Week in Review 6-4 to 6-10

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Bull Shoals Mayor David Hotchkiss and Officer James Rhodes resign

Bull Shoals Mayor David Hotchkiss and Officer James Rhodes of the Bull Shoals Police Department officially resigned Monday, according to a letter posted on the City of Bull Shoals’ website. City ordinances say the Recorder/Treasurer will take the Mayor’s position, pro-tem, until the regular session of the city council meeting Thursday, June 29th. The Council will be expected to appoint a new Mayor at that time.

In the resignation letter Hotchkiss says the decision was hard to make. Hotchkiss cited accomplishments made by the city over the past two-and-a-half years including the opening of the Dam Site Park, a new directory sign along with the “straightening out” of the Police Department. He said the most important tasks accomplished were being able to obtain enough grant money and to pass the sales tax for the new sewer plant.

A call to Hotchkiss Tuesday was not immediately returned.

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Izard County woman pleads guilty to Medicaid fraud

An Izard County woman avoided prison time Monday after pleading guilty to a form of Medicaid fraud involving theft of property by deception. According to Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, 60-year-old Anna Moore of Melbourne was sentenced in Pulaski County Circuit Court in Little Rock to five years probation and ordered to pay $5,232 in restitution to the Arkansas Medicaid Program Trust Fund and $500 in fines and court costs.

Moore was married to the patient she was caring for, Clifton Davis, making her ineligible to be paid by the Medicaid program. Davis pleaded guilty to the same charges in April after being accused of signing billing documents for care provided by his wife totaling more than $10,000. Moore was arrested last summer, and Davis was booked in October.

The case was initiated by a referral from the Medicaid Inspector General’s Office and was prosecuted in coordination with Sixth Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Larry Jegley.

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Governor Hutchinson submits disaster declaration for 6 local counties

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson submitted a formal request for a federal disaster declaration to President Donald Trump. The governor’s declaration is for 31 counties, including six locally, affected by severe storms, flooding and tornadoes in April and May.

Baxter, Marion, Fulton, Izard, Boone and Newton Counties were declared state disaster areas in May, and due to the extensive nature of the damage, the assessment for the federal declaration of emergency has taken longer to complete. Governor Hutchinson says the storms and flooding in the 31 counties caused more than $13 million in damage.

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Local Missouri residents eligible for Disaster Food Stamp assistance

Due to recent flooding, the Missouri Department of Social Services has received authorization from the United States Department of Agriculture to operate a Disaster Food Stamp Program in 27 counties including four local counties. Residents impacted by the flood in Ozark, Howell, Taney and Douglas Counties will be able to apply for the assistance.

The announcement comes after Governor Eric Greitens’ request for a federal disaster declaration was approved by the White House. Families receiving Food Stamp benefits and families not typically qualified for the program may be eligible for the disaster benefits if they suffered property damage, a loss of income, relocation or a loss of food due to the recent flooding. The families must live in one of the 27 counties affected.

The Family Support Division (FSD) will only be able to accept applications Monday through Friday. Famlilies already receiving Food Stamp benefits will have to submit a Disaster Food Stamp form to be postmarked by Friday. Families not currently on the program must apply in person at an FSD Resource Center.

For more information, contact the FSD Information Center at 1-855-FSD-INFO (1-855-373-4636), or go online to dss.mo.gov/recovery-information. For additional flood recovery resources, go to recovery.mo.gov.

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Flippin man arrested following suspected teenage overdose

A Flippin man, 24-year-old Sean Brian Hennington, has been arrested and charged with two felony drug offenses following a Norfork student being treated for a suspected overdose.

According to the arrest affidavit, the incident began on May 9 when a Norfork school resource officer was notified that a 15-year-old student was taken to Baxter Regional Medical Center via ambulance for a treatment of a suspected overdose. The juvenile was reported to have purchased and consumed approximately eight capsules believed to be Xanax.

Details in the affidavit indicate the second juvenile acquired the pills from Hennington at a party the weekend before the suspected overdose incident. The second juvenile is alleged to have then sold the capsules to another juvenile at Norfork High School and to have given one of the pills he had acquired to a juvenile female.

Hennington was identified through the subsequent investigation and charged with delivery of a scheduled IV controlled substance and distribution of a controlled substance to a minor, both felony offenses.

His bond was set at $20,000.

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