91-year-old man accused of arson gets trial date

TYLER — A trial date of July 18 was set Friday for a 91-year-old man who was arrested on a charge of arson in 2020. According to our news partner KETK, Kermit Francis Gabel of Tyler remains in the Smith County Jail after nearly two years for the charge of arson with intent to damage a habitation or place of worship, as well as a parole violation. Gabel’s bond for the arson charge is set at $250,000. He is accused of setting fire to an abandoned home on South Beckham Avenue on Nov. 6, 2020. Gabel is unusually familiar to law enforcement authorities. His criminal record stretches back to the 1940s.