Archive for 2023

A Franklin County man has been accused of a federal criminal sex act with a minor. According to a report from the office of the United State Attorney for the Eastern District Court of Missouri, 46-year-old Scott M. Arnold-Micke was indicted March 22nd on one count of the transportation of a minor to engage in a criminal sex act. Arnold-Micke appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Friday after his arrest, and pleaded not guilty. The indictment alleges that from approximately the spring of 2018 through the fall of 2020, Arnold-Micke transported a child who was as young as 11 with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. The charge carries a potential penalty of 10 years to life in prison and a $250,000 fine. He is scheduled to be back in court Wednesday for a detention hearing. A motion has been filed seeking to have Arnold-Micke held in jail until trial. The motion accuses him of continuously sexually assaulting at least six other minors indicating Arnold-Micke traveled into seven states with minors to engage in sexual intercourse. An alleged victim listed in the indictment sought medical treatment after Arnold-Micke allegedly knocked teeth out of the minor’s mouth for refusing to engage in sexual intercourse as stated in the motion. Any other potential victims are asked to contact the FBI in St. Louis at 314-589-2500 or call the Rolla Police Department at 573-308-1213 and ask for a detective. The case was investigated by the FBI, the Rolla Police Department, and the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Collins is prosecuting the case. The charges set forth in an indictment are mere accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt.

This past weekend, High School Juniors from across their service territory gathered at Intercounty Electric Cooperative Association’s headquarters office in Licking for their final judging in the annual Youth Tour contest. On Saturday they each interviewed for the top prize, a free trip to Washington, D.C. this summer. The two runners up from each school were awarded a free trip to Jefferson City this summer. The first place winners from each school in our area included Alyssa McBee from Salem, Finley Sullins from Licking, Hossein Libre from Rolla, and Pagie French from St. James. Student who cam in second and third place from area schools included Makiya Mullins and Jamal Metcaff from Salem, Ryleigh Barton and Emalee Breeden from Licking, Adam Aldefer and Ashlyn Henson from Rolla, and Dionna Lynch and Erica Kinkead from St. James. Congratulations to all these students who were chosen as the top three essays at their school, plus Intercounty Electric wanted to thank all the students that wrote and submitted an essay in the contest.

During the week of March 4th to March 10th, there was a total of 150 calls to the Salem Police Department for service. Officers conducted 15 traffic stops for various traffic violations with two resulting in a summons or arrest. Officers conducted two traffic accident investigations along with six informational reports. Of the calls for service and traffic stops, the following reports were generated. On Saturday evening around 6:45, March 4th, an officer was dispatched to the 100 block of East Fourth Street for a theft report. It was reported that a stand-up propane heater valued at $350 had been stolen. This incident is still under investigation. Then just after 1:00 early Sunday morning, an officer conducted a traffic stop at Highway 19 and Franklin Street. As a result of the stop it was found the driver was driving with a revoked driver’s license. During the investigation, the passenger in the vehicle gave false information in an attempt to elude arrest due to an active warrant. As a result of the investigation 25-year-old Stephanie Denney of Salem, was arrested on her active warrant and incarcerated at the Dent County Jail. The driver was issued summons for driving while having their license revoked. On Tuesday, March 7th, around 12:00, an officer was dispatched to Country Mart for a report of shoplifting. It was reported that a female had pushed a cart out of the store without paying for the items. It was reported that the female abandoned the property after placing the items in an acquaintances car. The items were returned to the store. Contact will be made with the female regarding this incident. Please contact the Salem Police Department at (573) 729-4242 if you have any information regarding any ongoing investigation.

The City of Salem will be holding its second Town Hall to share information and answer questions concerning the proposed additional sales tax and the sewer bond issue on Thursday evening at the Old City Hall Auditorium at 202 North Washington from 6:30 until 8:00. There will be presentations and information available from city staff and aldermen. Light refreshments will be provided. The additional sales tax and sewer bond issue will be on the April 4th election ballot for the public to cast their vote. Residents are encouraged to come out and learn why these projects are occurring and the impact they will have on our community. For more information, contact Sally Burbridge, City Administrator at 729-2428.

National Nutrition Month is the perfect time for older adults to educate themselves and consider the impact certain food choices have on their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. The Salem Senior Center can help with education on nutrition and how to live a healthy lifestyle. Today at noon, the Dent County Health Department will present “new age, new nutrition.” Then on Thursday at noon, there will be a presentation on what happens when aging steals your sense of taste. These presentations are a great way to learn more about health and nutrition while enjoying good food, visiting with friends, and having fun. For more information, contact Jody Schaefer, 573-729-2373.

The Dent County Commissioners met Monday morning at the courthouse. To start the meeting, Dent County Clerk Angie Curley appointed District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson as the acting presiding commissioner. In the road reports for both districts, work crews were out Saturday and Sunday repairing roads and washouts, hauling and stockpiling rock. Both commissioners say they have not gotten to all the roads yet so please be patient as there was a lot of water damage to the roads. District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray did report the Cooley Bridge is now complete and Dent County Road 5610 is now back open to traffic. Clerk Curley said her office balanced with the county treasurer and collector on all accounts for February including collections, abatements and add-ons. She said her office would be testing the voting equipment this Friday morning at 9:00 at her office and that is open to the public. She said “no-excuse” voting continues through April 3rd and on election date, polling locations will be open from 6:00 in the morning until 7:00 at night. This will NOT include Green Forest R-2 and Dent-Phelps R-3 as they are not having local board elections. Curley said sample ballots are available at her office, and if anyone needs to change their voter registration information or has a change of address, now is the time to make those changes in her office. She reported on the MAGIC insurance consortium board meeting she attended last Wednesday and said it was very informative. Curley said other counties are looking into joining the consortium. She stated she was elected secretary of their board. Curley asked the commissioners if they would like to bid out the financial audit for the county in 2024 that would cover the years 2022 and 2023 since auditing firms are getting backed up. The commissioners were good with doing that and bids will be due on April 24th at 10:00 in the clerk’s office. Curley said she, Collector Shannon VanKirk and Assessor Jamie Homeyer made a presentation to the Salem Chamber of Commerce luncheon last week. Larson said the county needed to get bids on diesel fuel and gasoline immediately as they are running out of fuel, and they also need to put out for bids on culverts. They will be due on April 13th at 10:00 in the clerks office. Larson reported on the Tourism Tax Committee meeting he attended last Tuesday where they heard two requests of which one was approved and the other was tabled. They also approved one reimbursement. Larson said they are one person short on the committee and they will need to appoint a new person in the near future. Larson went to say the committee discussed moving the drop off location for applications for funding from the county clerk’s office to the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce office as that is where the meetings are held. Their application form will need to be changed before that goes into effect. Larson said the county received a change order request from Corky Stack for work on the courthouse for an additional $13,000. The change order stated the need to add an additional 300 sheets of plywood to the original order for just under $8,000 and pay for the repair costs for the work on the Christmas lights for the past year on the courthouse. This was approved by the commission. The commission also had to sign and the clerk had to attest to the “Notice to Proceed” for P.J. Meyers to move forward with the sewer grinder installation known as the “muffin monster” at the Dent County Jail. This was done and a copy was scanned and sent to Corky Stack to move forward with the project. The next meeting of the commission will be Thursday morning at 9:00 and the meeting is open to the public.

The City of Salem Board of Alderman will meet tonight at 6:00 at the City Hall Council Chambers at 202 North Washington. After the call to order, roll call, agenda approval and consent agenda the board will hear financial updates, the purchase of Nexgrid Lora Modules, and a review of the city audit with Kristen Deluca. In the reading of bills and resolutions, the board will discuss Bill No. 3537, an ordinance authorizing the mayor to sign and execute Task Order No. 15 pertaining to an agreement between the City of Salem and C.M. Archer Group P.C. dated February 3, 2020, for engineering services related to the Wastewater Treatment Facility improvements-Phase 2; as well as Bill No. 3538, which would create an ordinance authorizing the mayor to sign and execute Task Order No. 16 pertaining to an agreement between the City of Salem and C.M. Archer Group P.C. dated February 3, 2020, for engineering services related to the new well and elevated storage tank. Reports from city officials will then be heard by the board including City Administrator Sally Burbridge, Mayor Greg Parker, Public Works Director Mark Nash, and each individual Alderman. Following the reports the board will go into closed session to address personnel issues. Except for the closed session the meeting of the City of Salem Board of Aldermen is open to the public.

The Dent County Historical Society will present Dr. Eric “Rick” Mansfield as Governor Herbert S. Hadley at the James & Gahr Fellowship Hall in Downtown Salem this Saturday beginning at 10:00. Guests will be free to be amused, inspired, and perhaps come away a bit wiser all before noon. Mansfield as the ex-governor will reflect upon the newly created state parks from the late 1920s, the 1909 historic banquet in Salem along with the two-day float on the Upper Current River and the creation of a commission to “select some of the natural wonders and beauties of the state” for possible state parks. At the conclusion of the roughly thirty-minute presentation, Rick will take questions both in and out of character. These sometimes become more like “round-table” discussions. Rick is always glad to gather new information and insights during such exchanges. Rick is a retired educator who runs the non-profit Ozark Heritage Project. The OHP hosts several river clean-ups annually. He is also an author and his books about the Current River will be displayed at this Current River Scoping Meeting. For more information, Deloris Gray Wood at 573-729-2545 about the meeting.