ty Levi Golightly, 19, is in the Cherokee County Jail on a probation violation warrant. A Tyler Police Detective interviewed Golightly at the Cherokee County Jail where he confessed to the Conoco robbery in Tyler Monday, a gas station robbery in Jacksonville and a gas station robbery in Lufkin. A warrant for aggravated robbery was obtained on Golightly for the Conoco robbery in Tyler. Golightly remains jailed on the probation violation with a $1,000 bond and the aggravated robbery warrant with a $750,000 bond. Cases are pending in Jacksonville and Lufkin.
GREGG COUNTY — The state’s highest appeals court reinstated a 99-year sentence Thursday for a Kilgore man convicted of murdering a Hallsville teenager. According to the Longview News-Journal, Coby Ray Hudgins, 26, was given the sentence in 2015 after a jury convicted him of fatally shooting Kayla Williams, 17, in October 2013. Hudgins’ appeal was based on a complaint that his attorney had not provided an adequate defense. Hudgins is convicted of killing Williams at his home in Kilgore, pointing a gun at her forehead and shooting from just inches away. Williams and others had been drinking at his home. Hudgins also fired at two witnesses as they fled the scene.
SMITH COUNTY — A Tyler woman is behind bars after she allegedly hit another woman over the head with a candlestick. According to KETK, Natasha Woods, 31, was arrested at a home on Academy Avenue just before 6:30 Wednesday evening. She’s accused of attacking a 33-year-old woman, hitting her in the head with a candlestick. Woods also assaulted a 13 year old by stepping on the child’s foot. The victims told police she was also holding a knife in her hand during the incident. The victims believe Woods had been taking PCP, causing her aggression toward them. Both victims were treated on scene by EMS. Woods has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, injury to a child and resisting arrest. She is being held in the Smith County Jail on bonds totaling $92,500.
HENDERSON COUNTY — East Texas officials have arrested the suspect wanted in a bloody attack. Henderson County Deputies were responding to a reported assault at a home south of Chandler Tuesday night when they found two victims bloody and beaten. Marc Anthony Allison, Jr., 29, was arrested this morning in Montgomery County, near Houston. Allison reportedly attacked the pair with a galvanized steel pipe. A steel ratchet wrench was also found at the scene. The girlfriend was treated and released. The brother remains in the hospital.
TYLER — Tyler Police search for two aggravated robbery suspects. Officers said a man was waiting for an Uber ride outside of Schlotzskys on Loop 323 around 10:00 last night when he was approached by two Hispanic males wearing gray hoodies. The victim said the men demanded his property then beat him with a metal pipe until he lost consciousness. The victim sustained injuries to his face and head that required immediate medical attention but did not appear life threatening. The suspects are still on the loose.
GREGG COUNTY — Authorities have identified the driver and passenger involved in a chase where DPS troopers collided with a suspect vehicle. According to KETK, Aaron Wade Slagle, 37, of Tyler, was driving the vehicle and Kalie Erin Kinlaw, 35, of Kilgore, was a passenger. It started around 5:00 Tuesday evening when a DPS trooper tried to stop a car for a traffic violation near Fritz Swanson Road and Goforth Road in Gregg County. When the driver did not stop, the trooper followed the vehicle through several turns before the driver and two DPS patrol cars collided almost 20 minutes later near FM 1252 and CR 3104. The driver and passenger of the vehicle had outstanding warrants and were taken to a Longview medical center with injuries that were not life-threatening. Slagle was wanted out of Marion and Dallas Counties. Kinlaw was wanted in Gregg County. Both suspects were booked into the Gregg County Jail on their outstanding warrants as well as a felony charge of evading by Slagle. No troopers were injured in the crash.
EAST TEXAS — A National Weather Service survey team said Tuesday that damage caused in severe weather Sunday night in Winnsboro was from strong winds and not a tornado. According to KETK, multiple buildings received significant damage, and four families were displaced. No injuries or fatalities were reported. The storm had wind gusts up to 75 mph according to the official survey release.
TYLER — A Tyler man accused of murdering his high school teacher more than 8 years ago has been recommitted to a mental health facility for another year. According to KETK, Byron Truvia, 24, was set to go before a judge on Monday for a mental status evaluation. On September 23, 2009, while a student at John Tyler High School, Truvia allegedly fatally stabbed special education teacher Todd Henry inside a classroom. Truvia was 16-years-old at the time. Truvia is currently in the North Texas State Hospital. He was not in court during Monday’s hearing.
HENDERSON COUNTY — A man and woman have been arrested following a traffic stop near Eustace. According to the Henderson County Sheriff, Bobby Ratliff, 42, and Kimberly Revels, 42, were taken into custody Monday night after deputies discovered meth, a digital scale and other items commonly used to sell illegal drugs. Ratliff was charged with the manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance and taken to the Henderson County Jail. Revels was wanted on an active warrant for possession of a controlled substance. During the arrest, she was also found to be in possession of several pills, which resulted in new charges of possession of a controlled substance.
TYLER — A suspect is sought following the armed robbery of a Tyler gas station. It happened around 9:30 Monday night at the Food Fast on Front Street. The clerk told officers that a white man with blonde hair entered the store, covered his face and pulled a knife on the clerk. He left the store on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash. No injuries were reported. The suspect was said to be around 6′ tall and close to 30-years-old, wearing a red jacket and blue jeans.
HARRISON COUNTY — New details are released after a 61-year-old Army veteran was shot and killed during an altercation with a Harrison County deputy. It happened when a sister of the man, described as mentally ill, called authorities for a welfare check. The man began swinging on the officer, who both Tasered and dry-Tasered him with no result. Sheriff’s Lieutenant Jay Webb says the “officer was then knocked down, and as the fight ensued, the…officer fired the weapon.” The officer was attacked as soon as he entered the home and suffered minor injuries. The Texas Rangers are investigating. Arthur McAfee was pronounced dead at a Longview-area hospital.
SMITH COUNTY — The Department of Public Safety is continuing to investigate an accident that took the life of a pedestrian Friday night — and officials have now identified the driver. Troopers responded around 7:15 to SH 31, about half a mile west Tyler. Preliminary investigation revealed that the driver, identified as Amanda Elaine Williams, 26, of Tyler, was traveling east in the inside lane when she struckShanita Lashanda Johnson, 36, of Tyler. Johnson (pictured) was trying to cross the roadway from the south side to the north. Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene. Williams was not injured.
SMITH COUNTY — Two more men are on trial for allegedly shooting at deputies during a high-speed chase in March of 2016. Jeremy Robinson (pictured), 33, of Hutchins, and Juan Quiroga, 19, of Tyler, are standing trial after officials said they were two of three people who shot at deputies on March 21, 2016. Smith County deputies tried to stop a black car with three men inside after it was spotted in an area known for illegal activity off State Highway 64 West in western Smith County. When a deputy activated his emergency lights, the driver refused to pull over and a chase began. Deputies followed the car at speeds of more than 100 miles per hour. Read the rest of this entry »
EAST TEXAS — SWEPCO customers can expect to see an increase in their electric bills. According to KETK, the company has made an 8.9% rate increase, or about $8.50, for customers that use 1,000 kilowatt hours. SWEPCO has been working toward an increase since 2016 to pay for it’s investment into four coal fire plants. Because of that, customers will also see a surcharge of another $7.70 to allow SWEPCO to retroactively recover from that investment.
WINNSBORO — An East Texas mayor has declared a “State of Emergency” for his city after a possible tornado touched down Sunday night. Winnsboro Mayor Richard R. Parrish says the western part of the city has sustained major damage. According to KETK, early Monday morning, Parrish updated residents on the latest developments following a possible tornado in the small East Texas town. According to Parrish, four families were displaced due to damage sustained after the storm. “We had an apartment building that had the roof removed and displaced three families, but those families have been put in vacant apartments by the property owner, so they have a place to stay for the night,” Parrish says. “We also have a private residence that was damaged by a tree that fell through the house, so that family has taken up with family members for the evening, so that they can start assessing the damage.” Read the rest of this entry »
WOOD COUNTY — One of Texas’ Ten Most Wanted criminals has been arrested in California for a crime he’s accused of committing in Wood County. According to KETK, Blake Everett Reed was found in San Luis Obispo County, California, north of Los Angeles. He is being extradited back to Wood County. Reed was wanted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, harassment of a public servant, assault of a public servant, assault and evading arrest/detention with a vehicle. According to DPS, in September 2016, Reed allegedly assaulted a woman in Wood County. He was arrested and charged with multiple felonies by the Wood County Sheriff’s Office, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Reed was released on bond several days later. Since May 2017, the WCSO has issued multiple warrants for Reed’s arrest. Reed also has ties to San Luis Obispo County in California, including the cities of Cambria and Cayucos.
TYLER — Numerous flat tires in Tyler are being blamed on a substance the city put on the roads. When the roads began to ice over this past week, city crews started treating them with a mixture meant to provide traction — but instead it left many drivers with flattened tires. Public works director Scott Taylor says the city is now looking at went wrong. Taylor says over the next week or so, the city will re-evaluate the material and what was done procedurally before determining whether to make any changes in the material. Brine is usually the go-to for roads in icy conditions, but this time the city used a mix that included a metal substance called slag. Taylor says that’s what caused the flattened tires, although the city has used the mix without problems since 1974.
GLADEWATER — Texas Rangers are investigating an officer involved shooting in Gladewater which sent one person to the hospital. It happened overnight Friday at an unknown location in the city. According to KETK, Gladewater Police said an officer shot one person after they reportedly pointed a gun at them. That person was taken to a local hospital where their condition is unknown. No law enforcement official was injured in the shooting. The investigation has been turned over to the Texas Rangers.
SMITH COUNTY — An East Texas man has been arrested for murder. According to KETK, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office arrested Colton Wade Tate, 21, of Tyler. He was booked into the Smith County Jail around 1:30 a.m., on Friday and later released on $50,000 bond. Tate was arrested in connection with the 2017 shooting death of Andrew Carpenter. Around 1:15 a.m. November 5, the SCSO received a 911 call reporting a shooting at a residence on Deerwood Drive. Carpenter, 19, of Tyler, was found inside the residence with a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at a Tyler hospital. Read the rest of this entry »
GREGG COUNTY — A Longview woman is arrested on charges related to sex trafficking a runaway 14-year-old girl. According to the Longview News-Journal, Chelsey Rae Penney, 32, is charged with compelling prostitution under age 18, trafficking of a person and engaging in organized criminal activity. Her bond was set at $150,000. Police said Penney drove the girl to different cities, including Tyler, paid for hotel rooms and placed online ads for the girl to be prostituted. Read the rest of this entry »
MARSHALL – The body of an East Texas drowning victim has been found. Around 1:00 Monday afternoon, searchers recovered the body of John Mitchell, 50, of Marshall at Lake O’ the Pines. He turned 51 on Friday and, his family told KETK News that he wanted to spend his birthday fishing with his friend, Keefer Boyd. Their overturned boat was found Friday afternoon. Boyd was released from Christus Good Shepherd in Marshall Sunday morning.
HENDERSON COUNTY — A man wanted for a parole violation is arrested near Chandler Monday. Henderson County Deputies were conducting a traffic stop when they discovered David Thomsen, 51, was wanted on an outstanding parole violation warrant. The deputies also found methamphetamines in his vehicle. Thomsen was booked into the Henderson County Jail.
HARRISON COUNTY – Two people from Oklahoma are dead following a multi-vehicle wreck on I-20 in Harrison County that caused hours of traffic woes. The wreck happened around 3:30 Thursday morning near mile marker 601, and involved several vehicles, including five 18-wheelers. According to the DPS report, four tractor trailers were stopped on the interstate for a wreck that had happened a short time earlier. A 5th semi trailer failed to stop and ran into the vehicles. The driver and passenger in that semi died at the scene. They are identified as Jimmy Crifenbery, 66, of Allen, Oklahoma, and his passenger, Judy Milburn, 52, of Oklahoma City. Injured were Andre Degree from Detroit, Michigan, who was treated and released from a Longview hospital and Robert Miller, 64, of Chandler, who remains in a Longview hospital.
LONGVIEW — A Longview woman was jailed Wednesday on charges of child endangerment after police said she failed to take a child found to be on several illicit drugs to the hospital. According to the Longview News-Journal and KETK, Tikasha Jackson, 19, of Longview was arrested at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday in Rusk County. She was indicted in October by a grand jury in connection with an April incident in which jurors believe Jackson “intentionally, knowingly, recklessly, or with criminal negligence” put a child under 15 years old in “imminent danger of death, bodily injury, or physical or mental impairment.” The indictment said Jackson did not voluntarily take the girl to an “emergency infant care provider” despite the child testing positive for drugs including methamphetamine, amphetamines, marijuana and cocaine.
CHEROKEE COUNTY — Jacksonville Police said a man wanted in a New Year’s Eve shooting has been arrested. Carlton “Hammer” Johnson, 27, has been accused of shooting two people after an altercation. Arriving officers say they were met with a “chaotic and uncooperative group of people†and requested backup, with several area law enforcement agencies responding. Both victims were taken to local hospitals. Witnesses identified the shooter as Johnson. He was wanted on multiple warrants. Johnson was booked into the Smith County Jail Wednesday morning on numerous charges, including evading arrest, failure to identify as a fugitive or giving false information, aggravated assault and parole violation. His bonds total $278,500.
SMITH COUNTY — The Smith County Sheriff’s Office is getting five new patrol units. According to KETK, county commissioners gave the go-ahead for the purchase Tuesday morning. Sheriff Larry Smith says these vehicles will replace units almost 8 years old. “We don’t need to be sitting on the side of the road, broken down waiting on a wrecker, when somebody’s life is at stake,” said Sheriff Smith. “I don’t think it’s good judgment to let that happen.” Sheriff Smith says his plan is to replace units before they get too many miles on them. The county will make more money when it sells them.
LONGVIEW — A Longview man was arrested after his involvement in a three-car wreck. According to the Longview News-Journal, Scott Garrett Oliver, 44, was held on charges of driving while intoxicated with at least two prior convictions of the same charge, evading arrest, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Longview police responded to the wreck at 11:15 a.m. Saturday on Alpine Road in which witnesses said the northbound vehicle driven by Oliver rear-ended another vehicle, then collided with a parked vehicle on Williams Street before coming to rest at a laundromat. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW — The Longview Police Department is investigating the city’s first fatal wreck of 2018. According to KETK, on Monday morning, around 12:20 a.m., police responded to a one-vehicle accident on Page Road. Investigators determined a car, driven by Sharika Lata Hicks, 35, of Longview, was traveling west on Page Road and disregarded the stop sign at Alpine Road. The vehicle continued to drive off the roadway before hitting a tree. Police say Hicks was not wearing a seatbelt and had been drinking. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
EAST TEXAS — A powerful cold front has sent temperatures plunging across Texas as far south as the Rio Grande Valley, where the National Weather Service has issued a freeze watch through Tuesday morning. The freeze watch for far South Texas could endanger crops and other sensitive vegetation. Much of the state Sunday was under some form of winter weather, freeze or wind chill advisory, watch or warning. Texas Department of Transportation crews last week pre-treated 10,000 miles of roads with a brine solution to keep ice from sticking. Department spokeswoman Natalie Galindo says crews in the Fort Worth and Dallas area have been spreading a magnesium chloride granular mixture on roads to help drivers. Icy conditions have been reported north and west of Dallas through the Panhandle and West Texas.