Today is
Sunday June 07, 2026
SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Two men have been indicted in the case of a tractor-trailer rig found with 53 dead or dying migrants inside in San Antonio. A statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Antonio says 46-year-old Homero Zamorano Jr., of Pasadena, and 28-year-old Christian Martinez (pictured), of Palestine, were indicted Wednesday on counts of transporting and conspiring to transport migrants illegally resulting in death; and transporting and conspiring to transport migrants illegally resulting in serious injury. The incident happened on a remote San Antonio back road on June 27. Conviction on the death counts could result in life sentences. But the Attorney General’s Office could authorize prosecutors to seek death penalties.
SMITH COUNTY — A 91-year-old Tyler man has been found guilty of arson and sentenced to life in prison. According to our news partner KETK, Kermit Francis Gabel was found guilty of setting fire to an abandoned home on South Beckham Avenue in 2020 after a series of vacant buildings caught fire at the time. Gabel was indicted in 2021, and has been in jail since 2020 for his charge of arson and a parole violation. His bond was set at $250,000. Gabel had previously been given parole for life after a previous Texas conviction in the 1980s. A judge once said that Gabel “made a living stealing other people’s property.†Accused of multiple crimes in Ohio, Gabel was dubbed the “Silver Burglar†with crime sprees dating back to the 1940s.
NATCHITOCHES PARISH, La. — A 24-year-old Longview woman died on her first day on the job working at an archaeological site, and officials say the cause could be heat-related. According to our news partner KETK, Kaylen Eileen Gehrke, formally of Missoula, Montana, recently moved to Longview to be closer to family as she advanced her career with Shreveport Cultural Resource Analysts, officials said. She graduated from high school in 2016 in Colorado and earned a bachelor’s degree in forensic anthropology and a minor in Spanish-English bilingual from the University of Montana. Read the rest of this entry »
COFFEE CITY — A Tyler man was arrested on Saturday in Coffee City after bystanders said he crashed into two cars outside of a Dollar General. According to our news partner KETK, officers who responded to the scene arrested Donald Burns, 54, for driving while intoxicated third or more. After further investigation, Coffee City Police located an empty bottle of Wild Turkey whiskey, and two empty Budweiser beer cans in Burns’ truck. No injuries were reported from the incident. Police reported that Burns truck left Highway 155 at a high rate of speed before colliding with two trucks, and missed several propane tanks by a few feet. “The force of the crash sent the last vehicle into the wall of the store and even knocked merchandise off the shelves inside,†police said. Officials said that bystanders told dispatch that Burns was attempting to leave the scene, and police were able to respond before he left. Due to his five previous convictions, Burns was arrested for driving while intoxicated third or more classified as a third degree felony.
TYLER — Fire officials said the fire at the Broadway Square Mall on Tuesday started as a dumpster fire outside Dillard’s. The dumpster was filled with cardboard boxes and trash. According to our news partner KETK, the fire was reported around 1:20. When firefighters first arrived they saw visible flames. The dumpster fire traveled to a section of the roof, but no major damages were reported. Officials said there was no organized evacuation, some people exited Dillard’s on their own.
SMITH COUNTY — A Smith County jury convicted Livingstone Zitha, 52, South Africa, for felony theft from a local church. Zitha was charged with scamming a Tyler area church into providing love offerings of several thousand dollars for his ministry. Smith County prosecutors resented evidence that Zitha claimed to pastor a 5000 member church in Johannesburg, South Africa and that he ran a large orphanage. According to Zitha’s promotional materials, a donation of $250 would allow his ministry to feed a child for one year. While Zitha was described as a captivating personality and dynamic preacher, none of the money he raised ever made it to any ministry. Read the rest of this entry »
GREGG COUNTY — Arrest warrants for 25-year-old Davadius Thomas of Longview for Capital Murder and Aggravated Assault with a deadly weapon along with several traffic warrants have been served by Longview Police Detectives. Thomas has been booked into the Gregg County Jail with bonds totaling approximately $1.25 million. On July 1 around 11:50p.m., Longview Police were dispatched to a home on Queens Court in reference to a welfare check. When officers arrived on the scene, they discovered a male subject identified as 30-year-old Kenny McFarland Jr, who had sustained an apparent gunshot wound. McFarland was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
EAST TEXAS — North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority (NET RMA) is putting construction on hold on Toll 49 from July 1st to July 4th in observation of the Independence Day holiday. Evening construction will resume on July 5th at 9:00 pm and will continue through 7:00 am until the overlay is complete.
KILGORE — A third person is facing capital murder charges in the death of a pregnant Kilgore woman in 2016 and setting her on fire, according to Kilgore Police and the Kilgore News Herald. Edward Brager, 22, was indicted by a Smith County grand jury in its June 9 session on charges of capital murder of multiple persons in the disappearance and death of Sheryia Grant, 20, who was eight months pregnant when she was reported missing in August 2016. Her body has never been found. He is the third person charged with capital murder in Grant’s death. Allen Lamont Sutton Jr., 33, of Kilgore, and Laneshia Lashae Young, 29, of Overton, were indicted in December 2021 on charges of capital murder of multiple persons. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — All non-emergency Smith County offices will be closed for business on Monday, July 4, 2022, for the Fourth of July holiday. Offices will reopen for normal business hours on Tuesday, July 5. Smith County Commissioners Court will be held at its regular time – 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday in the Smith County Courthouse Annex, located at 200 E. Ferguson Street in Tyler.
TYLER — A man who was charged in connection with the deaths of 53 people in a tractor-trailer in San Antonio was arrested in Palestine on Tuesday and appeared in court in Tyler on Wednesday, according to our news partner KETK. Christian Martinez, 28, was charged with one count of conspiracy to transport undocumented migrants resulting in death, according to a release from the United States Department of Justice. In San Antonio, officials also arrested 45-year-old Homer Zamorano Jr., and charged him for his alleged involvement in the same incident. If convicted, the men could face up to life in prison or the death penalty. Read the rest of this entry »
FLINT — As the Fourth of July approaches, 13 counties have burn bans in place– some even going as far as to cancel firework shows. According to our news partner KETK, local firework stand owners say despite the burn bans being placed into effect, they continue to have a steady flow of business. “We’re hoping it doesn’t come into effect. We had some rain yesterday and we are supposed to get some rain more this week,†said the owner of Texas Triple Threat Fireworks, Steve Kipp. A family business of over 20 years says they donate some of their proceeds to The Flint Fire Department, The Community Center, and SPCA of East Texas. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith gave new details Monday regarding the Sunday morning trail ride incident that sent five people to the hospital after a string of shootings. According to our news partner KETK, Smith said in a press conference that his office, the fire marshal’s office, and the district attorney’s office will be going after the organizers of the event with “any civil lawsuit, as well as any criminal enforcement.†Smith added, “We’ll be looking at failure to stop and render aid, just anything that we can file on the event holder, or anyone else, they’ve broken the law in Smith County and will be prosecuted.†Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — NET Health is now offering COVID vaccines for young children. Anyone age 6 months and over can receive either the Pfizer vaccine or the Moderna vaccine at the NET Health Immunizations Clinic, 815 North Broadway Avenue, directly next to the Tyler Municipal Court. The clinic is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. “Vaccination remains the best strategy to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our communities,” says George Roberts, NET Health CEO. “All COVID-19 vaccines may be co-administered with other vaccines during the same visit, such as the recommended back-to-school vaccines.” Read the rest of this entry »
MINEOLA — An East Texas woman who helped argue the original Roe vs. Wade case before the Supreme Court reflects on the court’s reversal of the 1973 decision. Linda Coffee is now 79 years old and lives in Mineola. She and Sarah Weddington represented Norma McCorvey, then known as “Jane Roe”, in the court case filed in Dallas. Coffee says “it’s going to make it, at a minimum, a lot more expensive for women who want to have an abortion.” Texas already bans abortions past six weeks or after a fetal heartbeat is detected. The state’s “trigger” law will ban abortions entirely except in rare cases when the mother’s life is in danger, 30 days after the Supreme Court releases its official judgement on Roe v. Wade. She also sees “almost never-ending lawsuits” resulting from Friday’s landmark decision.