Local News

The Dent County Commissioners met for their regular meeting Monday morning. Mary Beth Cook was in to ask for a letter of support from the commissioners for the Salem R-80 High School construction trades program for the Missouri Workforce Training Initiative application and Community Development Block Grant application. The commissioners approved the request. In the road report, both commissioners reported they had crews out Friday removing downed trees and limbs from roads from the storm that morning. Doss Road was closed entirely by a downed tree that was removed and two pickup loads of limbs were removed from the courthouse square. District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell said grading would be done on Dent County Roads 5525, 6250, 6255, 6380 and 6410. He also said brush would be cut on county roads 5015, 5150 and 5160. Purcell went on to say he would attend a South Central Community Action Agency meeting tonight in Winona. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson indicated that grading would be done on Dent County Roads 3330, 3360 and 3370 while materials would be added and grading done on county road 2050. Larson also said brush would be cut on county roads 2240 and 2370 and a man would be going to Springfield for more oil for chip and seal road repairs. Chip and seal road overlays are to begin next Monday. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles stated he attended Senator Roy Blunts’ Ag Conference at Sedalia last Thursday and the group heard from Blunt and Representatives Smith and Long. A lot of the discussion was on the Missouri River basin and the flooding there. There was also a discussion on rural broadband coverage and the Feral Hog issue. Skiles said he would be attending a State Emergency Management Agency meeting on Wednesday. Willis Stagner was in and said his son, Randall Stagner, is buying property around the Stagner Cemetery, which he would like to donate to the County as part of the Cemetery for parking. The Commission will contact their attorney for his input and get back to Mr. Stagner. The Commission voted to buy a new brush cutter per State bid. The John Deere 6110M Cab tractor cost is $81,160.60 and the 2019 Tiger BB22 Boom Mower cost is $58,810.60. The Commission will be seeking financing bids. The Commission will also be seeking bids for a new phone system for the Sheriff’s Department as no bids were previously received. Information and bid specs can be obtained by calling the Sheriff’s Department at 573-729-3241. Bids are due to County Clerk Curley’s office by 10:00 in the morning on Monday, September 9th. The Commission had a conference call with Katelyn Kurley of Standard & Poor’s Global regarding the bond ratings for the jail project. Everything looks strong and stable for the future. The next meeting of the commission will be Thursday morning at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

The Salem R-80 Board of Education met Thursday at the district administrative board room. A public tax hearing was held prior to the meeting. Superintendent John McColloch explained the tax rates proposed by the Salem R-80 School District, a political subdivision. He recommended a continuation of the state’s $2.75 minimum operating levy and a $0.45 debt service levy for a total tax rate of $3.20 for the district. The public hearing was then adjourned. In the regular meeting, Assistant Superintendent John Smith reported that 10 new teachers attended the New Tiger Training led by Kristen Stites and Christy Leathers. He also reported on the professional development days held for the staff on August 12th through the 14th. Enrollment numbers were provided by all the principals and William Lynch Elementary has an enrollment of 279 students while the Upper Elementary has an enrollment of 340 students to begin school. At the Middle School, a total of 246 are enrolled while at the Salem High School, there are 582 students enrolled. The board approved the 2018-2019 Annual Secretary of the Board Report, approved the 2019 tax rate established in the public hearing of $3.20 per $100 assessed valuation, approved the Dent County Development Preschool Lease in the amount of $12,600, and they approved the Transportation Agreement with First Student. After going in to closed session to discuss a personnel issue, the R-80 board adjourned.

The Salem Memorial District Hospital Board of Directors will be meeting tonight for a public tax hearing at 5:45 in the hospital library followed by the regular meeting at 6:00. The board will then hear a department director presentation before getting the summary of operations for the month of July from Monica Stogsdill. Debbie Hines will present the CNO report followed by a report on the hospital foundation. Hospital Administrator Kasey Lucas will present the marketing and community perception report. In old business, the board will get updated on the hospital expansion and renovation projects before any new business is discussed. Both the public tax hearing and regular meeting are open to the public.

Salem City Administrator Ray Walden said the city would be holding special pickups for downed limbs this week for those homes affected by the high winds. Walden said the limbs need to be moved curbside for the city to remove them and they should be cut in lengths of no more than eight-foot, preferably smaller. They do not need to be bundled during this special pickup. The city will monitor the streets for limb pickups.

Two drownings occurred in our area Thursday and Saturday. The first drowning happened in Iron County on Big Creek near Annapolis Thursday afternoon at 1:15. According to the water patrol report, 35-year old Joey Bales of Annapolis, had attempted to swim to an underwater cave and did not resurface. The water patrol was assisted by the Iron County Sheriffs office. Bales was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:10 Thursday afternoon and his body was taken to the Iron County Coroner Morgue by the coroner. The second drowning happened Saturday afternoon at 3:08 in Crawford County on the Meramec River about three miles up river from Garrison’s Canoe Rental. According to the water patrol report, 37-year old Devon Mathews of St. Louis was swimming went he went underwater and did not resurface. He was pronounced dead at the scene by Crawford County Coroner Darren Dake at 4:33 Saturday afternoon. Mathews body was taken to the Hutson Funeral Home by the coroner. Neither of the swimmers that drown was wearing life jackets at the time of the incident.

An accident occurred Saturday evening at 5:00 in Phelps County on Highway 72 about seven miles east of Rolla. According to the highway patrol report, a 2001 Nissan Xterra, driven westbound by 64-year old Dennis Kauffman of Salem, failed to negotiate a curve and traveled off the left side of the roadway before going down an embankment, and striking a tree. Kauffman suffered minor injuries and was transported to Phelps Health. Two passengers in the vehicle also suffered minor injuries. They were 24-year old Timothy Coatney of Salem and 18-year old Raymond Wallace of Salem. They were both transported to Phelps Health. Kauffman and Coatney were wearing safety restraints at the time of the accident while Wallace was not. The Nissan sustained extensive damage and was towed from the scene by Whitaker’s Towing.

The City of Salem Planning and Zoning Board of Commissioners Chairman Gary Brown has called for a public hearing and meeting for starting at 6:30 tonight at the City Hall Council Chambers, 202 North Washington. The purpose of the hearing and meeting is to consider a conditional use permit for a used car lot at 600 North Main Street. The permit has been requested by Jim Chafin of Chafin Auto Sales. Immediately following the Planning and Zoning hearing and meeting, the Salem Board of Aldermen will hold their regular meeting at 7:00. The board will hear a request from Lisa DuLany of the Salem Hospital to close possibly three blocks of 4th Street around the Courthouse Square for a Breast Cancer Awareness Walk on October 1st. The board will also hear bids for two pickups. One is for the building inspector and the other is for the animal control/nuisance officer. These are budgeted purchases. The board will hear the report from Planning and Zoning Commission hearing and meeting before City Administrator Ray Walden will give his report. The board will discuss Bill #3427 that will amend the current ordinance on events for firing fireworks, then hear Resolution 19-2019 that will adopt policies and procedures on hanger rental, hanger usage, fuel pricing and more for the Salem Municipal Airport. The board will also hear Resolution 20-2019 to seek funding through the Community Development Block Grant for the Building Trades Program and the Cyber Security Training facilities at the Salem High School, before they hear Resolution 21-2019 that is a contract between the City of Salem and Riverways federal Credit Union Welcome Home Program consulting services. The board will go into closed session to discuss contracts and personnel before adjourning. The hearing and the meetings are all open to the public.

Dent County Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Curley has released information from court day on Tuesday, August 13th in front of Judge Kelly Parker. Curley reported that Michael Vice from Salem pled guilty to the Possession of Methamphetamine, a Class D Felony. He was sentenced to seven years in the Department of Corrections. Curley also reported that Jerry Thompson of Salem pled guilty to a Class C Felony of Driving While Being Intoxicated, a chronic offender; and also a felony charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Thompson was sentenced to ten years in the Department of Corrections under the Revised State Statutes of Missouri Section 217.362. Curley went on to report that Dwan Estep of Salem had her probation revoked and was sentenced to serve 15 years in the Department of Corrections as requested by the state.

The Dent County Commissioners met for their regular meeting Monday morning at the Dent County Courthouse. At the meeting Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams brought in the sales tax monies received by the county in August. She reported that the General Revenue Fund and LEST Fund each received $76,705.66 this month while last year in August, the county received $88,425.39. That is $11,719.73 less than last year and year-to-date, those funds are down over $31,133.00, a drop of 4.75%. The Road and Bridge Sales Tax Fund received $36,402.78 this month which is down from the 2018 August figure of $41,923.63 which is a decline of $5,520.85. Year-to-date, the fund is down over $9,784 which is a reduction of about 3.27%. The jail project funds both came in at $72,829.73 this month and that is down from august of 2018 by $10,415.08. Year-to-date, both funds are down just over $10,000. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell stated grading would be done on Dent County Roads 5650 and 6435 while brush would be cut on county roads 4126, 5130, 5140 and 5450. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson reported grading would be done on Dent County Road 2130, while materials would be added and grading done on county roads 4060 and 4480. He said brush would be cut on county road 5240 and a man would be heading to Springfield to get more oil for chip and seal repair. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles reported on the TAC meeting held last Thursday in St. James and said the Interstate 70 bridge in Rocheport over the Missouri River would be replaced in the near future and that will force more traffic onto Highway 50 and Interstate 44 as Interstate 70 will be reduced to one lane in each direction. He said Thursday he would be attending Senator Blunt’s Agriculture Advisory Meeting at Sedalia and would not be at the Commission meeting. At the last meeting, Collector Shannon VanKirk discussed the Timber Industries properties with the commission and will proceed with the procedures of selling six pieces of that property for the tax sale. Sheriff Bob Wells discussed the need to seek bids for a new telephone system that will link the sheriff’s office to the new jail phone system. Bids will be accepted until 10:00 in the morning on Monday, August 19th. The next meeting of the commissioners will be Thursday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and it is open to the public.

An accident occurred Sunday night at 9:20 in Crawford County on Highway 19 just south of the Cuba city limits. According to the highway patrol report, a southbound 2004 Mitsubishi Outlander, driven by 16-year-old Jewel Conaway of Steelville, traveled into the northbound lane. Conaway then overcorrected causing the Mitsubishi to overturn and come to rest in the ditch. Conaway suffered moderate injuries, while a passenger, 16-year-old McKayla Brown of Steelville, suffered minor injuries. Both girls were transported by Crawford County Ambulance to Missouri Baptist Hospital in Sullivan. According to the report both the driver and passenger were wearing safety restraints at the time of the accident. The Mitsubishi was totaled and removed from the scene by Miles and Sons Towing.

The Salem Police Department has released a number of reports for the first part of August. On Thursday morning, August 1st at about 8:13, an officer was dispatched to Wal-Mart reference a shoplifter. An investigation of the report led to the arrest of a 19-year-old female of Salem for stealing merchandise valued at $23.92. The suspect was issued a summons to appear in court and released. Later that evening at approximately 9:00, an officer was conducting an investigation regarding a convicted sex offender who failed to register with the Dent County Sheriffs Department. Police found that a 45-year-old male of Salem, who was a convicted sex offender, had failed to register with the Dent County Sheriffs Department and was also living within 1000 feet of a school. The suspect was taken into custody and incarcerated pending the application for a warrant. Then on Friday night, the 2nd of August at about 9:25, an officer was dispatched to Wal-Mart in reference to a shoplifter. That investigation led to the arrest of a 24-year-old female of Salem for stealing merchandise on two occasions valued at $42.86. The suspect was issued a summons to appear in court and released. On the afternoon of August 3rd at about 2:30, an officer transported a 31-year-old male of St. Louis from St. Francis County to the Dent County Jail due to an active arrest warrant from the City of Salem. That same evening at around 7:50 an officer was dispatched to Wal-Mart in reference to a shoplifter. After an investigation, a 56-year-old female of Salem was arrested for stealing merchandise valued at $42.13. The suspect was issued a summons to appear in court and released. Please contact the Salem Police Department at (573) 729-4242 if you have information regarding an ongoing investigation.

The Dent County Commissioners held their tax rate hearing Monday morning at 10:00 at the courthouse. The General Revenue Fund rate that was at $.0.00 due to the high volume of sales tax money collected in 2018, will be reinstated this year as the sales tax dollars have receded and will be set at a state rate set by their calculations at $.0295. All three commissioners agreed on the rate. The Senate Bill 40 Fund has a current rate of $.1341 and that is again the maximum allowed this year. The SB 40 board asked to take the maximum allowed this year at $.1341 and the Commissioners voted 3-0 to accept their request. The Road and Bridge Fund current tax rate is $.2534. Following the state’s calculations, the maximum allowable rate allowed by the State Auditor is still $.2534. The Commission approved unanimously to accept that rate. The Senior Citizen Service Fund rate for 2018 was $.0477 and the maximum allowable tax rate is again at $.0477 after the state’s calculations. Their board requested to take the maximum allowable rate this year of $.0477. The request was approved by the commissioners by a 3-0. All the rates presented are per $100 assessed valuation. The hearing was adjourned.

The Salem Police Department has released a number of reports for the end of July. In the early morning of the 29th at about 12:03, an officer was dispatched to the area of North Jackson and Acuff in reference to a disturbance. The investigation of the report led to the arrest of an intoxicated 38-year-old male of Salem for failing to obey a lawful order of a police officer. The suspect was issued a summons to appear in court and released. On the afternoon of Wednesday, July 31st close to 4:00, an officer was dispatched to a residence in the 1200 block of South Louise in reference to trespassing. The investigation revealed that two females of Salem, a 20-year-old and a 24-year-old, entered onto property that gave notice of no trespassing. The 20-year-old suspect was later located, issued a summons to appear in court and released. The 24-year-old suspect has not yet been located. The report is still under investigation. Minutes later at about 4:10, an officer was dispatched to a residence in the 1000 block of West Ellis in reference to a burglary not in progress. The investigation of the report revealed that a person or persons unknown had forcibly entered the residence and took items valued at about $800.00. The report is under investigation. At about 10:13 that same night, an officer was dispatched to a traffic accident at Henderson and Rolla Road. The investigation of the accident led to the arrest of a 23-year-old male of Salem for driving while being intoxicated and for careless and imprudent driving. The suspect was issued summonses to appear in court and released. Please contact the Salem Police Department at 573-729-4242 if you have any information about an ongoing investigation.

The Dent County Sheriffs Department has released a number of reports. Saturday, July 27th, deputies conducted a traffic stop in the Casey’s General Store parking lot. During the course of the traffic stop, a 32-year-old Salem man was arrested for felony driving while revoked/suspended. The man was transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office where he was fingerprinted, issued a summons and released. Then on Tuesday, July 30th, deputies received information from Phelps County Regional Medical Center in reference to a domestic violence incident that occurred in Dent County. After further investigation, deputies traveled to County Road 2120 and arrested a 55-year-old Salem man for domestic assault in the 3rd degree. The man was transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office and was incarcerated. Later that same day, deputies traveled to Dent County Road 5340 in reference to a man causing property damage and trespassing. After investigating the incident deputies traveled to East Highway 32 and arrested a 45-year-old man from Boss for trespassing in the 1st degree and property damage in the 2nd degree. The man was transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office where he was fingerprinted, issued a summons and released. Still on that same day, deputies conducted a traffic stop on East Highway 32 and Carty Street. During the course of the traffic stop, a 17-year-old Salem man was arrested for possession of marijuana and /or synthetic cannabinoid of 10 grams or less. Also arrested was a 17-year-old Salem man for possession of marijuana or synthetic cannabinoid of 10 grams or less, and the unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. Both men were transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office, fingerprinted, issued summons and released. Please contact the Dent County Sheriff’s Office at 573-729-3241 with any information regarding an ongoing investigation.

The Salem R-80 Board of Education will hold their regular meeting Thursday, August 15th, at 6:00. Prior to the regular meeting the Board will conduct a tax rate hearing at 5:50. After approval of the agenda the board will approve previous minutes, approve bills, food service, substitute list, summer school attendance report, and program evaluations for Finance and Board Policies. Superintendent John McCulloch will report on Professional Development. In new business the Board will approve the 2018-2019 Annual Secretary of Board Report, 2019 tax rate, Dent County Developmental Preschool Lease, and consider Transportation Agreement with First Student. The board will then move into executive session to discuss personnel. The regular meeting of the board of education is open to the public.

You only have until Friday to visit the Ozark Natural and Cultural Resource center to enjoy and learn from The River Exhibit. It is a cultural and natural history display of the Current River which includes artifacts, photos, newspaper accounts of the origin and controversy of enabling legislation creating the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, plus reflections on the life and communities that have disappeared. The exhibit provides a great opportunity for tourists, visitors and local citizens to stop by and take a trip of memories down the Current River. For more information, contact Mary Beth Cook at 573-453-6061 or the ONCRC at 573-729-0029.

A one day bench trial held on Monday, July 29th in front of Judge Randall Head resulted in him finding Manual Lee of Salem not guilty on the charge of making a terrorist threat in the 1st degree. Head also in his directive discharged Lee from any further charges from the incident. Dent County Prosecuting Attorney charged Lee from an incident that occurred on March 9th, 2018, when Lee posted a Snapchat image of himself that had a caption that included “There’s a storm coming and it’s going to hit Salem R80 hard.” Lee was arrested and interviewed by the Salem Police Department and told them the post was not meant to be terroristic in nature and he had no intention of conducting a school shooting. He said a student had snitched on him chewing tobacco at school and another incident involved his girlfriend. A search warrant was executed on the Lee’s home and knives were found in his bedroom while firearms were found in the bedroom of his parents. In a statement released from the Dent County Prosecutor’s office, Curley indicated if confronted with a similar situation in the future, he would respond in the same fashion as he went on to say that children attending school should never be in fear for their safety. Curley also wanted to thank the school children and parents that reported this incident to the school and law enforcement. He reminds anyone that in light of the latest rounds of shootings that if you are aware of any person making statements about harming the school, a business or any other organization, or any individual for that matter, to please report the threat immediately to law enforcement.

A one vehicle accident happened early Thursday morning at 5:15 in Reynolds County on Route KK, about six miles north of Bunker. According to the highway patrol report, Brandon Santhuff of Centerville, was driving a 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix southbound when he traveled off the right side of the roadway and struck a tree. Santhuff suffered serious injuries and was transported by the Iron County Ambulance to the Iron County Hospital before being transferred to Barnes Jewish in St. Louis by ground ambulance. According to the report, Santhuff was wearing a safety restraint at the time of the accident. The Pontiac was totaled and removed from the scene by Aissie Tow and Auto of Ellington.

A one vehicle accident happened around 11:40 Saturday morning in Iron County that left two children from Arcadia with injuries. According to the report from the highway patrol, a 2015 Can Am ATV driven by Christae Morris of Arcadia, was traveling southbound on Iron County Road 205, about five miles south of Arcadia, when the vehicle overturned and ejected the passengers. Receiving minor injuries was eight-year old Troy Dean while nine-year old Aiden Morris suffered serious injuries. Dean was transported by ambulance to Iron County Medical Center while Morris was flown by Air Evac to Children’s Hospital in St. Louis. According to the report, no one was wearing any type of safety device. The ATV sustained minor damage and was driven from the scene.

An accident happened in Phelps County at 10:45 Saturday night on Route Y about two miles east of Rolla that left a Rolla man with moderate injuries. According to the highway patrol report, a 1997 Chevy Blazer driven eastbound by 26-year old Trevor Smith of Rolla, went off the right side of the roadway and struck a tree. Smith was taken by the Phelps Health Ambulance to Phelas Health with moderate injuries. Smith was wearing a seat restraint at ttime of the accident. The Blazer was totaled and removed from the scene by Ron Dishman’s Towing of Rolla.

Theresa Davidson, the Acting District Ranger of the Mark Twain National Forest, Salem Ranger District, will be the speaker at the Dent County Historic Society Speaker Series at 6:00 Tuesday evening at the Salem Pizza Inn meeting room. Theresa has invited Clint Davis, the new District Ranger; Lester Lakey, the District Archaeologist; and Cory Roegner the Recreation Program Manager in Rolla or Chris Woods, District Recreation Manager. Davidson believes there are some wonderful opportunities to partner with projects proposed by the Dent County Historical Society. One of those is led by Tom Botkins, who has been working on the documentation for exhibits where Howes Mill was located in the Mark Twain National Forest; while another is led by Deloris Gray Wood and the Missouri Chapter Trail of Tears Association, to get exhibits at the Marcoot Towers across Highway 72 from where the marker is located on Reynolds County Road 903. For more information, call Deloris at 573-729-2545 or Theresa at 573-729-6656. Theresa is the Forest Service Wildlife and Fisheries Biologist with the Mark Twain National Forest and can be reached at 573-341-7499, when her duties return her to Rolla. Theresa can also be contacted online at theresa.davidson@usda.gov.

Contractors working for the Missouri Department of Transportation will begin a project to repair the Interstate 44 and Route V interchange in Rolla on Friday, August 16th. Crews will replace the current asphalt on the entrance and exit ramps with full-depth concrete pavement, which will handle the high volume of tractor trailers utilizing the ramps at the interchange. The work will require a full shutdown of the ramps and overpass for ten days. I-44 traffic will not be impacted by the work. Motorists utilizing Route V are advised to seek an alternate route around the work area. For more information about this project or other transportation-related matters, please call 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (275-6636) or visit www.modot.org/central.

The Dent County Commission met Thursday morning for their regular meeting at the Dent County Courthouse. The commission recognized Dwayne McClellan of the Salem News for his long time reporting of the commission meetings and that he will truly be missed. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell said his district received over two inches of rain Wednesday and crews would be out checking roads for washouts and clearing areas of any downed trees and limbs. He mentioned materials would be added to Dent County Road 2430 and a crew would be doing chip and seal patching on county roads 5013, 5045 and 5083. Purcell also reported that men would be performing maintenance on truck 121 and time permitting, would be doing some edgework repair on Dent County Road 5015 with the ultimate paving material. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson stated he would have a man grading on Dent County Road 4060 and cutting brush on county road 5240. He said a man would be hauling brown rock if it wasn’t too wet, and crew members would be working on loader #3. Commissioner Skiles attended the TAC meeting Thursday afternoon in St. James. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said she balanced with the treasurer on all accounts from the month of July, and she also balanced with the assessor and collector on abatements, collections and add-ons for the month of July. She stated the tax rate hearings for the General Revenues Fund, the Road and Bridge Fund, the SB 40 Board Fund and Senior Citizen Fund would be held at 10:00 Monday morning at the courthouse. The hearing is open to the public. The next meeting of the Dent County Commission will be Monday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public

Get ready for the new school year with the Annual Back to School Fair Saturday, August 10th, at the Community Center at The Armory. The event will be held from 10:00 until 2:00 for preschoolers through the 12th grade. The Back to School Fair is a partnership of community organizations, businesses and resources. Missouri Child Identification Program (MoCHIP) representatives will be on hand providing free child ID kits. Children will also receive haircuts, socks, shoes and underwear. Children must be pre-registered with the South Central Community Action Agency before the event and parents can register their child or children by contacting Sarah Richmond-Arnett at the office at 1405 S. Wines Street now through August 10th. If your business or community group would be interested in participating in the fair you should contact the Sarah at 573-739-3500, extension 10, or by email at sgivens@scmcaa.org.

The Salem Police Department has released the following reports. On Wednesday morning, July 24th at about 10:05, an officer was dispatched to a residence in the 500 block of South Jackson in reference to a theft. The investigation of the report revealed that someone took a 22-caliber pistol valued at $500.00. The report is under investigation. On Thursday, July 25th at about 7:59 in the morning, an officer was dispatched to a residence in the 200 block of East Second in reference to property damage. An investigation revealed that a person or persons unknown broke the glass valued at $768.00 out of the door of a residence. The report is under investigation. Please contact the Salem Police Department at 573-729-4242 if you have any information about an ongoing investigation.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control arrested 33-year old James C. Hughes of St. Robert, on Wednesday for promoting and possession of child pornography. The arrest was the result of an investigation conducted by members of the Division of Drug and Crime Control’s Digital Forensics Investigative Unit. The St. Robert Police Department and the South Central Missouri Computer Crimes Task Force assisted in the investigation. On August 7th, investigators executed a search warrant at Hughes’ residence located on Top Drive in St. Robert. As a result of their search, investigators seized child pornography and computer equipment. Hughes was arrested and transported to the Pulaski County Jail. On Thursday, the Pulaski County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office formally charged Hughes with one count of promoting child pornography and four counts of possession of child pornography. Hughes’ bond was set at $500,000. Evidence in support of these charges must be presented before a court of competent jurisdiction whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

The Dent County Fire Protection District Board of Directors meeting took place at 6:00 Tuesday evening, August 6th. After the call to order, a motion was made and carried to approve the consent agenda and minutes from the previous meeting as presented. Bills were reviewed and approved with an ending balance of $181,432.81 as of the end of July. The budget was reviewed and approved. The calendar review made note that on August 8th the Fire Trucks would be at Salem High School for the Band and on August 15th, state training for the District and surrounding departments would take place. In the monthly reimbursement report, the department received a total of 16 calls for the month of July, bringing the total calls year to date to 166 with an average cost per call of $115.39. Chief Brad Nash reported that two of the thermal cameras were failing and that the cost to repair them was $1,400.00. Due to the age of the cameras, he is looking at different options. The Board discussed the tax rate for the fire district and voted to leave the rate at 0.2338 per $100 assessed valuation. The date for the next meeting was set for September 3rd at 6:00 PM at the fire station. The meeting was adjourned at 6:30 pm.

The Dent County Sheriffs Department has released several reports for July 20th through the 23rd. On Saturday, July 20th, deputies received a report of a fight occurring at the Mobil Gas Station. Deputies traveled to the area and during the course of the investigation, a 24-year-old Salem man was arrested for an active warrant through Gasconade County. The man was transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office where he later posted bond and was released. On Tuesday the 23rd, deputies conducted a traffic stop on Highway 19 South and Dent County Road 5080. During the course of the traffic stop, a 24-year-old Salem woman was arrested for an active warrant through Phelps County. The female was transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office where she was later transported to the Phelps County Jail. Later that day, deputies traveled to the Missouri Private Probation Services in an attempt to serve an arrest warrant. During the course of the incident, a 38-year-old Lenox man was arrested for an active warrant through Dent County. The man was transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office where he later posted bond. Later that day, deputies conducted a traffic stop at the 500 block of South Main Street. During the course of the traffic stop, a 20-year-old Salem woman was arrested for possession of marijuana or synthetic cannabinoid of 10 grams or less as well as for the unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. The female was transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office, fingerprinted, issued summons and released. If anyone has any information regarding an ongoing investigation, please contact the Dent County Sheriff’s Office at 729-3241.

The Salem Police Department has released a number of reports for Sunday, July 28th. At approximately 3:15 in the afternoon, an officer was dispatched to a residence in the 1400 block of South Water in reference to an assault. The investigation of the report revealed a 32-year-old male of Salem had assaulted a 23-year-old female of Salem. Further investigation led to the arrest of the suspect who was incarcerated pending the application for a warrant. Just minutes later at 3:22, an officer was dispatched to a storage unit at Highway 32 and Sligo in reference to a theft. That investigation showed that a person or persons unknown broke into a unit and took a 22-caliber rifle, a safe and jewelry valued at$8,000.00. The report is under investigation. At about 9:10 that night, an officer was dispatched to a residence in the 900 block of North Pershing in reference to a fight in progress. The investigation of the report revealed that a 33-year-old male of Salem had assaulted a 25-year-old male of Salem. During the assault, a 25-year-old male of Jadwin fired a 9mm pistol in the air. A further investigation led to the arrest of the 33-year-old Salem man for assault and the Jadwin male suspect for unlawful use of a firearm. The two suspects were issued summonses to appear in court and released. Please contact the Salem Police Department at 573-729-4242 if you have any information about an ongoing investigation.

Would you recognize signs of youth alcohol and drug use in your home? Learn how to spot warning signs and get tips for talking with kids about the danger of alcohol and drug use. You’ll be able to explore an interactive display of a teenager’s bedroom containing over 70 items that could signal that a young person is involved in risky activities. Stop by the “Hidden In Plain View” today at the Salem High School at 1400 Tiger Pride Drive. The exhibit will be open from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm and the presentations will be at 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm. This event is for adults only.