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Year in Review: 2019 was filled with city, police changes
From changes in leadership positions to solving a crime from over a decade ago, locally, 2019 proved to be an eventful year.
Change made at DPS
In late August, Sikeston Department of Public Safety Director Mike Williams was relieved of his duties by Sikeston city officials. Williams had an extensive background with Sikeston DPS and had served as a field training officer, detective, arson investigator, sergeant, lieutenant, captain and acting director before being named director on Feb. 9, 2017.
“I love Sikeston DPS and I love this community,” Williams said after his dismissal. “At this moment in time, the department is ready for new leadership. I am grateful for my years with Sikeston DPS and the many opportunities I’ve had to serve the community.”
Two weeks later, James McMillen was named Sikeston DPS director in an announcement from Sikeston City Manager Jonathan Douglass.
McMillen is a longtime member of Sikeston DPS, beginning in July 1998 when he was assigned to Fire Division. Since he was worked in the Patrol Division, Detective Division, worked as a sergeant in both the Fire and Police Divisions, served as a lieutenant in Criminal Investigations and was promoted to assistant chief in 2017.
“I am excited and honored about this opportunity,” McMillen said. “During my career with the City, I’ve met lots of great citizens and worked among some of the best officers around. I am passionate about our service and I fully intend to give my all for both our community and our agency.”
Unrest in Miner
There was a shakeup on the Miner Board of Alderman and in the Miner Police Department in 2019. It began in January when Mayor Darren Chapman submitted his resignation.
“It is with regret and mixed emotions that I feel it is time for me to resign as Mayor for the City of Miner,” Chapman said in a statement. “For the past four years I feel as if I have done everything in my power to make the City a better place to live, however, Miner will never change. It is clear with recent events that the Board does not have the City’s best interest in mind and I no longer wish to take part in the direction the City is headed.”
The events Chapman was referring to was a feud between the Board and Miner’s elected police chief Chris Griggs. In late 2018, Griggs filed a lawsuit against Board members Bill James, Frank Tatum, Renee Clark, Michelle Farmer, Miner City Clerk Darrin Skinner and MCP Investigations & Security of Cape Girardeau, Mo., for things he felt the Board did investigating him that impeded his ability to lead the police department.
In March, the Miner Board held impeachment proceedings against Griggs for failure to work a 40-hour work week and for terminating dispatcher Laura Adams against the Board’s wishes. Later in the week, Griggs was informed he had in fact been impeached by the Board.
“We believe it is outrageous,” said Griggs’ attorney Jim McClellan. “The result doesn’t surprise us because the investigation was a sham.”
The impeachment was later upheld in appeal.
In more Miner unrest, there was a tie in the April election for alderman in Ward 2. Both Renee Clark and Michael Helms each received 24 votes, however, Helms was later disqualified from the election. According to Skinner, Helms was “disqualified from being elected due to issues relating to the requirements of Missouri Statute 79.250, owing City taxes at the time of the election.”
Former sheriff sentenced; new sheriff elected
Putting an end to a long court process, former Mississippi County Sheriff Cory Hutcheson was sentenced in April for illegally monitoring the location of other law enforcement officers and civilians without a warrant by entering mobile telephone numbers into a law enforcement database.
Hutcheson received a sentence of 10 months—six months to be served in the Bureau of Prisons and four months home confinement. In addition to the sentence imposed, Hutcheson was required to resign as sheriff of Mississippi County on Nov. 20, 2018.
Meanwhile, a new sheriff was elected in January. Britton Ferrell was elected as the Mississippi County Sheriff in a special election and immediately stated he didn’t want to conduct business as usual.
“We have to change the culture within these walls, and at the same time, serve our community better,” said Ferrell, who was elected by citizens on Jan. 29 and sworn in to office on Feb. 1.
A Mississippi County native, Ferrell caught the law enforcement “bug” while helping chase some thieves in 2007 and soon after he joined the Law Enforcement Academy’s nine-month, 640-hour program.
Ferrell became a reserve deputy and then worked as the town marshal for Wyatt before becoming a full-time deputy in Mississippi County in 2016.
Cold case solved
In November, an arrest was made in the case of Teresa Butler, a 35-year-old who went missing from her Risco, Mo., home on Jan. 25, 2006.
Melvin Ray Hufford Jr., 42, of Tallapoosa, Mo., was charged through New Madrid County with first degree involuntary manslaughter and tampering with physical evidence in a felony prosecution for his role in the Butler disappearance.
“It is satisfying to file charges in the case, but our initial goal was to bring Teresa home safely,” New Madrid County Sheriff Terry Stevens said. “But that isn’t going to happen so we can at least know that we have someone charged and there is some accountability for her death.”
A person of interest with in the first 48 hours, Hufford and Butler were allegedly getting high on meth at her home. Hufford said he injected himself and Butler with meth when her chest began hurting. After going into the kitchen, when Hufford returned he found Butler dead and took her body from the home and stole items to make it look like a robbery.
Hufford said he hid Butler’s body under a kitchen sink cabinet in an abandoned house while he was in prison and after getting out, removed the body and burnt her remains, crushing up the remaining bones and dumping them in a ditch south of Tallapoosa.
Hufford has an extensive history of felony crimes and has been sentenced to prison six different times since 1997. He has several charges for drug possession and distribution as well as prior weapons offenses, armed criminal action, second degree assault and tampering with a witness in a federal case. He is currently jailed in Pemiscot County where he is awaiting trial on charges out of New Madrid County.
Top-read story
The Standard Democrat’s most-read online story for 2019 happened in early June when a Benton man was charged for his alleged involvement in a child’s death. Raymond Bradley DeJournett, 25, of Benton is charged with felony abuse or neglect of a child resulting in death; and felony first degree endangering the welfare of a child resulting in the child’s death occurring on June 8, according to online court records.
He has a plea/trial setting set for Jan. 23.