Legal expert: External investigation into Sturgeon police officer’s actions long overdue

STURGEON, Missouri (KMIZ)

A former prosecutor said it was “inexcusable” that no investigation had yet been launched into the Sturgeon police officer who shot and killed a dog earlier this month.

Officer Myron Woodson is on paid leave after shooting a 15-pound blind and deaf dog. Body camera video obtained by ABC 17 News shows Woodson trying to catch the dog, named Teddy, with a catch pole for about three minutes before pulling out his gun and shooting the animal.

Sturgeon’s city council said at a meeting on Tuesday evening that Woodson would remain on paid leave until they met and made a decision on the next steps.

However, former Cole County Attorney Bill Tackett said an outside investigation must take place before any decisions can be made about Woodson.

“Usually the external investigation comes first so there’s no tampering with the evidence or anything. You really want everything to be as clean as possible,” Tackett said. “Then you take the external investigation and make your decisions based on that.”

Tackett said by “decision” he means deciding whether the officer acted within his authority or whether he should be fired.

He said he was surprised that an investigation had not yet been launched and said it needed to be done quickly.

The city of Sturgeon said on Facebook Saturday that it had reached out to the Boone County Sheriff’s Office to begin an independent investigation, but Captain Brian Leer said the Sheriff’s Office will not conduct an investigation.

Leer said in an email, “This incident involved a City of Sturgeon Police Officer. Boone County Sheriff’s Office employees were not involved in the incident. Because the City of Sturgeon is responsible for the actions of its employee, an internal administrative review must be conducted.”

Tackett said since Sturgeon lives in Boone County, it’s not unusual for the sheriff’s office not to investigate. He said in situations like this, the Missouri State Highway Patrol has to be called in.

“The easy answer is to call the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and that should have happened immediately,” Tackett said. “Just call them, walk away, all evidence is untouched, have the interview done and then there’s a decision. But without a police report, you can’t establish a crime. You have to do an investigation.”

He said it is normal for MSHP to investigate such situations, and it will likely be done within about a month. If MSHP does not investigate the case, a district judge can step in to ensure an investigation takes place, Tackett said.

A spokesman for the patrol police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Tackett said there needs to be a third-party investigation so the reports can be sent to a prosecutor or attorney, who will then determine if a crime was committed and whether charges should be filed.

The City of Sturgeon did not respond to a request for comment for this story.

On Tuesday, the dog’s owner, Nicholas Hunter, filed a lawsuit against Woodson and the city of Sturgeon. Tackett said because it is a civil lawsuit, it is independent of the investigation that must take place.

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