Police department disbanded amid investigations into city administration
A grand jury issued an indictment against Humansville Utility Clerk Sophia Piper on the class D felony of Election interference. It is alleged that she did not allow candidates to submit paperwork to run in the April 2024 elections.
Piper had her first court appearance with Judge Hendrickson at the Polk County Court House on Monday, Aug. 5. During the arraignment, Piper and her lawyer, Kristi Fulnecky, submitted a request for a change of venue. According to the motion, “A change of venue shall be ordered in any criminal proceeding triable by a jury pending in a county having 75,000 or fewer inhabitants upon the filing…”
According to the grand jury report, “on or about Jan. 17, 2023 ...the defendant knowingly submitted a false statement to an election authority in such a way as to hinder or mislead the authority or official in the performance of official duties.” Piper allegedly submitted a signed affidavit to the Polk County Circuit Clerk claiming only one person had applied to run for certain offices.
The then-city clerk, Tiffany Jenkins, filed an official complaint with the state in March claiming that Piper wanted to keep the same, or “like-minded people” in certain positions. If someone applied to run for Mayor or the vacant Alderman seat, for example, she told them the jobs were “spoken for.” The current mayor, who ran unopposed in April, is Tracy Mason, the former city clerk.
Class D felonies carry a prison sentence of one to seven years and/or a fine of up to $10,000
This indictment seems to be the most recent event in a chain of upheavals in the Humansville government, resulting in a protest outside the city hall building on July 31.
Public Funding Questions
In March, Police Chief Ryan Snow contacted the Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) regarding his concerns about misused funds.
Alderman Robert Thomas also had money questions and called for a state-run audit in April, as had been requested by concerned citizens. The motion tied 2-2 among the four aldermen and was defeated by Mayor Mason, who cast the tie-breaking vote.
The main focus of the financial investigation is money received from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) in 2022. There are bookkeeping discrepancies about how this money was spent, including drops of around $3,000 within a month with no account of where it went. The current Mayor was the clerk at the time and was in charge of creating the financial reports.
Another focus is Mileage Reimbursement. It is alleged that funds may have been used for things other than mileage but misappropriated under this title. For example, Piper received $1,500 in mileage reimbursement for August 2023 through March 2024, an amount that some seem to feel is extravagant. Another city official states her Christmas bonus was allocated as mileage reimbursement.
Disbanding the Police
These events culminated at the end of July when the Aldermen shut down the town’s entire police force, leaving citizens nervous about security.
Chief Snow, who contacted the MSHP to investigate the funds, believes the police force was eliminated for personal reasons, stating, “It has become evident that this decision was made in retaliation for the multiple state investigations that have been launched under my watch.”
In a controversial move, the Aldermen voted 3-2 to eliminate the police force with Mayor Mason delivering the tie-breaker vote. This move has left some Humansville citizens angry and demanding the Mayor step down.
