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Healthy kids running

series starts Sunday

The City of Tyler Parks and Recreation Department has partnered with Healthy Kids Running Series to offer a five-week running program which promotes an active, healthy lifestyle for kids.

The program will begin Sunday at Pollard Park, 710 E. Amherst Drive, and will continue for five consecutive Sundays. Registration is now open for children ages 2 to 14 and costs $35 per child. Children will receive a finisher’s medal, race bag and a T-shirt for their achievements.

Each week, the children will run age-appropriate race distances and compete for a chance to earn points. At the end of the series, the boy and girl with the most points in each age division wins a trophy. The goal is to provide a fun, positive environment for children and to encourage commitment to an active lifestyle.

To register a child, please visit www.HealthyKidsRunningSeries.org or email meganraeriaz@gmail.com.

County man pleads

guilty to felony theft

A Smith County man, who was accused of stealing more than $150,000 in equipment, pleaded guilty Monday to felony theft in the 7th District Court.

Kenneth Cossey Brantley, 51, was arrested on Feb. 27, 2018, on a theft charge of property over $150,000 but less than $300,000. This offense is a second-degree felony.

A presentence investigation was ordered ahead of a sentencing hearing, which is scheduled for 3 p.m. Oct. 21, according to Smith County judicial records.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, one piece of the stolen equipment had a GPS tracker that helped the Smith County Sheriff’s Office find the items at Brantley’s property.

A tracker on a 2003 Melrise Bobcat Skidsteer Loader pinged on Brantley’s property off County Road 26 in Smith County in December 2017.

Brantley told a sheriff’s deputy that two men dropped off the Skidsteer and it was going to be sold. Once the deputy was allowed on the property, stolen tractors, trailers, ATVs and another Skidsteer were found, the affidavit stated.

Brantley told the deputy he was aware the items were most likely stolen. He also said he paid below-market value for the equipment, according to the affidavit.