PIEDMONT MAN ADMITS TO RECORDING SEXUAL ACTS WITH MINORS
A Piedmont man faces at least 15 years behind bars after admitting to making recordings of sex acts with minors.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office, 46 year old Tony Waites, of Piedmont, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor.
A court-approved search of Waites’ home discovered electronic devices that contained videos of Waites abusing a victim. There were also videos depicting numerous other children. Some were abused by Waites, others were filmed naked.
The Wayne County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI investigated the case.
The charge carries a minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 30 years. Waites is scheduled to be sentenced on February 6th of next year.
ESSEX MAN KILLED IN MOTORCYCLE CRASH
An Essex man was killed Tuesday in a motorcycle crash.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, 66 year old Randy Steward was riding the motorcycle on Route T, near Wappapello, when he ran off the right side of the road and overturned.
Steward, who was reportedly not wearing a safety device, was transported to a Poplar Bluff hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
POPLAR BLUFF SWIMMERS TO COMPETE TODAY IN THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Six Poplar Bluff swimmers will be competing today in the Missouri All State Swimming and Diving championship.
According to Poplar Bluff Athletics Director Kent Keith, the preliminaries will begin today at noon at the St Peters Rec-Plex.
Poplar Bluff’s Carson Todd will be participating in the 50 meter and 100 meter Freestyle. Owen McDaniel will be representing Poplar Bluff in the 100 meter Breaststroke.
Poplar Bluff will also have three relay teams competing, the 200 Freestyle Relay will feature Todd, Isaac Cato, Cyrus Sagharichi, and Henry Duncan. Poplar Bluff’s 200 Medley Relay team includes Todd, McDaniel, Duncan, Sagharichi.
The Mules 400 Freestyle Relay will feature Duncan, Cato, Connor Wiggs, and Sagharichi.
DEER HUNTERS REMINDED OF MANDATORY CWD SAMPLING
With firearm deer season coming up, the Missouri Department of Conservation is reminding deer hunters that it will be holding mandatory chronic wasting disease sampling during the opening weekend.
Hunters who harvest deer in any counties in the CWD Management Zone on November 11th and 12th are required to take their harvested deer or the head on the day of harvest to one of MDC’s numerous CWD mandatory sampling stations located throughout the zone.
Southeast Missouri counties included in the CWD Management Zone include Ripley, Bollinger, and Oregon.
Hunters must present their deer to a CWD mandatory sampling station within the county of harvest, with a few exceptions. Sampling and test results are free.
You can find the sampling locations as well as all counties that are in the CWD Management Zone at mdc.mo.gov/cwd.
TEENAGER SERIOUSLY INJURED AFTER HITTING DEER WITH FOUR WHEELER
A teenager was flown to an area hospital Tuesday evening after hitting a deer with a four wheeler.
The incident occurred on Levee Road, two and a half miles southwest of Kennett.
The 15 year old male struck the deer with the vehicle, which then ran off the roadway and overturned.
The teen was flown to a Memphis hospital with serious injuries.
ALL MISSOURI CHILDREN UNDER FIVE YEARS OLD NOW ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE A FREE BOOK EVERY MONTH
All Missouri children will get a chance to gain a love of reading.
All Missouri children under five years old are now able to register for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which is dedicated to inspiring a love of reading by providing age-appropriate books each month to children free of charge.
In order to receive books, a parent or guardian must register their child on the Imagination Library national website at ImaginationLibrary.com. Books will be mailed directly to the homes of registered children every month.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has already been available in some areas of the state thanks to the great work of the 57 local affiliates that distribute books to more than 17,000 Missouri children. Those children currently registered will be automatically enrolled in the new statewide program.
VETERANS DAY ASSEMBLY TO BE HELD TOMORROW IN FISK AND QULIN
Veterans will be honored during multiple celebrations this Friday in Butler County.
The Twin Rivers Elementary and Middle Schools will be recognizing local veterans during Veterans Day assemblies in both Fisk and Qulin.
The events will begin at 9:30 am at the Qulin Middle School Gymnasium and at 1:30 pm at the Fisk Middle School Gymnasium. Officials say that community members are welcome to attend.
WOMAN HIT BY UNOCCUPIED VEHICLE NEAR WAPPAPELLO
A Wappapello woman was struck by a vehicle Tuesday evening.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, 31 year old Terra Vires was hit by an unoccupied vehicle that had rolled on private property, three miles north of Wappapello.
Vires suffered serious injuries and was flown from the scene to a St. Louis hospital.
