PARMA MAN SENTENCED TO COMBINED 120 YEARS ON BURGLARY AND ARSON CHARGESA judge in Cape Girardeau County has sentenced a Parma man to over 100 years on burglary and arson charges.
According to Stoddard County Prosecuting Attorney Russell Oliver, Edward Lusk had previously pled guilty to six counts of burglary in the second degree, one count of property damage, and one count of arson in the second degree.
On Friday, Judge Benjamin Lewis sentenced Lusk to 15 years on each of the 8 counts. Oliver says that the judge ordered that each sentence would be served consecutive to one another for a combined sentence of 120 years.
The arson and burglaries were located at Dexter area businesses during the summer of 2016.
MOTORISTS ADVISED TO BE CAREFUL DUE TO THE ECLIPSE TODAY The Solar Eclipse will finally occur today and officials are warning motorists to be ready for the increase in traffic due to visitors coming to see the event.
The eclipse will peak here in Southeast Missouri at around 1:20 pm. Everyone is being advised to prepare for extra congestion today and to watch out for increased pedestrian traffic as well. People may randomly park and be walking alongside roads in the hours before the eclipse to get the best viewing.
Anyone planning on viewing the eclipse needs to wear eclipse glasses to avoid damage to their eyes. However you should not wear your eclipse glasses or take photographs while driving.
The Missouri Department of Safety has posted a video with additional information and safety tips about the eclipse which we have available on the KWOC Facebook page.
THREE INJURED, ONE SERIOUSLY, IN WRECK OUTSIDE OF POPLAR BLUFF Three people were injured Friday in a wreck outside of Poplar Bluff.
According to authorities, the wreck occurred shortly before 5 pm Friday when a vehicle, driven by a Poplar Bluff teenager, pulled into the path of another vehicle on Highway 142, one mile south of Poplar Bluff.
The driver of the second vehicle, 39 year old Daniel Bunyard, of Doniphan, suffered serious injuries in the wreck. Two teenagers in the first vehicle were also injured. All three were taken to a Poplar Bluff hospital.
BUTLER COUNTY ROAD TO BE REDUCED EARLY THIS WEEK FOR BRIDGE REPAIRS Eastbound Route 60 in Butler County will be reduced to one lane early this week as Missouri Department of Transportation crews perform bridge repairs.
MoDot officials tell us that the bridge is located over the Saint Francis River near Fisk.
Weather permitting; work will be performed today and tomorrow from 6 am to 5 pm each day.
MURDER FOR HIRE INVESTIGATION LEADS TO ARREST OF CHAFFEE MAN An investigation into a plot to kill a Benton resident has resulted in the arrest of a Chaffee man.
Officials with the Missouri State Highway Patrol tell KWOC News that during the investigation, 24 year old Samuel Lix solicited an undercover state trooper to murder a family member.
On Thursday, Lix was arrested without incident at his residence. The following day, the Scott County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office formally charged Lix with conspiracy to commit murder - first degree and endangering the welfare of a child. His bond was set at $250,000.
POPLAR BLUFF CITY COUNCIL TO HOST PUBLIC MEETING TONIGHT TO DISCUSS PROPERTY TAX The Poplar Bluff city council will be holding a public hearing tonight concerning property tax rates.
The hearing will begin at 6:45 pm tonight in the City Council chambers. The hearing is an opportunity for citizens to give input relative to the property tax rates proposed to be set by the City Council.
The hearing will be followed at 7 pm by the regular meeting of the City Council. During the regular meeting, the council is scheduled to review adjustments to the Fiscal Year 2017 city budget, discuss options for City Hall, and take action on multiple ordinances.
PIGGOTT PHONE LINES GO DOWN FOLLOWING AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT The phone lines in Piggott were down for a period of time over the weekend following an automobile accident.
Clay County Sheriff Terry Miller Tells KWOC News all of the phones in Piggott, including the Clay County 911 system, went down Friday evening due to the automobile accident on Highway 49 near Speers Curve.
The 911 system was restored to normal early Saturday morning and the highway was reopened before 5 am that morning. Information was not available on if there were any injuries in connection to the wreck.
EARLY MORNING WRECK LEAVES SENATH TEENAGER WITH SERIOUS INJURIES A Senath teenager was seriously injured in an early morning wreck over the weekend.
According to the Highway Patrol, the 17 year old male was driving on Highway P in Dunklin County shortly after midnight Saturday morning when his vehicle ran off the road and struck a bridge railing.
The teenager received serious injuries in the wreck and was flown to a Jonesboro hospital.
