Local News – Friday, January 19th, 2018

The Dent County Commissioners met Thursday morning in the Courthouse for their regular meeting. In the road report, the Commissioners noted that road work is still at a standstill due to the frozen road beds. District One Commissioner Dennis Purcell said that his crew was replacing a wheel bearing on Truck #73 and servicing Grader #24 if shop space permits. He also noted that his crew was doing some shop maintenance and checking for slick spots on various county roads. District Two Commissioner Gary Larson said that his crew was working on Truck #65 and doing shop maintenance, as well as checking for any remaining road problems. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles said on Wednesday he attended the CCAM Board meeting in Jefferson City to finalize preparation for workshops for the February conference. He said they also received a legislative update, plus he had a chance to visit with Representative Jeff Pogue and Senator Dan Brown. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley reported that on Tuesday, phone bids for fuel were taken by the Road and Bridge Department. MFA was the low bidder for gasoline at $2.01 per gallon, while Phil Mart got the diesel bid for $2.17 per gallon. She noted that the tentative budget is now available for public viewing. Richard LaBrash, State Chairman of the World War II Salute Initiative, was in to announce the start of the initiative petition. The goal of the initiative is to have President Trump sign an executive order to honor the 16 million Americans that served in World War II. LaBrash said that four recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor are still alive and if the President declares that they are to be honored, they would receive a “State Funeral.” He noted that ten Missourians received the Medal of Honor and that none survive today. The Commissioners passed a resolution 3-0 in support of the initiative. Jill Hollowell with the Ozark Solid Waste Management District was in to discuss recycling possibilities. The next meeting of the Dent County Commission will be Monday morning at the Courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

A citizens’ response to an “active shooter” event training will be held at Oak Grove Baptist Church on Saturday, February 17th from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm. The training is open to citizens, law enforcement officers and anyone concerned with community safety. The training will be presented by Joe Weber of Weber and Associates and will cover “active shooter” situations and ways to enhance citizens’ chances of survival when confronted by an active shooter. As “active shooter” events become more frequent, the need for preparation has become more critical. While law enforcement is trained to address “active shooter” events, they rarely take place in the presence of law enforcement. The lack of law enforcement present to protect and assist if an event happens makes it important to provide citizens with tools to protect themselves until law enforcement arrives. This type of training is referred to as CRASE, which stands for Citizens’ Response to “Active Shooter” Events. This class is a “community caretaking” effort provided by local law enforcement to enhance the safety of citizens. There is no charge for the class since it is hosted by local law enforcement as a service to the community. For more information feel free to contact Salem Police Chief Keith Steelman at 729-4242, Sheriff Bob Wells at 729-3241, or Joe Weber at 729-4429.

The Salem Police Department has released some shoplifting reports from Wal-Mart. On Thursday, January 6th at 2:54, an officer was dispatched the store. That investigation led to the arrest of a 56-year old male of Salem on an active arrest warrant from the State of Missouri Probation and Parole and for stealing merchandise valued at $84.69. The suspect was issued a summons to appear in court for the theft and incarcerated pending extradition on the warrant. On Saturday, January 6th at approximately 2:14 in the afternoon, an officer was sent to the store for a shoplifter. The investigation of the report led to the arrest of a 33-year old female of Salem for stealing merchandise valued at $70.90. The suspect was issued a summons to appear in court and released. On Sunday, January 7th at approximately 6:39 in the evening, an officer was dispatched to the store. The investigation of the report led to the arrest of a 30-year old male of Salem for stealing merchandise valued at $108.28. The suspect was issued a summons to appear in court and released. On Tuesday, January 9th at approximately 12:14 in the morning, Salem Police received another call from Wal-Mart. The investigation of the shoplifting report led to the arrest of a 40-year old female of Salem for stealing merchandise valued at $71.48. The suspect was issued a summons to appear in court and was released.