Local News – Tuesday, July 14th, 2020

The Dent County Commissioners met Monday morning at the Courthouse for their regular meeting. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles was not at the meeting due to a previous commitment. Commissioner Dennis Purcell acted as the presiding commissioner for the meeting and gave the road report for District 1. He stated workers would be installing crossover pipes and adding materials to Dent County Roads 5610, 5615 and 5680. He also said workers would be servicing and doing ditch work on county road 4080. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson also said workers would be installing crossover pipes and adding materials to Dent County Roads 2020 and 2570. He said brush would be cut on county road 4280 and a radiator hose will be replaced on Grader #32. Larson also indicated that a person had reported a tree down on county road 3020. He said someone had cleared away part of the tree to make the road passable, but workers would finish removing the tree. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley reported that her office and the treasurer’s office balanced on all accounts for the month of June, plus her office and the collector’s office and the assessor’s office balanced on all abatements, add-ons and collections for the month of June. Curley said absentee voting continues in her office through August 3rd while anyone wanting a ballot to be mailed out need to request that from her office by July 22nd. Dent County Collector Denita Williams presented the commissioners with the sales tax reports for the money received by the county in July. In the General Revenue Fund and Law Enforcement Sales Tax Fund, the county received just over $74,994.00 in July which was about $506.00 less than in June of 2019, but year-to-date, the both funds are up about $30,225.00. The Road and Bridge Fund received $35,773.10 and that was down $25.62 from last July’s receipts, but year-to date, the funds are up $18,540.35. Both of the jail funds received $71,418.99 and they were down from last year by $35.85, while year-to-date, both funds are up $35,410.19. At the last meeting, the commissioners received three CARES Act applications for reimbursement and all three were approved. The three entities were Green Forest R-2 for $1,669.10; Dent-Phelps R-3 for $1,365.94 and the Dent County Health Department for $11,561.03. The commissioners also agreed in a unanimous vote to set the maximum a public entity can get from the CARES Act funding at $125,000. 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.

The Salem Police Department has released a number of reports for the first week of July. On the first day of July near 8:00 in the evening, an officer was made aware of a male subject who had numerous felony warrants walking in the 500 block of South Pershing. Contact was made with the male subject and when he was made aware he was being arrested, the man fled on foot from the scene. A short time later the 29-year-old Salem male was taken into custody. Also located on his person was methamphetamine paraphernalia. He was transported to the Dent County Jail for incarceration on his warrants. Charges of resisting arrest and possession of drug paraphernalia are being sought. On Thursday, July 2nd around 2:30, an officer responded to the 800 block of East Gibbs to attempt to make contact with a male subject who had not properly registered as a sex offender. The address on East Gibbs was the registered address for the man. After a short investigation it was found that the man had not lived at the residence in over a month. Information was obtained by the officer about the whereabouts of this person. As a result of the investigation, a 42-year-old Salem man was located at an unregistered address and arrested for failing to register. The male subject was transported to the Dent County Jail and placed on a 24-hour hold pending the application of warrants. That same evening near 11:45, an officer was on traffic patrol when a car was traveling south on Highway 19 at a high rate of speed. The officer conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle near the intersection of Highway 19 and Highway 32. It was also found the vehicle had expired registration. Contact was made with the driver and signs of intoxication were visible. The driver was asked to exit the vehicle and complete a series of standardized field sobriety tests. As a result of the investigation a 22-year-old male from Westphalia was arrested for driving while being intoxicated. The male subject was also found to have an active arrest warrant out of St. James Police Department. The man was transported to the Dent County Jail for incarceration on the warrant. The male was issued a summons to appear in court for the traffic violations and for driving while being intoxicated. On Friday, June 3rd near 12:45 in the afternoon, an officer was on routine traffic patrol. The officer observed a blue Chrysler van traveling on Highway 19 with expired registration. A traffic stop was conducted in the McDonald’s parking lot. Contact was made with the driver and he was found to have a revoked driver’s license and had an arrest warrant out of Phelps County. As a result of the stop, a 36-year old Salem man was arrested for driving while having his license revoked and the Phelps County arrest warrant. The male was taken to the Dent County Jail and issued a summons for driving while having his license revoked and was incarcerated pending extradition or posting bond. Please call the Salem Police Department at 729-4242 if you have information regarding any ongoing investigation.