Career criminal found guilty of arson, gets life in prison

SMITH COUNTY — A 91-year-old Tyler man has been found guilty of arson and sentenced to life in prison. According to our news partner KETK, Kermit Francis Gabel was found guilty of setting fire to an abandoned home on South Beckham Avenue in 2020 after a series of vacant buildings caught fire at the time. Gabel was indicted in 2021, and has been in jail since 2020 for his charge of arson and a parole violation. His bond was set at $250,000. Gabel had previously been given parole for life after a previous Texas conviction in the 1980s. A judge once said that Gabel “made a living stealing other people’s property.” Accused of multiple crimes in Ohio, Gabel was dubbed the “Silver Burglar” with crime sprees dating back to the 1940s.