Local News – May 2, 2017

The Dent County Commission held their regular meeting Monday morning at the courthouse. At the meeting, Casey and Renee Hemken, Chris and Patty Shaver, and Randy and Judy Wilmont from the Adams Subdivision were in attendance to discuss the improper drainage of water coming through their subdivision and flooding people’s basements and crawl spaces. They say the ditches on the east side of the roadway have filled in over time and the culverts are clogged forcing the water onto private property and into the lagoon that serves the property that is regulated by DNR. Commissioner Dennis Purcell said that the county could pull the ditches but the culverts needed to be replaced, and the counties long standing policy is the landowners would have to buy the new culvert where the county would replace the old ones at no cost. The group felt that the county was responsible to maintain those culverts, but many have been in there for 30 to 40 years and Purcell said those culverts have deteriorated and need to be replaced. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles suggested that Purcell meet with the landowners to review and discuss what can be done to alleviate the water problem. Dent County Emergency Director Brad Nash was at the meeting and had been in contact with SEMA and he told the commission that there was not any official federal designation of a disaster area yet as there must be at least 8.5 million dollars in damage in the state and he sees no problem with Missouri reaching that level. He told the commission to just continue to have the work crews take pictures and document the damages to all the bridges, roads and low water crossings. He also said individuals who have suffered losses can contact him at the Dent County Fire Station at 729-3250 or by going to the fire department’s Facebook page. Those people should also take photos and document any damages to their property, and then figure an estimated dollar amount of the damages. In the road report, Commissioner Purcell reported there was a landslide on Dent County Road 6660. He said between 9 and 12 inches of rain had fallen and numerous roads and low water crossings are impassable. He along with Commissioner Gary Larson reported that it will take a number of days and in some cases weeks to get the roads back in regular condition. Larson said that right now crews are just trying make the roads passable so that people can get to work and students can go back to school. He did mention the commission would be taking bids on diesel and regular unleaded fuel, and that the county will be looking to rent an additional backhoe from either Fabick or John Deere to aid in the cleanup. Presiding Commissioner Skiles stated that between 80% and 90% of all Dent County Roads sustained some damage and with 600 miles of roads in Dent County alone, it will take some time to get all the problems taken care of. At the last meeting, the commissioners signed Ordinances 2017-1 and 2017-2 regarding the passing of Propositions 1 and 2 sales tax issues for the building of the new jail. The next meeting of the Dent County Commissioners will be Thursday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

The Dent County Sheriff’s Department has released some reports. On Monday, April 24th, deputies took a report of a theft from the 31000 block of South Highway 72. Taken from the residence is a black fiberglass “Roll A Home” motorcycle camper and is 4 feet wide by 6.5 feet long. The camper and its contents were valued at $6,000. This report is still under investigation. That same day, deputies responded to the Shawnee Mac Lakes a reported fire. Upon arrival, deputies discovered that someone had set an archery target on fire destroying the target. The Dent County Fire Department responded and extinguished the fire. The investigation continues by the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Dent County Sheriff’s Office. On Wednesday, April 26th, deputies responded to the 4100 block of Highway 68 for a well being check. After deputies made contact with the individual that they were checking on, it was discovered that he had a warrant for his arrest. As a result, 21-year old Samuel McDaniel Jr. of Salem was arrested and transported to the Dent County Jail. He was incarcerated after being unable to post bond. That same day, deputies assisted the South Central Drug Task Force with executing a search warrant in the 100 block Route O. As a result of the search, 40- year old Kathy Eplin of Edgar Springs was arrested and taken to the Dent County Jail. She was charged with possession of a controlled substance and is currently incarcerated on a $50,000 cash only bond. If you have any information on any ongoing investigations, please call the sheriff’s office at 729-3241.