Today is
Thursday April 25, 2024
LUFKIN — The Lufkin Police Department is investigating an overnight shooting. According to Lufkin Police Public Information Officer Jessica Pebsworth, officers responded to West Laurel around 10:20 p.m. Wednesday night a report of a man with a gunshot wound to the head after the man sought help from a neighbor. The victim told officers he had been robbed and shot by a man that he knew but he didn’t know the suspect’s name. The man was flown to an out-of-town hospital where he remains in stable condition. Anyone with information is asked to call the Department at 936-633-0356 or Crime Stoppers at 936-639-TIPS.
LONGVIEW — Two people have been arrested in connection to the 2016 murder of Longview businessman and community figure Ron Horaney. According to our news partner KETK, Horaney was found dead in his home from multiple gunshots on May 30, 2016.
Reza Kamali, 87 of Longview, was arrested and charged with murder eight years after the crime. At his arraignment, his bond was set at $7.5 million. Alfredo Lizcano, 38, was arrested Wednesday morning for murder in Dallas County with a $10 million bond.
According to an arrest affidavit, investigators received information from a âCooperating Individualâ who reported being contacted by someone they identified as âRay Kamali,â who authorities identified as being Reza Kamali. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER â Smith County authorities have arrested the national president of a motorcycle gang for ordering the death of man in 2020. According to our news partner KETK, 57-year-old Kevin Higgins of Kemp, was arrested Tuesday in the death of Brandon Edwards of Chapel Hill. Investigators determined that Kemp ordered the death of Edwards, a rival gang member in fall 2019. Higgins, who is identified as the national president of the motorcycle gang Ugly Man Cossacks, had fellow member Chad Crowell carry out the murder in May 2020.
Initially three members of the Ugly Man Cossacks were arrested in Edwards death. All three have been convicted of organized crime activity in connection to the case. Kevin Higgins is in the Smith County Jail with his bond set at $2.5 million.
CHEROKEE COUNTY â The Cherokee County District Attorney said a Jacksonville man was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday after a jury found him guilty of capital murder. According to our news partner KETK, Brandon Branton was charged with the 2020 stabbing murder of Randy P. Davenport. Davenportâs body was reportedly found near Loveâs Lookout in July of 2020 and he was deemed the victim of an âapparent homicide.â Branton was sentenced to life in prison without parole after eight days of testimony and deliberation, the district attorney said.
He was charged alongside codefendant JaâMichael Rusk, whose case is still pending.
PALESTINE â 
A Former Palestine ISD band director that had been accused of an improper relationship with a student received sentencing on April 19. According to court documents, and our colleagues at KETK, Adrian Alonso was convicted on three charges of improper relationship between an educator and a student, and will be serving 11 years of confinement in a state prison. In January of 2023 the Palestine Police Department arrested Alonso after an investigation revealed that he had an âimproper relationship, including sexual contact with a student, beginning in 2020.â
LUFKIN â 
A man was arrested in Lufkin on Tuesday for capital murder in the October death of his 4-month-old son according to our news partners at KETK. According to police, a warrant was obtained for the arrest of 25-year-old Anfernee Durham, of Lufkin, upon the finalization of his 4-month-old son, Kylo Powellâs, autopsy. Officials said his death was ruled a homicide by blunt force trauma to the head and torso by a Harris County medical examiner. He died in a Houston hospital on Oct. 20 after being transferred from a Lufkin hospital three days earlier. Durham was taken into custody with the assistance of the Angelina County Sheriffâs Office, and his bond has been set at $1 million.
TYLER – 
The city has lifted the boil water notice for west Tyler. It was issued on Monday after a water main break. The break has been repaired, the water tested and found safe, so the notice is now rescinded.
TYLER â A skunk in Tyler tested positive for rabies, marking the second positive rabies test this month. According to our news partner KETK, Tyler Animal Services was alerted by the Texas Department of State Health Services on Wednesday that one skunk they had submitted for analysis tested positive for rabies. The city said that the skunk had been found near the 1200 block of Larkspur Lane and that any individuals and animals with possible exposure have been identified and addressed. This is the second skunk in the month of April to test positive for rabies in Tyler. Officials warned that preventative immunization is the only effective defense against rabies, and to make sure that pets are up to date on their vaccinations.
LONGVIEW – More than a dozen East Texas school districts are asking voters for millions of dollars in bond measures. Longview ISD is proposing $456 million in updates and new facilities according to our news partner KETK. After two failed bond proposals, Longview ISD is asking for votersâ support on another multi-million-dollar measure. âIn November we asked voters to vote on two propositions, weâve broken that into five,â Wayne Guidry, assistant superintendent of finance, said. Proposition A, with a price tag of $237 million, would go mostly toward high school renovations, CTE building expansion and security upgrades across all 13 campuses. âProposition B, is a new early learning center, proposition C, D, and E are just addressing our athletic facilities itâs been about 35 years since weâve addressed the majority of those facilities,â Guidry said. The district is hoping that this third time is the charm. The last time Longview residents approved a district bond was in 2008.
SMITH COUNTY — Early Voting began Monday, April 22, and runs through Tuesday, April 30, for the Joint City Election. The Cities of Tyler, Arp and Lindale have races in the election. There are four early voting locations in Smith County, including:
Arp City Hall, 109 W. Longview St. in Arp
Heritage Building, 1900 Bellwood Road in Tyler
The Hub, 304 E. Ferguson St., in Tyler
Lindale Kinzie Community Center, 912 Mt. Sylvan St. in Lindale.
Early voting polling places are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, April 22-26, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, April 29-30.
There will be six polling sites open on Election Day, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, May 4.
The Smith County Elections Office has launched an interactive map to help voters find what precincts are included in the cities holding an election. Click here for more information.