Local News – Wednesday, October 18th, 2017

An accident happened Monday evening at 8:30 in Crawford County on Highway 19 about 4 ½ miles south of Steelville. According to the highway patrol report, a 1999 Chevy S-10 Pickup driven westbound by 24-year old Amanda Sneed of Steelville, was turning onto Highway 19 from a private drive and turned into the path of a 2010 Chevrolet Suburban driven north bound by 49-year old John Davis of Steelville. The Suburban struck the S-10 and both vehicles traveled off the left side of the roadway. Sneed, who was not wearing a seat restraint, suffered serious injuries and was flown by Air Evac to Barnes Hospital in St. Louis. Davis, who was wearing a seat restraint, was not injured in the accident. Both vehicles sustained extensive damage and were removed from the scene by Miles Towing.

The Salem Police Department has released a number of reports. On Friday, October 6th at about 11:44 in the morning, officers were sent to the 1000 block of West Franklin Avenue in reference to a domestic disturbance and a verbal dispute. Upon arrival, officers observed a 31-year old male subject who was acting in a threatening manner towards another male subject who was at the scene. The man was subsequently arrested for disorderly conduct after numerous attempts to get the male subject to cease and desist. The subject was transported to the Salem Police Department where he received a summons and was released. That afternoon at about 5:00, officers made contact with a 28-year old female who had an active warrant for her arrest. The woman had failed to appear in court on an original charge of shoplifting. She was unable to post bond and was released to the custody of the Dent County Sheriff’s Office. Later that evening at about 7:22, officers were detailed to the 1000 block of East Pace Street in reference to a domestic dispute. Upon arrival, officers separated the parties and one female was allowed to leave the residence. Prior to the female leaving, a 33-year old female did actively assault another woman who was present at the scene by pushing her out of a bedroom into a hallway, causing her to fall to the ground. The woman who was assaulted received minor injuries. The victim wished to pursue charges and the 33-year old female subject was arrested and processed. She was issued a summons and released. On Saturday, October 7th at about 2:00 in the afternoon, officers were detailed to the area of Hunt and Carty Streets to investigate a report of drug use. Upon arrival, Salem Police located a 34-year old male subject and a 38-year old female subject and both were arrested. The female subject faced additional charges through the sheriff’s office on an un-related event. The male subject was arrested and warrants were requested from the prosecutor’s office. On Sunday, October 8th at 5:35 in the morning, Salem Police were dispatched to the Oak Grove Baptist Church in reference to a burglary that occurred. Persons unknown had gained entry to the church and several items of property were stolen. Those items included a Dell Computer, an Apple i-Pad and two guitars. Officers processed the scene and were able to obtain evidence of possible suspects. The investigation remains open at this time. That same afternoon at about 12:50, Salem Police officers were sent to the intersection of Highway 32 and Askins Street for a two vehicle accident report. A driver failed to stop for a red light and collided with another vehicle in the intersection. The driver, a 36-year old female driver who failed to stop, received two summons to appear in court. There were no injuries reported to either driver. That same evening at about 11:35, officers made contact with a 28-year old female subject in the 1100 block of West Ellis Street. The woman provided officers with a fake identification and was released at the scene. Further investigation revealed who the woman really was and officers located her at a residence in the immediate area where contact was first made. The woman was arrested on an outstanding warrant and was released to the custody of the sheriff’s office on a no bond warrant. Please contact the Salem Police Department at (573)-729-4242 if you have information regarding any ongoing investigations. All information will be kept confidential.

This week is the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) Operation Safe Driver Week. Throughout the week, enforcement personnel will identify and issue warnings and/or citations to commercial motor vehicle drivers and passenger-vehicle drivers exhibiting unsafe driving behaviors on our roadways. Examples of dangerous driver behaviors that enforcement personnel will be tracking are speeding, texting, distracted driving, failure to use a safety belt while operating a CMV or in a passenger vehicle, traveling too closely, improper lane change, failure to obey traffic control devices, etc. Commercial motor vehicles are an important part of our nation’s economy. They carry goods from coast to coast and make up 20 percent of all traffic on Missouri’s interstates. When vehicle crashes involving tractor trailers occur, the disproportionate size of a truck versus a car means those crashes can often involve serious injuries or worse. Last year, there were 132 people killed and 4,034 injured in Missouri traffic crashes involving a commercial motor vehicle in 2016. Here are some safety tips to help keep everyone safe when sharing the road with large commercial vehicles. Don’t cut off large trucks or buses when passing. A good rule is to make sure you can see the top of the truck or bus in your rearview mirror before moving back into your original lane. Also, stay out of the “No Zone.” Big trucks have large blind spots on either side and up to 200 feet behind a vehicle. Pass only on the left side. You should also watch your following distance. Another good rule is to keep a 20 to 25 car length distance around trucks. If you can’t see the driver in the truck’s side mirrors, then the driver cannot see you. For additional information regarding roadway safety, contact the MoDOT Customer Service Center toll free, at 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (275-6636).