Today is
Sunday July 26, 2026
SMITH COUNTY — A Sunday night fire destroyed a storage facility and a nearby business. It started around 10:30 at CubeSmart Self Storage, 12324 Highway 155 South. Smith County Fire Marshal Connie McCoy-Wasson said it appeared the fire started in a portion of the business that houses RV’s and motor homes. Residents that live on the property called to report the blaze. No injuries were reported. Wasson said the roof collapsed so they are not sure how many RVs were damaged or destroyed by the fire. High winds spread the fire to a nearby business, Racer’s Choice Inc., 12001 County Road 1114. The business, which manufactures products for car racing, is a complete loss. Noonday, Flint/Gresham, Bullard, Tyler, Whitehouse, Dixie, Chapel Hill and Winona Fire Departments responded to the blaze.
VAN ZANDT COUNTY — Officials in Van Zandt County are asking for the public’s help in locating a missing teen. LeeAnn Brown, 17, was last seen on Wednesday night between 09:00-09:30. She was seen leaving her residence on VZCR 1314 in a tan single cab Chevy truck with a tool box in the bed. LeeAnn has brownish blonde hair with blue tips. If you have seen or know the location of LeeAnn, please contact local law enforcement.
LONGVIEW — A pedestrian was found Thursday morning who had been struck and killed by a hit and run driver in Longview Wednesday night. Killed in the accident on Gilmer Road shortly after 8:45 Wednesday night was Joe Arthur Lee, 63. Investigators say he was hit by a GMC or Chevrolet pickup. a video shows the vehicle traveling north bound. Gilmer Road from West Fairmont Street to Jenny Street was closed for a while as investigators pieced together what happened. If you can provide any information about the accident, you are asked to contact Officer Mike Grisham at the Longview Police Department.
GREGG COUNTY — A Longview woman has been charged with drunken driving after police said she hit a pole after picking up her two 9-year-old children after school. Longview Police said Misty Dawn Green, 38, told them that she drank two beers in a Spring Hill ISD parking lot while waiting to pick up her children. According to KETK, after leaving the school, Green ran off the road and hit a pole on Brent Road near Thompson Road around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. Authorities said neither Green nor her children were seriously hurt. She was released from the Gregg County Jail on $7,500 bond.
HARRISON COUNTY — A predawn crash closed westbound lanes on I-20 near Hallsville for nearly 13 hours before the lanes were reopened around 4:00 Tuesday afternoon. Troopers responded around 3:10 Tuesday morning to the two-vehicle crash in Harrison County near the 603 mile marker. Preliminary crash investigation shows that the driver of a truck-tractor semi-trailer lost control and overturned the truck and trailer, blocking the roadway. Another truck-tractor semi-trailer traveling westbound was unable to avoid colliding with the overturned vehicle. Both drivers were taken to Good Shepherd in Marshall, conditions unknown.
GREGG COUNTY — A 20-year-old Henderson man is accused of assaulting a 14-year-old boy last week at a Longview home. According to the Longview News-Journal, Sergio Ari Roldan was in the Gregg County Jail on charges including sexual assault of a child, evading arrest and detention, and traffic warrants. His bond was set at $125,000. Roldan is also being held on an INS detainer. Investigators said the boy told his mother about Roldan’s assault. He was arrested October 27. According to Gregg County Jail records, Roldan has three previous arrests for driving while intoxicated.
SMITH COUNTY — A Houston man is set to go on trial Monday for a July 2016 murder in Tyler. According to KETK, Jared Wilson, 32, of Houston, was charged in the death of Thomas Wilson, 49, of Lindale. Tyler police received a report of shots fired at the Royal Inn Suites, WNW Loop 323, where they found the victim with a gunshot wound.He was later pronounced dead. The altercation which led to the shooting took place in the motel’s parking lot. Police said the Thomas’ niece was involved in a dispute with Jared. When Thomas arrived at the scene to give his niece some keys, Jared pulled a gun and shot him, according to law enforcement. Officers were searching the area for Jared who ran from the scene. He was taken into custody near Anderson County after DPS located his vehicle. Jared remains jailed on $500,000 bond.
TYLER — A Tyler man is set to go on trial today for alleged continuous sexual abuse of a child under age 14. According to KETK, Smith County judicial records indicate Larry Darnyl Dews, 46, is accused of crimes that occurred in June 2015. He was booked into the Smith County Jail on November 17, 2015, where he remains on $500,000 bond.
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.
LONGVIEW — The Longview Police Department is investigating after a man was found dead from a gunshot wound. According to the KETK, on Saturday morning around 4:55, police responded to a welfare check call at 1507 Oden Street. Officers found the body of Lee Arthur Gray 47, of Logansport, Louisiana. Gray had been shot and was pronounced dead at the scene. The resident, Lloyd Johnson Jr., 32, of Longview, went to a local hospital after receiving non-life threatening injuries from Gray. Investigators interviewed Johnson regarding the shooting death of Gray. and arrested him for unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He has not been charged with murder. This is the third homicide in the past seven days for the city of Longview.
EAST TEXAS — A Bullard man has been charged with robbing the Home Depot in Longview at gunpoint and authorities say he could be connected to a similar heist in Tyler. According to the Longview News-Journal and KETK, Santiago Galvan Jr., 19, of Bullard, was held Friday on $95,000 bond after Longview police said he displayed what turned out to be a fake handgun to a Home Depot employee Oct. 6 before leaving the store with a shopping cart full of tools. Authorities at the Cherokee County Jail confirmed that Galvan was arrested Oct. 12 by Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and was charged with the Gregg County aggravated robbery as well as newer charges in Cherokee County of obstruction/retaliation and possession of marijuana. Read the rest of this entry »
LINDALE — An East Texas church staff member has been arrested for sexual assault. According to KETK, Clinton Brackett, 32, of Lindale, was arrested on a sexual assault warrant out of Runnels County, near Abilene. Brackett is listed on the First United Methodist Church in Lindale’s website as the Director of Student Ministries. Brackett has been booked into the Smith County Jail on $100,000 bond. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW — One man has been taken to the hospital and another detained by police after they said the person ran over the man on Henderson Street Thursday afternoon. According to the Longview News-Journal, police are investigating the incident as an aggravated assault family violence. Police were called around 1:30 to Henderson Street on a “jaws of life” call. That’s when they discovered a man had been run over by a car and was suffering life-threatening injuries. The person driving the car is said to be a relative of the victim. Police have detained the suspect, but no official arrest has been made.
LONGVIEW — Gregg County officials say Kilgore/Liberty City area resident Jessie Clifford Brown has been arrested in a murder dating to May 20, 2015. Authorities got a 911 call that night reporting a single vehicle crash in the Liberty City area. Responding officers found the vehicle in a creek. While rendering aid to occupants, officers discovered the driver, John Allen Franco, had suffered a gunshot wound. Franco died before he could get to a hospital. The 35-year-old Brown is held in the Gregg County jail on a $250,000 bond. The investigation is continuing.
PITTSBURG – Twelve persons were injured when a pickup hit the rear of a Pittsburg school bus. The bus had stopped to pick up students at the time of the accident. The accident happened around 7:00 Wednesday morning on Highway 271 south of Pittsburg. Nine students were taken either by ambulance or private vehicle to a Pittsburg hospital for treatment of minor injuries. The students ranged in age from 7 to 18.The pickup’s driver, 29 year-old Angelika Resendez, of Mt. Pleasant, was treated at relesed at the Pittsburg hospital. Two children in the pickup have been flown to a Dallas hospital. The accident remains under investigation.
KENNER, La. (AP/Staff) – The Coast Guard has suspended its search for the East Texas native who was unaccounted for after an explosion on an oil platform in Lake Pontchartrain near Kenner, Louisiana. Forty-four-year-old contractor Timothy Morrison of Katy, Texas, was still missing after the Sunday night explosion. According to KETK, Morrison spent his childhood in Athens. Seven other people were injured, three critically. Cmdr. Zac Ford said in a statement Monday night, “The decision to suspend a search is never an easy one. We send our thoughts and prayers to the Morrison family and all those affected by this incident.” The fire on the platform, which is owned by Clovelly Oil Co., was extinguished Monday morning.