Local News – Friday, July 1, 2022

The Salem Area Chamber of Commerce will hold their annual Independence Day Parade Monday, July 4th at 6:00. The parade’s theme this year is “Road Trip: Exploring America’s Road and Rivers!” with Marilyn Sweitzer as the Grand Marshall. The parade route will start at the SBU campus at Franklin and Grand and move east on Franklin to MacArthur. The parade will then travel north to 4th Street and then head east to the courthouse square. Following the parade, the City of Salem fireworks display will be held at The Commons starting around 9:30. The events are free and open for all to attend. If you will not be able to attend the parade, KSMO Media will stream the parade LIVE on their website at www.ksmoradio.com by clicking the “Listen On-Line” button on the KSMO homepage. You can also watch it on the KSMO YouTube Page or on Facebook KSMO Stream Page: https://www.facebook.com/KSMO-Stream.

The Salem Police Department has released several reports for the month of May. On Thursday morning, May 5th just before noon, an officer stopped a vehicle at West Scenic Rivers Blvd and Water Street for failing to use a turn signal. The driver, 48-year-old John Stiles of Salem, was found to have a warrant for his arrest from Texas County. Stiles was arrested and issued a summons for driving while having his license revoked, he was released to the Dent County Jail for incarceration on the warrant. At 2:53 during the early morning of Sunday, May 8th, an officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in the AutoZone parking lot for speeding and making lane violations. The driver, a 27-year-old man from Richton, MS, was found to be intoxicated. After a short investigation, the driver was arrested for DWI. He was taken to the Dent County Jail, where he was issued a summons, and released. Just before 9:45 that same evening, officers responded to a residence in the 1800 block of South Oak Street to serve an parole violation arrest warrant. Officers made contact with 31-year-old Eathan Head of Salem and took him into custody on the warrant. He was taken to the Dent County Jail and incarcerated. During the afternoon of Monday, the 9th at 4:00, officers traveled to a residence in the 1500 South MacArthur for a report of a noxious smell coming from the residence. Consent to search was granted and officers discovered three dogs locked in cages stacked on top of each other full of feces and no accessible food or water. A further search found more animals and none of the animals had food or water. The animals were later surrendered to the code officer and taken to the Dent County Animal Welfare Society. The owner was issued summons for cruelty to animals as well as failure to provide food, water, and adequate shelter. On Tuesday the 10th at 2:19 in the afternoon, officers were called to Phil-Mart for a reported theft. A 51-year-old Salem man was seen on camera stealing a bottle of whiskey and left without paying. He was located a short distance away from the store and arrested. He was issued and summons for stealing and released. On Thursday, May 12th just after 12:45, officers responded to a disturbance near the intersection of Rolla Road and MacArthur. Officers located a vehicle in the area and could smell the odor of marijuana coming from it. A search was conducted, and marijuana and drug paraphernalia were located inside the vehicle. A 19-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman, both of Salem, were arrested. They were both issued a summons for possession of marijuana and released. If you have any information regarding an investigation, please contact the Salem Police Department at 729-4242.

The City of Salem wants to remind everyone discharging of fireworks inside the city limits is allowed from today through July 6th from 8:00 in the morning until 10:00 in the evening except for Monday, Independence Day, when fireworks may be discharged until midnight. The city has approved the discharging of the Class 1.4G fireworks in unmodified form. The possession of fireworks by anyone under the age of eighteen years shall be unlawful unless under the direct supervision of a parent, guardian, or person over the age of eighteen years. Fireworks shall not be discharged on any public property or public roadway, nor from a motor vehicle. Celebrate the Independence Day weekend with music on Saturday night from 6:30 to 8:30 at the Alley Spring Mill and at 8:00 at Echo Bluff State Park. The renowned Baker Family from Birch Tree will perform on the banks of Alley Spring in front of the historic Alley Mill. Alley Mill will be open for visitation during the event and a special tour will be held at 7:30 that night. At Echo Bluff State Park Saturday night, Salem’s own Michael Conners will be performing at the outdoor amphitheater starting at 8:00. Visitors are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or lawn blanket. Bring a snack to enjoy while listening.

Dent County Prosecutor Andrew Curley released two reports on cases heard in front of Judge Michael Randazzo Tuesday in Dent County. In the first case heard, Dale Porrier of Salem pled guilty to the possession of a controlled substance for methamphetamine. Porrier was sentenced to five years in the Missouri Department of Corrections. He had two prior felony findings of guilt. In the second case heard, Caleb Halbrook of Salem pled guilty to two counts of the possession of a controlled substance and two more felony counts for the passing of bad checks. At the sentencing hearing, Prosecutor Curley sought a ten-year sentence under State Statute 559.115 due to the defendants three prior felony convictions. Halbrook sought probation. Over the objection of the state, the defendant was granted a ten-year suspended execution of his sentence with a probation period of five years that comes with all the standard terms of probation with an emphasis on getting substance abuse treatment.