DRIVER KILLED IN VEHICLE CRASH IN RIPLEY COUNTY
A driver was killed after his vehicle crashed in Ripley County on Wednesday.
According to officials with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, a vehicle was traveling down Route 142, in Oxly, where a vehicle traveled off the left side of the roadway and overcorrected, causing it to run off the right side of the road and strike multiple signs and a culvert. The vehicle then overturned, and the driver was ejected.
The driver, 53 year old Lennie Bailey, of Fairdealing, was pronounced dead at the scene.
TEXAS SEX OFFENDER CAUGHT AND DETAINED IN POPLAR BLUFF
A registered sex offender from Texas was caught and arrested in Poplar Bluff.
Officials with the Poplar Bluff Police Department tell KWOC News that 49 year old Gregory Battson was apprehended in Poplar Bluff after a thorough investigation by officials in Arlington and Kaufman County, Texas, and had been in hiding since February.
He was eventually located and booked in the Butler County Jail on June 18th, on standing arrest warrants in Texas. He has since been extradited to the Kaufman County Jail in Texas on a charge of selling or purchasing a child for sexual performance, and online solicitation of sexual conduct of a minor. He is being held on multiple bonds, totaling $350,000.
ROADWAY IN STODDARD AND DUNKLIN COUNTIES BEING REDUCED FOR REPAIRS
A roadway stretching through Stoddard and Dunklin Counties will be reduced while undergoing repairs.
According to the Missouri Department of Transportation, a section of Route H, between Route 25 in Stoddard County and Route J in Dunklin County, will be reduced to one lane with a 10-foot width restriction while crews perform pavement repairs.
The work is set to begin today at 6 am, and is expected to be completed by August 14th.
NEW CASES OF COVID-19 REPORTED IN BUTLER AND CARTER COUNTIES
Additional cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in Butler and Carter Counties.
According to the County health departments, two cases were reported in Butler County, raising the total cases in the County to 119, while Carter County has confirmed its eighth patient.
The patients have been put under self-isolation, and the departments will be working with the CDC to contact anyone who may have been exposed to the virus while the patients were infectious and active.
In Missouri, as of Thursday, there are a total of 25,999 cases of the coronavirus in the state, and 1,051 deaths have been directly linked to the disease.
If you are showing any symptoms of the virus, including shortness of breath, fever, or persistent coughing, you are advised to contact your primary healthcare provider before visiting any hospital or emergency room.
TWO INJURED FOLLOWING VEHICLE CRASH IN BUTLER COUNTY
Two drivers were injured following a vehicle crash in Butler County on Thursday.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, a vehicle was crossing the centerline of Route 51, south of County Road 622, before striking another oncoming vehicle head on. The struck vehicle overturned from the collision.
The driver of the struck vehicle was moderately injured and transported to a Poplar Bluff Hospital, while the driver of the crossing car was seriously injured and flown to a St. Louis hospital for treatment.
PARAGOULD MAN TAKEN INTO CUSTODY FOR DAMAGING CEMETERY
A Paragould man was arrested on Thursday after causing extensive damage to a cemetery.
According to the Paragould Police Department, 43 year old Bradley Sweaney was seen driving recklessly in the Linwood Cemetery, driving over and damaging several gravestones and grave markers. He was located and detained shortly after the call was made.
He has since been charged with twelve counts of Destruction of a cemetery or grave marker, and leaving the scene of an accident.
Following his arrest, he was booked at the Greene County Jail on a $125,000 cash only bond.
