NEWTON COUNTY — A Newton County grand jury has formally indicted all four men previously arrested in connection with the 2022 killing of Joshua Ian Larkin, pushing the long-running investigation into its next phase as efforts to locate Larkin’s remains continue. Joshua Ian Larkin, who has been missing since November 17, 2022. The indictments were formally filed January 27, 2026, according to court records obtained by the East Texas Banner. Larkin has been missing since Nov

The Cade Building in Burkeville will host a political forum on Tuesday, Feb. 10. The Burkeville/Toledo Bend Lions Club will host a political forum on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. at the Cade Building, located at 142 TX-63 E, Burkeville, Texas. The forum will feature both contested and uncontested candidates for Newton County offices. Candidates for Texas Senate, Trent Ashby and Rhonda Ward, will also be represented, with a representative expected to speak on their

As of 9:00 A.M. Tuesday, January 27, 2026 Power outages across Jasper County and Newton County increased sharply Tuesday morning after a damaged transmission line forced additional load shedding, according to Jasper-Newton Electric Cooperative. As of mid-morning Tuesday, more than 3,700 customers combined in the two counties were without electricity — a significant increase from fewer than 300 outages reported earlier in the morning, based on outage tracking data. In an updat

January 26, 2026 Hopefully everyone is staying warm. It’s been a busy week around the county, let’s see what’s been going on. On Monday, January 19, 2026, Sergeant Cagle was dispatched to a report of a suspicious person on State Highway 12. Sergeant Cagle made contact with Tony James Miller, who was ultimately arrested for being in possession of a stolen trailer out of Calcasieu Parish.   On Friday, January 23, 2026, Sergeant Scarborough was dispatched to a report of a suspic

Jail Activity Report for January 19, 2026 – January 25, 2026 Chad Allen Britt, 38, of Nederland, Texas, was arrested for a blue warrant related to a parole violation involving assault. Britt remains in custody. Devin Charles Burch, 38, of Orange, Texas, was listed as serving days and is no longer in custody. James Lee Evans, 52, of Burkeville, Texas, was arrested on a motion for adjudication of guilt in connection with a kidnapping charge. Evans posted a $50,000 bond and is

DEWEYVILLE — Voters across Precinct 4 and surrounding East Texas communities will have an opportunity to hear from candidates in countywide and state legislative races during a Precinct 4 Candidate Forum scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 12, at Deweyville Elementary School. The forum will take place at the Deweyville Elementary School Cafeteria, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. and the event beginning at 6:00 p.m. Organized and facilitated by community member Cade Leger, the forum

NEWTON COUNTY — Sheriff Colton Havard has announced the addition of two new members to the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, strengthening the department’s ongoing efforts to combat narcotics and enhance public safety. Sheriff Havard officially welcomed Sergeant Chad Ainsworth and K9 Rhino to the agency this week. Sergeant Ainsworth brings many years of law enforcement service across Southeast Texas, with extensive experience in narcotics enforcement and K9 handling. His backgr

Joshua Larkin, who has been missing since November 17, 2022. His family continues to seek information that could help bring answers and closure. Editor’s note:  The following statement was written by Joshua Larkin’s mother, Bev Larkin, and is shared with minor formatting edits for clarity. I want to tell you about my son, Joshua Larkin. Some of you have heard negative remarks being made against Josh by Cody Bierhalter. These are lies. Please consider the source. Bierhalter ha

Warming shelters will be open Sunday and Monday in Newton County as cold winter weather moves into the area. Locations include the Deweyville Senior Center and the Newton Nutrition Program. All are welcome. As cold winter weather is expected to impact Southeast Texas, warming shelters will be open in Newton County to provide a safe, heated place for residents. Shelters will be open Sunday and Monday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the following locations: Deweyville Senior Cen

Josh Larkin, missing since November 17, 2022. Authorities have increased the reward for information leading to the recovery of his remains to $15,000. JASPER COUNTY / NEWTON COUNTY — The reward for information leading to the recovery of Josh Larkin’s remains has been increased to $15,000, according to an announcement made Wednesday by Jasper County Sheriff Chuck Havard, and Newton County Sheriff Colton Havard. Larkin has been missing since November 17, 2022. While four indiv

🔗 UPDATED: Multiple East Texas school districts have now announced closures and schedule changes due to Winter Storm Fern. We’re continuing to track confirmed closures and updates as they are announced. School districts are closely monitoring an approaching winter weather system expected to impact the region this weekend, with the potential for freezing rain, sleet, and snow. Onalaska ISD: will be closed Monday, Jan. 26, due to winter weather concerns. Big Sandy ISD: will be

Photo Courtesy of Newton County Sheriff's Office NEWTON COUNTY, Texas — A Deweyville man was arrested Monday morning after a stolen trailer was recovered during an investigation into a suspicious person call, according to Newton County Sheriff Colton Havard. Sheriff Havard stated that on Monday, January 19, 2026, at approximately 10:00 a.m., Sergeant Cagle was dispatched to the 3000 block of State Highway 12 in Deweyville in reference to a suspicious person. Upon arrival, Se

Jail Activity Report for January 12, 2026 – January 18, 2026 Joe Leroy Chaloupka, 59, of Orange, Texas, was arrested for collision involving damage to a vehicle greater than $200. He was released after posting a $2,500 bond. John Paul Grant, 43, of Newton, Texas, was arrested on charges of possession of a controlled substance (PG 1/1-B under 1 gram) and possession of drug paraphernalia. Grant posted a $10,000 bond and is no longer in custody. Christopher Allen Jarrell, 43,

January 19, 2026 Hopefully everyone had a great weekend! It’s been a busy week around the county. We were searching for Ryan Calvin Smith early last week. Although we were unable to locate him at that time, he turned himself in at the jail shortly after our search. A big shout-out to former Newton County Deputy and South Newton County resident, Charles Holt! Last week, Mr. Holt donated a thermal monocular to the Sheriff’s Office to be issued to a patrol deputy. This state-of-

Photo by Rita Shipp NEWTON COUNTY — The Newton Volunteer Fire Department responded to four separate fires across Newton County on Monday, according to an update released by the department at 8:30 p.m. One of the incidents required assistance from multiple mutual aid agencies due to its severity. Multi-Structure Fire on FM 2939 Area The most significant call came at approximately 1:34 p.m., when Newton VFD responded to a multi-structure fire that had spread into nearby grass a

This Deer Season came and went with a good turn out for our Deer Down Exclusives. We want to thank all of the individuals who submitted photos and details of your experiences. We are looking to grow our Sports and Outdoors Section coming with the New & Improved ETB site coming soon... We are looking for writing contributors that are East Texas Based and look to share some of the stories, knowledge, tactics and reviews with our readership. If you are an avid outdoorsmen and yo

Stock image shown for illustrative purposes. Interstate natural gas pipelines such as the CP Express Pipeline are typically installed underground. Pipes are temporarily visible during construction before being buried and the land surface restored. JASPER & NEWTON COUNTIES — Federal environmental records confirm that both Jasper and Newton Counties are included in a major interstate natural gas pipeline project associated with a planned liquefied natural gas (LNG) export term

Photo Courtesy of Newton VFD NEWTON COUNTY, Texas — Firefighters from multiple agencies responded to a fast-moving pasture fire Sunday afternoon that threatened several structures but resulted in no property loss. According to the Newton Volunteer Fire Department, crews were dispatched at approximately 2:00 p.m. to a reported pasture fire on County Road 3035. Upon arrival, firefighters observed that multiple structures were in danger as the fire spread rapidly due to low hum

Newton County Courthouse Newton County Judge’s Administrative Assistant Courtney Lott has resigned and filed a complaint with the TWC and the Ethics Committee. Newton County Judge Ronnie Cochran said the resignation stems from an audit performed by the Newton County Auditor’s office surrounding the rentals of the Newton civic center. According to Judge Cochran, if money is brought into the office, it must be turned into the treasurer’s office by the end of the workday. Cochra