Local News – Wednesday, February 24th, 2021
At the Dent County Commissioners meeting Monday, Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams reported she visited with the Missouri Department of Revenue, Taxation Department in regards to the county not receiving their sales tax distribution during the month of February. Due to an error in the state taxation department, Dent County was credited with the sales tax of an entity not in the county. The error overstated the amount of sales tax received in each county fund. To make up for this error, the state will not be sending the county any sales tax receipts for the months of February and March as well as part of April due to this miscalculation of sales tax by the state. It was noted that the Missouri Department of Revenue did not inform the county of this error until the county treasurer inquired why they hadn’t received any sales tax funds for February.
An accident occurred in Dent County at 6:50 Monday morning on Dent County Road 2150 about seven miles east of Edgar Springs. According to the Highway Patrol report a westbound 2017 Dodge Ram, driven by 35-year-old Devin Kuczynski of Salem, struck a patch of ice, traveled off the right side of the roadway and struck a tree. Kuczynski suffered minor injuries and was transported to the Fort Wood Hospital by a private conveyance. The Dodge sustained moderate damage and was driven from the scene.
The Dent County Health Center Board of Trustees met for their regular meeting Thursday, February 18th at the Health Center. Administrator Kendra Mobray updated the Board on the current Covid-19 status in Dent County. Mobray said that to date there have been 946 confirmed cases and 176 probable cases that have been investigated. At meeting time there were 3 confirmed active cases and no probables. Twenty-five deaths have been confirmed and she noted that confirmation of deaths through the Bureau of Vital Records can take several weeks so the numbers are reported as deaths are confirmed. Mobray noted that the current seven day positivity rate for the Dent County is 1.25%. She went on to say that the Health Center is working closely with SMDH to secure vaccine for Dent County. A large mass vaccination clinic was held at the Dent County Commons on February 11th and 12th. Mobray thanked the Maxwell family for the use of the Dent County Commons and also thanked The Bank of Salem for providing food and refreshments to the staff, plus thanks went to Chilton Oil Company for keeping the heaters supplied with propane. The help provided by the Salem Memorial District Hospital, the Missouri National Guard, State Emergency Management Agency, and the Jordan Valley Community Health Center made the event a huge success. She went on to say that three other vaccine clinics have been held at the Dent County Fire Station for individuals that qualify in Phase 1A and Phase 1B, Tier 1 and Tier 2. One more first dose clinic is scheduled for February 25th. Scheduled clinics in March will be for booster doses and information will be released to the public through Facebook and local media outlets as additional vaccine opportunities arise and more tiers are opened by the State of Missouri. Mobray said that to date 2,310 vaccines have been administered through the vaccination sites. Mobray said the season-to-date total of reported influenza cases remains at one. The Board then approved the expenses for January. During review and discussion of the financial report the Board voted to increase the monthly payment on the 1010 E. Scenic Rivers property. The next regular meeting of the Trustees was set for March 18th at 5:00. The meeting was then adjourned.
The Salem Police Department has released some reports. On Saturday, February 6th at about midnight, an officer was conducting an investigation of a suspicious vehicle in the area of Ellis and Park Streets. From the investigation, contact was made with a vehicle matching the description given. A traffic stop was conducted and contact was made with the driver. Located in plain view while speaking with the driver was a clear baggie that later field tested positive for methamphetamine. As a result of the stop, a 26-year-old Salem man was arrested and taken to the Dent County Jail on a parole absconder warrant. On Friday night, February 12th at approximately 9:20, a traffic stop was conducted on a vehicle at Highway 32 and Water Street for driving with no headlights. Contact was made with the driver and signs of impairment were present. The driver of the vehicle was asked to take a series of standardized field sobriety tests. As a result, it was found the driver to be driving while being intoxicated. The driver, a 22-year-old Salem male, was arrested and released on a summons to appear in court. Contact the Salem Police Department at 729-4242 if you have information regarding an ongoing investigation.