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Atkinson defends Peckman, Mosher disputes assertions
By James R. Campbell and Lynn A. Wade
Nevada Daily Mail
Former Vernon County Sheriff Brian Atkinson of Parkville has weighed in on a story about the race between incumbent Democratic Sheriff Ron Peckman and Republican sheriff's nominee Jason Mosher.
Referring to a rumor discussed by Mosher and denied by Peckman in a Sept. 29 story in the weekend Herald-Tribune, Atkinson, in a letter and subsequent interview, said he does not believe Peckman was romantically involved with 2009 murder victim Belinda Beisly because other agencies in the investigation would have forced him to recuse himself if he had.
Atkinson, a Democrat who was Vernon County sheriff from 1987 to 1991, said the Missouri State Highway Patrol and Missouri Attorney General's Office would have demanded Peckman's recusal under such circumstances.
"I do not know the man (Mosher) and do not maintain contact with Sheriff Peckman, but any candidate who cites a rumor in this manner must be questioned. I know and respect County Prosecutor Lynn Ewing and know he would not allow the sheriff's participation if there was any hint of impropriety," Atkinson said.
"When I read that story online, it kind of got me because I was three or four years younger than Belinda and I knew her when she worked at the Del-Way Drive In," Atkinson said in an Oct. 11 telephone interview.
"To jump on that and make it part of the campaign is reaching big time. That's what bothered me, for a guy who hasn't been around the block to try to make hay out of that. When one of my deputies was accused of sexually abusing a minor, we immediately contacted another agency," Atkinson said.
"I have known Ron long enough that there is no way I believe he would impede an investigation. I would never believe that in the first place, but rumors can be pretty dang vicious."
Mosher is chief of police at Jasper, 38 miles south of Nevada. In a Tuesday night e-mail, Mosher objected that Atkinson "has written a letter in which he bases his entire opinion of me on one article that appeared in the Nevada Daily Mail.
"He does not live in Vernon County and admits he does not know me," Mosher wrote. "The article Mr. Atkinson refers to may be slightly misleading. I was asked what I hear about most when speaking to people in the county, and I responded honestly. I did not 'cite' the rumors, as the article said.
"This issue is simply the one most often brought to my attention by the people of Vernon County. They asked how I would have responded to a situation like this, and I answered them. The fact is, when there is a conflict of interest, whether real or perceived, it is common practice for officials to recuse themselves from cases. This is done everywhere. This is what I would have done."
Mosher said Atkinson's assertion that the Beisly case is being investigated by several agencies is dubious. "Other agencies may have assisted in this investigation, but the fact is that it is being led by the sheriff, who is perceived by the citizens of Vernon County to have a conflict of interest," he said.
"This is the point I take issue with. It is the people of Vernon County who are concerned about this, which is clear from all the questions I have encountered while visiting around the county and at my meet and greets."
Atkinson also questioned Mosher's law enforcement experience. "It would appear candidate Mosher just does not get it and has no comprehension of what is involved with being sheriff of Vernon County," Atkinson wrote.
Broaching Peckman's Sept. 29 statement that around-the-clock coverage by deputies is financially infeasible, Mosher wrote, "In the article, Mr. Peckman says the (county) commissioners will not allow him to have that level of coverage.
"However, according to Mr. Peckman, he has 10 deputies. With some changes to shifts, scheduling and proper management, 24-hour coverage can indeed be achieved. There are other duties of the sheriff's office such as bailiff, paper service, et cetera, but there is still currently enough man-power to maintain 24-hour coverage."
Atkinson said Mosher's criticism that Peckman should have deputies on duty 24/7 lacks credence in a rural county that usually quiets down after 2 a.m. "Sheriff Peckman has dedicated deputies and I am certain that when their phones ring in the early morning hours, they are ready to roll to serve and protect the citizens," he wrote.
"I do not question deputies' commitment to getting out of bed when called," Mosher said. "That is not the issue; the issue is how the county is best served. The county is best served when deputies are already on duty when called."
Atkinson, 52, was also impressed that Peckman employs 10 deputies and 12 jailers with a budget of $1.4 million a year. "I had four deputies and a couple of jailers on a budget of about $700,000," he said.
"What we were paying the deputies then was a travesty and I doubt it has changed much. My county commissioners, Arch Forkner, Roy Gene Claypool and Jime Earnest, did what they could, but there was only so much to go around."
Peckman said that, through its budget, the Vernon County Commission has control of how many deputies the department can have.
There's a deputy taking care of schools, a deputy taking care of court responsibilities and a couple of investigators. "It leaves us with not very many for coverage, but we have them out there at the busiest times," Peckman said. Deputies' schedules must be managed to accommodate sick days, vacations, comp time that accumulated because sick days and vacations are being covered and more. "There's always a person allocated for call-out. I'm next in line." Peckman said he's out on a call almost every weekend, and "my phone rings day and night -- just about every night."
Mosher wrote that he also often hears complaints of a lack of police presence in the county. "Community Oriented Policing means the police have a presence in the community through regular and random patrol checks," said Mosher.
"This is done in other counties. The taxpayers have the right to see deputies more than just when they make a call to ask for them."
Peckman said he and deputies are involved with the community and that they frequently take part in fundraisers and events. The last one Peckman himself was involved with was a Children's Miracle Network event in which chances to throw a pie in his face (or someone else's face) were auctioned.
Mosher said that "The third concern I hear from Vernon County residents is that when they do make a call, nothing ever happens. They never hear back from anyone.
"Every call should be followed up, and people should be routinely informed on the status of their case."
Atkinson said in his letter that Peckman's willingness is commendable to average housing so many prisoners, many of them from neighboring counties paying per diem fees.
"That kind of population would not be worth it to me to have to tolerate that trouble with the visitation of relatives and other things," Atkinson said.
"Running the jail is a full-time tough job in itself. He does not have to do that. That Sheriff Peckman is willing to continue this assistance to other agencies is a testament to the man. I can assure you one thing: he does this to benefit Vernon County."
Peckman clarified that although for a short time, the jail population was above 80, the general average population is "probably about 65-70," he said, noting that although the jail does bring in some revenue, that revenue goes into the county's general fund. "When we have empty beds, we can use those empty beds for the county to help pay (the jail) off quicker."
Peckman said he felt honored that a former sheriff recognized all he's done.
Atkinson also reflected on his unsuccessful attempt in 1989 to house prisoners for the U.S. Marshal's Service, which ended in just a couple of weeks when two inmates gave a jailer $1,000 and promised another $10,000 to let them escape. "They caught one quickly and the other a few months later in Minnesota," he said.
Parkville is 10 miles northwest of Kansas City.