JEFFERSON CITY — The family of a fallen Hermann police officer says campaign ads attacking Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey are exploiting the officer’s death and potentially interfering in the prosecution of his alleged killer.
In a series of letters obtained by the Post-Dispatch, Angela Koepke, the mother-in-law of the late Detective Sergeant Mason Griffith, said Bailey’s Republican rival Will Scharf should reject and apologize for the ads that are being paid for by a political action committee backing Scharf in the high-profile Aug. 6 primary for attorney general.
“His willingness to use a fallen officer and grieving family as political pawns is a testament to his character,†Koepke said in one letter. “We urge voters to reject Scharf’s tactics and honor Mason’s legacy by supporting those who respect the rule of law and the sacrifices of law enforcement.â€
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Gov. Mike Parson, who has endorsed Bailey, also weighed in at the suggestion of Griffith’s wife.
In a Tuesday letter to the Defend Missouri PAC, Parson said, “No family should be forced to be revictimized by the sensationalism of the the man charged with shooting their loved one.â€
At issue is an ad financed by Defend Missouri, which places the blame for the shooting death of Griffith last year on Bailey when he was a Warren County prosecutor. Kenneth Lee Simpson, the person charged with killing Griffith outside of a Casey’s General Store, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges filed by Bailey in 2017 and received six-month sentences for fourth-degree assault and unlawful possession of a weapon.
Along with the TV ads, Defend Missouri has sent out campaign mailers arguing that Simpson’s short sentences in Warren County allowed him to strike again.
“Andrew Bailey betrayed the blue,†the mailer says.
Koepke said the ads are misleading, and two law enforcement groups also have condemned them.
“They potentially bias the jury pool and make it harder to prosecute Mason’s killer,†Koepke wrote.
In response, Scharf’s campaign said it does not coordinate with the Defend Missouri PAC and cannot order the ads to be taken down.
“We have no control over other groups’ advertising. The scandal is that Andrew Bailey is a soft-on-crime prosecutor. Unfortunately, and tragically, being a soft-on-crime prosecutor has consequences,†said Scharf campaign spokesman Gregg Keller.
Koepke said Scharf could denounce the ad, signaling to the PAC that it should be taken down.
“Scharf could express he doesn’t support those ads,†she said.
Scharf and Bailey are engaged in an expensive brawl to win the GOP nomination. Campaign finance records show more than $8 million has been raised on behalf of Scharf, a former federal prosecutor and aide to former Gov. Eric Greitens. Bailey, a former general counsel to Gov. Mike Parson, and his PAC have raised more than $6 million.
Koepke, who is the mayor of the Franklin County town of Gerald, urged Parson to take a position on the ads. The governor appointed Bailey to the post in January 2023.
In his three-paragraph letter to Defend Missouri, Parson recounted his days as a sheriff, saying the ad has caused pain and agony for the Griffith family and should no longer be aired.
Griffith’s family also has called on the Missouri Supreme Court’s Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel to sanction Scharf for violating rules governing truthfulness. In addition, they said Scharf may have violated court rules by generating pre-trial publicity that jeopardizes the prosecution of Simpson.
“I find the behavior of Will Scharf to be both morally abhorrent, a disgrace to the legal profession, and detrimental to the administration of justice. I urge you to investigate this misconduct and hold him accountable,†Koepke wrote.