BYRNES MILL, Mo. — A criminal investigation into the Byrnes Mill Police Department is complete, but the department that ran the investigation says an additional audit is needed.
In a letter to the City of Byrnes Mill dated May 4, Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak said his department completed its investigation of the police department and handed its findings over to the county prosecutor and the Missouri attorney general.
The investigation began after long-time city attorney Allison Sweeney, who abruptly resigned from the City of Byrnes Mill, left behind more than 180 pages of records documenting allegations of illegal activity. She said the city’s police chief directed officers to void tickets, including DWI citations, directed an employee to sign the attorney’s name to documents without the attorney’s permission and signed contracts for police equipment without approval from the Board of Aldermen.
Marshak said the investigation included interviews and the review of digital evidence including deleted emails and messages.
Marshak said information gathered in the investigation was given to the Jefferson County prosecuting attorney to the prosecutors could determine if they think there is enough information to warrant criminal charges. The information was also given to the Missouri attorney general's office because of allegations the city's processes were in violation of rules on the "separation of powers for municipalities that have their own municipal court system," the letter said.
Additionally, Marshak advised the city to hire an outside group to investigate what he called "non-criminal observations." He said the issues were outside of the scope of his department's investigation, but said he thought they would lead to "additional challenges" for the city.
"Early communication with city leadership indicated that an internal investigation was not likely," the letter reads. "However, absent improvements, the city should expect additional challenges in the future."
Sweeney alleged the impropriety started coming to light after someone repeatedly called the clerk’s office saying Chief Frank Selvaggio was going to have the prosecuting attorney amend a speeding ticket. Selvaggio then told the clerk to amend the ticket and use Sweeney’s signature stamp to do so, according to the documents.
Sweeney also served as the city’s municipal prosecutor and is the only person with the authority to make a recommendation on a ticket, such as amending it from a speeding violation to a lesser charge.
Sweeney then said she found her signature stamp had been used to make recommendations on other tickets without her knowledge or permission, some of which dated to a time when she was on medical leave.
