Frustration and confusion grow as investigation into Sturgeon dog shooting stalls

STURGEON, Missouri (KMIZ)

Some people are growing frustrated with the lack of progress in the investigation into the case of the Sturgeon police officer who shot and killed a blind and deaf dog.

Nicholas Hunter’s 13-pound Shih Tzu Teddy was killed by Officer Myron Woodson on May 19. The City of Sturgeon requested an administrative investigation on May 30 and placed Woodson on paid leave. Hunter filed suit against the city and Woodson.

Hunter’s lawyer Daniel Kolde said in May that they also wanted to file criminal charges, but no charges have been filed.

“Cases of animal cruelty and neglect are a thing of the past and are far too rarely prosecuted. They are usually not taken very seriously,” Kolde said. “These crimes need to be taken seriously. Since I haven’t heard anything from the district attorney, my concern right now is that this is going to become one of those situations where there are rules for you, but not for me. Who is guarding the guards? Who is policed? I hope this doesn’t become a cover-up.”

Boone County Prosecutor Roger Johnson told ABC 17 News earlier this week that he asked Boone County Animal Control to look into the matter after numerous calls and messages from the public. He added that if his office was tasked with prosecuting Officer Woodson, he would have to request a special prosecutor.

Johnson asked animal control to contact Kolde on May 31. Kolde claims that Kevin Meyers, director of animal control for Boone County, asked to interview Hunter. He agreed, but a few days after the interview, he was told that Boone County Animal Control would no longer investigate the matter.

Austin Krohn, spokesman for the Columbia/Boone County Health and Human Services Department, said in an email that Meyers contacted Hunter “before determining that it would not be appropriate for animal control to handle the animal cruelty case.”

Animal control felt that investigating criminal charges was a conflict of interest because it has an agreement with the city of Sturgeon to take in stray animals, which it will house in Columbia if they are not picked up, Krohn said. Documents obtained by ABC 17 show the agreement runs through Sept. 30.

Krohn said Meyers advised Hunter to contact a third party to investigate, such as the Central Missouri Humane Society. A Central Missouri Humane Society employee said Thursday they had not been contacted about an investigation. Kolde said he had not heard from the district attorney’s office despite several attempts to contact them.

Kyle Green of the Missouri Highway Patrol said the MSHP was not asked by the Boone County Attorney’s Office to look into the criminal charges. Green also said the MSHP is not conducting the internal investigation into Sturgeon.

The Boone County Sheriff’s Office asked the City of Sturgeon to conduct an internal third-party investigation, but according to Captain Brian Leer, the Sheriff’s Office would not conduct that investigation.

Leer also told ABC 17 in an email that the officer is not conducting an investigation into whether criminal charges should be filed and that it would likely have to be conducted by someone other than the sheriff’s office “due to our ongoing collaboration with the Sturgeon Police Department and the City of Sturgeon.”

Kolde believes an investigation would not take as long as the third party would only have to look at the bodycam footage. Kolde had previously said that this was “one of the clearest cases of animal cruelty he has ever seen.”

“If this was any other citizen, I would expect local law enforcement to have investigated, referred charges to the district attorney, and charged them. I think if this was a regular citizen, this would have happened already,” Kolde said.

The City of Sturgeon has not released any updates on the progress of its internal investigation or who is leading it. ABC 17 News asked Mayor pro tempore Seth Trusedell about the status of the internal investigation but did not receive a response.

However, Trusdell responded to a request for comment about concerns that Woodson was still patrolling in a Hallsville police car in Sturgeon despite being on administrative leave. Woodson was part of the large operation at a mobile home park in Sturgeon on Tuesday, June 4, Hallsville Police Chief Bryan Schultz said during Monday night’s Hallsville Board of Aldermen meeting.

“Like any employee on administrative leave, Officer Woodson is not permitted on city property. I do not know if Hallsville will allow him to ride home in the police car. If so, he may drive through Sturgeon on the way home,” Trusdell wrote in an email. “As for the active shooter/standoff, it is my understanding that Officer Woodson was at the Boone County Sheriff’s Department command post at the recreation center and on duty in Hallsville at the time. We have no control as a Hallsville police officer over how or what Hallsville allows him to respond to.”