Incumbent Sheriff Jay Gump
Sheriff's candidate Jeptha R. Gump, incumbent, is 43 years of age. Family: "My wife Kristy and I have been married 22 years. We have three children Austin (20), Brandan (18) and Dawson (14)."
Length of Residency in the County: 43 years
1) Experience as related to office sought: "I have 22 years law enforcement experience. I have more than 11 years as Moniteau County Sheriff. I had 10 years of service as a Moniteau County Deputy. I served two years as a police officer with the Missouri state Capital police. I have served more than 11 years on the board of directors of the Mid Missouri Drug task Force, serving one year as director. I completed the 120 hour basic training academy at the University of Missouri in 1994. I then completed the 470 hour basic training course in 1996. I completed the 40 hour new sheriff training course in 2004 and have over 1000 total hours in law enforcement training. I am also a livescan computerized fingerprint instructor."
2) View of officeholder in relationship to the citizens and communities of Moniteau County: "To be effective with law enforcement in a smaller rural county this officeholder needs to know the citizens of the county and what the communities of the county expect of law enforcement. Being born and raised in Moniteau County and having 22 years of law enforcement experience in this county I have a good understanding of the citizens and communities and how to effectively provide law enforcement services and protection to them."
3) The candidates's philosophy towards law enforcement: "It starts with education, and that goes all the way back to the parents teaching their children rig hand wrong and to respect law enforcement officials. If we continue to educate our children as they grew up, then hopefully they're going to make better decisions when they get older. Then my job as sheriff becomes much simpler."
4) The major issue of importance which can be addressed by the office of sheriff: "There are several major issues of importance this office needs to address. One of those issues is the drugs that are in our community. The sheriff's office currently works closely with the other local law enforcement agencies taking as many drugs off the street as we possibly can. In 2015 alone, we averaged a drug-related arrest per week."
5) What changes are foreseen for the administrative and law enforcement parts of the Sheriff's Department: "I currently have a great staff at the Sheriff's Office. Kevin Morse is my chief deputy and Lori Strickfaden is my jail administrator. We all work together as a team. I foresee no changes with them at this time. I will continue to work hard to make positive changes to provide the best law enforcement protection and service possible for the citizens of Moniteau County."
Sheriff Candidate Tony Wheatley
Sheriff's candidate Anthony "Tony" Wheatley, challenger, is 48 years of age. "I was raised in Tipton, Mo. I moved to California, Mo in 2004 where I currently reside with my wife Dana Wheatley and daughter Aubrey."
1) Experience as related to office sought - "My qualifications are: 24 years Full-Time law enforcement experience, Current Under Sheriff (Chief Deputy) Morgan County, Missouri, Current Special Deputy U.S. Marshal, Current law Enforcement Trainer/Instructor, Current Certified Police K-9 Handler, Former Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Task Force Commander, Former Detective, and Served 4 continuous years as an International Police-Military Trainer/Advisor in Afghanistan ( U.S. Department of State/Defense)
2) View of officeholder in relationship to the citizens and communities of Moniteau County: " I feel that the current Sheriff has lost touch with the citizens and communities of Moniteau County and is not addressing their concerns and issues. I also feel that he does not treat the Office as Sheriff as a full-time job as it should be.
3) The candidates's philosophy towards law enforcement: "I have dedicated my life to law enforcement, and believe that I have the training and experience needed to combat the crime in Moniteau County.
I believe in: A "true" open door policy (I will be available to the public at anytime) and Pro-Active law enforcement ( Deputies will patrol the rural areas and take a pro-active approach to law enforcement to help curb and solve crimes instead of taking the report after the crime has occurred). I will personally patrol along with my Deputies and answer calls. The position as Sheriff will be treated as a full-time job and it will be my only job. I will be tough on crime and address the growing drug problem in the county."
4) The major issue of importance which can be addressed by the office of sheriff: "Upon getting out and listening to the concerns of the citizens of Moniteau County I have learned that the two largest complaints are (1) The growing drug problem within the county. (2) The increase in property thefts. If elected you can rest assured that both of these issues will be addressed with quick and decisive action. The drug problem within the county will be approached with a very pro-active and targeted enforcement strategy. We have to target the distributors wherever they live and send them a clear message that law enforcement and the community will not tolerate it. In the area of property thefts, we as a department need to build a closer relationship with the communities to try and deter some of these crimes before the happen. In my 24 years of law enforcement I have learned that most of the property crimes are solved by tips and information from members of the community, if law enforcement would just take the time to talk to the people and listen to what they have to say. To solve crimes we must also do a better job in processing the crime scene and following up on information to solve it.
5) What changes are foreseen for the administrative and law enforcement parts of the Sheriff's Department: "If elected to office, I will build a department that the citizens will respect and be proud of. I care very deeply about the people who live and work in Moniteau County, and my promise to you is that I will diligently work to ensure that the highest standards of law enforcement are implemented and together we can make Moniteau County a safe place to live and work."
"I would appreciate your vote on Aug. 2, 2016"