Today is
Friday April 18, 2025
TYLER â According to our news partner KETK, a man reportedly called 911 on early Thursday morning after reportedly attempting to rob a Tyler dealership but was unable to leave after sustaining injuries. The Tyler Police Department received a call at around 3:45 a.m. from a man who had broken into the Patterson Dodge dealership.
Officials later identified the man as Jeremiah Megallon. Megallon was taken to a local hospital and later transported to the Smith County Jail, where he was arrested for burglary of a building.
âHe said he had broken into the Patterson Dodge dealership in an attempt to steal a car but was unable to get out of the building,â Erbaugh said. âHe had cuts from breaking a window at the dealership and crawling through it.â
TYLER â Tyler ISD has confirmed that three former district employees have been arrested for allegedly injuring a student with disabilities. In a statement issued to our news partner KETK, Tyler ISD said the three employees were arrested and fired after an investigation into allegations of injury to a child, elderly individual or disabled individual.
The districtâs superintendent Dr. Marty Crawford called the actions of the former employees unacceptable.
âWe believe in being transparent with our community while respecting the legal process and student privacy. This situation involved a student with disabilities, and while it did not include sexual acts or severe bodily harm, we take any breach of student safety with the utmost seriousness. As soon as these allegations were brought to our attention, the district took immediate actionâlaunching an internal investigation, notifying Child Protective Services as required by state law, and fully cooperating with law enforcement. These individuals are no longer employed by the district.â
Tyler ISD
HAWKINS – An individual has been placed under arrest after one person was found dead in Hawkins on Friday, according to our news partner KETK.
After receiving a call regarding gunshots on Friday, Hawkins PD responded to the 100 block of N. Beaulah Street where a body was discovered. A suspect is now in custody and officials believe there is no threat to the public. Hawkins PD is not providing any further details at this time. The Texas Rangers have been contacted for assistance with the investigation.
Currently, the Hawkins Police Department consists of one police officer. Back in February, the departmentâs other three officers were fired by the Mayor of Hawkins Debbie Rushing, after she claims they were not hired appropriately.
TYLER â Our news partner KETK is reporting that State Senator Bryan Hughes, from Mineola, is leading the anti-abortion charge by filing Senate Bill 31, the Life of the Mother Act.
âThis bill is to look at our pro-life laws and make the language even clearer, so thereâs no question, no excuse when a mom presents with a medical emergency, she gets treated,â State Senator Bryan Hughes said.
In 2022, Texas passed an abortion law authored by an East Texas lawmaker. Over the last few years, doctors and women have expressed concerns and confusion on whatâs actually included in the ban, and what the exceptions are. On Thursday, three pro-life bills were heard by the State Affairs Committee, which Hughes chairs. Lawmakers are hearing testimony from people for and against the bills. Hughes also filed Senate Bill 2880, the Women and Child Protection Act, which would try to hold people who send abortion pills to women in Texas accountable. He added that Texas is the first state to take the senders of these pills on through legislation. Read the rest of this entry »
GREGG COUNTY – Our news partner, KETK, reports that a county jailer was arrested on Friday after Gregg County Officials said she committed credit card abuse while on duty.
According to a statement from the sheriffâs office, officials found evidence of Shalisha Mungia committing credit card abuse. She has worked as a jailer since July 2021, and was let go following the arrest and several policy and code-of-conduct violations.
Mungia was taken to the Gregg County Jail and has since been released after posting a $1,500 bond.
TYLER – Rain, thunderstorms, and lightning are forecast throughout East Texas for most of the next few days, putting several counties on high alert for possible tornadoes.
Our news partner, KETK, has compiled a list of counties placed on tornado watches and warnings. To view the full list of counties, and the forecast for the coming days, click here.
MARSHALL – Two East Texas men have died following a Thursday morning crash in Harrison County, the Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed.
According to a preliminary investigation, the crash occurred in Harrison County at around 5:05 a.m. at the intersection of State Highway 43 and Fyffe Cutoff. The crash involved a GMC Yukon, driven by Andrew Allison, 44 of Carthage, and a Chevrolet Silverado driven by Terry Ledbetter, 69 of Marshall.
DPS Sgt. Adam Albritton said Allison was driving westbound on Fyffe Cutoff when he disregarded the stop sign and entered the intersection of State Highway 43, where Ledbetter was driving and collided with him.
According to reports from our news partner, KETK, both men were pronounced dead and no passengers were reported to be in the vehicles.
TYLER – Our news partner, KETK, reports that a Tyler man was sentenced to 17 years in prison after swerving into oncoming traffic and striking another vehicle head-on, killing the driver.
According to the arrest affidavit, on the morning of August 14, 2024, Cesar Efrain Viramontes-Cocolan of Tyler was driving a pickup truck traveling westbound on State Highway 32 near FM 2908, when he swerved into oncoming traffic, killing Maria Hernandez of Tyler.
DPS stated that an 18-wheeler followed Hernandezâs SUV; the 18-wheeler attempted to avoid crashing into other vehicles, but was unable to do so. Officials concluded that there were no âobstacles or anything that would necessitate that Viramontes veer onto the wrong side of the road.â Read the rest of this entry »
KILGORE – In a historic moment, Tyler Junior Collegeâs Sign Language and Interpretation classes give the deaf and hard of hearing community a guided tour of the iconic East Texas Oil Museum in Kilgore for the first time.
According to our news partner, KETK, TJC students set to graduate in May brought the history of the East Texas Oil Museum on Kilgore Collegeâs campus to life, through sign language. As a part of an end-of-year project, the students gave full tours of the iconic museum, and interpreted a nearly 20-minute movie to people who are deaf and hard-of-hearing.
âWithout the interpreters here, we would just look through the museum,â said Todd Lindstrom, a museum guest whoâs deaf. Read the rest of this entry »
VAN ZANDT COUNTY — A 43-acre battery energy storage facility started construction in December, but soon, that work could be brought to a halt. According to our news partner KETK, the Van Zandt County Fire Marshal has issued an order to Taaleri Energia, the company behind the Amador Energy Storage project, to follow all state fire codes or face the consequences.
Shane Laneâs ranch borders the land the battery facility is being built on, and he is currently suing the Finnish-owned company over safety concerns.
âWe run a cow calf operation and they donât have any type of evacuation, they donât have any plans for anything, thereâs no safety protocol whatsoever for this facility,â Lane said.
Before construction started at the end of December, the county sent Taaleri Energia a letter requesting the documents required for the facility to be built, but they didnât receive a response until February. Read the rest of this entry »
GUN BARREL CITY â According to our news partner KETK, the motive has been revealed in the case of a Mabank man, John Clague, accused of killing his sister. The Henderson County Sheriff’s Dept. is reporting that that Clague had been hysterical after the victim reportedly took $1,500 and 4 ounces of marijuana.
On Monday at around 3:26 p.m., the sheriffâs office dispatch center received a call that John Clague had shot his sister, Samantha Moore, in the chest. When deputies arrived, they saw a woman applying pressure to the victimâs chest, who was lying on the front porch of Clagueâs residence near Bonita Point outside of Gun Barrel City. Deputies at the scene said they could not find a pulse on the victim and that Clague had fled the scene with the firearm reportedly used to shoot his sister. A witness told officials that Clague had been hysterical after the victim reportedly took $1,500 and 4 ounces of marijuana. Read the rest of this entry »
ANGELINA COUNTY â According to our news partner KETK, an East Texas man has been charged with murder in connection to a missing persons case. Officials said he admitted to killing one of the men by striking the victim in the head and then strangling him.
The Angelina County Justice of the Peace Precinct 1âs Office, the Angelina County Sheriffâs Office and the Lufkin Police Department began working on the missing persons case on Jan. 31, and began the search for Robert Saxton, 79, and Michael Allen, 44. In the next two months, an extensive investigation led to the Texas Rangers being called in to assist. John Wayne McCroskey, became a person of interest after officials learned he lived on the property at Saxton Auto Sales, where both victims had been reported missing.
Witnesses placed McCroskey with Saxton on Jan. 27 at around 9:30 a.m. in Saxtonâs lime green vehicle. Surveillance video from a Lufkin motel confirmed that Saxton and McCroskey were together earlier that morning. Read the rest of this entry »
HOUSTON â An impressive feat happened at this years Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. 12-year-old Dallas Martinez sold his championship market barrow pig for $501,000. That broke the old record by over $100,000. According to our news partner KETK, Martinez, who is currently in sixth grade at Center ISD, was named Junior Market Barrow Grand Champion. Dallas is also the first Hispanic student to win the Championship title.
Martinez has been competing in major stock shows since he was 9-years-old and showing pigs since he was 3-years-old . He will take home $50,000 and the rest of the money will go directly to charities supported by the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
TYLER – Alexander Scott has been named the new director of bands and an
assistant professor of music at The University of Texas at Tyler. As director of bands, Scott will
oversee UT Tylerâs bands including the Wind Ensemble and the newly formed Concert Band.
He comes to UT Tyler from the University of Michigan, where he served as a graduate student
instructor. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – 
The CEO of the East Texas Food Bank has issued a statement on federal budget cuts and the impact it will have on local services…
âThe East Texas Food Bank has been notified that several truckloads of previously expected food from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will not be delivered. This food equates to 360,000 pounds valued at $750,000. In addition, the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program or LFPA of the East Texas Food Bank will incur a loss of 756,000 pounds of produce valued at $121,000. This program helps to purchase food produced in the state to support local and regional producers. If funding continues to be cut, this could severely restrict our ability to meet current demand. In fiscal year 2024, the East Texas Food Bank provided 31 million meals. This year we are on track to serve over 33 million meals this fiscal year. Currently 1 in 6 East Texas adults including 1 in 4 children are food insecure. Please advocate for ETFB by calling your local Congressional leaders, signing up for a volunteer shift or consider a donation to fund our operations.â
David Emerson
CEO of the East Texas Food Bank