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TYLER – The University of Texas at Tyler recently announced the appointment of Dr. Kimberly Laird as vice president of budget and finance and chief financial officer and Jerry Stuff as vice president of operations and strategic initiatives and chief operations officer. Laird brings to UT Tyler more than 25 years of experience in financial leadership, including nine years in Texas higher education administration. Most recently, she served as associate vice president and controller for a Dallas university. “Dr. Laird is extremely accomplished and has served in numerous fiscal capacities in higher education and in multimillion-dollar corporations,’’ said Dr. Michael Tidwell, UT Tyler president. “We are looking forward to the leadership, expertise and insight she will bring to The University of Texas at Tyler.’’ Prior to her position in Dallas, Laird served as a university controller and director of accounting. She also held financial and technology leadership positions in a variety of industries including wholesale, retail, banking, construction and public accounting. In her role at UT Tyler, she will oversee all budget and finance initiatives, including accounting and financial reporting, budget preparation and control, and management of departments in the Division of Budget and Finance. Stuff previously served as UT Tyler’s associate vice president of facilities management and capital planning. In his new role, he will oversee all business operations including real estate planning and acquisition, facilities management, emergency management and assessment of the institutional strategic plan. “Jerry brings an array of skill sets to the position, including master planning, contract management and compliance oversight, and has served in key roles in university and corporate settings,’’ Tidwell said. “He is a strong team member who is eager to contribute to the strength of UT Tyler operations.’’ 

Stuff joined the UT Tyler staff in 2016, after serving 24 years as senior associate architect and project development director for a major public research university in Indiana. 

He also served two corporate architectural firms as a licensed architect specializing in the master planning, urban planning, programming, design and construction of primary and secondary educational facilities. A member of the prestigious UT System, The University of Texas at Tyler focuses on student success and innovative research in the more than 80 undergraduate and graduate degree programs offered. With more than 10,000 students, UT Tyler has facilities in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston. 

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GILMER–115th District Judge Lauren Parish sentenced 11 defendants on felony charges and two on misdemeanor charges between Aug. 21 and 28, including a woman who pleaded guilty to 26 felony counts of forgery, said Upshur County District Attorney Billy Byrd’s office.

Angela Kay Walls, 31, of Ore City, was placed on 26 concurrent terms of 5 years probation of a 2-year state jail term Aug. 28, the office reported Sept. 11, adding these details:.

Ore City police investigated the offenses, 9 of which occurred March 23, 2017 and 17 of which occurred March 30, 2017, Byrd’s office said.

As were all others placed on felony probation between Aug. 21 and 28, some of Walls’ terms of probation include court costs, a $50 fee to Crimestoppers and training in “life skills.”

Some other terms of her probation included paying $100 to the crime victims fund, a $500 fine, $1,438 restitution to the victim, an atttorney fee, 200 hours of community service and classes for theft defendants.

Assistant District Attorney Sarah Lyn Cooper represented the state in the cases. Marshall attorney Brendan Roth represented Walls.

Details of other felony sentencings were as follows, and all pleaded guilty or, in cases involving probation revocation, admitted violating terms of probation, Byrd’s office said:

Caleb Seth Snow, 26, of Big Sandy, was placed on 3 years “deferred adjudication” probation Aug. 28 for theft of property of the value of $2,500 or more but less than $30,000.

Defendants receiving deferred adjudication have no final conviction on their records if they successfully complete probation. However, if such probation is revoked, they can receive up the maximum sentence for the offense.

Some terms of Snow’s probation include paying $100 to the crime victim fund, a $1,000 fine, an attorney fee, 200 hours of community service and classes for theft defendants.

The sheriff’s office investigated Snow’s Oct. 7, 2016 crime.

Assistant District Attorney Catherine McQueen represented the state at sentencing. Roth represented Snow.

As detailed in last week’s Mirror, Gene Authur Smith, 57, of Longview, drew the maximum term of 10 years in prison for driving while intoxicated–subsequent offense Aug. 21 after a non-jury trial on punishment. He pleaded guilty to the April 1, 2017 crime, investigated by the Texas Department of Public Safety, but contended he was too old for prison.

Dee Anna Young, 42, of Longview, was placed on 4 years “deferred adjudication” probation Aug. 28 for possession of a controlled substance–less than one gram of methamphetamine. However, as a term of probation, she was to remain in county jail until an opening occurred at the Bowie County Women’s Center, where she must complete a program and any aftercare.

The sheriff’s office probed the Feb. 20 offense. Some terms of probation include a $500 fine, $100 payment to the crime victim fund, 300 hours of community service and an alcohol/drug evaluation.

Byrd represented the state at sentencing. Longview attorney Leslie Bullard represented Young.

Susan Louise Lee, 46, of Winnsboro, was placed on five years deferred adjudication probation Aug. 28 for tampering with physical evidence. Gilmer police investigated the Oct. 7, 2017 crime.

Some terms of probation include paying $100 to the crime victim fund, a $1,000 fine, a $180 fee to the Texas Department of Public Safety for testing the drug involved in the case, an attorney fee, 600 hours of community service, an alcohol/drug evaluation and counseling for drug offenders.

Cooper represented the state at sentencing. Gilmer atttorney Matthew Patton represented Lee.

Jarnaveus Watson, 20, of Memphis, Tx., was put on three years deferred adjudication probation Aug. 28 for evading arrest/detention with vehicle.

The sheriff’s office probed the April 18 offense. Some terms of probation include paying $100 to the crime victim fund, a $500 fine, attorney fee, 250 hours of community service and an alcohol/drug evaluation.

Cooper represented the state at sentencing. Longview attorney Craig Bass represented Watson.

Jorge Luis Silverio, 25, of Pittsburg, was placed on three years deferred adjudication probation Aug. 28 for evading arrest/detention with vehicle.

Gilmer police worked the April 20, 2017 case. Some terms of probation include paying $100 to the crime victim fund, a $1,000 fine, attorney fee, 300 hours of community service and an alcohol/drug evaluation.

Byrd represented the state at sentencng. Longview attorney John Moore represented Silverio.

Tara Hggins Reed, 39, of Diana, was placed on five years deferred adjudication probation Aug. 28 for abandoning or endangering child. However, she must remain in county jail until an opening develops in a substance abuse treatment program called SAFFP and complete it.

The district attorney’s office investigated her May 30, 2017 offense. Some terms of probation include paying $100 to the crime victim fund, a $1,000 fine, attorney fee, 300 hours of community service, an alcohol/drug evaluation, counseling for drug offenders and a parenting class.

Byrd and Roth handled the sentencing.

Clifford H. France III, 54, of Hawkins, received two years in prison Aug. 28 for unlawful possession of a firearm by felon. The sheriff’s office investigated the March 17, 2016 crime.

Byrd represented the state at sentencing. Dallas attorney Tony Wright represented France.

In a revocation, Caitlyn McKenzie Pruitt, 18, of Longview, drew six years in prison Aug. 28 for prohibited substances and items in correctional facility. The DPS investigated the Jan. 26 crime.

Byrd represented the state. Longview attorney Rick Hurlburt represented Pruitt.

In another revocation, Derek R. Hare, 39, of Pittsburg, drew five years in prison Aug. 28 for driving while intoxicated–open container–subsequent offense. The sheriff’s office worked the June 2, 2010 crime.

Cooper represented the state at sentencing. Longview attorney Brandt Thorson represented Hare.

In the misdemeanor cases, both handled Aug. 28, said Byrd’s office:

–a Pittsburg man who turns 33 Sunday was placed on 2 years probation of a 1-year term in county jail after pleading guilty to assault/family violence, and a 35-year-old Diana woman who admitted violating terms of probation drew 12 months in state jail for possession of a controlled substance–less than one gram of methamphetamine.

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GILMER–The Upshur County Grand Jury on Sept. 6 returned 25 indictments, six of them sealed, said District Attorney Billy Byrd.

Defendants, charges and bond information in the open indictments was as follows, his office reported:

Mystical Jo Adams, 30, of Gladewater, evading arrest/detention with vehicle on July 3. She remained in county jail under $15,000 bond.

Robert Joseph Bison Jr., 48, of Gladewater, unauthorized use of vehicle on July 10.  He, too, remained in county jail under $10,000 bond.

Jessica Paige Marsh, 36, of Gladewater, aggravated assault with deadly weapon on April 4, $15,000

Joshua Brooks Freeman, 29, of Diana, was named in two separate indictments, one charging him with aggravated assault with deadly weapon and another charging him with both that offense and assault/family violence with previous conviction.

He is charged with committing the crimes March 25. Bond was set at $25,000 on each indictment.

David Gilbert Gomez, 46, of Big Sandy, assault/family violence–occlusion on May 23. He remained in county jail on other charges.

Janet Maria Dean, 33, of Gilmer, assault/family violence–occlusion on June 24, $10,000

Christopher Lonnie Watson, 43, of Gilmer, assault/family violence–occlusion last Oct. 1, $25,000

Levi Dale Andrews, 34, of Gilmer, possession of controlled substance–methamphetamine last Dec. 3, $5,000

Lonnie Jim Green, 43, of Pittsburg, possession of controlled substance–methamphetamine on June 8, 2017. Bond was set at $5,000, but Green is in Bradshaw State Jail in the Henderson area.

Patricia Lynn Wilson, 46, of Jefferson, possession of controlled substance (methamphetamine) on Aug. 29, 2017, $10,000

Abron T. Palmer Jr., 71, of Gilmer, driving while intoxicated–subsequent offense on May 26, $1,500

Michael Ray Sinclair, 60, of Big Sandy, unlawful possession of firearm by felon on July 8, $15,000

Mary Catherine Donnelly Davis, 23, of Gilmer, unauthorized use of vehicle on July 10. She remained in county jail under $10,000 bail.

Bart Lindsey Vaughn, 50, of Gilmer, deadly conduct on July 4, $10,000

Samantha Kayle Laster, 26, of Gun Barrel City, debit card abuse on July 13, $5,000

Rondarius Derand Darden, 27, of Longview, theft of property less than $2,500 with two or more previous convictions on July 19, $5,000

Kenneth Earl Ellis, 53, of Mt. Pleasant, theft of property less than $2,500 with two or more previous convictions on July 3, $1,500

Derrick Parnell Lee, 54, of Mt. Pleasant, theft of property less than $2,500 with two or more previous convictions on July 3. He remained in county jail under $1,500 bond.

Identity of anyone named in the sealed indictments was not revealed since no arrest had been made in those cases, Byrd said. They included two for assault/family violence–occlusion, two of two counts each for fraudulent use/possession of identifying information, and one each for abandon/endanger a child and unlawful possession of firearm by felon, said his office.

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On Patriot Day the flag of the United States is flown at half-staff at the White House and on all U.S. government buildings and establishments throughout the world; flags are also encouraged to be displayed on individual American homes. Additionally, a moment of silence is observed to correspond with the attacks, beginning at 8:46 a.m. (Eastern Daylight Time), the time the first plane, American Airlines Flight 11, struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

Join us and our many fine sponsors in saluting all our First Responders who like those brave men and women on 9/11 rushed into danger and gave all they had for their fellow man.

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Funeral services for East Mountain City Councilman Charles Medlin, 73, are set for 10 a.m. Friday at the Assembly of God in Gilmer.

Burial will be in Old East Mountain Cemetery. Visitation is scheduled from 6-8 p.m. Thursday (tonight) at Croley Funeral Home in Gilmer.

Medlin died unexpectedly at his home Tuesday morning. A full obituary will appear in next week’s editon of The Mirror.

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A  Gladewater woman who was arrested in June on a murder solicitation charge was indicted this week by a Gregg County Grand Jury.

Deeanna Ann Aldredge was arrested at her home on Quitman Street in Gladewater after an investigation by the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office and remains  in the county jail on a $250,000 bond.

She reportedly lost custody of her child and offered to pay $500 to have the child’s father killed,  according to the arrest warrant filed in the Gregg County District Court.

The arrest warrant says a confidential informant, identified as “C.I,” contacted the sheriff’s office June 13 and said Aldredge asked him to kill her child’s father.

The informant met the next day with two sheriff’s investigators, a sheriff’s office lieutenant, a Texas Ranger and a Longview police detective and told them Aldredge called him twice and offered to pay him to kill the father.

C.I. said the father had full custody of the child and Aldredge believed the father “stole” the child from her, the arrest warrant said. He said Aldredge had been unable to regain custody after failing a drug test.

C.I. said Aldredge initially approached him about killing the father a month earlier when they met at a Kilgore restaurant, the arrest warrant said.

Aldredge showed C.I. where the father lives in White Oak and provided a location where he works, according to the arrest warrant. She also described the vehicle the father drives.

“C.I. advised that Deeanna offered him cash to kill (the father) or have someone kill him but advised that she never gave an amount that she would pay,” the arrest warrant said.

C.I. told authorities Aldredge called him June 13 to solicit the father’s murder, and asked again whether he would do it or knew anyone else who would, the arrest warrant said.

CI. said he immediately reported the incident to the sheriff’s office lieutenant, and investigators arranged for C.I. to place a recorded call with Aldredge, according to the report.

“Deeanna advised that she still wanted to have (the father) killed and offered $500 to have him killed,” the report read. She said she wanted to meet C.I. in person to discuss the issue further, and they agreed to meet this past Saturday.

Authorities issued C.I. audio-visual recording equipment before his meeting with Aldredge, the report said. Investigators watched the meeting of C.I. and Aldredge and conducted surveillance.

C.I. was directed to tell Aldredge that he had someone interested in killing the father and entered her vehicle, which was registered to the father, the report said.

“During their meeting, Deeanna advised C.I. that she didn’t want to speak about it over the phone or text messages because she did not want to leave a paper trail,” the arrest warrant said.

Aldredge reportedly declined the informant’s request to take him by the father’s house because the father was home and celebrating his birthday, the arrest warrant said. She showed him a photo of the father on Facebook and provided his work schedule.

C.I. told Aldredge that “his guy” needed an act of good faith, and she agreed to pay $100 before the hit and the remainder of the amount after the father was killed, according to the report.

Responding to a question from C.I., Aldredge said, “I want him dead; I want it to look like an accident,” the arrest warrant said.

She added she wanted the father killed when her son was not with him, the report said.

Aldredge gave a description of the father’s vehicle and made arrangements to meet with the person who would kill the father, the arrest warrant said. She wrote a note with the work and home addresses of the father and what he drove and handed it to C.I.

After she dropped C.I. off, investigators picked him up and obtained the recording and the note Aldredge handed to C.I., the arrest warrant said.

Others inducted include:

GRAND JURY FOR THE 124^THDISTRICT COURT

JULY-DECEMBER TERM

AUGUST 22^ND& 23^RD, 2018

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