Tyler County News

Write a comment

By Chris Edwards
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

TYLER COUNTY – A couple of wrecks over the past week have claimed several lives in Tyler County.

On Thursday, a two-vehicle crash last week claimed the lives of a Colmesneil couple.

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the wreck occurred before 5 p.m, about five miles south of Warren. 

An SUV, which was southbound, crossed the center line and struck a Ford passenger car, which was driven by Doyle “Korn Bread” Cowart, Sr., and his wife, Cathy, was passenger.

The Cowarts were pronounced dead on the scene. The driver of the Chevrolet SUV has not been identified by DPS and was airlifted to a Beaumont hospital for treatment.

Cowart, who was better known by his nickname, throughout Tyler County, was a native of Colmesneil, as was his wife. The Cowarts owned and operated The Gathering Place, an events venue, which hosted all manner of events, from weddings and birthday parties to a monthly men’s fellowship breakfast.

The couple had been together since they were students at Colmesneil High School in the 1950s. Services were held on Wednesday for the Cowarts at First Baptist Church in Colmesneil, where the two were longtime members.

Another tragic automobile accident occurred on Monday morning near Fred, on FM 96. The accident happened shortly before 7 a.m., according to DPS Sgt. Shana Clark, and claimed three lives, including an infant.

Clark said the accident happened when a small car slid out of control into the opposite lane and was hit by an SUV.

Three people were in the car, all of whom were pronounced deceased on the scene. The victims were Jacob Hutson, a Lumberton man, who was driving the car; 18-year-old Christina Gray of Silsbee and four-month-old River Hutson.

According to the investigation findings, the car was northbound, when it went off the highway and came back onto the highway, where it slid into the southbound lane and was struck by the SUV.

The driver of the SUV, identified as Shannon Daffron, 28, of Spurger, was taken to a Beaumont hospital for treatment. 

Write a comment

By Chris Edwards
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

HARDIN COUNTY – A housefire last week in Hardin County claimed the lives of a couple with Tyler County ties.

The blaze occurred early on the morning of Tuesday, Nov. 30, at a home located on FM 2937, also known as the Old Spurger Highway, located south of Fred and the county boundary line. According to reports from Hardin County Sheriff Mark Davis, firefighters responded to a call at about 3:40 a.m. that morning, and when they arrived on the scene, the house was engulfed in flames.

The residents of the house, later identified as Billy Wayne Rose, Jr., age 59, and 62-year-old Carolyn Rose, were pronounced deceased on the scene by Hardin County Pct. 1 JP Chris Ingram. The couple’s dog was also killed in the fire.

As of Tuesday, the cause of the fire remains undetermined and according to Silsbee Fire Chief Robin Jones, the state fire marshal’s office is investigating the incident. 

It is standard procedure for the state office to investigate a fire which results in loss of life.

Rose was the son of longtime Woodville businessman and community leader Billy Rose, Sr. In a report on the fatal fire from a broadcast media partner, neighbors recalled Billy Rose Jr. as a selfless man who cared deeply about many people and devoted his time to volunteering in such pursuits as coaching Little League.

Jones called the fire “a real tragedy,” and added that his department does not see many fatal fires. He also said that the home did not have smoke detectors.

Jones said that the dozen volunteer firefighters who arrived on the scene did all that they could to extinguish the blaze, which destroyed the house, but the flames were already too intense by the time they’d arrived. A second house on the property also caught fire, but it was vacant, according to Jones.

Although this incident remains under investigation as to its cause, Jones said that the winter months carry additional risks for fire, with homeowners utilizing heating systems for the first time since the previous winter.

Smoke detectors should be tested at least once a month and the batteries should be replaced at least once or twice a year.

A Go Fund Me page was created to help with funeral expenses for the couple. The URL for that page is: https://www.gofundme.com/f/funeral-expenses-for-billy-wayne-and-carolyn-rose

Write a comment

By Chris Edwards
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Last week the Angelina County Sheriff’s Office announced that they recovered the bodies of a man and his dog from Lake Sam Rayburn.

The announcement came from ACSO last Tuesday. The discovery was made on Sunday, Nov. 21, according to a news release from the agency. A vehicle was spotted by witnesses submerged in the water at the Marions Ferry boat ramp, which is located off of FM 1669 North, which is near the top of the lake.

When deputies with ACSO arrived on the scene, they spoke to witnesses, who stated that they were searching for a hunting area and saw what appeared to be a vehicle submerged in the water, approximately 100 feet from the boat ramp.

When the vehicle was removed from the water, the deputies found a deceased man inside along with a dog. The man was occupied as Thomas Neil Jacobs, a 74-year-old Lufkin man.

There is no foul play suspected, according to ACSO, and the case is still under investigation pending an autopsy.

Write a comment

Folks over most of North America (who were up very early in the morning in our area) got a rare chance to see a near total eclipse of the moon Friday, October 19. Maximum eclipse occured in Woodville, Tx, where this photo was taken, occured at approximately 3:30 a.m. Booster photographer Jim Powers spent a chilly hour or so tracking the moon across the sky and making a total of 370 photos to catch the moment the eclipse occurred. (Jim Powers/TCB Photo)