By Brad Kellar

Commerce – A Commerce teenager is placed on probation after being found guilty in connection to a throat slashing incident last summer.

18-year-old Corey Dominic Heath was found guilty Wednesday one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

The jury sentenced Heath to five years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice-Institutional Division, and then probated the sentence for 10 years.

Heath claimed he acted in self-defense during the incident.

By Scott Harvey

Paris – The attorney for two Paris men, who have filed a lawsuit against the county seeking restitution for time served in jail, says forensic evidence should have eliminated his clients from the very beginning.

Michael Mosher is representing Ryan Crostley and Shannon Finley in their federal lawsuit over their arrest and subsequent treatment in the death of their friend Brandon McClelland in 2008.

The pair was arrested shortly after McClellan's body was found on a rural Lamar County Farm Road.

By Scott Harvey

Quitman – Jason Tad Payne, of Quitman, has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder of his wife and stepson.

After deliberating about 5 hours, a Wood County jury convicted Payne. He was immediately sentenced to life in prison without parole as prosecutors did not seek the death penalty in the case.

The bodies of Nichole Payne and step-son Austin Taylor Wages were found in the family's home back in 2007. Payne was arrested in September of 2008.

By Brad Kellar

Greenville – A local woman is found guilty on two of three offenses related to a robbery and high speed chase last year.

Vicki Dawn Szalay of Sumner was convicted this week of endangering a child and evading arrest. A related charge of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon ended in a mistrial.

Sumner pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of robbery at Crossroads Mall in Greenville and was sentenced to a combination of prison and state jail. Szalay had previously pleaded not guilty to all three charges.

By Brad Kellar

Terrell – A Terrell man, already facing a number of charges, will likely face even more indictments.

Charles Duane Mayo Jr. already had three indictments pending against him, alleging he committed violent acts against multiple individuals.

By Scott Harvey

Ladonia – Fannindel ISD Superintendent H.L. Milton will be with the district for at least another three years after board members unanimously agree to extend his contract this week.

The Board made the decision after conducting Milton's annual performance evaluation. Milton has been the superintendent at Fannindel since 2006. Previous positions held include superintendent at Honey Grove ISD and principal at Honey Grove High School.

Bobby sits down with The Morning Blend on Thursday, Jan. 28 to talk inflation and President Obama's State of the Union Address.

Bobby Aikin Breakdown

By Scott Harvey

Sulphur Springs – A non-partisan candidate forum sponsored by the Political Enlightenment Group will be held Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Hopkins County Civic Center.

All candidates in the March 2nd primaries have been invited to participate, and citizens are encouraged to ask questions related to the campaign.

By Brad Kellar

Lone Oak – A second arrest has been made in connection to a records tampering case in Lone Oak.

A sealed indictment for tampering with governmental record was issued against Diane Butler Dockery on Dec. 11. The indictment became public after Dockery turned herself in Monday.

Dockery and Anna Marie Wilson, who was arrested on the same indictment Friday, have each been released on $10,000 bond. They are both scheduled to be formally arraigned on the indictments during a hearing Feb. 9.

By Brad Kellar

Commerce – The Hunt County Grand Jury has indicted two Commerce residents for aggravated assault in separate incidents.

Jeffery Lewis Afterly was indicted on one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon causing bodily injury. He's alleged to have stabbed a women in the 1400 block of West Neal in September 2008.

Billy Jean Parker was also indicted on the same charge, where he's alleged to have caused bodily injury to a male victim in November 2008 while displaying a firearm.