Local News – Wednesday, March 10th, 2021

Dent County Prosecutor Andrew Curley has released some reports from court held last week in Dent County in front of Judge Megan Seay. The first case was that of Danielle Casados of Rolla who pled guilty to the distribution of methamphetamine as part of the undercover taskforce operation. Casados was sentenced to 10 years in the Department of Corrections under Section 559.115 as requested by the state. Also on Friday, Tiffany Billiot of Boss pled guilty to the possession and distribution of methamphetamine as well as forging a check. Billiot was sentenced to 10 years in the Department of Corrections under Section 559.115 as requested by the state. In the next case, Kenneth Billiot of Salem pled guilty to the possession of methamphetamine. Billiot had no prior criminal history and was placed on five years’ probation with probation and parole as requested by the state. In the next case heard Friday in front of Judge Seay, Jennifer Adams of Wright City had her probation revoked. She will now serve seven years in the Department of Corrections. Finally on Friday, Judge Seay held a probation violation hearing for a new charge of the possession of a controlled substance-methamphetamine, and for maintaining a public nuisance for Kristopher Schafer of Salem. The state sought the execution of the defendants previously imposed sentence of seven years. The defendant was granted continued probation with the drug court in the probation case as well as for the new charges for the possession of a controlled substance-methamphetamine and maintaining a public nuisance. The defendant was given a 10-year suspended execution of sentence and was placed on probation for five years as well being required to complete the Dent County drug court program.

Volunteers for AARP are still conducting free tax filing assistance at the Salem Community Center@ the Armory computer lab. If you haven’t already filed your taxes and need help, you can make an appointment for this free tax filing assistance for any available Friday through April 9th. Call the Salem Community Center at 729-8163 to make your appointment. This is the 16th year that Healthy Dent County has partnered with AARP to provide this free tax service to our community. This local service is provided entirely by AARP trained volunteers. The AARP Foundation Tax-Aide volunteers are trained in filing certain tax forms and schedules, including the Form 1040. However, the Volunteer Protection Act requires that the volunteers stay in the scope of the program. If counselors feel they do not have adequate knowledge or your return is too complex, you may need to seek another qualified counselor or paid tax assistance. The Salem Community Center @ the Armory is located at 1200 West Rolla Road.

Governor Mike Parson announced back in February that the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Energy Crisis Intervention Program will improve assistance offered to eligible low-income Missourians. will implement an Energy Crisis Intervention Program that will improve assistance offered to eligible low-income Missourians. When a household’s energy source has been shut off or is at risk of disconnection, the winter Energy Crisis Intervention Program (ECIP), which runs November through May, pays the minimum amount needed on the fuel bill to get the household out of crisis. Starting this winter, ECIP will pledge the maximum disconnect amount (up to $800) toward an eligible participant’s owed balance. It is very important for low-income Missourians who have received a disconnect notice or know a disconnect notice is coming to get help now to prevent service disconnection at a later date. In Fiscal Year 2020, Missouri provided $78.6 million in LIHEAP assistance to over 108,000 households. In addition to meeting the income criteria, low-income Missourians must also meet these criteria to be eligible for winter heating assistance through LIHEAP. They must be responsible for paying home heating costs, have $3,000 or less in bank accounts, retirement accounts, or investments, and be a U.S. citizen or legally admitted for permanent residence. Missourians in need of information on LIHEAP, Food Stamp, Medicaid, Child Care Subsidy, or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families benefit programs can visit dss.mo.gov. Individuals can also apply for these services 24/7 online by visiting MyDSS.mo.gov.

Wearing a seat belt is your best defense in a traffic crash. Always buckle up, everyone, every trip, every time. The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety wants to remind teens how dangerous a car ride can be if they don’t take wearing their seat belt seriously. Unfortunately, car crashes remain the number one cause of death for teens, and often times, a seat belt makes all the difference. Law enforcement will be out in full force from March 15th through the 31st to crack down on unbelted teen drivers and help save lives. The national average for seat belt usage is 91%. Missouri is below that average at only 86%, and teens in Missouri fall even lower at 75.5%. Under Missouri’s Graduated License Law, permit drivers and all passengers must wear seat belts. Of the 185 teenagers killed as vehicle occupants in traffic crashes from 2017-2019, 72% were not buckled up. When properly used, seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injuries to front-seat passenger vehicle occupants by 45% and reduce the risk of moderate-to-critical injuries by 50%. To give Missourians a better understanding of the crash problem, namely seat belt usage, impaired driving, distracted driving and excessive speeding, Missouri’s state highway safety plan called Show-Me Zero identifies specific ways everyone can help to make our roadways safer. With no primary seat belt law or all-driver texting ban in Missouri, motorists are asked to personally take the challenge to Buckle Up Phone Down. Put your cellphone down while driving and always make sure you and your passengers are buckled up. For more information on the Show-Me Zero plan and teen seat belt safety, visit saveMOlives.com, or find us on social media at Save MO Lives.