Today is
Monday June 08, 2026
SMITH COUNTY — One woman was arrested and a man is on the loose following a police chase Wednesday night in Tyler, according to our news partner KETK. Sgt. Larry Christian, with the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, said the chase started in the Hill Creek boat area near Lake Tyler. Officials said that a deputy recognized the 1999 4-door Mercury and noticed that there were active arrest warrants for the driver, Kelsey Ann Sanders, 20. Deputies attempted to pull over the vehicle but she allegedly did not stop and started on FM 346 around Lake Tyler. Read the rest of this entry »
DALLAS — The former dress designer for the Texas Rose Festival for almost 40 years has died. According to our news partner KETK, Winn Morton died at his home on April 22 at the age of 93. Born in Lancaster in December of 1928, Winn worked with every top costume workroom in New York, designing for Broadway and off-Broadway Productions. In 1975, Winn became the art director for Six Flags Show Productions. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — An Arlington man who was charged with murdering his boyfriend near Tyler State Park after finding child porn on his phone died of natural causes before his trial. According to our news partner KETK, 52-year-old Robert Price died March 20, a few months after his case was halted due to his deteriorating health. In November, Price’s attorney filed the motion after he had been quarantined twice due to COVID-19, which led to further complications involving his kidneys and liver. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — A Tyler man charged with capital murder from a shooting that killed a teenager last year will await the results of DNA testing before his case can continue. According to our news partner KETK, 20-year-old Andres Urrutia is one of two men charged with killing 17-year-old Jesse McNeely. He was shot at a home on Omega Drive, a neighborhood near downtown Tyler last June. Urrutia was arrested days later along with 21-year-old Lorenzo Martinez in Galveston. They are being held on bonds of more than $1 million. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — East Texas Giving Day was Tuesday April 26 and supported almost 300 local nonprofit organizations by raising $2.8 million, according to our news partner KETK. It is an annual 18-hour online event hosted by the East Texas Communities Foundation that provides critical funding for East Texas area nonprofits. $2,896,721 was raised by Tuesday, April 26. 2022 marked the seventh annual East Texas Giving Day hosted by ETCF. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — A Tyler man was charged with intoxicated manslaughter for a wreck early Sunday morning that killed an 18-year-old girl. According to our news partner KETK, the report says Justin Pierce,29, was traveling west on Highway 64, roughly two miles west of Tyler, just after 1:30 a.m. Marissa July-McCuin, of Tyler, was attempting to cross the road in the outside lane when she was allegedly hit by Pierce’s SUV. July-McCuin was taken to a Tyler hospital where she died a few hours later from her injuries. The DPS report alleges that Pierce left the scene of the crash, but was found not long after. Pierce was treated and released from the hospital, then booked into the Smith County Jail with bond set at $500,000. According to online records, Pierce has a pending charge of assaulting a peace officer in Smith County from April 19, 2021.
EAST TEXAS — Early voting for the May 7 City/School and Constitutional Amendment Election begins Monday, April 25. Early voting in Smith County will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, April 25-30; and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, May 2-3. There will be eight early voting locations throughout Smith County. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging a Grapeland man and woman with federal solicitation of murder violations. Reynaldo Campos, Jr., 44, and Robin Pittman, aka Robin Hill, 42, were named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Tyler charging them with murder for hire and conspiracy to commit murder for hire; solicitation to commit murder for hire and conspiracy to solicit murder for hire; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence; and felon in possession of a firearm. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — A Smith County jury has sentenced Jeffrey Hampton to life in prison for the death of Roberto Carlos Hernandez in a 2019 boating accident on Lake Palestine. Hampton was found to have used the boat as a deadly weapon, so he must serve 30 years of his sentence before possible parole. He has already spent nearly three years awaiting trial, so he will be first eligible for parole in 2049. The sentencing trial for the 34-year-old Hampton, of Tyler, began just days after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the teenage boy’s death. According to our news partner KETK, Hampton admitted guilt but elected to have a jury decide his fate. While manslaughter is normally a second-degree felony in Texas, the punishment range was enhanced to a first-degree felony due to Hampton’s prior criminal history.
TYLER –Senator John Cornyn participates in a roundtable discussion in Tyler today wto hear from regional leaders, health care providers, educators, and economic development officials at the CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Louis and Peaches Owen Heart Hospital. The roundtable highlights the challenges of limited broadband access that many East Texas communities experience and how Sen. Cornyn’s current legislation would allow local leaders to use unspent COVID-19 relief funds for regional projects like expanding broadband and infrastructure. Roundtable participants are sharing how broadband access impacts education, health care, and economic development and emphasizes the importance of bridging the digital divide. The meeting is set for 10:00 with a press conference to follow.
TYLER — As of Monday, April 18th, the NET Health COVID Vaccine Clinic has relocated to NET Health’s Immunizations Clinic located on North Broadway Avenue, directly next to the Tyler Municipal Court. The clinic is located within the middle set of doors. It’s open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m., and from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.; on Wednesdays, the clinic remains open until 6:00 p.m. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — The City of Tyler is explaining why residents didn’t hear an outdoor siren when a tornado warning was issued in the area Tuesday night. The outdoor warning system seemingly failed to sound during 100 mph straight line winds that tore through Tyler and wreaked havoc on the city’s historic Azalea District. Officials say there was a “configuration problem†that caused the sirens to not sound. According to our news partner KETK, the warning system contains two layers of audio: the siren itself and the voiceover advising people to seek shelter. Authorities said when city staff went to activate the alarm, only the voiceover played. Authorities reportedly tried setting off the alarm a second time with no success. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – The National Weather Service confirmed Thursday that it was 100 mph straight line winds that swept through Tyler Tuesday night, causing significant damage to the city’s historic Azalea District. According to our news partner KETK, the winds caused considerable damage, with many trees being uprooted or falling into homes. Charlie Woodrum, National Weather Service Warning Coordination Meteorologist, said there was initially a tornado warning because they had some initial indication of rotation in the air. “Based off what we saw on the radar, there was an area of rotation on the front edge of the line, which prompted the tornado warning,†Woodrum said. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — Tyler police responded around 10:00 Wednesday night to a major wreck on Grande Boulevard. Officers said the driver of Toyota RAV4 had been traveling eastbound when it struck the passenger side rear bumper of a Ford F150 that was making a left turn. The Toyota RAV4 lost control and flipped, ejecting the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle. The driver, identified as Lamonte Martin, 24, of Tyler, was pronounced dead at the scene. The two occupants of the Ford F150 were uninjured. All lanes of traffic have since reopened.
SMITH COUNTY — A Tyler woman was sentenced to 35 years in prison on Tuesday for the 2020 murder of her husband. According to our news partner KETK, Debbie Bryant, 57, confessed to shooting her husband, 58-year-old Allen Ferguson in early 2020. Authorities said that they received a call early in the morning from a woman saying her husband had been shot. Officers went to the residence at 617 Maxwell and found Ferguson with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the head. He was taken to a hospital in critical condition and died several days later. Read the rest of this entry »