Paper manager arrested as a fugitive from justice

Dale Edward Smith, general manager of the Capital City Weekly, was taken into custody on Monday on an outstanding warrant for felony non-support of a child. The extraditable warrant was issued by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Warrant Division in Missouri.

The 50-year old Smith was arraigned in Juneau District Court on Tuesday.

According to court documents, a Juneau police officer initially went to the Juneau Empire building, but was told by the circulation supervisor that Smith worked out of the Capital City Weekly’s offices that are located downtown on North Franklin Street. Before taking him into custody, the officer verified Smith’s identification by checking his Missouri driver’s license.

During arraignment on Tuesday, public defender Tim Ayer said that Smith had taken the job at the Capital City Weekly for the purpose of paying off the child support. Ayer said Smith was not running from a violent crime.

Assistant District Attorney Amy Williams said that Smith had only been in Juneau for a few months and he still presented a flight risk.

Superior Court Judge Louis Menendez, sitting in for District Court Judge Thomas Nave, agreed and set bail at $10,000 cash.

The amount of child support that Smith allegedly owes is still undetermined. An amount was not specified in court on Tuesday and Williams did not specify an amount in her affadavit to the court. Online court records for Jackson County, Missouri could not be immediately verified for timeliness and accuracy.

The next Juneau hearing in Smith’s case is set for January 9th.

The Capital City Weekly was acquired in 2004 by Morris Communications, the parent company of the Juneau Empire newspaper.

 

 

Smith talks about the move to Juneau in this column published last month in the Capital City Weekly.

Smith writes about his previous venture in Kansas City, Missouri in this page that is still up for the magazine Paw Prints.

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