MSHP trooper charged with sexual abuse and kidnapping
Editor's note: This story was corrected to say Durbin met the alleged victim on March 23.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
An MSHP trooper is facing multiple charges.
Jeffery Gilmore Durbin, 30, of Madison, Missouri, is charged with first-degree sexual abuse, a felony, and third-degree kidnapping, a misdemeanor. Durbin was booked into the Boone County Jail on Wednesday. He posted at $5,000 bond. An initial court appearance is set for 1:30 p.m. Monday, May 1 at the Boone County Courthouse.
A Missouri Department of Public Safety spokesman confirmed Durbin has a valid Class A-HP license and is commissioned by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
MSHP spokesman Capt. John Hotz told ABC 17 News in an email that the patrol is aware of the allegations against Durbin. He is currently on special leave without pay.
According to court documents Durbin met with the alleged victim on Thursday, March 23 at the Hampton Inn and Suites in the 1200 block of Fellows Place. Durbin and the alleged victim purchased alcohol at a nearby gas station before going to a hotel room.
According to court documents, once the two arrived to the hotel room, Durbin began making unwanted advances which included kissing the victim and putting his hands under her shirt. The woman allegedly told police she tried to leave, but was cornered by Durbin and repeatedly told him, "no."
The woman allegedly told Durbin, "You said you were married," to which Durbin replied that he is not "happily married."
The victim then tried to open the door and escape the room but Durbin allegedly grabbed her arm and pulled her back and continued unwanted touching.
The victim allegedly told police that around 6 a.m. the next morning, Durbin allegedly knocked on her hotel room door, gave her SFST reference material and allegedly apologized for the previous night.
The Columbia Police Department reviewed video footage from the Hampton Inn that they received from the assistant general manager and saw the victim enter Room 206, where Durbin was staying. Later she could the seen trying to exit the room before suddenly getting pulled back in a "unnatural forward motion." Durbin could also later be seen leaning into the hallway with no shirt on as the victim ran away.
Durbin was transferred from Troop C in Warren County to Troop B in Randolph and Monroe counties in 2020, according to an MSHP press release at the time. Before joining MSHP, he graduated from Moberly Area Community College Law Enforcement Training Center. He also studied psychology at the University of Missouri before joining the Monroe County Sheriff's Office as a deputy sheriff, the press release stated.
Durbin was a apart of the MSHP's 103rd Recruit Class and graduated from the Patrol Academy on Dec. 30, 2016, the 2020 press release stated.
