(Editor’s note: Information in this report is gathered directly from area police agencies, county courts and emergency radio dispatch. The public is reminded that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty and charges may sometimes be dropped or reduced as part of the legal process.)

Columbia Police
Sept. 6
Tommie C. Dentman, 20, of St. Louis, was cited for unlawful use of mobile device, no insurance, no valid license, failure to wear seat belt and unlawful display of license plate on Route 3 northbound at I-255.

Edward A. Reinken, 44, of Millstadt, was arrested on an in-state warrant.

Sept. 7
Jennifer N. Grounds, 32, of St. Louis, was arrested for domestic battery.

Sept. 9
Emergency personnel responded about 10:20 p.m. to a two-car crash with injury on Route 3 at Wedgewood Drive in Columbia. A 2015 Chevrolet Camaro driven by Steven Hannaford, 39, of Swansea, was turning left onto northbound Route 3 from West Park Drive when it was struck by a 2010 Chevy Aveo driven by Matthew Lockhart, 27, of Oakdale, which was traveling north on Route 3. Hannaford was cited for failure to yield-turning left. Lockhart was transported to St. Anthony’s Medical Center in St. Louis County for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

Monroe County Sheriff
Aug. 24
Christina L. Ledbetter, 43, of Waterloo, was cited for disorderly conduct.

Sept. 1
Kenneth Littrell, 30, of Waterloo, was charged with two counts of criminal sexual assault following an August incident involving a female victim with whom he had a previous relationship.

Sept. 5
A resident on KK Road reported a possible case of fraud. He used a website to purchase a puppy for $3,500, but has failed to receive the dog.

Sept. 8
Emergency responders and road district officials assisted in numerous county roadways being closed or restricted after several inches of rain had fallen Friday and Saturday. No injuries were reported, but there were successful rescues involving stranded motorists on Bluff Road at KK Road and DD Road near the railroad tracks in Columbia.

Sept. 9
Thurston Young, 38, of Belleville, was arrested on a Monroe County warrant.

Sept. 11
More than a dozen area fire departments and a St. Louis County Police Department helicopter joined police and emergency personnel in the search for a missing 71-year-old man in the 2100 block of Steppig Road west of Bluff Road in rural Columbia. The official search for Marvin Mueller began about 11 a.m., although neighbors started looking for Mueller, whom they described as having health problems, since 8:30 a.m. Among the agencies providing the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department and Columbia Fire Department with manpower and equipment for the search of nearby fields, grain bins and muddy terrain included the Waterloo, Red Bud, Valmeyer, Maeystown, Hecker, Millstadt, Smithton, Midway and Freeburg fire departments. The Monroe County Emergency Management Agency also assisted as well as Monroe County EMS, multiple K-9 units and a St. Clair County mobile command vehicle. The search continued as of press time.

Waterloo Police
Sept. 4
Ricky Lamb, 61, of Tulsa, Okla., was picked up on a Monroe County warrant for two counts of forgery stemming from 2016 incidents involving the Rural King store in Waterloo.

Dylan Franklin, 27, of Crystal City, Mo., was arrested for burglary, retail theft and criminal trespassing at Walmart. He is alleged to have stolen a 50-inch TV from the store.

Sept. 8
Robert W. Bergman, 37, of Waterloo, was arrested for aggravated domestic battery, criminal damage to property and resisting a peace officer following an incident in the 600 block of Mark Drive. Bergman fled the scene on foot but was found hiding in the woods, where police used a Taser to subdue him.

Sept. 9
Laura Acton, 28, of Waterloo, was arrested for possession of a controlled substance (fentanyl) near Applebee’s, 923 State Route 3.

Sept. 10
Ashley Voyles, 26, of Waterloo, was charged with criminal trespass to motor vehicle and felony obstructing justice following an Aug. 29 incident.

Sept. 11
Tyler Bergman, 28, of Waterloo, was charged with two counts of theft (control/intent) stemming from incidents that occurred Aug. 27-28 involving a trimmer, leaf blower and laptop computer.