Ray County sheriff let prisoners go free and bring in drugs, MO attorney general says
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is seeking to remove Ray County Sheriff Scott Childers from office, alleging he wrongfully allowed prisoners to leave jail, perform work for friends and acquaintances and smuggle in drugs, alcohol and other contraband.
The Missouri Attorney General’s Office on Wednesday filed a petition for quo warranto – essentially a lawsuit seeking Childers removal – in Ray County Circuit Court on Wednesday. A judge later ordered Childers relieved of duties, though it’s unclear from court documents which judge issued the order.
The petition, signed by Assistant Attorney General Ted Bruce, says Ray County residents who are crime victims “have been subject to needless fear and emotional distress upon seeing the perpetrators of their crimes out of jail and freely walking in public.”
“Respondent has allowed these detainees to drive vehicles, make purchases at local stores, leave the State of Missouri, and generally move about Ray County without proper supervision,” the petition says.
Calls to a phone number for Childers and to the Ray County Sheriff’s Office weren’t immediately answered on Thursday.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
The Star’s Bill Lukitsch and Kacen Bayless contributed reporting
