Local News – Friday, January 26th, 2024

The Dent County Commission met Thursday morning at the courthouse. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams was in to share information about the CART receipts for January. She said the county received $78,575.56, which was up $1,720.13 from the January 2023 receipt of $76,855.43. Deloris Gray Wood was in to request the installation of a Trail of Tears Sign on Dent County Road 5380 where it intersects with Highway B. The sign will be provided by the National Park Service. The location is in District 1 so Commissioner Wes Mobray indicated his men would install it. In the road report, Mobray said his men were working on re-designing the salt spreader shed that has gotten in bad shape. He indicated they have looked at the MoDot facility and are working on drawings. District 2 Commissioner Gary Polk said his crew was cutting firewood out of ditches to burn at the maintenance shed. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson said he received an e-mail from Ron Copeland indicating he had met with MoDot and Copeland was told they are in the process of acquiring additional right-of-way for the replacement of the Standing Rock Bridge on Highway 19. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said the last day to register to vote in the April election is March 6th. Kevin Crider, the Extension Cooperative Feral Hog Outreach Educator, was in with his update for 2023. He said that 7,780 feral hogs were taken off of the landscape by Elimination Specialists compared to 6,289 in 2022. Crider said that of that total, 257 were eliminated in Dent County. Crider said that the program has provided Haybuster No-Till Drills that are managed by SWCD and are available free of charge to renovate fields with feral hog damage. Corky Stack with AEA Design Engineering was in to present three change orders on the courthouse work totaling $85,542.21. After a very lengthy discussion and numerous questions, the Commissioners approved the change by a vote of 2-1. Commissioner Larson voted no on approval stating he was not opposed to paying the additional amount, but felt the commission should have been kept up to date on the additional materials and costs during the renovation. Larson also had questions about when the lights on the outside of the courthouse are to be completed and what the labor warranty is. Another issue Stack brought before the commission was the electrical upgrade, which will also require a change order. Stack said there are three options for the upgrade. He is to be back to the commission meeting on February 1st and will have the electrical engineer with him to fully address the issue and options. The next meeting of the commission will be Monday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

Dent County Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Curley forwarded the results of the appeal by Randall Abney in the case of the State of Missouri vs Randall Lee Abney from the Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District. After the case was reviewed, the jury’s verdict of guilty of the neglect of a child and murder in the second degree for Abney was affirmed as there was no evidence supporting the four points the defendant said the trial court erred in by admitting hearsay and evidence of bad acts. The judgment was affirmed by Appellate judge Becky J. W. Borthwick who wrote the opinion, with judges Don E. Burrell and Jennifer R. Growcock concurring. Curley said typically a motion for a post conviction relief is filed by the defendant after the appellate ruling. The defendant may seek a transfer to the Missouri Supreme Court for consideration. The post conviction relief usually takes place in the sentencing court. Abney was sentenced by the trial court to serve two life sentences.