Region/state digest 03/26/05

Dexter teen faces charges for bomb blast

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- A Dexter teenager was bound over to stand trial Thursday in Stoddard County on 12 felonies stemming from an investigation into an explosion of an improvised bomb. Josh T. Stroder 16, who was certified to stand trial as an adult earlier this month, was arrainged Thursday. He is charged with first-degree tampering, knowingly burning, first-degree property damage, first-degree assault, two counts of armed criminal action, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon, stealing, possession of a controlled substance and terroristic threat. Stroder was arrested on Nov. 17 after an investigation by Dexter police made Stroder the primary suspect in a bombing at the residence of Robert and Janice Barney's home in Dexter. The bomb, which did not injure anyone, was improvised from cans of spray paint and ammunition.

Music lineup for Sikeston rodeo announced

SIKESTON, Mo. -- The entertainment lineup for the 53rd annual Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo was announced on Thursday. The schedule is Aug. 10, Montgomery Gentry; Aug. 12, Dierks Bentley, and Aug. 13, Darryl Worley. Due to the death of Chris LeDoux, who was scheduled to perform Aug. 11, the name of his replacement will be announced at a later date.

Mississippi County airport tanks shut down

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Mississippi County commissioners agreed Thursday to drain and inactivate the county airport's underground fuel tanks. In December, the Department of Natural Resources inspected the airport's fuel tanks, according to County Clerk Junior DeLay. Violations the department found include not registering the tanks with DNR, no leak detection or overfill equipment, and lack of daily monitoring of the tanks. He said the county has 15 days to respond with a list of actions taken or a schedule of actions the county will take to address the violations. DeLay said Neumayer Equipment in Jackson estimated the cost to get the tanks into compliance for the county would be about $15,950.63. The estimated cost to remove the new tanks and close them out, on the other hand, is $5,810.

Arrests made in death of former principal

PARK HILLS, Mo. -- Three men were accused Friday of shooting a longtime eastern Missouri school principal during a robbery, then burning down his house to conceal the crime. The fire early Monday at the rural home of Lloyd Agers, 60, initially was believed to be accidental. But an autopsy revealed Agers had been shot, prompting a murder investigation, Washington County Sheriff Kevin Schroeder said. On Friday, the same day Agers was laid to rest, charges of first-degree murder were filed against Kim Thomas Clark, 33, and Ross Edward Dillard, 20, both of Potosi, Mo., and Nolan Lee Dunn, 23, of Cabot, Ark. All three also are charged with arson, robbery and armed criminal action. Agers lived alone in an isolated area near the Washington County and Jefferson County lines. He was principal for 24 years at Athena Elementary School in De Soto, Mo., before retiring in 2001.

Charleston woman runs off road, is hospitalized

SIKESTON, Mo. -- A Charleston, Mo., motorist sustained moderate injuries on Scott County Road 360 a half-mile east of Dielstadt on Friday. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the accident occurred around 10 a.m., when Katie Green, 76, driving a 1989 Ford Taurus, ran off the north side of County Road 360, overcorrected, ran off the south side and overturned. Green was taken to Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Mo.

-- From staff, wire reports