Sheriff, deputies tried to help man kidnap daughter: cops
Left to right: Iron County Sheriff Jeffery Burkett, Deputy Chase Brasnahan, Deputy Matt Cozad and Rick Gaston are charged with a kidnapping plot. (Mug shots courtesy of Washington County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office)
A Missouri sheriff and two of his deputies are facing kidnapping, conspiracy and street gang criminal activity charges for allegedly trying to help a man kidnap his daughter after a dispute with his wife.
Jeff Burkett, 46, the sheriff of Iron County, about 100 miles southwest of St. Louis, was arrested Thursday along with Deputies Matthew Cozad and Chase Bresnahan and father Donald Gaston.
According to indictment documents cited by NBC St. Louis affiliate KSDK, it all started in February when Burkett, Gaston, Bresnahan and Cozad tried to help Gaston kidnap his daughter after an argument between Gaston and his daughter’s mother.
The suspects called 911 to have the mother arrested and added a “stop and hold” message to her file so that if police stopped her, she would be arrested, the outlet reported. They monitored the mother and daughter’s locations through their cellphones.
The sheriff reportedly told 911 dispatchers that the mother was drunk and kidnapped her injured daughter. The dispatcher heard a male voice saying the same thing, “as if the unidentified man was telling Burkett what to say,” the outlet reported, citing court documents.
Burkett’s attorney, Gabe Crocker, told The Associated Press the charges were politically motivated. “It’s small-town politics,” Crocker said. “This is the continuation of a long-running effort to remove this sheriff from office.”
It’s unclear if Gaston, Cozad and Bresnahan have attorneys, the AP reported.
All four are charged with knowingly participating in gang activity and conspiracy, according to a press release from the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Burkett and Gason are also charged with attempted kidnapping, stalking and false reporting. Other charges against Burkett and Bresnahan include obtaining criminal records under false pretenses and using the 911 number. Cozad also faces charges of aiding and abetting stalking.
Burkett is incarcerated on a $500,000 bond. The others were jailed on $400,000 bonds.
Burkett, a Republican elected in 2020, was hospitalized with COVID-19 for nearly four months, including time on a ventilator. He was hospitalized this month due to ongoing complications, according to a press release from the Iron County Sheriff’s Office. His mugshot shows him with an oxygen line.
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https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/missouri-sheriff-2-deputies-face-criminal-street-gang-activity-and-conspiracy-charges-alleging-they-tried-to-help-a-man-kidnap-his-daughter/ Sheriff, deputies tried to help man kidnap daughter: cops
