Justin Eddins, a former Texas Parks & Wildlife game warden, faces multiple felony indictments across East Texas. JASPER COUNTY, Texas —  Criminal cases against former Texas Parks & Wildlife Game Warden and Lone Star Law television personality Justin Charles Eddins, 47, have expanded again, with a Jasper County grand jury returning three new felony indictments during the January 2026 grand jury term. Court records show the Jasper County indictments allege timber theft, tamperi

“Your word is all you have in this life” ~ Billy G. Black Digging ditches and chopping trees is not a normal pathway into writing for a living. Blue collars are the only collars I knew growing up. Grandads and Uncles were all plant hands. Honest and working hard.  As a boy, I remember riding an Allis-Chalmers lawn mower with my granddad. We would drive around the yard picking up sticks and rake up piles of leaves and straw. It was hot and it was work for a five year old boy!

Robert Earl Boyett, 60, passed away on January 16, 2026, in Victoria, Tx. He was a resident of Buna, Texas. Born on December 18, 1965, in Beaumont, Texas, Robert lived a life marked by hard work, a love for the outdoors, and deep connections with those around him.  Robert was a man of many talents - a true jack of all trades. Over the years, he applied his skills to everything from working on vehicles to building submersible pumps and constructing houses. His hands were rarel

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