Today is
Monday June 08, 2026
ANDREWS — Tyler James, ETBU graduate and former Graduate Assistant Coach for the men’s and women’s golf team was killed in a vehicle accident that claimed the lives of eight others on Tuesday night. According to our news partner KETK, a van driving the University of the Southwest’s golf team collided with a Dodge 2500 truck while they were headed home from a tournament in Midland. According to DPS, for unknown reasons the Dodge truck drove into oncoming traffic and hit the passenger van head-on. Reports say both vehicles caught fire and burned. James received his Master of Science in Kinesiology and graduated from ETBU in May 2021. Read the rest of this entry »
CHEROKEE COUNTY — The first days of a murder trial in Cherokee County resulted in a mistrial on Monday after an investigator reportedly failed to disclose a piece of digital evidence to all parties in the trial. According to our news partner KETK, Cody Ray Roberts is charged with capital murder of 18-year-old Trevor Lawson, who was found dead by an apparent gunshot wound in a home on CR 2117 in the Maydelle area on November 7, 2018. Cherokee County Sheriff Brent Dickson said the trial for the murder of Lawson began in the 369th District Court on Monday. A jury was picked and the state began calling witnesses on Tuesday. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — Contractors will be doing asphalt seal work on New Copeland Road between East Grande Boulevard and Loop 323 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 15 through Tuesday, March 22. Drivers can expect lane closures and traffic delays. Drive with caution in the area.
SMITH COUNTY — A Garland woman pleaded guilty in Smith County to smuggling migrants. According to our news partner KETK, on Thursday, Sheri Lin Ha, 24, pleaded guilty to smuggling of persons and received five years of deferred adjudication. Ha was indicted by a grand jury in December 2021 on charges for smuggling seven undocumented migrants in her car. The woman was arrested in July 2021 after Smith County authorities pulled over the Ford Expedition she was driving. Officials noticed there were seven male passengers in the vehicle, who were undocumented migrants from Guatemala. During the stop, deputies also found a vial of illegal drugs on Ha. Officials believed she was trafficking for profit, said Sgt. Larry Christian, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer.
WHITEHOUSE — After more than 40 years of service, Ronny Fite is being remembered as one of the strongest leaders the Whitehouse community has ever had. According to our news partner KETK, due to complications with COVID-19, lifetime resident and longtime Fire Chief of Whitehouse Fire Department has died at the age of 68. Fite devoted his life to the betterment of our East Texas community. “He always cared for his community. He was pro-Whitehouse. Whatever it needed or whatever it took, he was going to make sure that they had it. With the Fire Department, you know he tried to make it the best in the county,†said President of Emergency Services District 4, Johnny Brown. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — A 33-year-old man and a 75-year-old woman were indicted for their roles in a cryptocurrency money laundering scheme in East Texas. According to federal authorities, Manik Mehtani, of McLean, VA, and Lois Boyd, of Amelia Court House, VA, were indicted by a federal grand jury, charging them with a violation of the Travel Act, money laundering and money laundering conspiracy. According to the indictment, Boyd and Mehtani allegedly plotted with others to receive money from victims of fraud schemes and launder the money through cryptocurrency. They allegedly have routinely structured deposits in order to avoid requirements of reporting transactions and to conceal the nature and source of the money. Read the rest of this entry »
GILMER — Upshur County authorities confirmed Thursday that the chief deputy district clerk was arrested for official oppression. According to our news partner KETK, 51-year-old Jon Christopher Coleman, from Gilmer, was arrested by Texas Rangers. Additional details surrounding the circumstances of the investigation were not available. Coleman was arraigned by Justice of the Peace Potter and released on $3,500 bond.
TYLER — Eastbound traffic on the Loop between New Copeland Road and T.K. Gorman resumed late Thursday afternoon after being shut down since early morning. Tyler police said a drunk driver wrecked into a power pole, breaking it. The driver was taken to the hospital with minor injuries and when released, booked into the Smith County Jail for driving while intoxicated. Oncor crews worked nearly all day to repair the pole and get the road reopened.
TYLER — Former Smith County elections official Denise Hernandez pleaded guilty Wednesday morning to spiking drinks with colon cleanser and giving them to her employees without their knowledge. According to our news partner KETK, Hernandez was charged with two counts of assault causing bodily injury, a Class A misdemeanor in Texas. She had faced up to one year in jail for each charge along with a maximum fine of $4,000. Hernandez agreed to a plea deal that included 18 months of deferred adjudicated probation with no fine and cost of court proceedings. A Smith County prosecutor said that the two victims in the case agreed to the conditions of the plea deal. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW — Longview Fire Department Battalion Chief Justin Jenkins was given a Unit Citation Award for saving a man’s life in an apartment fire. According to our news partner KETK, Jenkins was presented with the award on Feb. 24 for his heroism in the line of duty from the Longview Fire Department. On Jan. 22, at 7:36 p.m., LFD was called to 717 S. Green St. for an apartment fire. Jenkins had just returned to Fire Station 1 from a prior response and quickly arrived at the new fire. When he arrived, he began performing his size up around the building. Residents and bystanders notified Jenkins that there was a man still inside of the apartment. Read the rest of this entry »
GREGG COUNTY — One person is dead and three others are injured after a rollover crash half a mile west of Longview between Estes Parkway and Old Kilgore Highway. According to DPS, a 2020 Honda Passport towing a small box trailer was traveling west on I-20 in the outside lane. A 2004 Volvo Conventional Tractor towing a 2007 Featherlite trailer was also traveling west, approaching the Honda from behind. DPS said that the driver of the Volvo failed to control its speed and struck the towed trailer, causing the Honda to roll onto its side into the center median and its towed trailer to vault over the concrete barrier into the eastbound lane. The Volvo traveled into the center median, struck the concrete barrier and caught fire. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW — A man was shot Friday night in Longview while he was reportedly committing a burglary, according to our news partner KETK and a statement from the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office. The release said that around 8 p.m. on March 4, deputies were called to a Longview home for a shooting on Juanita Road. When they arrived, they found Matthew Dillon George, of Longview, suffering from a gunshot wound. Detectives soon figured out that he was shot “while committing burglary,†according to the statement. The release said that the homeowner “verbally gave orders for George to leave, which he refused.†The homeowner then shot George because she was “fearing for her safety.†Read the rest of this entry »
FRANKSTON — A 54-year-old man was hit and killed by a pickup truck near Frankston early Friday morning. According to our news partner KETK, around 5:20 Friday morning, DPS troopers responded to the scene of a vehicle-pedestrian crash on SH 155, roughly three miles south of Frankston. A preliminary investigation indicated that 31-year-old Antonio Roman, of Palestine, was traveling north bound on SH 155 in a 2019 Ford F-250. At the same time, 54-year-old Ian Folakan, of Frankston, was walking south in the northbound lanes, straddling the inside and outside lanes. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — Tyler police arrested a man early Saturday morning after he allegedly attempted to kidnap his ex-wife from the Super 1 Foods near Gentry Parkway and Beckham Avenue before leading officers on a vehicle pursuit. According to our news partner KETK and Tyler PD spokesperson Andy Erbaugh, the suspect, identified as 37-year-old Adrian Perez, was apparently thwarted in his attempt to kidnap his ex, though it is still unclear how. When officers initially responded to the scene, they learned that the suspect had allegedly used or displayed a weapon in his kidnapping attempt. Shortly after, officers obtained a warrant for attempted aggravated kidnapping and immediately began searching for Perez. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW — The Longview Police Department is looking for a missing woman. According to our news partner KETK, 45-year-old Barbara Alexander is approximately 5’6″ tall, weighs 195 lbs and has black hair and blue eyes. Alexander was last seen on Friday at 10:00 a.m. near the 2000 block of South High Street in Longview. She was wearing a burgundy long sleeve blouse and a long gray skirt. Police are asking anyone with information on Alexander’s whereabouts to contact Longview Police Department at 903-237-1199.