Scott County Sheriff Wes Drury responds to issue involving deputy

Scott County Sheriff Wes Drury posted a fierce rebuttal online late Friday afternoon to a Southeast Missourian story about a deputy accused of stalking a woman. He accused the newspaper of several inaccuracies and accused the woman of grossly exaggerating the frequency of the times the deputy passed by her house. Furthermore, he said the department conducted a background check before hiring the officer.

In a statement issued Friday on the sheriff's department Facebook page, Drury defended deputy Travis Keller.

The Southeast Missourian reported in Friday's issue a judge had denied the woman's request for an order of protection. Drury wrote the judge's ruling was "based on the credible evidence" presented at Thursday's hearing at the Scott County courthouse in Benton, Missouri.

In his statement, Drury said the story was "poor journalism" and amounted to a "flagrant disregard of the facts."

Drury took issue with the reporting on a dozen items.

Judge Rob Barker was a Mississippi County judge and not a Scott County judge, Drury said. The Southeast Missourian incorrectly identified Barker as a Scott County judge. However, the judge serves in the 33rd Circuit, which covers Mississippi and Scott counties and, as reported in the Southeast Missourian, was hearing the case in Scott County.

Drury said the woman, Sarah Marie Valenzuela, who was living in Morley, Missouri, earlier this year, made her initial complaint to Capt. Ron Meredith and not chief deputy Ryan Dennis. The Southeast Missourian incorrectly reported to whom the original complaint was made. Valenzuela subsequently made a complaint to Dennis.

However, Drury's claim the department performed a background check and a Jackson officer gave a positive review is disputed.

Drury wrote that sheriff's department employees contacted a sergeant with the Jackson Police Department, where Keller previously was employed. Drury said the sergeant gave "a positive endorsement" of Keller.

Jackson police chief James Humphreys said in a message to the newspaper Friday night the sergeant "did not give him a good review and no one came to do a full-fledged background check on him or look at his file."

Humphreys said the sergeant indicated he informed the sheriff's department of Keller's "issues here."

The police chief said Keller resigned "in lieu of termination for several policy violations as a result of an external complaint."

Drury, who did not respond Thursday to questions posed by the Southeast Missourian in an email and did not return a phone message, stated Friday his department also contacted an officer with another agency, along with a retired federal agent. Both officers "spoke highly of deputy Keller, and advised he was new to law enforcement and needed to be trained, but he was very professional and trustworthy," Drury wrote.

Valenzuela made two complaints, one to Meredith in April after Keller approached her at her house late at night, and the other to Dennis in June.

Drury said Meredith addressed the complaint by transferring Keller to the south zone consisting of the Sikeston, Missouri, area. But Morley resident Tiffany Klaffer told the Southeast Missourian the deputy admitted on one occasion he was in the Morley area of the north zone when he was supposed to be working the south zone.

Valenzuela said Friday night Meredith told her after she filed her complaint Keller would no longer be patrolling in Morley.

But June 3, she said in her petition Keller was in Morley making a traffic stop and then proceeded to follow her to her mother's home in the Scott County town.

Valenzuela said she subsequently complained to Dennis and questioned why Keller was patrolling again in Morley.

Dennis testified in court Thursday that Keller had been reassigned to patrol in that area.

Valenzuela said Dennis told her after the June incident "he was going to correct this type of behavior."

She said Dennis at one point told her Keller had been "written up" for his actions.

Valenzuela, who recently moved to Oran, Missouri, reported a vehicle matching the officer's vehicle had driven by her residence in Morley more than 200 times between December 2017 and June 3. Drury said at the hearing Valenzuela could not be certain whether the patrol car was driven by Keller or another deputy.

But Valenzuela told the judge she spotted Keller driving the vehicle on numerous occasions.

At the hearing, Dennis told the judge Meredith had yet to review all the GPS records dating back to December and could not confirm how many times Keller may have been in the area.

Dennis told the court Keller admitted to passing by Valenzuela's mother's house on June 3 "two or three times." But Valenzuela said Dennis also indicated GPS records don't show him passing by the house on that occasion.

Valenzuela said in her petition Keller followed her for 45 minutes June 3. GPS records show it was only 20 minutes, Drury said.

Keller told the judge he started watching the Valenzuela residence because an informant told him "a large quantity of marijuana" was being distributed out of the Morley house.

Valenzuela told the judge the allegation was a lie.

Multiple sources told the Southeast Missourian the sheriff's administration indicated after Drury took office in 2017 the department would no longer conduct drug investigations and would leave that work to the SEMO Drug Task Force.

Drury said, "These sources are not credible. This statement is inaccurate, and I have deputies working investigations. I have two detectives working most of our drug investigations, and we also allow our patrol deputies to work their own drug cases."

He said his department shares information with the drug task force.

"No drug cases have been turned over to the SEMO Drug Task Force," Drury said.

Drury said Barker was correct not to allow into evidence two letters submitted by Tiffany and Landon Klaffer of Morley. Such items are not generally admissible as evidence, he said.

"The hearing contained no evidence supporting any threatening action by Keller toward Mrs. Valenzuela via phone or in person," Drury wrote.

Valenzuela made an "unsupported claim" Keller had followed one of her friends from Chaffee to Oran, Missouri, on the night of June 12, Drury said. A check of the GPS record showed Keller was never in the cities of Oran or Chaffee at that time, Drury said.

The petition did not mention the claim he had followed one of her friends, although it was brought up during the hearing and Dennis testified the GPS records show Keller was not following Valenzuela's friend.

Drury wrote, "My deputies work hard for the citizens of this county. I want to assure the county that we work our cases, we patrol to protect the communities, and we addressed Mrs. Valenzuela's concerns in a professional and credible manner."

mbliss@semissourian.com

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