Archive for 2018

The Dent County Commission gathered Monday morning at the Dent County Courthouse for their regular meeting. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell stated materials would be added and grading done on Dent County Road 5400 while only grading will be done on county roads 2470, 2490 and 5390. He also mentioned brush was going to be cut on county road 5440 and that two trucks would be hauling brown rock. Purcell said the excess dirt being removed from the jail project is continuing to be taken to the Dent County Road and Bridge Department where it is being collected and spread out for use at a later time. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson said grading would be performed on Dent County Roads 3250, 3253, 4060 and 4430 while materials would be added to county road 2510. He said some patching is going to be done on the chip and seal on Dent County Road 3233. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles reported he attended the MRPC Awards Dinner and Banquet in Hermann last Thursday and said a nice contingent of Dent County residents attended. He said he would be attending the Meramec Regional Emergency Planning Committee meeting on Wednesday. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley wants to remind anyone that is planning on receiving a mailed out ballot that it must be done by this Wednesday. She said absentee voting continues at her office through 5:00 Monday afternoon. Her office will be open this Saturday from 8:00 until noon for those who would like to vote absentee. The General Election will be held Tuesday, November 6th starting at 6:00 in the morning with the polls staying open until 7:00. Please bring an ID to the polls with you when you go to vote. Curley is estimating a turnout of about 65-68% of those registered to vote. She said election judge training was being held and if anyone would like to become an election judge in the future, please let her office know. She also wanted the general public know the county has begun working on the 2019 budget. At 10:00, the commission held a budget hearing to amend the Road and Bridge Department budget. The main reason this was needed was due to the county exercising the buy-back option on their graders they would otherwise have traded-in to off-set some of the expense of the lease/purchase of new graders. The ending revenue balance of the amended budget stands at $342,447.20. The amendment to the budget was approved by the commission. Their next meeting will be held Thursday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and it will be open to the public.

The November 6th General Election is almost here and Dent County Clerk Angie Curley is reminding voters that this is a long ballot and voters should be familiar with the candidates, propositions and amendments before going to vote. She recommends voters pick up a sample ballot, fill it out and take it with you when you go to vote. You can also pick up a copy of the “fair ballot language” explanation of the propositions and amendments. This will help explain what the ballot language on the amendments and propositions is actually saying without trying to figure out the legalese. There is no charge for sample ballots or the fair ballot language explanations. You can pick up your sample ballot and a copy of the “fair ballot language” at the Dent County Clerk’s office at the Dent County Courthouse. There are contested races for a US Senator, US State Representative for District 8, State Auditor, State Senator, Circuit Judge Circuit 42 Division 1, Associate Circuit Judge, Dent County Prosecuting Attorney, three Supreme Court judges, four amendments and three propositions. The sample ballot will also be printed in this week’s Salem News.

The Salem Police Department has released several reports. On Monday morning, October 22nd at approximately 11:41, an officer was dispatched to Mobil Convenience Store located at Highway 32 and 19 in reference to a theft of fuel. The investigation of the report revealed the driver of a white in color white single cab semi-truck pumped fuel valued at $242.18 and left without paying. The report is under investigation. Then on Tuesday morning, October 23rd at about 11:00, the School Resource Officer was contacted in reference to a stolen cell phone. That investigation revealed that a 14-year old male juvenile had stolen a cell phone valued at $200.00 from another student. Further investigation led to the detention of the forwarded to the Juvenile Office for prosecution. On Wednesday morning, October 24th at about 11:24, an officer was dispatched to a traffic crash at Highway 32 and McCarthur. The investigation of the crash led to the arrest of a 22-year old female of Salem for driving while having her license suspended and failure to maintain financial responsibility. The suspect was issued summonses to appear in court and released. Later that afternoon at 2:59 in the afternoon, an officer located a 22-year old male of Salem near Fifth Street and Iron Street who had an active arrest warrant from the City of Salem. The suspect was taken into custody on the warrant and released with a new date to appear in court after posting bond. Please contact the Salem Police Department at (573) 729-4242 if you have any information regarding any ongoing investigation.

Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation shows that young hunters ages 6 through 15 harvested 13,560 deer during Missouri’s early youth portion of the 2018 deer hunting season this past weekend. Totals from the counties in the area for the early youth portion were Texas with 237 deer taken, Dent with 191 deer harvested, Shannon with 169 deer checked, Phelps with 151 deer harvested, Crawford with 141 deer taken and Iron with 89 deer checked. Last year’s harvest total for the early youth portion was 17,412. Archery deer hunting continues through November 9th and again from November 21st through January 15th, 2019. Up next for deer hunting in Missouri is the November portion of firearms deer season, which runs November 10th through the 20th.

The Dent County Sheriff’s Department has released some reports. On Wednesday, October 10th, deputies traveled to the 200 block of Highway H in reference to a burglary. During the course of the investigation, speakers and a change jar were found to be stolen. This report is still under investigation. On Thursday, October 11th, deputies traveled to the 500 block of County Road 4060 in reference to property damage. During the course of the investigation, a door and breaker box were found damaged. This report is being investigated. On Friday, October 12th, deputies traveled to the 600 block of County Road 4253 in reference to an incident of domestic violence. During the course of the investigation, a 44-year old Salem man was arrested domestic assault 2nd degree and kidnapping 2nd degree. The Salem man was transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office Jail. On Wednesday, October 17th, deputies conducted a traffic stop on Highway 68. The driver, a 34-year old Salem women, was arrested for Dent County warrants. She was taken to the Dent County Jail and incarcerated. On Sunday, October 21st, deputies traveled to the 2000 block of Route P in reference to an incident of domestic violence. During the course of the investigation, a 36-year old Salem man was arrested for domestic assault 4th degree. He was fingerprinted, issued a summons, and released. On Monday, October 22nd, deputies received a report of a theft that occurred on County Road 4253. During the course of the investigation, a 44-year old Salem man, was fingerprinted and charged for felony stealing. The Salem man was already incarcerated in the Dent County Jail. On Tuesday, October 23rd, deputies conducted a traffic stop on South Highway 19. The driver, a 21-year old Salem woman, was arrested for possession of marijuana. She was taken to the Dent County Jail, fingerprinted, issued summons and released. If anyone has information regarding an ongoing investigation, please call the sheriff’s department at 729-3241.

Time is running out to get in your application in for the 13th annual Trees and Trains “Winter Wonderland by Night” display. If you want to put up a decorated tree yourself or you represent a group or business, you need to pick up your application at the Ozark Natural and Cultural Resource Center at 202 South Main, or call them at 729-0029. You can also contact or Judy Thompson at 573-368-0682 or email her at thompfam@embarqmail.com. The deadline for completed applications is TOMORROW.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) seeks information in the case of an elk calf that was shot. Conservation agents report the calf was born in the Log Yard area of Shannon County July 13 and was fitted with a VFH radio collar July 14 with the identification number 1829. The calf still had its spots when it was found shot next to a road just weeks later. The lengthy investigation has led conservation agents to seek information from the public. It’s standard procedure for MDC’s elk research crew to catch and assess calves in the wild immediately after birth. This enables the team to monitor the animals’ growth and collect information about their movements. In this case, just a few weeks after the elk was born, the team received a mortality signal from the radio collar, leading them to find it lying next to a road, shot in the head. MDC’S Ozark Regional Protection Supervisor Gerald Smith said this is the second known elk poaching incident in the region. The first was a mature bull that was killed in December 2015. In that case, the poachers removed the bull’s antlers with a chain saw and left it otherwise untouched in the woods where it fell, likely because of its size. When elk restoration began in Missouri in 2011, one of the projected benefits was an increase in tourism to the Missouri Ozarks region. Visitor surveys conducted at the two self-guided driving elk tours at Peck Ranch and Current River conservation areas determined elk brought nearly $1.3 million to the region in 2016. This data included regional economic impacts such as food, lodging and transport expenses of more than 11,000 visitors that toured these areas in 2016. Anyone with information that could help with this investigation can call the Operation Game Thief (OGT) hotline at 1-800-392-1111. The hotline is managed 24 hours a day and you may remain anonymous.