Local News – Thursday, September 1, 2022
Wednesday afternoon at the Dent County Courthouse, 53-year-old Randall Abney of Salem was found guilty of second-degree murder in the starvation death of 10-year-old Josie Ann Abney of Salem. Abney was also charged with the abuse or neglect of a child resulting in death. The jury came to their conclusion after about 90-minutes of deliberation. Sentencing for Randall Abney will be held on November 18th. Susan Abney of Salem, the wife of Randall Abney, had her second-degree murder charge dropped in exchange for testifying against Randall. She pled guilty earlier this year to abuse or neglect of a child resulting in death. Susan Abney is due for sentencing on October 11th.
Colonel Eric T. Olson, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, encourages everyone to plan for a safe 2022 Labor Day weekend. Whether you are on the water or on the road, it’s everyone’s responsibility to travel safely and observe all Missouri laws. As you plan your Labor Day weekend, incorporate safety into every facet of your weekend including choosing your route, making sure your equipment is in good working condition, being aware of and following Missouri’s traffic, driving your vehicle courteously, and wearing a seat belt. In Missouri, 11 people died and 458 were injured in 1,124 traffic crashes over the 2021 Labor Day holiday. This means one person was killed or injured every 10 minutes. Troopers arrested 109 people for driving while intoxicated during last year’s holiday weekend. The Highway Patrol will be participating in Operation C.A.R.E. (Crash Awareness & Reduction Effort) over the Labor Day holiday weekend. The 2022 counting period for the Labor Day holiday will be from 6:00 this Friday evening through 11:59 Monday night. Speed, inattention, and impaired driving are leading causes of traffic crashes. All available troopers will be patrolling Missouri’s roadways and waterways. Troopers on the roadways will be enforcing Missouri’s speed limit, seat belt, and impaired driving laws, in addition to being available to assist motorists. The public is encouraged to call the Patrol’s Emergency Report Line (800) 525-5555 or *55 on your cellular phone if they witness criminal activity or experience an emergency.
The Salem Police Department has released the following reports. On Monday afternoon, August 1st, at approximately 1:00, officers while on patrol located a male subject who had an active capias warrant out of the Dent County Sheriff’s Office. As a result, 34-year-old Jacob Likes of Salem was arrested and incarcerated at the Dent County Jail. A little over an hour later at approximately 2:15, an officer while on patrol noticed a suspicious female subject conceal herself upon seeing the patrol vehicle. Contact was made with the woman who was later found to be in possession of methamphetamine and methamphetamine paraphernalia. As a result of the investigation, a 31-year-old Salem female was arrested and incarcerated at the Dent County Jail. The next evening, Tuesday, August 2nd at 7:30, officers responded to a motor vehicle crash involving two vehicles near Burger King. During the investigation, officers were made aware that the driver of one of the involved vehicles was intoxicated and had pulled out and struck the other vehicle. The parties in the other vehicle sustained injuries and were taken to the Salem Memorial District Hospital for further evaluation. As a result of the investigation a 43-year-old Houston man was arrested and charged with a DWI resulting in a serious physical injury and assault. Then around noon Saturday, August 6th, officers conducted a traffic stop on Highway 32 and Doss Road for expired license. During the stop it was found a male subject had an active warrant for his arrest out of the Dent County Sheriff’s Office for no insurance. As a result, 41-year-old Johnnie Revelle of Salem was arrested and later released on bond. That same night at approximately 10:30, an officer traveled to Rolla to pick up a male subject that had three active warrants out of the City of Salem for failure to appear. As a result, 40-year-old Scott Smith of Salem was arrested and incarcerated on the warrants at the Dent County Jail. Please contact the Salem Police Department at (573) 729-4242 if you have any information regarding any ongoing investigation.
Today at 4:00 at the Bonebrake Center of Nature and History, the Mudbugs will be back. They will be searching for lost ladybugs and zombie ladybugs and other cool things. If they should happen to see signs of Bigfoot along the way, that’s cool, too! Hope to see you there
The Salem Tiger Opening Day Football Parade will be held Friday night at 5:00 starting from the Dent County Courthouse on 4th Street., traveling west on 4th Street to 3rd Street, then continuing west to the High School Football Field. All businesses, organizations, clubs and anyone interested is invited to show their Tiger pride and be a part of the parade. For more information, message Dottie May Steelman on Facebook.