Today is
Monday June 08, 2026
WHITE OAK — A man accused of killing two people in a shooting in Longview died on Friday after he took his own life, said the Longview Police Department. According to our news partner KETK, SWAT surrounded the Chase Knoll Studio Apartments in White Oak and confirmed that the suspect, Jared Scott Sobey, 37, of Longview, was inside an apartment. Officers attempted to make contact with Sobey when he reportedly killed himself. Sobey was wanted for his involvement in a Longview shooting that left two people dead Wednesday. According to our news partner KETK, the incident happened around 4:45 p.m. on Fisher Street. Arriving officers found two victims with gunshot wounds. One person was pronounced dead at the scene, the second person was transported to a local hospital where they succumbed to their injuries. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — A Whitehouse man has pleaded guilty to federal violations in the Eastern District of Texas Wednesday. Anthony D. Klein, 47, pleaded guilty to attempting to evade or defeat tax. According to information presented in court, for tax year 2016, Klein filed an IRS Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, with the Internal Revenue Service. On that form, he claimed that he had no taxable income and that he was entitled to credits in the amount of $5,836.00. In fact, he had taxable income of approximately $538,188.07 for tax year 2016. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — A Tyler man pleaded guilty on Monday to child exploitation violations. According to our news partner KETK, Daniel Dylan Skipworth, 20, pleaded guilty to transporting a 13-year-old girl from Alabama to engage in sexual activity. Skipworth reportedly admitted in court that in April 2021, he transported a 13-year-old he met online from the state of Alabama to his residence in Tyler to commit the offense of sexual abuse of a minor. According to a press release, Skipworth’s conviction is the result of a cooperative effort involving the FBI, Tyler Police Department, and the Smith County District Attorney’s Office, who undertook the investigation after analyzing GPS data associated with the phone of a child who had been reported missing by her foster parents in Alabama. Read the rest of this entry »
MINEOLA — Texas State Senator Bryan Hughes has been appointed to the Senate Committee on Finance. Senator Hughes has been a member of the Texas Senate for the last five years and was previously a House member for 14 years. In addition to his recent appointment to the Senate Committee on Finance, Hughes also serves as Chairman of the Senate Committee on State Affairs and as a member of the Education, Jurisprudence, Natural Resource & Economic Development, Nominations and Redistricting Committees, according to our news partner KETK. Read the rest of this entry »
WHITEHOUSE — The City of Whitehouse community broke ground on the construction site of the first Whataburger that is coming to the city on Wednesday afternoon. Whataburger employees, DKT Investments and the Whitehouse Area Chamber of Commerce were all in attendance, according to our news partner KETK. The first Whataburger will be located at 1051 Highway 110. The company will be hiring more than 50 local employees. The Whataburger will be joined to a Triple J C-store. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — A chase between a man and Smith County sheriff’s deputies on Wednesday afternoon ended with the man crashing his vehicle into a ditch off of Highway 69. According to our news partner KETK, Whitehouse police responded to a call from a woman reporting an armed man in her yard arguing with her. The man was already gone when officers arrived, but a short time later, spotted a car that matched the description. According to Smith County Sgt. Larry Christian, Whitehouse police chased the vehicle down FM 346 toward Hwy 69. Once they reached Highway 69, Smith County Sheriff’s Deputies picked up the pursuit. Read the rest of this entry »
HENDERSON COUNTY — Two East Texas parents, who were arrested in connection to the death of their toddler and for alleged abuse of their children, have been indicted. According to our news partner KETK, Daniel Dennis, 25, and Erin Dennis, 23, were both indicted on March 10 for two charges of abandoning/ endangering a child. The couple were arrested on December 15, 2021 after their 18-month-old child was found dead, said Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse. They have two other children, a four-year-old and a two-year-old. Hillhouse called it a “horrible case and scene.†Read the rest of this entry »
EAST TEXAS — The cleanup and assessment process continues after severe weather struck parts of East Texas Monday night. According to our news partner KETK, in Upshur County, multiple injuries were reported along with many damaged and destroyed homes as a tornado moved through. That twister has been given an initial rating of EF-2. Another tornado that hit Harrison County was given an initial EF-1 rating. Upshur County is among 16 counties included in a disaster declaration issued Tuesday by Governor Abbott, along with Rusk County and several other East Texas counties.
TYLER — The arrest affidavit of a dental patient who allegedly shot and killed two doctors at Affordable Dentures & Implants in Tyler on March 16 reveals more information in the events leading up to the shooting, our news partner KETK reports. Steven Smith, 40, was charged with capital murder of multiple persons and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The victims were identified as Dr. Blake G. Sinclair, 59, and Dr. Jack E. Burroughs, 75, both of Tyler. The affidavit stated that Smith was upset with how the procedure was being performed on him and was telling the nurses “what to do.†A nurse told officials that he was always a difficult patient and made the nurses feel uncomfortable. Read the rest of this entry »
CHEROKEE COUNTY — The Criminal Investigation Division of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office arrested a prominent ER physician on Monday for the alleged continuous sexual abuse of a child. According to our news partner KETK, Dr. Karl Kauffman was arrested Monday after an ongoing investigation and a search warrant of his home led to two warrants for continuous sexual abuse of a child, said the sheriff’s office. Kauffman currently serves as an ER physician at several hospitals in the county. The arrest warrants were issued by the 369th District Judge, Michael Davis, who set a recommended bond of $1 million per charge. Kauffman will be held in the Cherokee County Jail. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — The Animal Legal Defense Fund is suing the National Foundation for Rescued Animals, operating in East Texas as Tiger Creek Animal Sanctuary, for allegedly violating the Endangered Species Act, according to our news partner KETK. Along with the organization, the Animal Legal Defense Fund is also suing the founder and former director, Brian Werner Ferris, and his daughter, chairman and executive director, Emily Owen. ALDF alleges that Tiger Creek violated the ESA’s “take†and “transfer†provisions by harming, harassing and killing numerous animals including nine lions and tigers that have allegedly died there since 2018. Read the rest of this entry »
MARSHALL — A Jefferson man has been sentenced to 41 months in federal prison. Beau Daniel Merryman, 21, pleaded guilty on Nov. 4, 2021, to distributing information relating to explosives and destructive devices. According to court information, Merryman engaged in a series of online conversations with undercover FBI employees between September and October 2019. Merryman gave detailed instructions on how to make several types of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), such as pipe bombs and pressure-cooker bombs. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — The Smith County Sheriff’s Office says two doctors shot at a dental clinic on Wednesday have died. They were identified as Dr. Blake G. Sinclair, 59, and Dr. Jack E. Burroughs,75, both of Tyler. According to our news partner KETK, Steven Alexander Smith, 40, of Tyler, was booked into the Smith County Jail on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and capital murder of multiple persons. His bond was set at $3 million. Smith was said to be a patient at the clinic. The Sheriff’s Office received a call around 2:45 p.m. about a shooting at Affordable Dentures and Implants on 3081 Hwy 31 East. When deputies arrived they saw two men had gunshot wounds. According to an investigation, Smith got angry at clinic staff and went to his pickup truck. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — The North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority (NET RMA) is informing motorists to be aware of one more nightly ramp closure for maintenance on Toll 49 this week. The FM 756 eastbound and westbound ramps will be closed from 9 p.m. Thursday until 5 a.m. Friday. Motorists can stay updated on closures and road conditions by visiting this link.
TYLER — Detective John Ragland with the Tyler Police Department is retiring after 31 years of service with the department. According to our news partner KETK, Detective Ragland started his career at the Tyler Police Department in February 1991. He worked as a patrol officer, field training officer, honor guard member, district investigator, crime victim’s liaison, crimes against persons detective and was on the sexual assault response team. Ragland was also a member of the U.S. Marshal’s Service Joint East Texas Fugitive Task Force, polygraph examiner, wellness coordinator and was a member of the CALEA accreditation team. Read the rest of this entry »