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Attempted Sexual Assault Reported
TYLER – A woman reports to Tyler police she was attacked as she jogged Saturday morning. The attack occurred between 5:30 and 6:00 in the 8100 block of Karen Drive. The woman told officers she was approached by 2 Hispanic males in what was described as a late 90’s model red Chevrolet S-10 pick-up truck. The victim said that the passenger got out and assaulted her. As the two struggled, a light came on across the street at which point the assailant left. She described him as a Hispanic male, approximately 25-33 years of age and wearing dark tan work shorts and a light colored shirt. She said he had black and curly hair and was about 5’08. She was taken by private vehicle to East Texas Medical Center where she was treated and released.
Tyler House Damaged by Fire
TYLER – Fire crews were dispatched to a Tyler house fire Saturday afternoon. It was reported shortly after 1:30 in the 1600 block of Sybil Lane. Both resident of the house escaped without injuries. They were taken to the hospital as a precaution. No word on the cause of the fire. It is said to have started in the garage.
Body Found in Smith County
SMITH COUNTY – Sheriff’s deputies are investigating a body found in southeastern Smith County. The preliminary investigation indicates the death is a suicide. More information will be released later.
Jury Selection Postponed in Upshur County Capital Murder Trial
GILMER — Jury selection set for Monday for a capital murder trial in Upshur County has been postponed until April. KETK and the Longview News-Journal report jury selection for Jonathan Ray Shepherd’s trial will now be held April 13. District Attorney Billy Byrd said Friday that new evidence came in this week, forcing the delay. Shepherd is charged with capital murder in the Sept. 26, 2013, shooting death of 29-year-old Cheyenne Green at a Gilmer sub-varsity football game. A witness told police the two were arguing about custody of their child.
Kilgore Police Arrest Two on Drug Charges
KILGORE — Residents at 303 West North Street got an early, unexpected wakeup call from Kilgore police officers Friday morning. According to KETK, officers had a warrant in hand to search the residence for drugs. The Criminal Investigation Unit had received information about a person or persons at the residence allegedly dealing crack cocaine. Narcotics Investigator Chitwood opened a case on the residence and soon determined a large amount of crack cocaine was in fact being sold, according to police. Read more …
Longview Man Charged with Child Porn
LONGVIEW – A Longview man is arrested in connection with an international child pornography ring. Arrested at his home in the 3100 block of Quail Lane was Edwin Volcik. He was booked into the Harrison County Jail for aggravated sexual assault of a child and is being held on $1 million bond. ICE released the following statement to KETK: “Special agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and officers from Harrison County (Texas) Sheriff’s Office and Longview Police Department executed a search warrant Wednesday night in Longview and made one arrest for possessing child pornography. This is an ongoing investigation.”
Mexican National Indicted in Sexual Assault of Young Teen
LONGVIEW — A Mexican national living in Kilgore has been indicted by a Gregg County grand jury this week for the alleged sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl in the Kilgore area. KETK reports Jose Sandoval, 32, was taken into custody on November 10, 2014, by Gregg County deputies. Officials say Sandoval also had misdemeanor traffic warrants out of Kilgore for no driver’s license and no insurance. The suspect is currently being held in the Gregg County Jail on an Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) detainer.
Man Sentenced in Athens for Violent Assaults
ATHENS — State District Judge Carter Tarrance of Athens sentenced a man Monday to 20 years in prison for severely beating his wife and, in a separate incident, shoving feces down her throat. According to KETK, District Attorney Scott McKee says Marc Jimson Woodcock, 45, of Waxahachie, will serve the maximum sentence for the attack on Karen Woodcock. McKee said in July 2013, the suspect pleaded guilty and chose to have the court punish him. He was indicted the following year. Read more …
Land Dispute Leads to 1 Injury, 1 Arrest
MARSHALL – A Harrison County man has been arrested in a land dispute that left a man injured. Bryce Gisselback, 53, was arrested after allegedly ramming a man with his truck and then dragging him. He has been charged with aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury and bond was set at $75,000. KETK reports the dispute began when Gisselbeck saw Randall and Ronnie Garrison were removing the fence allegedly built on the front of their property by the suspect. Gisselbeck is said to have rammed Ronnie Garrison’s vehicle numerous times. He is then said to have pinned him between the two automobiles. He is then said to have dragged Ronnie Garrison with his vehicle. He was taken to a hospital by private vehicle.
Tyler ISD Foundation Marks 25th Anniversary
TYLER — 2015 marks the Tyler ISD Foundation’s 25th anniversary, and the milestone was celebrated Thursday during a luncheon at Willow Brook Country Club. Speakers included Tyler ISD Board President Rev. Orenthia Mason, TISD Superintendent Dr. Marty Crawford, TISD Foundation President Marc Loredo (pictured), and TISD Foundation Executive Director Maya Bethany. One of the organization’s founding directors, former mayor Barbara Bass, delivered an address as well. The celebration was also the kickoff for the Foundation’s 2015 Annual Fund Campaign. Read more …
State Names Interim Dean of Department of Health Services
AUSTIN (AP/STAFF) — The Texas Department of State Health Services has named an interim commissioner to temporarily replace David Lakey, who helped coordinate state response to the first case of Ebola in the U.S. The department announced Friday that its associated commissioner, Kirk Cole, (pictured) will replace Lakey effective Sunday. Forthcoming is the appointment of a chief medical executive licensed to practice medicine, who will advise Cole on health issues. Lakey was in charge of the department when Liberian Thomas Duncan was confirmed to have Ebola and later died in Dallas. Lakey announced his resignation January 7 and joined the UT Health Northeast in Tyler and The University of Texas System. Dr. Lakey will serve as Senior Vice President for Population Health at UT Health Northeast and as Associate Vice Chancellor for the UT System. His stepping down wasn’t related to an ongoing no-bid contract scandal at Health and Human Services that has prompted the resignation of several officials.
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George P. Bush Adds Star Power to School Choice Rally
AUSTIN (AP) — New Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush is lending star power to a rally supporting school vouchers and charter school proposals that previously stalled in the Legislature. Bush told a gathering outside the state Capitol on Friday that “some schools don’t work and refuse to change.” His office oversees the nation’s largest educational endowment, which helps fund school districts statewide. Organizers promised the “largest-ever” rally on the issue, but fewer than 1,000 supporters showed. Last session, Texas lawmakers overhauled education, including drastically expanding charter schools. New Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and other top conservatives say vouchers, which funnel state money to private schools, are a top priority. But they may face long odds. Such proposals have previously failed amid bipartisan support to keep public funding with public schools. Abbott urges civility after Texas lawmaker’s Muslim remarks
Abbott Urges Civility after Lawmaker’s Muslim Remarks
AUSTIN (AP) — Republican Governor Greg Abbott says “we must have civil discourse” after a freshman Texas lawmaker instructed her staff to ask visiting Muslims to declare their allegiance to America. Abbott on Friday didn’t specifically mention Republican state Representative Molly White. She drew widespread criticism Thursday after putting an Israeli flag in her Capitol office and telling aides they should ask Muslims to renounce Islamic terrorist groups. White publicized her plans on Facebook before hundreds of Muslims arrived at the Capitol for their biennial lobbying day. Abbott said Texas values are “strong enough to have an open debate” when asked about White’s actions. Republican House Speaker Joe Straus has made a more pointed rebuke. He said legislators have a responsibility to treat visitors with “dignity and respect” without calling out White directly.
Gov. Abbott Declares Feb. 2 “Chris Kyle Day” in Texas
AUSTIN (AP) — Republican Governor Greg Abbott says he is declaring February 2nd as “Chris Kyle Day” in Texas to honor the late U.S. serviceman whose life is depicted in the blockbuster film “American Sniper.” Abbott made the announcement Friday while speaking to a Texas Veterans of Foreign Wars Convention in Austin. Hundreds of veterans in a hotel ballroom greeted the news with a standing ovation. Kyle’s hometown was Midlothian, located southwest of Dallas. He was 37 when he was killed in 2013 at a North Texas gun range. A former Marine Corps serviceman charged in his death goes on trial in Stephenville next month. Abbott said the state will commemorate Kyle’s life on Monday. Kyle did four tours in Iraq and is considered to be the deadliest sniper in U.S. military history.
Perry Suffers Legal Setback
AUSTIN (AP) — Although he’s just another private citizen now after 14 years as governor, Rick Perry is still being chauffeured around in a hulking black SUV that’s a dead ringer for a state security vehicle. But the Department of Public Safety says the agency only offers security to current office holders, and Perry spokesman Travis Considine confirms his boss’ entourage no longer includes a state security detail. Perry could have the Secret Service fill the void if he runs for and wins the White House in 2016, and he insists he’ll have an announcement in a matter of months, even though a Texas judge on Tuesday refused to dismiss a felony abuse-of-power case against him. He remains defiant, but the longer the case drags on, the more of a drag it’ll be for Perry. Already trying to live down a short-lived presidential run in 2012, the ex-governor may have an even tougher time getting top donors to write him checks if he’s spending so much of his war chest on legal bills.
Tom DeLay Says Perry Hurt Politically by Indictment
HOUSTON (AP) — Former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay says he can relate to the fallout of an indictment that now dogs Rick Perry as the ex-Texas governor mulls a GOP presidential bid. DeLay told a legal seminar Saturday in Houston that Perry may downplay the effect of a felony abuse of power indictment in Travis County. But DeLay says his experience shows an indictment has political legs, makes people shy away and influences financial donors. DeLay a decade ago was also indicted in Travis County on money laundering charges related to his efforts to redraw congressional district lines in Texas. He was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in 2014 upheld a lower court’s decision to overturn DeLay’s conviction.
Lawsuit: Exploding Air Bag Killed Texas Man
HOUSTON (AP) — The family of a Texas man who might be the latest victim of exploding automobile air bags made by Takata Corp. of Japan has filed a lawsuit in connection with his death. The lawsuit alleges Carlos Solis, 35, died on January 18 in a minor crash in a Houston suburb when an air bag in his 2002 Honda Accord inflated and sent a piece of metal into his neck. A final autopsy report has not been completed. In addition to Takata, also named in the lawsuit filed Tuesday are Honda Motor Co., its American subsidiary, as well as the Houston-area car dealership that sold Solis the used vehicle in 2014. A spokesman for Honda declined to comment on the lawsuit. A Takata spokesman did not immediately return an email.
Central Texas Woman Faces Resentencing in 2008 Death of Son
BELTON (AP) — A Central Texas woman serving 30 years in prison for the starvation death of her baby must be resentenced after her murder conviction was overturned. The Killeen Daily Herald reported Saturday that Nilda Iliana Rodriguez of Harker Heights faces a March court appearance in the new penalty phase. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals last year ruled evidence did not support a murder conviction in the 2008 death of the woman’s son. The court changed the conviction to injury to a child, noting the mother’s omissions caused the death, not any specific act. Rodriguez testified 2-month-old Deon Dejuan Griffin had trouble eating. He died at a hospital. The penalty for injury to a child, depending on degree of the felony, ranges from two years to 99 years in prison.
Gunman Fatally Shot by Harris County Deputy After Chase
HOUSTON (AP) — A Houston-area sheriff’s deputy has fatally shot an armed man after seeing gunfire exchanged between two moving vehicles. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office says the deputy was not hurt but a driver was wounded by the suspect in the incident early Saturday. Authorities say the deputy was on patrol when he observed a shooting involving two vehicles. The deputy pursued one vehicle, which crashed in a field. Lt. Joe Ambriz says an armed driver got out of the vehicle, refused to drop his weapon and the officer opened fire. The suspect died at the scene. Investigators believe the suspect earlier shot the other driver, who was transported to a hospital for treatment of unspecified injuries. Further details weren’t immediately available.
Suspect Arrested after 3 Wounded in Gunfire at Dallas Club
DALLAS (AP) — Dallas police have arrested a man suspected of shooting three men during an argument at a nightclub. Police say Aaron Brewer, 31, faces charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon over the attack early Saturday. Brewer was also charged with possession of a controlled substance. Officers responded to reports of gunfire at the Thrive Club. Three victims were transported to a Dallas hospital. Police say a man shot in the back was listed in stable condition. The other men were treated for injuries not believed to be life-threatening. Witnesses were able to describe the fleeing suspect to police, who located him and recovered a weapon. Investigators are trying to determine what sparked the dispute.
Judge to Rule on Motion to End Veterans Parade Crash Trial
MIDLAND (AP) — A Midland judge says he will rule next week on a motion from Union Pacific Railroad to end the civil trial involving people who were hurt or whose family members died when a freight train struck a veterans parade float. State District Judge James Rush said Friday that attorneys for the railroad filed the motion for summary judgment Thursday. He said attorneys for the 17 plaintiffs were expected to file a response Monday. Rush told the Associated Press he’ll “rule accordingly after I receive and review everything.” Messages seeking comment from attorneys for Union Pacific Railroad and the plaintiffs’ attorneys were not immediately returned Friday. The 2012 crash killed four veterans and injured about a dozen. Twenty-six people reached a confidential settlement this month with Union Pacific.
Texas Judge Lets Convicted Sex Offender Live On His Own
CONROE (AP) — A judge has agreed to let a 40-year-old convicted sex offender in a Texas civil commitment program live on his own in the community. The Houston Chronicle reports it’s the first time a person held under the program will be allowed to live outside of confinement since 2005. Judge Michael Seiler (pictured) in Conroe on Friday approved the arrangement sought by the state Office of Violent Sex Offender Management. Erik Games will remain in the civil commitment program and face more supervision once he leaves a halfway house. Details weren’t immediately available on where he’ll live. The program lets Texas keep certain repeat sex offenders in confinement, for treatment, after they complete their prison terms. More than 360 convicted sex offenders have been ordered into the civil commitment program since 1999.
Air Force Instructor Gets 20 Years in Prison for Rapes
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A military jury has sentenced a U.S. Air Force instructor to 20 years in prison for raping two women, including a recruit he was training two decades ago at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. The San Antonio Express-News reports the jury sentenced Air Force Master Sergeant Michael Silva on Friday, a day after finding him guilty in a 2007 rape of a woman in Wyoming and a recruit in 1995. He could have been sentenced to up to life in prison without parole. Silva had been charged with raping three women. He was found not guilty in a rape that prosecutors said occurred in North Carolina in the early 1990s. Dozens of instructors at Lackland have been accused of raping, sexually assaulting and abusing trainees.
Son, 15, Faces Murder Count in Death of His Mother
CORPUS CHRISTI (AP) — Corpus Christi police say a 15-year-old boy faces a juvenile murder charge after his mother was found slain in her home. Police say the boy was arrested Saturday on a murder warrant and moved from a hospital to a juvenile detention center. The youth was treated for injuries sustained prior to being detained by officers and was under police guard while hospitalized. Cdmr. Michael Alanis says autopsy results are pending on the 45-year-old woman. Her body was discovered Thursday after a neighbor contacted police to report a foul odor. Investigators are trying to determine if the teen lived at the home and a possible motive for his mother’s death.
State-Appointed Board Closes School Sanders Co-Founded
DALLAS (AP) — The Texas education commissioner says the North Texas academy co-founded by NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders remains in financial disarray and will close immediately. Commissioner Michael Williams says in a statement that a state-appointed board of managers voted Friday to close the Dallas and Fort Worth campuses of Prime Prep Academy. Williams says the hope was that the charter could survive through the academic year, but “the financial resources simply aren’t there.” He says the “upheaval” of finding other schools for hundreds of students could have been avoided had academy leaders earlier “acknowledged their financial issues.” An administrative judge earlier this week granted a default judgment that effectively revoked the school’s state charter. The academy was awarded the charter in 2011 and it opened to students a year later.
Judge: Funeral Home Wrongly Sold Lee Harvey Oswald’s Casket
FORT WORTH (AP) — A judge says a funeral home that sold Lee Harvey Oswald’s pine casket for $87,468 must return it to the accused presidential assassin’s brother. Robert Oswald bought the pine bluff casket for his brother. It was exhumed in 1981 amid conspiracy theories that it didn’t contain Lee Harvey Oswald’s body. After a Dallas hospital confirmed the body through dental records, it was reburied, but not in the original casket, which was too water-damaged. Oswald’s family says it thought the original casket had been thrown away, but the funeral home actually kept it in storage before selling it at auction. The auction house still has the coffin, because the lawsuit had put the sale on hold. A judge Friday also ordered the funeral home to pay Robert Oswald $87,468 in damages.
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You Tell Me Texas by Paul Gleiser
U.S. economic growth: thank those red states.
The majority of the economic growth cited by the president in his State of the Union address has happened in red states. Read More | Visit The You Tell Me Texas Blog
Health Connection
Pneumonia & the Vaccine: Clearing Up the Confusion.
Despite the fact that there are vaccines that are very effective against most types of pneumonia, every year millions get sick from the disease and about 40,000 die. At HealthConnection.TV, UT Health Northeast physician assistant Gerry Brown answers questions and clears up confusion regarding pneumonia vaccine. Go to: http://www.uthealth.org/healthconnection/
Today in History
Today in History for 31st January 2015
- Historical Events 1817 - Franz Grillparzer's "Die Ahnfrau" premieres in Vienna 1851 - Gail Borden announces invention of condensed milk 1862 - Astronomer Alvan Graham Clark makes first observation of Sirius B (first known white dwarf star) in Cambridgeport, Massachusetts while testing his new telescope 1964 - US report "Smoking and Health" connects smoking to lung cancer 1968 - Record high barome... Read more on HistoryOrb.comHealth Recipe of the Day!
Healthy Desserts: Citrus Ice Pops
4.5 / 5 Stars | 1 Review
by MewTew
"Refreshing and pretty layered citrus ice pops with creamy strawberry yogurt aren't too sweet to refresh on a summer's day. Orange, grapefruit, and lemon juice all add their tangy goodness."
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Wordsmith.org: Today's Word
scabrous
1. Rough: having small raised dots or scales. 2. Salacious. 3. Difficult to deal with; knotty.
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