Resident files charges against Liberty Township officials

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- A Liberty Township, Missouri, resident has filed charges against the Liberty Township board of directors for trespassing and theft for removing a weir box from what she says is private property.

Pam Dowdy addressed the Stoddard County Commission about the dispute that began when the weir box was cut and removed from a levee Aug. 21. Such boxes are designed to redirect the flow of water.

"I know that the commission has no authority over the township, but I want them to be aware of the situation," Dowdy said.

On Aug. 31, 2010, representatives of the Natural Resources Conservation Service met with Dowdy and a member of the Liberty Township board about installing a levee, drop pipe and weir box on Dowdy's property off County Road 624 south of Dudley, Missouri. The work was completed Oct. 22, 2010.

Dowdy said she received a call Aug. 21 from someone who farmed her property, notifying her the weir box "had been cut and hauled off." She said she contacted the township board and wanted to know who had authorized removing the box. She was told the township board had authorized its removal.

A week later, Dowdy met with township officials. The board told her that because she was holding water for duck hunting, it had "caused the road to be soft." Dowdy said she was told the township had received a complaint about the condition of the road.

"I reminded them that at no point was I or my son contacted about this problem," Dowdy said. "The weir box and the drop pipe were on my property, not theirs. They could not take someone's property."

She said she checked with the Stoddard County assessor, and said there was a 40-foot easement on County Road 624 at that location. She maintained the drop pipe and weir box were 12 feet into her property and off the township easement. She showed maps of the land in question to the commission.

Pertinent address:

Dudley, Mo.