Sheriff Michael Dixon pleads not guilty to criminal charge
UPDATE:Osage County Sheriff Michael Dixon has pleaded not guilty to one count of unlawful use of a weapon. Dixon entered the plea at his arraignment in Boone County on Monday afternoon.
He was arrested in April after allegedly pointing a loaded gun at another person, while Dixon was reportedly drunk at a bar in Hartsburg.
Mike O’Connell, a spokeperson with the Missouri Department of Public Safety, said in an email that Sheriff Dixon still holds his peace officer license. He said he couldn’t comment on any possible investigation.
“By state statute DPS’ Peace Officer Standards and Training program can only provide an officer’s current licensing and commissioning status and cannot discuss any possible investigations. Michael Dixon as a valid class A license and is commissioned by Osage County Sheriff’s Department.”
Members of the commission say the situation with Dixon is not affecting law enforcement or emergency services in Osage County.
Original Story (4/7):Members of the Osage County Commission are looking into the recent arrest of Sheriff Michael Dixon, who’s accused of pointing a loaded gun at another man while drunk at a bar last month.
At their regular meeting Thursday, commissioners said they have received numerous phone calls from county residents expressing frustration that Dixon got in trouble with the law again.
“He pulled a gun on somebody. That’s serious,” said Presiding Commissioner Dave Dudenhoeffer. “There’s nothing we can do to get him to step down unless he does it himself.”
The commissioners added they have had a difficult time getting in touch with Dixon in the past couple of weeks. Dudenhoeffer went so far as to say he doesn’t think Dixon deserves to be in office.
“Whenever you got charges like that against you with the office you’re holding, that’s unforgivable I’d guess you’d say,” he said.
The commission asked Dixon to resign from his position in January 2015 after he lost his peace officer license
Dixon was formally charged with unlawful use of a weapon on Wednesday, following his arrest by Boone County authorities.
According to court documents, Dixon was at the Hitching Post bar in Hartsburg on March 5. Video evidence apparently shows Dixon drinking before pulling a loaded gun from his pants and pointing it at another man. Two witnesses claim Dixon was drunk at the time. No one was hurt, and the man the gun was pointed at did not take any “aggressive” action against Dixon.
The Boone County Sheriff’s Department started investigating last month after the incident at the bar. Dixon appeared at the department for a related interview on Wednesday, and was arrested afterward. He posted bond quickly after he was booked into jail.
“He was intoxicated and in possession of a handgun, which he displayed openly, in a negligent manner,” Major Tom Reddin explained to ABC 17 News Wednesday. “And that’s an element of the unlawful use of a weapon statute, and that is what Mr. Dixon was arrested for and booked into our jail on.”
Dixon is currently serving two year’s probation after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor harassment charge in 2014. Dixon was accused of harassing a female Belle police officer.
The Department of Public Safety revoked his peace officer license in January 2015. A Cole County judge ruled to reinstate his license in October the same year.
Dixon’s attorney filed a motion last week to end his probation early. A hearing is scheduled in St. Louis County Court in Clayton on April 14. Dixon’s probation is scheduled to end in July 2016.
