Local Headlines

Two arrested after apartment shooting

TYLER – Two people were arrested after a Tyler apartment shooting left one man injured Wednesday night.

According to the Tyler Police Department and our news partner KETK, around 10 p.m. officers responded to a shooting at Southwest Pines Apartments on 3220 Walton Road where they located one victim with a gunshot wound to the leg. Officers were able to apply a tourniquet to stop the bleeding and he was taken to a local hospital.

Officials said the suspect was located in a vehicle after a short pursuit and was stopped on Woodland Hill Drive, but the driver ran into a wooded area next to The Grove Restaurant. Officers later located the suspect, along with the gun used. Officers identified the driver of the vehicle as 23-year-old Oguist Williams and the passenger as 22-year-old Jourdan King.

Williams was arrested for evading arrest/detention in a vehicle, while King was arrested for aggravated assault and a felon in possession of a firearm. Both men were booked into the Smith County Jail.

Van Zandt County man admits to heroin possession

VAN ZANDT COUNTY – Our news partner KETK reports that a man was arrested on Monday, after he admitted to having suspected heroin in his vehicle during a traffic stop.

A member of the Van Zandt County’s Criminal Interdiction Team pulled over Cedric Earl Thompson for committing multiple moving violations, officials said. According to Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy began questioning Thompson when he admitted to possessing heroin in his vehicle, leading the deputy to request a K9 unit from Wills Point PD and conduct a search.

“The K9 alerted the Deputy and Officer to the presence of illegal narcotics, resulting in a search of the vehicle,” officials said. “During the search, suspected heroin was located inside the vehicle.”

Thompson was arrested and booked in the Van Zandt County Detention Center for possession of a controlled substance. The sheriff’s office said the investigation is still ongoing.

AUTOPSY: No foul play suspected after body recovered in Lake

UPDATE: The Lufkin Police Department has identified the body recovered from Kurth Lake as Clay Thomas Legg, 64 of Pollok. According to the preliminary autopsy results, Legg drowned and no foul play is suspected.

LUFKIN – According to our news partner KETK, the Lufkin Police Department said they’ve recovered the body of a man who was reported missing from his boat at Kurth Lake on Tuesday. The Angelina County Sheriff’s Office, Lufkin PD, divers with the Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office, the Lufkin Fire Department and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Wardens responded to reports of a man missing from his boat at around 1 p.m. The boat was found empty in a cove on Kurth Lake prompting first responders to deploy rescue boats and drones to search the water for anyone who had been on the boat.

Divers responded to Kurth Lake and a man’s body was found not too far away from where the boat was discovered, Lufkin PD said.

Fatal shooting leads to murder arrest

LONGVIEW – An East Texas man was arrested after a fatal shooting on Tuesday afternoon making the incident the first homicide of the year in Longview, according to a report from our news partner KETK.

According to the department, around 2:47 p.m. officers responded to a shooting in the 900 block of Toler Road where they found Jonathan Ragland shot. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Officials said that the shooter left the scene before officers arrived, and later identified the suspect as Dalton Chandler Lawrence, 26 of Longview. Lawrence was arrested for murder, along with two outstanding warrants from Wood County.

“This is the first homicide of the year in Longview,” Longview Police Department said. “We do ask that if you saw anything in this area or know anything, please contact Longview Police.”

Doctor found dead before child sexual assault sentencing hearing

LONGVIEW – Almost three weeks after pleading guilty to a 2022 charge of sexual assault against a child, a Longview doctor was found dead on Tuesday by the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office.

According to the suspension order from the Texas Medical Board, two of Hipke’s former patients, both boys under 17, accused him of sexual assault. This led the Texas Medical Board to investigate Hipke and suspend his license. Hipke had a sentencing hearing set for Friday for this charge.

According to the sheriff’s office, deputies responded to the Bella Terra subdivision in North Longview, and found Matt Elza Hipke, 62 of Longview, dead at the scene. The Gregg County Justice of the Peace Pct. 1 soon arrived, and pronounced Hipke deceased and ordered an autopsy.

Officials say this incident remains an open investigation and no other information will be released at this time, but the sheriff’s office doesn’t believe there is any danger to the community.

Police searching for suspects after stolen truck used in robbery

CROCKETT – The Crockett Police Department is seeking the public’s help in identifying individuals involved in armed robbery while using a stolen truck, according to a report by our news partner KETK.

On Wednesday morning, the Crockett Police Department notified the public via a Facebook post that a 2020 Ram 3500 was stolen overnight from the 300 block of Cordell Street.

Shortly following the post, a deputy with the Houston County Sheriff’s Office located the vehicle that had been abandoned in Grapeland on U.S. Highway 287 near the intersection of FM 227 in front of Grapeland Apartments.

After further investigation, detectives with the Crockett Police Department obtained information from the Grapeland Police Department that the stolen truck had been used in an armed robbery that occurred in the 1100 block of U.S. 287 in Grapeland, at the Ranch Express Convenience store. According to authorities, two individuals displayed handguns, stole the cash drawer and fled the scene in the stolen vehicle. (more…)

Attendees vocalize displeasure with Rep Moran during town hall

TYLER – U.S. Rep. Nathaniel Moran held a town hall forum on Tuesday night in Tyler where several attendees quickly became hostile according to our news partner KETK. The forum was initiated for Moran to speak on issues he is covering in D.C. However, hecklers quickly began interrupting the presentation and question and answer portion of the event.

“I expected to have a setting like we saw tonight,” Moran said. “I know folks want to engage personally and a lot of people want to set this up and a lot of members of Congress are not doing in person townhalls but I think it’s our responsibility to the constituents to do those face-to-face town halls to engage, to be transparent, to be accountable. I expected some emotions tonight and that’s what we saw.”

Attendees became upset as Moran did not answer their questions when they pressed him on issues, including abortion, due process and immigration policies.

Ryan Nichols, who considered running against Moran in the upcoming May elections, was seen shouting at Moran over his due process policies. (more…)

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day this weekend

TYLER – The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day will be this Saturday and will give East Texans a chance to safely dispense with any prescription drugs they may have.

According to our news partner KETK, the event will take place at the Athens and Tyler police stations from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. East Texans are encouraged to attend to dispose of prescription drugs that may be unused or unwanted. People will also be educated about the potential dangers of prescription medication.

Those attending can bring different kinds of pills to drop off, including solid dosage pharmaceutical products. However, no illicit substances will be included, such as marijuana or methamphetamine.

Officers will also be collecting vapes, pens and other e-cigarette devices, and they request the batteries be removed before they are turned in.

East Texas Rep’s bill to classify abortions as murder withdrawn

TYLER – East Texas State Rep. Brent Money took to social media on Tuesday to express his disappointment that HB 2127 won’t be getting a public hearing this session.

According to our news partner KETK, the bill, which would amend the Texas Penal Code’s definition of homicide to include all abortions, was initially scheduled for a hearing on Tuesday but was then pulled from the schedule.

Abortion was made illegal in Texas in 2022 when the state’s “trigger law” went into effect following the U.S. Supreme Court’s overruling of Roe V. Wade.

On Monday, Money took to X and claimed that he was told the bill was pulled by the office of the Texas Speaker of the House which claimed it was pulled by Rep. John Smithee, the chair of the Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence. (more…)

Man arrested for alleged sexual relationship with minor

TYLER – A Tyler man has been arrested for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a minor in exchange for nicotine devices, according to our news partner KETK. The Smith County Sheriff’s Office became aware of the case after being contacted by a girl’s guardians on March 4. One of her guardians revealed to a sheriff’s deputy that they discovered she had been having an improper relationship with a grown man while going through the girl’s phone.

According to officials, one of the victim’s guardians said text messages from the victim’s phone revealed she was having explicit conversations and spoke about having sexual relationships with a man whose contact name was ‘J’.

Further text messages revealed the victim was offering to give the man sexual favors in exchange for vapes and other nicotine devices. Text messages also revealed the two parties making arrangements to meet at a nearby oil field in regard to their deal. (more…)

Life in prison for credit card skimmer

TYLER – The Houston Chronicle reports that Edward Estrada’s client already had admitted to skimming — installing devices inside gas pumps to steal customers’ credit card information. But the Tyler lawyer wanted to make sure jurors understood that it didn’t rank with more serious financial crimes. As he prepared for the 2019 sentencing hearing, Estrada settled on a comparison. His client wasn’t nearly as bad as Enron, the giant Houston energy company whose executives misled investors for years, he stressed. While his client’s crimes cost victims collectively more than $150,000 — much of it reimbursed by banks — Enron lost billions. The Smith County jury apparently took the differences into account, but not in the way Estrada hoped. Enron executives faced sentences of 45 and 24 years. For his skimming, the jury sentenced Felipe Manuel Nieves-Perez to life in prison — “striking and alarming,” Estrada said. (more…)

Tyler ISD earns record 64 distinctions in TEA ratings

Tyler, TX – The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has officially released the 2022-2023 accountability ratings, marking the end of a prolonged freeze on public reporting of school district performance data. This long-awaited announcement confirms what Tyler ISD had already projected using publicly reported data from the last two school years. “Every few years, we see the same recalibration pattern,” Superintendent Dr. Marty Crawford said. “As the agency in Austin has repeatedly inferred, “the C is the new B,” these ratings inferences have baked-in decreases aligned with a more rigorous assessment in the name of continuous improvement. The reality is that Tyler ISD has been and will continue to be competitive, regardless of how the system is adjusted. We’ve thrived through these cycles before, and we’ll continue to do so, advocating for our students and communities while maintaining the high standards East Texans expect from their schools.” While the district rating dropped 10 points from the 2021-2022 school year to the 2022-2023 school year, a trend seen statewide due to changes in the accountability system, Tyler ISD outperformed our comparison schools, garnering 64 distinctions, the highest the district has ever received. That’s a 31 percent increase from the distinctions received during the 2021-2022 school year. (more…)

Where to vote in East Texas for May elections

TYLER – As the May 2025 elections approach, voters across East Texas are preparing to head to the polls to make their voices heard on various important local issues and races. Our news partner KETK has compiled a comprehensive guide to everything voters need to know, including key dates for early voting and essential details for counties throughout the region. You can find that list here.