Archive for 2023

The Dent County Sheriff’s Office released these reports for the last week of November. On Wednesday November 22nd deputies responded to the 500 block of County Road 5070 for a disturbance call. During the course of the investigation, a 29-year-old Salem man was found to have an active arrest warrant. The man was taken into custody and transported to the Dent County Jail where he was incarcerated on the warrant. Then on Sunday November 26th a deputy responded to the 3700 block of Highway F for reported property damage. The victim, a 38-year-old Salem woman, advised that an unknown suspect(s) had damaged her mailbox during the overnight hours. The investigation is ongoing. The next day Monday November 27th a deputy took a stealing report. According to the victim, an 80-year-old Salem man, numerous checks were stolen and written to unauthorized subjects. The suspect information was developed and the investigation is ongoing. Then on Tuesday November 28th a deputy conducted a traffic stop for an equipment violation. During the course of the stop, consent to search was given and the passenger was found to be in possession of Methamphetamine. The suspect, a 58-year-old Lonedell woman was taken into custody and transported to the Dent County Jail where she was placed on a 24 Hour Hold. If anyone has any information regarding an on-going incident, please call the Dent County Sheriff’s Department at 729-3241.

Grace Harbor invites you to have breakfast with Santa and Mrs. Claus this Saturday from 9:00 until noon. Admission includes breakfast, a photo with Santa and Mrs. Claus, story time, singing of Christmas songs, and face painting with breakfast being servied until 11:00. The event will be held at the Salem United Methodist Church at 901 East Scenic Rivers Blvd. All proceeds raised will go to the Grace Harbor Homeless Shelter. Admission is $15.00 if purchased by December 8th or $20.00 per person at the door. Tickets may be purchased at Town and County Bank, The Bank of Salem, Riverways Credit Union, Progressive Ozark Bank, Vandivort Drug, and the Salem United Methodist Church or by calling Kathy, Linda, or Jan at 573-453-2000.

Dent County Prosecutor Andrew Curley has released a number of reports from cases heard in the 42nd Judicial Circuit Court Thursday in Dent County in front of Presiding Circuit Judge Michael Randazzo. In the first case heard, James Cole of Salem was on probation for failing to register as a sex offender when he was found in his vehicle at the local park parking lot while dropping off his son. The law prohibits offenders from loitering within 500 feet of a public park with a playground. Cole sought to continue his probation while Curley sought up to 120 days in the Department of Corrections. Judge Randazzo sentenced the defendant to four years in the Department of Corrections under the RSMO Section 559.115 program. In the next case, Alexandria Blackwell of Salem was on probation for the possession of drug paraphernalia. Judge Randazzo revoked her probation and sentenced her to serve 22 days in the Dent County Jail. In the next case of the day, Joseph Pridemore from Alma, Georgia, pleaded guilty to deviate sexual intercourse with a child under the age of 14. The victim testified at the sentencing. Pridemore was sentenced to 18 years in the Department of Corrections as requested by Prosecutor Curley.

The Dent County University Extension is still looking for candidates who want to want to make a difference in their community through the University of Missouri Extension Council of volunteers that make Dent County a better place to live through Extension programs. Applications to be a candidate are still available by calling 573-729-3196, or by going online at extension.missouri.edu/dent. You can also request an application by sending an e-mail to dentco@missouri.edu. Representatives will be elected in a non-partisan election from January 8th through the 12th. Candidates must be at least 18-years-old and reside in the county they want to serve. Individuals interested in serving on the council may contact Ray Walden, County Development Specialist, at the Dent County Extension office at 729-3196 or find it on the web at extension.missouri.edu/dent.

It’s the holiday season and that means baking and candy making this Saturday or Sunday at the Current River State Park where they will be Baking Wild! All of us have had to run out to the store for those last-minute items, but have you thought about going out into the woods to collect your own nuts and berries for holiday baking? Learn how to bake using foraged items. This program starts at 10:00 in the morning at the Shannondale Fire Tower. Space is limited and registration is required. Contact Connie Weber at connie.weber@dnr.mo.gov or by phone at 573-751-1224 and let her know which day you prefer. Participants should plan to bring a lunch. Current River State Park is located at 11053 County Road 19D in Salem.

The Salem Memorial Hospital Board of Directors has called for a special board meeting to discuss personnel and the preliminary audit report. The meeting will be Friday at 5:00 at the hospital library. Those who want to attend by phone or other electronic means should contact the SMH office at 729-6626, ext 4005 to obtain access information. The meeting is open to the public.

According to a press release from Dent County Prosecutor Andrew Curley, Jacob Likes of Salem, who was arrested and charged in connection with a standoff involving law enforcement after his spouse reported an incident of domestic violence that had occurred the evening of July 20th, 2022, was sentenced on November 30th by Judge Michael Randazzo to serve four years in the Department of Corrections, while retaining jurisdiction pursuant to RSMO Section 559.115, giving Likes a possibility of release to probation after he is remanded to the custody of Missouri Department of Corrections for 120 days. Likes pleaded guilty to the charges on June 22, 2023. At the sentencing hearing, Prosecutor Curley presented surveillance camera footage and body camera footage of the initial report made by his spouse to the Salem Police Department, along with footage of the incident that resulted in the non-fatal shooting of Likes in the neck by local law enforcement. Prosecutor Curley recommended a sentence of eight years in the Missouri Department of Corrections due to the nature and circumstances of the incident, along with the defendant’s criminal history. The counsel for the defendant sought probation due to the reformative actions taken by Jacob Likes since his release on bond. Judge Randazzo took all the information into consideration by both attorneys in presenting his four-year sentence. Curley said the injury suffered by Likes could have been avoided if Likes had disarmed himself when told multiple times to do so by local law enforcement. Instead of complying, he brandished a loaded 9-millimeter pistol towards law enforcement and stated loudly that he had “another bullet for one of you guys.” Curley appreciate the efforts of the members of the Salem Police Department, Dent County Sheriff’s Office, Missouri Highway Patrol and Emergency Medical Responders. These heroes regularly place themselves in harm’s way for our protection. In this case, the same officers that were threatened by Likes provided him with aid immediately following the incident. This conviction will prohibit Jacob Likes from possessing firearms in the future.

The Salem Police Department has released some reports for the week of November 18th to November 25th from the 148 calls for service they received. On Saturday morning, November 18th, near 1:00, officers conducted a traffic stop at the intersection of Highway 32 and MacArthur for lane violations. Contact was made with the driver and after a short investigation, the officer noticed the driver was intoxicated. As a result of the stop, a 38-year-old Salem male was arrested and later released on summons for excessive blood alcohol content. That Saturday afternoon around 5:00, officers conducted a traffic stop for a vehicle with no license plates near Highway 19 and Iron Street. It was found the driver had a revoked driver’s license. As a result, a 51-year-old Salem male was arrested and later released on summons for Driving while having his license revoked. On Thursday afternoon, November 23rd, at about 2:00, officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle at Highway 19 and Franklin Street for suspected impaired driving after a concerned citizen contacted the Salem Police Department. During the investigation, it was apparent the driver was impaired. As a result of the investigation, a 56-year-old Salem female was arrested and later released on summons for driving while drugged in the city. Please contact the Salem Police Department at 729-4242 if you have any information regarding any ongoing investigation.

The Salem Creative Arts Center will host a class on Wheat Weaving a Christmas Angel Ornament with Suzanne Douglass this Thursday evening from 6:00 to 8:00. Come join in celebrating the Christmas season by creating a beautiful old-fashioned, traditional angel out of wheat straw to be hung on your tree, or anywhere in your home, as a symbol of Christmas. This class is for anyone age 10 and older. The cost of the class is $25 which includes all supplies needed. At least one person must sign up for the class to be held and the class will max out with 5 people. Class registrations are first come, first serve basis with online registrations. Interested persons can sign up under “Programs” at salemcommunitybetterment.com.

On Thursday, December 7th at the Ozark Natural and Cultural Resource Center at the “Trees and Trains” exhibit called “A Snowy Tree Lot,” the Salem High School Chamber Singers will be performing at 6:30 a number of beautiful traditional Christmas carols. There is no charge to attend.

The Dent County Commissioners met Monday morning at the Dent County Courthouse. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray said materials would be added and grading done on Dent County Road 2400 while only grading would be done on county roads 5170 and 5500. Mobray indicated brush would be cut on county roads 2440 and 2450 while a crew will also remove a trash pile on county road 2470 left in the middle of the road. District 2 Commissioner Gary Polk stated rock would be added and grading done on Dent County Road 3070, while only grading would be done on county road 3050 and 3060. Polk also said brush would be cut on county roads 3120 and 3180. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson said he felt the parade went quite well Saturday evening even though it rained through the second half of it. Larson participated in the parade driving a classic car. He did want to say he and the commission apologize to the community for not having all the courthouse lights done in time for the Christmas parade. It was supposed to be done, but the contractor did not fulfill their promise they made when they were awarded the contract. He said he would be attending the Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management business meeting Tuesday and their annual awards banquet. Prior to that on Tuesday, Commissioner Larson and Sheriff Bob Wells will be in Carter County at Van Buren to find out more information about moving forward with a grant to provide NG9-1-1 services in under served areas in Missouri presented by Mission Critical. Larson also reported that Thursday morning at 10:00 at the Dent County Fire Station, the commission will meet with Brent Headricks to discuss employing a new Emergency Management Director for Dent County. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley wanted to remind all persons wanting to run in the 2024 Municipal Election, you must sign up at the office of the entity for which you want to serve. You may want to check with the entity for any specific requirements you may need to meet before signing up. The last day to sign up will be December 26th. The next meeting of the commissioners will be Thursday morning at the Dent County Courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

The Creative Arts Center will be offering a three week Stained Glass Snowflake Bevel class with Jennifer Curry today, and on December 12th and 19th. Two seperate classes will be held. You can attend the class from 1:00 until 4:00 in the afternoon, or the class from 4:30 until 7:30 in the evening. This class will allow you to create a soldered foiled glass snowflake using both glass bevels and stained glass found here at the Creative Arts Center. When finished you can hang this in your window and enjoy watching the real snow fall outside from the warmth of the indoors. The bevels this year will be somewhat smaller than those used last year so as to allow for more use of the beauty of colors found in stained glass. At least two people must sign up for the class and it will be limited to five people per session. Walk-ins welcome up until the end of the first session. The cost is $150 for 3 weeks All supplies and safety equipment are included. Class registrations are first come, first serve basis with online registrations. Interested persons can sign up under “Programs” at the salemcommunitybetterment.com website for activities at the Creative Arts Center.

Missouri’s late youth portion of the 2023 firearms deer hunting season, November 24th-26th. Of the 3,574 deer harvested, 1,697 were antlered bucks, 361 were button bucks, and 1,516 were does. Top counties for the late youth portion were Texas with 77 deer harvested, Pike with 62, and Callaway and Morgan, each with 61. In our area, Crawford County youth harvested 33 deer, Dent County youth took 46, the Phelps County count was 39, while Reynolds County young hunters took 47 deer and Shannon County’s total deer harvested was 31. For more information on this season’s harvest totals, visit the MDC website.

An accident happened just after 1:00 Monday morning in Phelps County on Highway 8 about four miles south of St. James. According to the highway patrol report, a 2005 Ford Focus being driven south by 29-year-old Mark Howes of St. Louis, was traveling too fast for the conditions. The vehicle went off the left side of the roadway and overturned, ejecting the driver. Howes, who was wearing a safety restraint, suffered serious injuries and was taken by Phelps Health ambulance to Phelps Health hospital for treatment. The Ford was totaled and removed from the scene by Spurgeon’s Towing.