SHERIFF: FAVORITISM CHARGE UNFOUNDED

Boone County Sheriff Ted Boehm wasn't as calm yesterday as he appeared at a
news conference where a detective in his department accused him of political
bias in a disciplinary action.

[ photo Boone County Sheriff Ted Boehm, left, accepts a resignation letter
from Detective Ken Kreigh yesterday after a news conference in which Kreigh
accused Boehm of workplace favoritism.]

Ken Kreigh, a longtime narcotics detective and one of four candidates in
this year's sheriff's race, resigned after claiming that an investigation
against him was meant to disparage his campaign. "If this happened two years
ago, I probably would have displayed that I am angry and disappointed," said
Boehm, who had a quadruple bypass heart surgery last March and since has
been trying to control his emotions.

Speaking several hours after the news conference, Boehm said he would
do anything to refute allegations that he is "politically corrupt" and
clear the name of his department.

Boehm described yesterday's news conference as "a total shock to the
law enforcement community" and said he "can't afford to stand back and
watch a political race with someone who cannot accept constructive
criticism."

The investigation of Kreigh's actions focused on the events
surrounding an October drug bust outside Chevy's Fresh Mex restaurant,
where a sheriff's deputy fired two gunshots at a car driven by a
suspected drug trafficker.

Both an outside review board and a team of sheriff's department
employees found problems with the organization of the operation but
reached somewhat different conclusions about what was wrong.

Kreigh is running for sheriff as a Democrat against Capt. Dwayne Carey
and Maj. O.J. Stone, also sheriff's department employees and
Democrats. Mick Covington, a former Columbia police officer, is
running as a Republican.

Kreigh said it was unfair to investigate him but not Carey, who he
said supervised the drug bust. In addition, Stone participated in the
investigation by submitting written questions, a conflict in Kreigh's
mind.

Boehm denied the panels were politically biased. He also took issue
with the accuracy of Kreigh's statements regarding the involvement by
Carey and Stone in the operation and review.

"Carey was not the immediate supervisor," Boehm said this morning. "He
was on call that night, and after the trafficker was in custody, he
was notified of the incident and went to the scene."

As to Stone's involvement, the sheriff said his second-in-command was
"the messenger, not the author" of questions about the operation. The
review board asked the questions and Stone simply delivered them to
Kreigh, the sheriff said.

On Jan. 23, Kreigh was told he would receive a letter of reprimand and
be placed on probation for six months. Sheriff's Capt. Kevin Merritt,
who also participated in the investigation, replaced Kreigh as the
head of the department's Drug Enforcement Unit.

Kreigh said after his press conference that a leak to a reporter
working on a story about the disciplinary action prompted him to
announce his resignation.

Kreigh said he planned to resign anyway and the leak was the catalyst.
Also, he said, "I felt I was in danger of being fired probably at any
time."

Boehm said he could have fired Kreigh earlier had he wanted, adding
that the disciplinary action was intended to help Kreigh learn from
his mistakes.

Boehm acknowledged that Kreigh had participated in hundreds of
successful drug operations but that the Oct. 23 bust deserved scrutiny
to explain "why that trigger was pulled in a major business area .
near I-70."

Kreigh claimed no recklessness on his part, saying the incident was
the first time a shooting occurred during a drug bust in his career.

"Sometimes, gun play happens," he said.

An investigation determined that the shooting deputy, whose name the
department would not release, was not at fault. An outside review
board later found that Kreigh placed more importance on buying the
drugs than on ensuring the safety of officers and the public.

The report faulted Kreigh for failing to notify the Columbia Police
Department about the planned drug bust within the city limits and also
pointed to an inaccuracy in his report about the incident. Kreigh
appealed, and an internal board investigated him once again.

"The review panel and appeal board concur that if proper
identification was utilized, the incident could have been better
controlled," says a Jan. 23 memo. The second panel also said the
informant had an active warrant and should have been arrested.

The investigation of Kreigh was thorough and fair, Boehm said: "We did
not set him aside and mistreat him."

Boehm yesterday declined to endorse any of the candidates.

"Do I favor one of them? Yes," he said. "Three people will find out
how I vote: me, my wife and God."