Local News – Monday, July 29th, 2019

Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway released an audit of Dent County which received an overall rating of “good”. The audit identified several repeat concerns from previous audits regarding proper accounting procedures in the sheriff’s office and made recommendations to improve cybersecurity in county offices. The audit found the sheriff’s office lacked proper oversight of financial processes and did not always make deposits timely or intact. Additionally, the office could improve procedures for tracking and disbursing commissary net proceeds. The audit also found insufficient cybersecurity measures across several county offices. The offices of county assessor, county collector, county clerk, county treasurer, and recorder of deeds did not have adequate password controls to reduce the risk of unauthorized access to computers and data. The audit also recommended better security controls for computers in the office of the recorder of deeds to ensure they lock after too many incorrect logon attempts and that computer data in the public administrator’s office be backed up and stored at a secure off-site location. The audit also finds the Prosecuting Attorney’s office does not always timely disburse bad check payments to victims or fees received to the County Treasurer. The Prosecuting Attorney also does not ensure that a monthly list of the liabilities for the office’s main bank account is prepared and agreed to in the reconciled bank balance. The audit also showed that the Public Administrator does not always file annual status reports timely or accurately with numerous extensions being granted by the court. All office holders were able to respond to the auditors concerning the weaknesses that they discovered. The entire audit report can be found by entering this address in your browser: https://auditor.mo.gov. Once on the site, enter Dent County in the search box to find the entire audit document.

The Salem Police Department has released a number of reports. On Wednesday morning, July 17th at about 6:02, an officer was dispatched to Heartland Metal in reference to property damage. The investigation of the report revealed that a person or persons unknown attempted to forcibly enter the building and caused damage valued at $95.00 to a door. The report is under investigation. That same afternoon at 2:17, an officer located a 17-year-old male of Salem in the 1000 block of East Hawkins who had an active arrest warrant from Pulaski County. The suspect was taken into custody on the warrant and incarcerated pending extradition. Just a little over an hour later near 3:35, a vehicle was stopped for a warrant investigation. The investigation led to the arrest of a 36-year-old female of Salem on active arrest warrants from Crawford County and Dent County. The suspect was incarcerated pending a court appearance. On Thursday, July 18th near 4:56 in the afternoon, an officer was dispatched to the Show Me Storage located at International and Grand in reference to a theft. The investigation of the report revealed that a person or persons unknown forcibly entered a storage unit and took items valued at $668.00. The report is under investigation. That same evening at 10:08, an officer was dispatched to Wal-Mart in reference to a shoplifter. The investigation of the report led to the arrest of a 29-year-old female of Rolla for stealing merchandise valued at $18.59. The suspect was issued a summons to appear in court and released. If anyone has any information regarding an ongoing investigation, please contact the Salem Police Department at 729-4242.

Black bears are an important resource in Missouri for their value as a game species and their contributions to regional biodiversity and ecosystem health. Sightings have become more common in recent years. Join Missouri Department of Conservation staff at 8:30 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 3 at the Echo Bluff State Park amphitheater to learn about the scientific data collected in the Missouri Black Bear Project and what the future of Missouri Black Bears holds. Learn about bear history and the surprises found in test results. Echo Bluff State Park is located on Hwy 19, approximately 25 miles south of Salem and approximately 14 miles north of Eminence. For more information about the event, contact Missouri State Parks at 573-751-1224. For more information on state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com. Missouri State Parks is a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

Beginners and experienced folks alike are welcomed to come to a Stained Glass Workshop on Tuesday, August 6th from 5:30 until 8:00 and make a stained-glass sun catcher to take home or begin a LONG-TERM project, as this will be future workshops in the late fall. Led by artist and teacher Amber Pryor, all materials are provided to make a project. The cost is $25 per person and reservations can be made by calling (573) 247-0279 or stopping by the Ozark Natural and Cultural Resource Center to pay the $25 fee to reserve your spot. Registrations will be limited to only EIGHT participants, so reserve EARLY!