KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Former Ray County, Missouri, Sheriff Scott Childers was arrested on Tuesday Nov. 4, after being indicted on five federal counts of mistreating inmates housed at the Ray County Jail.
On Nov. 19, 2022, federal prosecutors allege Childers grabbed a handcuffed inmate by the throat. Prosecutors say the inmate was not resisting or posting a threat to Childers or others before they were grabbed.
In total, Childers faces five counts of deprivation of rights afforded to inmates and one count of making a false report.
Among the other incidents outlined in the indictment:
- Around Spring 2022, Childers allegedly pulled a convicted inmate out of a vehicle, threw the subject to the ground, placed his knee on the subject's back and ground the face of the subject into the ground while the subject was handcuffed. The subject was not previously resisting or posing as a threat.
- On May 29, 2023, Childers allegedly arrested a subject without an arrest warrant and probable cause;
- Also on May 29, 2023, involving the same subject, Childers allegedly grabbed, pushed and slapped the subject during the unlawful arrest;
- On Feb. 6, 2024, Childers allegedly pushed, shoved and struck an inmate in a holding cell. The inmate had not previously been resisting or posting as a threat;
- In connection to the Feb. 6, 2024 incident, Childers allegedly filed a false report describing the incident. The court document says Childers wrote in a report that he went into the inmate's cell to give him a blanket but the inmate said that never happened.
All of the alleged incidents occurred while Childers was serving as Ray County Sheriff.
Online jail records reveal that Childers, 46, was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon in Greene County, Missouri. The same records reveal that Childers had been released on his own recognizance by Wednesday morning.
“This news is profoundly troubling and casts a shadow over the integrity of law enforcement,” current Ray County Sheriff Gary Blackwell said in a Facebook post Wednesday afternoon. “It discredits the many honorable officers who serve their communities with dedication, fairness, and respect for the rule of law.”
Childers stepped down from his role as sheriff in August 2024 as part of a settlement with then-Missouri General Andrew Bailey. Bailey had accused Childers of multiple wrongdoings in a quo warranto filed against Childers in March 2024.
Bailey’s investigation stemmed from concerns over the inmate work program at the Ray County Jail.
KSHB 41 I-Team reporter Sarah Plake got a hold of Childers, who said he's being represented by a federal defense attorney.
KSHB 41 reached out to that attorney but had not heard back by Wednesday evening.
If convicted, each deprivation of rights charge carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The filing of a false report charge carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
—
If you have any information about a crime, you may contact your local police department directly. But if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward.
Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.
