September: Men arrested in sex trafficking conspiracy

Local authorities were busy during the month of September, investigating a number of high profile crimes.

On Sept. 10, the Daily Mail reported the indictments of four southern Missouri men, including local postmaster general Dennis Henry. All four men were indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with their roles in a sex trafficking conspiracy. The indictment alleged that a young, mentally deficient woman was sexually abused and tortured for several years in a Lebanon, Mo., home, and forced to work as an exotic dancer at local strip clubs.

Edward Bagley Sr., 43, and Michael Stokes, 62, both of Lebanon, Mo., Dennis Henry, 50, of Wheatland, Mo., James Noel, 44, of Springfield, Mo., and Bradley Cook, 31, of St. Louis, Mo., were charged in an 11-count indictment that was returned under seal by a grand jury in Kansas City on Wednesday, Sept. 8. The U.S. Postal Service told reporters from KOAM-TV on Friday, Sept. 10, that Henry was suspended indefinitely without pay in the wake of the news of his indictment.

On Thursday, Sept. 16, it was reported that the Vernon County Sheriff's Office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol were requesting public assistance in the identification of the remains of a man found in southeast Vernon County in January of 2000.

A laboratory analysis determined the skull to be that of a white male. It was estimated that the individual was between 26 and 36 years of age at the time of his death, and may have died as early as 1985 or as recently as 1997, according to a press release from the MSHP.

In an effort to identify the remains, the skull was sent to the Forensic Anthropology and Computer Enhancement Services (FACES) Laboratory at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge where a computer-enhanced image was produced.

Director of the FACES laboratory at LSU, Mary Manhein said her staff used a data base of information they created by using ultrasound technology to scan thousands of human faces and extrapolate the information gathered into average tissue depths. Her lab's available data includes information on men and women from all age classes and racial backgrounds and information from other similar data bases in the forensic anthropology field.

In addition to those criminal cases, the Vernon County Adult Recovery Court celebrated the 22nd graduation in its history with Teresa Butler's completion of the program. Judge James Bickel introduced Butler, and said that she was what he termed a "functional addict" when she began the recovery program, she maintained employment even though she was addicted to drugs.

The hottest topic of discussion in the month of September had nothing to do with illegal activity of any kind. Early September marked the beginning of what would become very heated discussions regarding the NEVC school district. A number of issues were brought up regarding the school district and its potential dissolution that ultimately came to a head when the proposed annexation into the Nevada R-5 district failed on the Nov. 2 ballot.

Finally, the month of September ended on a happy note for the Nevada Regional Medical Center. Hospital officials took several quality measurements that showed that the facility was steadily increasing patient satisfaction.

To celebrate the accomplishment, hospital employees were treated to a picnic in the doctors' parking lot at the hospital.