The jury trial of a Salem man accused in the January vandalism at Cedar Grove Cemetery has been taken off the court docket and the case continued to 9 a.m. Aug. 15 for a plea.
Alex J. Walker, 21, was scheduled for a jury trial July 30 on the felony charge of first-degree property damage. In Dent County Circuit Court July 17 in front of Judge Kelly Parker, Walker's attorney, Philip Ortmann, asked the case be continued since his client was performing military duty, according to court records.
The case was set for Aug. 15 for a plea, according to court records.
Walker was originally charged along with James L. Trawick, 21, after the two allegedly toppled 39 head stones in the cemetery. Salem Police Chief Clifford Jadwin said the vandalism apparently occurred overnight Jan. 9 and was noticed the next day by former Cemetery Supervisor Jim Hoornaert.
When questioned for his role in the incident, Walker told Salem Police Department officers he was in the Marine Reserves, according to a police report.
Initially Walker and Trawick denied their involvement, but later admitted to Salem Police Department officers what they had done, according to a probable cause statement filed with the court. Police were given a written statement about what happened that night.
Salem Monument Works reset the 39 stones and the city of Salem was billed and paid $1,800 for that work. Two of the stones, however, were damaged beyond repair and estimates are that it will cost $10,700 to replace them.
Walker and Trawick were observed by police walking near the cemetery the night before the vandalism was reported, according to a probable cause statement filed with the court.
An investigation and questioning of the two revealed the soles of their tennis shoes matched patterns shown in photos from the cemetery.
Trawick on March 11 was placed on five years probation by Circuit Judge William Camm Seay. He was also ordered to get a job, pay restitution and perform community service for his role in the incident.
Seay said if Trawick were sentenced to the Department of Corrections there wouldn't be restitution. He expressed that concern when Dent County Prosecuting Attorney Jessica Sparks first recommended probation.
Seay said he was sentencing Trawick to five years in the Department of Corrections, but suspended the sentence and placed Trawick on supervised probation.
Trawick and Walker were arrested Jan. 10 by the Salem Police Department. A court ordered sentence assessment report and court records indicate the two had been drinking and walked into the cemetery, which borders the Walker property.
Both originally denied their alleged involvement but later recanted their stories and admitted they had been drinking, went into the cemetery to walk and knocked over the headstones, according to court records.
• Shane Robertson, 32, Salem, pled guilty to conspiracy to possess pseudoephedrine knowing that it would be used to manufacture methamphetamine, according to Jan Diltz, U.S. Attorney spokesperson.
The federal charges stem from incidents in Dent County from November and December 2003.
Robertson pled guilty July 10 to count one of the federal indictments. He will be sentenced Oct. 3.
The drug charges carry penalty ranges of 20 years or more in prison and/or fines up to $250,000.
Robertson was charged after a federal investigation that ended in January with the arrest of 10 Dent County residents.
Highway patrol accident report
A Salem woman suffered minor injuries in a one-vehicle crash July 18 south of Salem.
Judy M. Gott, 50, was taken by ambulance to Salem Memorial District Hospital for treatment, according to a report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
The crash occurred as Gott was traveling northbound on Rt. 19, four miles south of Salem, crested a hill and attempted to travel around a vehicle turning into a private drive, skidded and lost control and traveled off the right side of the roadway.
Gott's 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt sustained minor damage and was towed from the scene by Whitaker's Towing, Salem.
Gott was wearing a seatbelt.
Sheriff's crime report
The Dent County Sheriff's Department is investigating two burglaries and made two arrests, according to a report received July 21 from Sheriff Bob Wofford.
According to the reports:
• A rifle and jewelry were reported stolen from a rural residence located off Highway 32 West. The incident, reported Thursday, was to have occurred from 9 to 11:30 a.m. that day. Entry was gained by forcing open a back door to the residence and forcing a front door to an outbuilding. Reported taken were a .17 cal Remington bolt action Model 700 rifle, seven gold chains, five rings consisting of diamond-ruby-pearl, necklace with diamond-ruby-pearl, and four diamond earrings.
• A set of golf clubs, gloves, balls, bag, head covers and a raincoat were taken from the Number 1 shed at the Spring Creek Golf Club. The theft was reported to the sheriff's department 3:29 p.m. Saturday. A numerical code has to be used to gain entry into the building.
• At 8:04 p.m. Saturday while on routine patrol a Dent County Sheriff's Deputy observed a vehicle with a shattered front windshield. Upon stopping the vehicle, further investigation led to the arrest of a 28-year old male who was cited for operating a motor vehicle while license revoked, operating a motor vehicle while in an intoxicated condition and failure to maintain financial responsibility.
• At 9:57 p.m. Saturday, a Dent County Sheriff's Deputy went to a residence in Salem in regards to a warrant. A 20-year-old male was arrested concerning an active warrant. Further investigation at the residence resulted in a 19-year-old male being cited for possession of less than 35 grams of marijuana.
Police accident report
•At 10:57 p.m. July 11 at Third and Pershing a 1997 Chrysler driven by Toby James Forster, Salem, was traveling westbound on East Third Street while talking on the phone and made contact with a parked and unoccupied 1990 Ford and a 1995 Chevrolet, both owned by Timothy Swaffar, Salem. Forster's vehicle sustained moderate damage. Swaffer's Ford sustained extensive damage and his Chevrolet sustained minor damage. Forster's vehicle and Swaffer's Ford were towed from the scene by Whitaker's Towing, Salem.
•At 12:57 p.m. July 11 on the Country Mart parking lot a 1999 Mercury driven by Kendra R. Quick, Salem, and a 1998 Chevroley driven by Tiffany E. Jordan, Black, were backing up and contact was made between the vehicles.
Both vehicles sustained minor damage.
•At 10:56 a.m. July 11 at Hickory and Ninth Streets a 2005 Ford driven by Leta Malott, Salem, was backing from a driveway at 800 North Hickory and struck a parked and unoccupied 2003 Pontiac owned by Paula Woolf, Salem.
Both vehicles sustained minor damage.
•At 2:34 p.m. July 10 on the Country Mart parking lot a parked and unoccupied 2000 GMC owned by Robert W. Galloway, Salem, was struck by a hit-and-run vehicle.
Galloway's sustained minor damage.
