Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey attended a roundtable discussion at the office of Stoddard County Prosecutor Sawyer Smith on Thursday afternoon.

Bailey met privately with local law enforcement, judges and the staff of Smith’s office to discuss their concerns and needs.

A meeting was then held in Smith’s office in front of the local law enforcement, media, attorneys and others. Smith sat at a table in front of the gathering with Bailey, Stoddard County Sheriff Carl Hefner and Dunklin County Sheriff Bob Holder.

The quartet at the table fielded questions from the audience gathered in Smith’s office. Bailey said he likes to hold these types of meetings as often as he can. He said he trys to hold them them circuit by circuit. Bailey said his office has traveled all over the state which included stops in Henry County, Cape Girardeau County, Taney County, Green County and Stoddard County.

Prosecuting Attorney Sawyer Smith appointed William Rance Butler as Special Assistant Prosecutor in Division I Court on Wednesday, July 5, 2023.  Honorable Circuit Judge Rob Mayer administered the oath to Attorney Butler during a swearing-in ceremony held at the Stoddard County Justice Center.

SAPA Butler will begin assisting in the prosecution of criminal cases right away; his position will initially be funded pursuant to an agreement between PA Smith and the Board Members of the Stoddard County Law Enforcement Restitution Fund.

Rance Butler has practiced criminal law in Southeast Missouri for 24 years.  He previously served as Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in Stoddard County from 2008-2011.  He served with the Missouri State Public Defender’s Office as an Assistant Public Defender from 2019-2021 and as a District Defender from 2021-2023.  Butler will maintain a private civil practice part-time in addition to his duties as SAPA.

“The hiring of Rance Butler is more positive news coming from this Office.  Foremost, I believe in his commitment to ‘Justice For All.’  His contributions will be great.  APA Ryan and I look forward to his assistance in trying more cases before juries.  This would not be a possible achievement without the support of Stoddard County LERF Board Members, I do appreciate them working with me on this, and I also want to thank Sheriff Carl Hefner and Coroner Brent Stidham for their support.  This is actually another historic milestone in that it will be the first time three attorneys prosecute crime at the Stoddard County Prosecutor’s Office.  The time has finally come for this to happen, the SCPA office staff is more robust than ever before, filings are going up and crime is going down.  All of this is to increase benefit to the law-abiding People of Stoddard County.  Welcome aboard to Rance, and Congratulations, I am so proud for him to join the team.”  stated Sawyer Smith, PA-1

Stoddard County Collector - Treasurer Joshua Speakman recently attended the annual Missouri County Collectors Association (MCCA) conference, where he was elected to the Executive Board. This is a conference all collectors across the state are required to attend. 

The association does more than just keep collectors up-to-date on training, but provides information, as well as has an impact on, legislation that is in our capitol. That legislation impacts us here locally and across the state.

Josh stated he felt that seeking an executive board position, not only put stoddard county on the map, but allowed for him to be in a better position to advocate for taxpayers. 

It’s a good feeling that the taxpayers support me to do a job, and a group of my peers in that job support me to serve as a member of the Executive Board” 

“I have always been told, if you are not at the table, you may be on the menu. I wanted to make sure tax payers and entities back here at home aren’t on the menu.” 

Josh also serves on the legislative and technology committees for the association. 

One of the things Josh has been working on outside of the collector’s office, is assisting with legislation that impacts the inflated personal property taxes we have faced over the past few years. 

Josh says he hopes that getting involved more with that association, results in a positive impact on taxpayers. “they elected me to do a job, and I want to do it well. Here on a county level we have updated our county collector’s website, created an installment plan to lessen the burden on taxpayers, and found ways to improve operations in the office. I hope to expand that positive impact while serving on the MCCA executive board”  

William Rushing is a resident of Dexter, Mo. He is the co-owner of B & B Enterprises, LLC (which buys and sells estates, antiques and vintage items) and Baker Bee Farm, LLC.

Previously William was the Vice President of U.S. Operations for MotoRad Corporation which made and distributed car parts throughout the world. He turned around the struggling company through the purchase of a fourth warehouse (which he converted from a former large grocery store into a distribution center) and investment in innovative technology, along with implementing a continuous improvement culture.

Prior to MotoRad, William was the General Manager for Americold Logistics in Sikeston, Missouri. He positioned the facility to win the President’s Cup (the company’s top award) on two occasions. William increased distribution operational capabilities, throughput, and efficiencies thru a major re-engineering/modernization project that involved installation of an automatic conveyor system, upgraded freezer doors, new shipping dock doors, and LED lights.

Previously William was the Assistant Director of Operations for McKesson Corporation, after steadily advancing through a series of promotions, to direct all facets of a high-volume operations warehouse that supported 1,200+ pharmacies across a five-state region. He developed, championed, and implemented strategic plans to achieve all financial goals for $8B in annual pharmaceutical sales. William was able to lead his facility to win two Top Performing Warehouse Awards and three Top Safety Awards. He was also awarded the Safety and Security Officer of the Year three times.

William retired from the U.S. Navy at the rank of Lieutenant. He served on aircraft carriers and submarines. William participated in numerous military campaigns and missions to include the Bosnia Conflict and the war in Afghanistan. Some of his many military awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, five Navy Commendation Medals, five Navy Achievement Medals, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, NATO Service Medal, and Southeast Asia Medal.

William holds a master’s degree from the University of Arkansas in Operations Management, a bachelor’s degree in business from Charleston Southern University and a second bachelor’s degree in Logistics from the University of New Hampshire.

He is married to the former Jeri Baker of Dexter, Mo. They have 10 grandchildren.

He is running for Dexter School Board.  The election is Tuesday, April 4, 2023.

Essex Fire Dept Endorses Sawyer Smith for Stoddard County Prosecutor