BELLE — “I think what sets me aside from the other candidates is the combination of my community roots and the fact that I’ve spent the last nine years learning from Sheriff (Chris) Heitman, working with everyone at the sheriff’s office and the (Maries County Commission) to be ready to hit the ground running as sheriff,” said Scott John, a Maries County Sheriff’s candidate running on the Republican ticket in the Aug. 6 Primary Election.  “There won’t be a learning curve or an adjustment period.”

John said he has served as a patrolman, fostered relationships with the community, completed investigations while learning investigative tactics and completed interviews. He’s supervised the jail and dispatch center and controlled the sheriff’s office budget.

“I’ve been learning every one of those tasks and preparing to supervise those tasks as sheriff over the last nine years,” John said. “That was the plan when I came over full-time — I had been working part-time for years. Part of (Heitman’s) pitch when I came full-time was that he would retire in a couple of years and wanted to have a successor ready to go. I’ve been working toward this goal since 2015 when I came on full-time.”

John was asked what he would focus on if he won the sheriff’s race.

“I’ve told people we need to continue the fight against drugs, but that’s a fight we’ve been fighting for 70 years,” he said. “It’s what our drug task force and patrol deputies are for. Our deputies make those observations on the street and pass them to our drug task force so they can develop cases and apply for search warrants to go after the drugs. I think we’ve made great strides in Maries County, but I think it’s time we focus on the sheriff’s office responsibilities — protecting the rights and properties of individuals. Our seniors are being taken advantage of. A second investigator will help teach people what those crimes look like so when they find themselves being targeted, they know and can contact the sheriff’s office.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has noted an uptick in sextortion and online predatory grooming. Sextortion is when predators target minors on online gaming platforms to send pictures of themselves in compromising or embarrassing positions while pretending to be someone the same age, then extort them into passing more photos by threatening to release the pictures on social media platforms.

“Children are taken advantage of, solicited to unwillingly take part in child pornography or be abducted and sex trafficked,” John said. “Sextortion is becoming more prominent in the Midwest. I think protecting our children is something we need to do at all costs. We’ve got to educate our kids.”

John said his deputies will be on the streets and proactive against crime and fugitives.

“A reactive police department is not an effective police department,” he said. “If you’re not out there, you’re missing a lot of crime.”

John said he’s been campaigning on a plan.

“Which is continuing what has been working right, making a few personnel adjustments as far as adding a clerk and detective and eliminating the chief deputy role,” he said. “We’re going to be proactive law enforcement — you’ll see us daily, including me, and will see us working hard to protect our seniors and our youth.”

Editor’s Note: John asked The Advocate to clarify costs associated with the shooting range and storage facility property purchased by the Maries County Commission. Of the allocated $80,000 to fund the project, about $15,000 is for dirt work for the pistol range, a one-time investment. The sheriff’s office already has the target stands, targets and equipment. The remaining $65,000 is allocated toward clearing the land, excavation for a MoDOT-approved entrance, fencing, and installing electrical service. Once the property has been developed, a small annual maintenance cost will be associated with the property. The sheriff’s office used the one-time funds surplus from the Department of Corrections back billing to make a one-time improvement.