The Missouri Fraternal Order of Police and other law enforcement groups are right to condemn a political ad by a PAC supporting candidate for Missouri Attorney General, Will Scharf.  The advertisement wrongly politicized the tragic murder of Herman Police Detective Sergeant Mason Griffith, jeopardized the ongoing prosecution of the case, and wrongly assigned blame to Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey.

Detective Sergeant Griffith made the ultimate sacrifice when he lost his life in service to his community.  His family lost a husband and a father.  Exploiting this loss for political gain is offensive.  

The prosecution of the murder suspect is ongoing.  Politicizing the crime in advertising throughout the state risks tainting potential jurors and the ability of the Attorney General’s Office to secure a conviction and ultimately, the death penalty.

In a cynical move, advertisement for Mr. Scharf politicizes Detective Sergeant Griffin’s death by wrongly seeking to blame his political opponent, AG Bailey, for not holding the suspect accountable for prior criminal conduct.  

I worked with AG Bailey and I saw him seek justice for victims in Warren County.  While Andrew Bailey was an assistant prosecutor in Warren County he did prosecute the murder suspect for two misdemeanor offenses.  He secured convictions and a sentence to jail time for both crimes.  But AG Bailey was employed as an attorney for the Missouri Department of Corrections when the murder suspect was granted bail on felony charges and released from the Warren County Jail.  This was over the objections of former Prosecutor Kelly King and as an attorney for the Department of Corrections, AG Bailey had no ability to intervene. 

Mr. Scharf should take immediate action and call for the withdrawal of this advertisement.  

Lieutenant Scott Schoenfeld 

Warren County Sheriff’s Dept.