BELLE — Alderman Sundi Jo Graham began her seventh month in office by “calling out” Marshal Joe Turnbough on Dec. 8 to update the board about his late state reports, and the inaccurate information he shared during his department head report.

“Have you turned in your STARS report yet?” Graham asked, referring to the accident and crash reports that should be turned in annually to the Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP), but has not been turned in since 2019.

Turnbough said last month that he had reached out to the MSHP contact via phone to ask them about a letter his department received stating the report was late.

Graham asked for a copy of the email he sent to MSPHl.

“I never sent them an email,” Turnbough said. “I talked to them on the phone, gave them my statistics number, I think it is 12, but couldn’t print it off of Crime Star.”

Turnbough said MoDOT already closed the year out, but he did find a PDF named 2019 crash reports he thinks may be what they need.

“I am trying to open it too, but it’s not sent,” Turnbough said.

Graham told Turnbough he has to send in the STARS report, and added that the city will not be eligible for police grants or any grants if the report is not sent in. Turnbough said it doesn’t affect their grants.

“It does because it is a state program,” Abel said. “If we apply for a grant through the state or at any level, if we are not compliant (with the STARS report), we will not be eligible for any grants.”

Turnbough said he knows what it is, and as far as his report, he will get it the way everyone wants it.

Graham also asked Turnbough if he picked up the gas card from city hall that was approved for him in November, and he said no.

“How come we are going to get you one if you are not going to use it?” Graham asked.

Turnbough said he has used it, he just hasn’t picked it up yet.

Graham asked if Turnbough was using the patrol car and he said yes -- with the detachable dashboard camera that was approved for purchase in October.

Graham asked questions regarding the body camera that Turnbough was given permission to purchase in August 2020.

“On Nov. 2, I met with you and Steve about the STARS report and asked if you had gotten (the body camera) and you told me (Deputy) Scott John was going to give you an extra one, but he wasn’t able to, so he was going to order one. I said if that was the case, you could order it on your own,” Graham said. “On Nov. 10 I asked if you had ordered it and you said you were going to do it that week, but you didn’t have a credit card and were going to talk to Scott John. On Nov. 11, I received notification from Scott John that it had been delivered on Oct. 22, that he had talked to you on the phone and you knew that it was at the office and had texted you a reminder that night.”

Graham said the question is that Turnbough had been asked about the camera, had said he hadn’t ordered the camera yet, but the camera had been ordered, delivered and notification given.

Turnbough began that he does not have the credit card to order his own.

“Ok, what I am asking is why did you tell me on two different occasions that it hadn’t been ordered yet, that you hadn’t talked to Scott John when indeed you had, he told you about it and you were aware of it?” Graham asked.

Turnbough said he doesn’t remember John telling him the camera had been ordered and came in. Graham said John sent proof that the camera was delivered on Oct. 22 and that the Deputy Chief said he has contacted the marshal more than once about the camera, but Turnbough made it sound like no one had ordered it for him or contacted him about it multiple times.

Turnbough said he didn’t recall receiving notification about the camera and Graham said it is John’s word against his.

“Ok, I have another question,” Graham began.

“You know what, you can talk to my lawyer if you are going to keep asking me incriminating questions,” Turnbough said. “First of all, I am not a patrolman, I am a city marshal.”

Graham said she is asking Turnbough to explain to the public why he is not telling the truth.

“You call it incrimination, that is not my issue,” Graham said.

Turnbough said no, he is trying to work things out with the board. Graham said she isn’t asking Turnbough about the patrol log anymore, she is asking something else.

“Well I am asking you a question. When I tried to talk to you, you recorded me, correct?” Turnbough asked.

Graham said she absolutely did.

“So I no longer feel comfortable talking to you, just like now you are trying to ask me a whole bunch of incrimination (SIC) questions, and I am trying to make it better, and better and better,” Turnbough said. “Even on the back one, you said, on, I think three different occasions, that I don’t even have the mileage on there. That is incorrect, I have the mileage on there, it just ain’t like every single call, but it’s in there.”

Graham said she had another question for Turnbough.

“I ain’t answering your questions,” Turnbough said. “Like I said, I don’t feel comfortable even talking to you.”

Graham said she would like for Turnbough to explain to the public why, in June, he was going to handle a situation where Pitbulls were being raised in an apartment complex.

Turnbough interrupted and Graham said she wasn’t done.

“I don’t care if you are done or not,” Turnbough said. “You don’t treat me as an equal.”

Graham said Turnbough needs to explain to the public what he is doing and when he is lying to the public, she is going to call it out. She continued, saying if Turnbough doesn’t want to answer it, that is his issue, but she is going to tell the public what is going on. Mayor Steve Vogt asked that one of them speak at a time and not to yell.

“On June 9, I spoke to you --,” Graham began.

Vogt reminded Graham not to raise her voice and Turnbough excused himself from the meeting.

“Once again, every time he gets confronted, he walks out the door,” Graham said.

“Feel free to talk to my lawyer,” Turnbough said, muttering on his way out that they wouldn’t know his side of the story.

“Well, if you would like to ---”Graham began as Turnbough stomped out. “Nope, I guess not.”

Graham outlined a situation where on June 9 she was told Pitbulls were being housed in an apartment in town. She spoke with Turnbough about them on June 12, and he said they were working on the issue. On June 23, she asked Turnbough via text message and was told the owners hadn’t yet found a home for the dogs and he was not sure if they had been ticketed. He thought perhaps the county had handled that. She asked John whose responsibility it was to handle nuisances and John said it was up to the city marshal.

She then reached out to the landlord of the property to let them know what was going on and to Vogt to find out who is responsible for nuisance violations and he said it is for the marshal to handle that.

On July 6, Graham said she spoke with Turnbough again and he said the dogs were supposed to have been gone as of July 5.

“On Nov. 10, I received notification from a neighbor that the dogs were still being housed in the apartment and contacted Scott John to get more information,” Graham continued. “On Nov. 13, I spoke with Scott John again, who spoke with Joe Turnbough, who stated the dogs had been removed to another location. According to Marshal Joe Turnbough, he had taken care of the problem. Indeed he didn’t.”

Graham said John had a deputy go check on the matter and the dogs were still there at the apartment complex.

“So once again, the marshal lied. He can call it me trying to incriminate him, he can call it whatever he wants. I am going to call it for what it is. He blatantly stood here and lied multiple times. He lied about the body camera, he lied about the dog nuisance multiple times, he has not done what he is supposed to do with his STARS report more than once, and he takes no accountability for any of it,” Graham continued. “Instead, when you start asking questions, he gets mad and stomps off. Tell me I’m wrong. He did the exact same thing last month. This is ridiculous.”