East Texas Daily News

Firefighter, Family Escape Serious Storm Injuries
A Winnsboro firefighter and his family escaped serious injury from the early Thursday morning storms that roared through the area. Ruben Purcell was awakened by the sound of extremely strong winds and put his wife and baby in the bathroom. He then hear the sound of popping and cracking, and led his family to safety, just before a huge tree fell through his bedroom and bathroom. After narrowly avoiding a tragedy, Purcell and his fellow firefighters were up all night, helping other victims of the storms.

Bail Lowered For Intoxication Manslaughter Suspect
Bond has been reduced for a Quinlan man charged with 3 counts of intoxication manslaughter. Eddie Dale Malone is accused of being drunk when he caused a head-on collision on FM 751 that killed George Alvin Dillard; his wife, Flesta and Earnest Peters, all in their 70s and all of Wills Point. Malone’s bail was lowered from $300,000 to $15,000.

Upshur County Man Guilty On Drug Charges
A 29-year-old Gilmer man has pleaded guilty in federal court to methamphetamine trafficking in East Texas . David Shawn Gross admitted selling the drugs from his home and faces up to 40 years behind bars and a fine of up to $2 million. He has also agreed to forfeit several firearms.

Texas Teen Gets Life For Killing Tennessee Trooper
A Tennessee jury has sentenced a Texas teenager to life in prison for shooting to death a state trooper during a routine traffic stop. Investigators later determined that 18 year old Alejandro Gauna ( GAH-oona) was trying to smuggle drugs.

Ag Production At Record High
A report by the Texas Agri-Life Extension Service says the state's agricultural production hit a record $21.8 billion last year. The study points to higher prices for crops and livestock.

East Texas Woman Claims She Was Kidnapped
39-year-old Martha Tienda filed a report with the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office saying she was held against her will for the last six months. Tienda told her family she was going out with an acquaintance, Hosea Mendoza but now now claims Mendoza locked her in his home. She says she was just recently able to break free. Mendoza has not been arrested or charged with any crimes.

Texan Faces Charges For Killing Bison
A Texas rancher and businessman has turned himself in to Colorado authorities to face 32 counts of animal cruelty and theft and criminal mischief. 44 year old Jeffrey Scott Hawn of Austin is accused of killing 32 bison. He’s free on $15,000 bond.

Banker Headed To Prison
The breakup of an identity theft ring has led to a three-year prison sentence for a Houston banker. Prosecutors say Lamont Wallace sold personal account information and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Pilots Survive North Texas Plane Crash
Two pilots escaped serious injury Thursday when one small plane ended up on top of another at an airport northeast of Fort Worth. One plane was landing and the other was taking off during the collision at Northwest Regional Airport in Roanoke.

A Team To Die For
Baseball fans who love team promotions now have something to die for. The Grand Prairie Air Hogs minor league baseball team plans a deal June 3rd in which the winning fan gets a free funeral, whenever that might be. It's part of the ``All Hogs Go to Heaven'' promotion.

Cheaper Feed In The Future
With the high cost of grain and corn, area ranchers are searching for cheaper and more efficient ways to feed cattle. Research is being done on bio-fuel by-products that can be used as alternative feeds. The Southwest Research and Extension Center is looking at commodity by-products, such as soybean hulls and rice bran.

Graduate Student Headed To Prison
32 year old Heather Marie Hill, a Garland woman who just completed her masters degree, has pleaded guilty in Hunt County District Court to transporting more than 50 pounds of marijuana through Northeast Texas. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but may be released on shock probation after 6 months because she has no prior criminal record.

Man Hanged On Cell Phone Tower
Neighbors spotted a man's body hanging by safety line about from a cell phone tower in Travis County. The 40-year-old man lived just a few feet from the tower.Authorities believe he was up there when storms passed through the area but no one seems to know why.

Cowboys Announce Reserved Ticket Prices
Ticket prices for the approximately 50,000 reserved seats at the new Cowboys stadium in Arlington in 2009 will range from $59 to $125. That's up by 6.7% compared to the upcoming and final season played at Texas Stadium this fall. Most of the reserved seats, however, will require a one-time seat option, which ranges between $2,000 and $5,000. That fee gives seat-holders the right to purchase season tickets for that seat for 30 years

ATM Thieves Strike Again
The same suspects who stole an ATM from a convenience store in Grapevine last week have struck again. A group of five men backed a van up to the doors of the CVS/pharmacy in Southlake and used a crow bar to break open the doors. Two men then hooked a large logging chain to the ATM before dragging it out. The entire process took about one minute.

Predator Back Behind Bars
Convicted killer Wesley Wayne Miller is back in prison. He is the first person to be committed under the Texas Violent Sexual Predator program. He was originally convicted of killing a teenaged cheerleader more than 20 years ago. He has been in and out of prison ever since. He was sent back this time, because of an inappropriate relationship with a female jailer in Cold Springs.

Pit Bulls Euthanized
The Tarrant County toddler attacked by two pit bulls remains in critical condition at Cook Children's hospital and animal control officials have killed the dogs. The dogs attacked the little girl at her aunt's mobile home. The aunt was also treated for severe injuries she received trying to rescue the 2 year old.

"Crazy" Ants Invade Texas
A new breed of ants is invading Texas and experts say they’re causing all kinds of problems. They're called "crazy raspberry ants" and they are suspected to have gotten here via cargo ship. They love electrical wiring and have already shorted out electrical boxes and computers. The ants got their name by wandering around erratically instead of in lines like fire ants and experts are having a very tough time killing them.

Diver Dies In Paris Accident
Paris Emergency personnel responded to a report of a diver trapped inside the clearwell water tank at the Paris water treatment plant about 6:30 Monday evening. They found 24-year-old Othel D. Smith of Fort Worth trapped and lifeless at the bottom of the tank. Apparently Mr. Smith’s air lines became entangled inside a pump severing them. Other divers from his company were not able to free him and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The accident is under investigation.

Paris Gets $150,000 Grant
The city of Paris will be able to fix some more downtown sidewalks now that the Main Street city has been awarded $150,000 from a grant by the Texas Department of Agriculture. Paris was one of four cities out of 14 to received the coveted grant and will represent the third phase of the city’s efforts to clean up the downtown area.

Grand Jury To Hear Petrick Case
Witnesses are saying that Jennifer Petrick sat with a small dog in her lap April 29 as the driver of the car she was ridding in shot and killed a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper. Prosecutors have filed criminal charges against Petrick, age 36, for her alleged role as an accomplice in the death of Trooper Scott Burns, 39 of Linden. A Cass County grand jury will be hearing the Petrick case to consider probable cause for charges.

Jarvis President Retiring
Dr. Sebetha Jenkins has announced her retirement from Jarvis Christian College in Hawkins. She has been the president of the College since January 1991.