Archive for 2026

An accident occurred in Dent County Saturday morning at 8:00 on B Highway two miles west of Highway 72. According to the Highway Patrol report a 2016 Jeep Cherokee, driven by a 35-year-old Salem female, traveled off the left side of the roadway and struck a tree. The female suffered minor injuries and was transported by Salem Ambulance to Salem Memorial Hospital. The report stated that the woman was not wearing a safety restraint. The Jeep was totaled and removed from the scene by Whitaker’s Towing.

The Dent County Fire Protection District Board of Directors met Tuesday, January 13th at the firehouse for their regular monthly meeting. In the absence of the president of the board due to a funeral, a motion was made and seconded to have a Jeff Stokes act as chairman pro tem to chair the meeting. After the financial reports were reviewed, the bills, payments and statements were also reviewed and the board approved them all. The board discussed with Joe Weber the junior firefighter policy. A motion made to move forward but the motion died to a lack of a second. The board went on to discuss the CTI tower lease. A committee was formed to explore the possibilities of finding alternative ways to acquire radio tower communications. In new business, the board discussed the “Firefighter 1&2 Fire in Texas” training program and the board approved two firefighters to attend the training at a total cost of $8,000. The chief asked for four people to go to winter fire school with a limit of $2,500.00 for the firefighting instruction. The board discussed a spending limit for the chief, but that was tabled until the next meeting. The board then heard and approved the quotes from Outlaw Fabrication of Salem for handrails and stairs for safety reasons for $8,000; vent props for roof venting training for $23,878.00; and $20,000 for gear racks. In the monthly reimbursement report, Chief Thomas reported there were a total of 15 calls for the month and the year. There were eight fire calls comprised of three grass fires, three structural fires, one room and contents fire and another outside fire. The fire department responded to two motor vehicle collisions with one having injuries, a possible hazmat investigation, a medical call, a citizen assist call, a special incident call and a call that was dispatched and canceled en route. The chief informed the board the 100-Acre Wood Rally will be March 13th and 14th, and the chief will be sending two people to instructor training which is a free course. In closed session, the board voted to accept Blake Hargis as a new probationary firefighter for the district. The next board meeting was then set for February 10th at 6:00 PM AT Dent County Fire Protection District firehouse.

A 34-year-old man from Crawford County, last Wednesday, admitted grooming and engaging in illegal sexual contact with a minor. Nathaniel Rod Gibson pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of travel with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct and one count of coercion and enticement of a minor. He admitted giving the victim a phone and grooming her via more than 18,996 text messages from March 10th, 2023, to September 6th, 2023. Gibson told the victim to delete the flirtatious and inappropriate messages so that her mother would not find them. In June of 2023, Gibson drove the victim from Missouri to a campground in Arkansas, where he engaged in an illegal sex act with her. He also did so at his home in Crawford County. Gibson is scheduled to be sentenced on April 15th. The travel with the intent charge carries a penalty of up to 30 years in prison. The coercion and enticement of a minor carries a maximum penalty of 20 years. The Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, the Diamond City (Arkansas) Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case. 

Salem Memorial Hospital Foundation’s Dancing with the Salem Stars is coming up Saturday, January 24th with showtime at 7:00 at the Salem High School Gym. Dancers have been announced and the couples are Shannon Wright and Bella Mutz, Tom and Sally Haines, Seth Maples and Rosalie Wright, Carlos Lopez and April Greener, Ryan McCoy and Lane McCoy Schafer, Luke and Hannah Heithold, Bub Partin and Lisa Godi, and Jessica and Marcelo Ricks. Information and cost of sponsor tables, table seats, and bleacher seats can be obtained by contacting Hannah Harris at 573-729-6626 extension 3410 or Jaimie Jones at 573-247-0420. Information is also available by contacting Hannah at hharris@smdh.net or Jaimie at foreverdance@live.com.

Congratulations to Salem R80 Middle School band students that placed in the SCA Honor Band! There was a great turnout of auditioning students this year, and we are so proud of everyone that auditioned on Tuesday! Wesley Bieker- 10th Chair Flute, Macie Graham- 16th Chair Clarinet, Gabriel Miller- 10th Chair Clarinet, and Bellah Wilber- 3rd Chair Tuba. These students will be performing at Ava’s Performing Arts Center on Saturday February 7th!

The Salem R-80 Board of Education held its regular meeting Thursday evening in the administration building. Following the call to order and the Pledge of Allegiance, the board approved an amended agenda, which included the addition of an item under communications, as well as the consent agenda. Board President Dru Howard then read a letter formally recognizing Superintendent Dr. Nathan Wills for earning a national certification for excellence in school finance and operations. Due to a miscommunication between the superintendent and the Salem High School principal, no student recognitions were presented; however, both noted they would be prepared for next month’s meeting. In his report, Dr. Wills provided updates on the district’s CSIP goals, roof repairs, faculty and student surveys, upgrades to the baseball dugouts, and the district leadership meeting. Following reports from the administrative team, the board moved on to new business. The board approved a conflict-of-interest ordinance and authorized the opening of a new checking account for electronic food service transactions. This account will allow the district to accept debit and credit card payments for student lunch balances. Following the first reading of MSBA policy updates, the meeting adjourned into executive session, during which personnel and student matters were discussed. Mackenzie Stoner was approved for hire as middle school physical education teacher, high school head volleyball coach, and middle school head volleyball coach, contingent upon satisfactory background verification. Two volleyball-related resignations were also approved. Hannah Terrill resigned as freshman volleyball coach, and Alaina Santhuff resigned as assistant high school volleyball coach. In student-related business, a unanimous vote was taken to deny unqualified student attendance appeals. Action was also taken on administrative contracts, with approval of an extension of  Assistant Superintendent Dan Copeland’s contract through June 30, 2028, and Superintendent Dr. Nathan Wills’s contract through June 30, 2029.  The meeting then re-entered the open session before adjourning. The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Salem R-80 Board of Education will be held February 19th in the administration building and is open to the public. 

On Thursday, January 8th, U.S. District Judge Zachary M. Bluestone sentenced 45-year-old Brian K. Ditch of Salem to 156 months in prison for neglecting his uncle, a U.S. Army veteran with quadriplegia, for years and concealing his corpse to fraudulently obtain $1.8 million in his uncle’s disability benefits. Ditch became solely responsible for his uncle’s care in 2008. At some point, instead of properly caring for his uncle, Ditch kept him locked away and subjected him to insufficient care and verbal abuse. Ditch fraudulently gained access to his uncle’s financial accounts and regularly wired himself money. After his uncle’s death around 2019, Ditch concealed his death from relatives, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Social Security Administration so that he could continue to steal his uncle’s money. Ditch hid the body in a shed behind his house, telling relatives that he had moved his uncle into a nursing home and police that his uncle was living with someone else. Since 2008, the VA’s Disability Compensation program deposited approximately $1.6 million into the victim’s account. Ditch’s uncle also received a total of $235,210 in benefits from the Social Security Administration. Ditch used the money for personal purchases, including exotic reptiles and firearms. As a convicted felon, Ditch is barred from possessing firearms. On January 8th, Judge Bluestone ordered Ditch to repay the money. Ditch pleaded guilty in October to four felony counts of wire fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The Salem Police Department, the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman prosecuted the case. 

The Dent County Commission met Thursday morning at the courthouse. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Keith Green said a pipe would be installed on Dent County Road 4122, while other crews are stockpiling rock and getting the chips for the chip and seal road work this year. Green went on to say other pipes on various county roads were going to be checked to see if they need to be unclogged or replaced. District 2 Commissioner Jimmy Williams reported rock would be added and grading done on Dent County Road 3330 while only grading would be done on county road 4410. Williams stated brush would be cut on county road 2590 and maintenance work is being done on a hydraulic pump on a county dump truck. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson stated he attended Industrial Development Authority meeting Wednesday where they went over financials, discussed payments from the IDA to the city for economic development, and also heard from Economic Development Director Carrie Sutterfield who discussed the new Spring Creek Ridge housing development project. The project will begin being constructed in November at a cost of over 13 million dollars. Larson also reported the courthouse would be closed Monday for the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday observation. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley stated the tentative preliminary budget is available to the public at the clerk’s office, or anyone interested can call them at 573-729-4144 and have the budget e-mailed to you. She again reiterated that all political subdivisions need to get their election or non-election certification submitted to her office by 5:00 on January 27th. Curley went on to say that she would be attending a Missouri Association of Counties board meeting on Thursday, January 22nd. Dent County Collector Shannon VanKirk said the county collected over $7,034,000 in taxes in December. She said $6,732,251.73 of the personal property and real estate taxes collected will be distributed to the political subdivisions while surtax that was collected in December will be held back for distribution in February. VanKirk also reported a total of $204,336.03 was collected for the railroad and utility taxes that will be distributed while the surtax amount of $28,732.76 will be held for distribution until February. At the last meeting, the county Road and Bridge Department sold a 2006 Ford 450 truck on Purple Wave for $18,500, and those funds were deposited in the Road and Bridge Fund. The county received a quote from Thomas Excavating on relocating furniture, building a stub wall and creating two workspace for $11,500 in the county assessor’s office due her office losing space for the building of a handicapped accessible bathroom on the east side of the courthouse first floor. The commission also approved to seek bids for chip and seal work. Those bids must be turned in to the county clerk’s office by 10:00 in the morning on February 19th at 400 North Main Street in Salem. If anyone has questions about the bid, they should call the commissioner’s office at 573-729-3044 between 9:00 in the morning and noon on Mondays and Thursdays. The commission will have the right to accept or reject all bids. The next meeting of the Dent County Commissioners will be Thursday morning at the courthouse at 9:00 and the meeting is open to the public.