Ray County sheriff stripped of officer’s license, banned from law enforcement in Missouri
RAY COUNTY, Mo. (KCTV) - Ray County Sheriff Scott Childers lost his law enforcement license Monday in a settlement with Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s office.
The settlement comes two weeks after Childers lost his bid for re-election in Ray County in the primary election against fellow Republican Gary Blackwell. It strips Childers of his Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) certification and removes his ability to serve in Missouri law enforcement.
Childers had been temporarily removed from his position after he was accused of neglecting his duties amid controversy over allowing inmates to work outside jail grounds.
“This outcome is a major win for the residents of Ray County who have been forced to watch the perpetrators of their crimes roam freely in their communities due to the negligent actions of those sworn to protect them,” Bailey said in a statement Monday. “I am extremely proud of the work my team put into removing another official who refused to do their job as required by Missouri law.
“We will continue to fight for Missourians across the state by holding bad actors able,” Bailey continued.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Ray County sheriff removed, accused of letting inmates leave jail, bring back contraband
Childers was ordered to be removed as sheriff by a judge on Thursday, March 7. Court documents indicated he allowed detainees to work at individuals’ homes or businesses.
“We want to break cycles and that’s what this program is about, but in the process, we can teach them to do things like auto-mechanics, trades, skills,” Childers said in a Facebook video in March. “So, that way they don’t feel like they have to steal or do drugs.”
In November 2023, Childers posted a video to Facebook and said he had shut the program down as complaints had been made to the Attorney General’s Office. A government attorney and the county attorney were brought in to discuss the program. They informed him that inmates were required to sign agreements to be part of such programs which bar them from drugs and require counseling.
A petition said detainees were allowed to bring contraband into the jail including drugs, alcohol and cell phones. Childers also allegedly allowed conjugal visits which is also illegal.
On Monday morning, Childers posted a video on Facebook announcing he turned in his resignation “effective immediately.”
In the video, Childers said he’d be pursuing a career move that allowed him to spend more time with family, criticized unnamed individuals he claimed backstabbed him while in office, and continued to deny claims surrounding the inmate work-release program.
“The reason for that is due to the fact that I did not win re-election, there was no use to keep fighting the quo warranto,” Childers said in the video. “I had to put what was best for my family first and that’s not to keep spending money on something that really doesn’t matter at this point.”
Childers claimed “basically everyone was happy with” Monday’s agreement that bars him from Missouri law enforcement for life. The now-former sheriff said he won’t be leaving Ray County while pursuing what’s next for him.
“For the last 12 years in law enforcement, I have chosen my work over my family,” Childers said, “and I knew I was always going to regret it. I’m now going to stop that and not regret it and I’m going to spend time with my family and be happy.”
“Law enforcement is the worst career I’ve ever seen where people back-stab you, they turn on you -- especially when you get into an elected position,” Childers said. “There’s things that happened to me and things people have done that I never thought would happen. Those things are hurtful, but you move on and realize who really cares about you in life.”
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