In preparation for the prayer vigil to be held on the Gregg County Courthouse lawn tonight, beginning at 5:00 P.M., the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office will be closing Methvin St., directly in front of the Gregg County Courthouse, to vehicle traffic. This will only affect Methvin St. between the intersections of Fredonia St. and Center St. This area will be opened up to resume normal traffic once this event has concluded.

On Friday August 4, 2017 at 4:40 pm the fire alarm system at the Gregg County Courthouse activated, alerting Jail Staff to a problem on the 7th floor in the Gregg County South Jail Facility. Gregg County Jail staff immediately responded to the area in accordance with the Jail Emergency Plan. It was determined that there was smoke in one area where inmates are housed, the inmates were removed and relocated to an unaffected area. As a precaution, inmates housed in two adjoining areas were moved as well. The fire alarm system worked as designed and in addition to notification, the evacuation fans removed the smoke from the building. Out of an abundance of caution the Longview Fire Department was notified as was the Gregg County Jail Command Staff and Sheriff’s jail maintenance staff. This was caused by what is believed to be an electrical malfunction; however there was no sign of flames or fire. All inmates were rehoused in their assigned areas prior to 6:00 pm, only after ensuring all steps were taken to ensure the area was safe.