Archive for 2018

According to the Reynolds County Sheriff’s Department, 19-year old Nick Barton of Bunker has been charged with a Class A Felony of 2nd degree murder in the shooting death of 42-year old Cameron Dale Hill of Bunker. He is also charged with a Class C Felony for the delivery of a controlled substance. According to documents from the Prosecuting Attorney’s office, the police investigation showed that Barton arranged to sell a quantity of prescription Oxycodone to another man. Barton attempted to meet the individual but made contact with Hill instead. During that contact, officials say there was a confrontation and Barton fired several shots causing Hill’s death. Deputies found Hill lying face down on the ground near a vehicle off of Reynolds County Road 844 after they received a call to check on the well being of a person. Hill’s body was taken to Farmington Tuesday for an autopsy and the results have not yet been released. The investigation of the incident by the Reynolds County Sheriff’s Department and the Missouri Highway Patrol Division of Drug and Crime Control is continuing.

The Dent County Soil and Water District will be holding an Open House and Supervisor election on Tuesday, May 1st at their offices at 1012 East Scenic Rivers Blvd in Salem. The polls will be open from 11:30 until 5:30 and refreshments will be served.

The Dent County Commissioners met for their regular meeting Thursday morning in the Dent County Courthouse. In the road report, District One Commissioner Dennis Purcell reported he had a crew upgrading a creek crossing on Dent County Road 5520 including the addition of materials, plus patch grading would be done on that road. He added that he had another crew patching chip and seal on Dent County Roads 2400, 6150 and 6180. Purcell urged drivers to use caution on those roadways as they travel around the work areas. District Two Commissioner Gary Larson reported brush would be cut on Dent County Road 5240, plus materials would be added to county roads 2630 and 3300. He went on to say that two men were working on repairing an air leak on Truck #116, plus a man was screening rock at the Road and Bridge Department. Larson noted that grading would resume next week once the roadways dried out. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles reported that on Monday he met with Russ Runge of Ozark National Scenic Riverways to discuss a number of issues. Runge updated Skiles on the progress to date on repairing last year’s flood damages to campgrounds, roadways, buildings, etc. Skiles noted that the feral hog problem was also discussed. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley reported that Thursday she attended a luncheon meeting at the Community Center @ the Armory about the salemmo.com website, which the groups share. She went on to say that today she and the county assessor would be attending the South Central Regional County Clerks’ regional meeting in West Plains. Curley said the group would hear from the State Tax Commission about revisions and online reporting. She said that bills were being approved by the Commissioners for payment. The Commissioners set May 14th at 10:00 for a budget adjustment hearing to include the CDBG grant for the Dent County Fire Protection District. A decision on bids for culverts, which had been postponed from a previous meeting, was revisited with the bid from Metal Culverts, Inc. being accepted for metal culverts and the bid from Viebrock Sales and Service, Inc. was accepted for polypropylene culverts. The next regular meeting of the Dent County Commissioners will be Monday morning at 9:00 in the Courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

The Salem Police Department has released a number of reports. On Thursday afternoon, April 19th at about 3:50, an officer was dispatched to Wal-Mart in reference to a shoplifter. The investigation of the report led to the arrest of a 50-year old female of Salem for stealing merchandise valued at $10.00. The suspect was issued a summons to appear in court and released. On Sunday, April 22nd at about 8:57 in the evening, a vehicle was stopped for a traffic violation. The investigation of the stop led to the arrest of a 37-year old male of Salem on an active arrest warrant from St. Francois County. The suspect was incarcerated pending extradition. That evening at approximately 10:11, a vehicle was stopped for a traffic violation. The stop led to the arrest of a 29-year old male of Salem for the possession of methamphetamine drug paraphernalia. The suspect was issued a summons to appear in court and released. On Tuesday evening, April 24th at about 9:54, an officer located a 32-year old male from Pevely at a residence in the 400 block of South Askins who had an active arrest warrant from Dent County. The suspect was taken into custody on the warrant and incarcerated pending a court appearance. If anyone has information regarding any ongoing investigation, please contact the Salem Police Department at 729-4242.

A death investigation by the Reynolds County Sheriff’s office and Missouri State Highway Patrol Division of Drug and Crime Control is currently underway in Reynolds County. According to Reynolds County Sheriff Tom Stout, deputies found 42-year old Cameron Dale Hill dead after his office received a call to check on his well being. The preliminary investigation showed that he died from an apparent gunshot wound. There are persons of interest in the case, and investigators are following up on these leads, according to the sheriff’s office. An autopsy is being done in Farmington to determine the actual cause of death. Sheriff Stout said there is no reason to believe the community is in danger. No other information is available at this time.

An accident happened in Dent County on Dent County Road 4110 about a mile east of Salem Tuesday afternoon at about 4:50. According to the highway patrol report, 30-year old Jacob Likes of Salem was driving a 2014 Motovox Motorbike westbound when he lost control of the motorbike at which time the vehicle overturned and ejected Likes. Likes suffered moderate injuries and was taken to the Salem Memorial District Hospital. He was not wearing safety devices at the time of the accident. The motorbike had minor damage and was removed from the scene by a private party.

Time is running out to sign up for a number of 4-H Camps for this summer. The traditional 4-H Camp at Camp Clover Points at the Lake of the Ozarks State Park will be held June 4th through the 7th where children will swim, play games, sing songs, do crafts and so much more. This camp is not limited to only 4-H members. The cost is $130 per child if they are in 4-H and $140.00 if they are a non-4-H member. There will also be a 4-H Shooting Sports Camp from June 21st through the 23rd that is designed to explore the world of 4-H shooting sports including archery, air pistol and air rifle for children ages 8-18. State Certified Shooting Sports instructors will be there every step of the way. The cost of that camp is $125. New this year is a 4-H Canine Camp for those who are 8 to 18 years of age where the 4-Her can bring their dog to camp and be ready to train the animal to reach great heights while still being able to enjoy swimming, canoeing and more. The cost is $175 for the Canine Camp. Scholarships are also available for the camps. For more information about being a 4-H member or the camps, contact Linda Shelton at the Dent County Extension Center at 729-3196 or e-mail her at sheltonl@missouri.edu.

The Dent County Sheriff’s Department has released some reports. On Monday, April 16th, deputies responded to the 8 UP Ink on South Missouri Street in Salem for a burglary. It was reported that tattoo machine power units and tattoo ink were stolen from inside the business. This report is still under investigation. On Wednesday, April 18th, deputies responded to a residence on Highway 68 for a report of an intoxicated individual entering a house and attempting to assault a resident. A 68-year old Salem man was arrested for burglary and assault. He was taken to the Dent County Jail. That same day, deputies traveled to Dent County Road 6680 for an investigation of a sex offender living at an unregistered address. After the investigation, a 62-year old Salem man was arrested for failure to register as a sex offender. He was taken to the Dent County Jail and incarcerated. On Thursday, April 19th, deputies responded to a residence on Route YY for a report of a burglary. It was found that someone had stolen a pitchfork, shovel, and air compressor. This report is still under investigation. That same day, deputies traveled to a residence on Private Lane 413 to attempt to arrest a 39-year old Salem man with a warrant. He was located and taken into custody. Deputies also found a metal smoking device with burnt marijuana residue in it. He was taken to the Dent County Jail and incarcerated. On April 21st, deputies responded to a residence on Dent County Road 5260 for a report of a burglary. This report is still under investigation. If anyone has information about an ongoing investigation, please call the Dent County Sheriff’s Department at 729-3241.

Healthy Dent County will be hosting a Color Run on Friday, May 11th at the Tiger Trail at the Salem Upper Elementary School starting at 6:00 with registration beginning at 5:00. The pre-registration fee is $12.00 for students up to 18 years of age with adults over 18 being $15.00. This fee includes the registration, color Run T-Shirt as well as sunglasses. You can pre-register through Friday, April 27th at the salem Community Center@The Armory. You can also register the day of the Color Run for the same fee, but you will not receive the T-shirt or sunglasses. The money raised by the Color Run will be donated to the Dent County Love Pack Backpack program. For more information, contact Melissa Dubois at the Salem Community Center@The Armory at 729-8163.

The American Legion Walker-Roney Post #99 and VFW Hall on Highway 32 West will be holding their Veteran’s Affair Day this Friday, April 27th from 10:00 in the morning until 2:00 in the afternoon with donuts provided just after 9:00 in the morning by the “donut dollies” sponsored by the Dent County Service Unit of the Salvation Army. This special outreach is being held in an effort to help veterans of rural Missouri in the 16th District get answers to their VA related questions close to home. The district includes those veterans from Crawford, Dent, Howell, Laclede, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski, Shannon, Texas and Wright counties. Representatives from the VA will be in attendance to assist in enrollment and specialists will help with processing claims. There will be representatives from organizations that provide aid to homeless veterans and those who need help with living expenses. Staff members from Senator McCaskill and Blunt’s offices will be in there as well as a staffer from Representative Jason Smith’s office. A light lunch will be provided around noon for those in attendance. Chaplain Richard LaBrash said the Veteran’s Administration has changed their position on Care Giver status in caring for veterans. He said this would benefit some spouses or family members that currently give care to veterans at home as long as they meet the three requirements. To see if you meet these qualifications for these benefits, or if you have any questions about other veteran’s benefits or new requirements, make plans to attend the Veteran’s Affair Day in Salem on Highway 32 West. This is open to all those who served in the military branches and those who served with the National Guard as well. For more information or to be scheduled, call (573) 729-1394 or (573) 729-3710.

The Salem Police have released a number of reports. On Thursday, April 12th at approximately 4:39 in the evening, an officer transported a 28-year old female of Salem from Missouri Private Probation Services on Fourth Street to Dent County Jail where she was incarcerated on an active arrest warrant from the State of Missouri. On Friday, April 13th at about 1:32 in the afternoon, an officer was dispatched to a child abuse hotline call at a residence in the 1500 block of South Macarthur. The investigation of the call led to the arrest of a 63-year old male of Salem for the possession of marijuana. The suspect was released pending the issuance of a criminal summons to appear in court. Later that evening near 10:25, an officer was dispatched to a residence in the 1300 block of Iron Mountain Road in reference to a domestic disturbance. That investigation led to the arrest of a 33-year old male of Salem for fourth degree domestic assault. The suspect was incarcerated on a 12-hour hold and issued a summons to appear in court. On Saturday, April 14th at about 4:45 in the afternoon, an officer was sent to a residence in the 300 block of West Ninth in reference to a domestic disturbance. The investigation of the report led to the arrest of a 22-year old female of Salem on an active arrest warrant from Dent County and the possession of a controlled substance. Also arrested was a 27-year old male of Salem for the possession of a controlled substance. Both suspects were incarcerated pending the application for warrants. On Tuesday, April 17th at approximately 8:37 in the evening, an officer was detailed to a residence in the 1000 block of East Center in reference to a disturbance. The investigation of the report revealed a 26-year old female of Salem had assaulted a 22-year old female of Salem. Further investigation led to the arrest of the suspect who was issued a summons to appear in court and released. Please contact the Salem Police Department at 729-4242 if you have any information regarding an investigation.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol is encouraging qualified individuals of all backgrounds to apply for its 106th Recruit Class. They will offer testing at eight different locations in Missouri. Those who successfully complete testing will be eligible to continue in the selection process for the 106th Recruit Class, scheduled to begin training on July 2, 2018. To be eligible candidates must possess a minimum of 30 college credits, or two years of federal active duty military service with an honorable discharge, or two years of full-time POST certified experience as a law enforcement officer with arrest authority, at the time recruit training begins. The starting salary for trooper is $3,430 per month while in training; $3,516 per month after six months; and $3,736 per month at two years of service. Other benefits include group health insurance, contributory retirement, career advancement, and more. Interested persons can find out more about the qualifications by contacting a Patrol recruiter at telephone number 1-800-796-7000, or may apply online at www.motrooper.com.