CPD says no wrongdoing by officers in Manthe probe

The Columbia police chief said an internal review found no wrongdoing by officers in how it dealt with a convicted pimp.

Interim Chief Geoff Jones said on Thursday that “there was no evidence to suggest police officers were participating in or promoting Manthe’s prostitution operation.” The internal review looked at CPD reports involving prior investigations involving Barry Manthe, and whether or not misconduct occurred.

The department began an internal review of its interactions with Manthe following a multipart YouTube series made by Citizens for Justice. The series, through interviews and CPD reports, makes the claim that officers allowed Manthe to run his brothel in exchange for information on drug sales. Manthe used that relationship, according to the series, to keep women working for him.

Jones pushed back against the series’ assertions, highlighting the times CPD arrested Manthe and other law enforcement investigations. Manthe, along with Ronald Clark and Kenneth Jones, were federally charged for promoting prostitution at Manthe’s Vandiver Drive home, which involved a minor from Wisconsin. Manthe pleaded guilty and received a two-year prison sentence for posting ads to Backpage.

“The video series does not accurately convey the circumstances and issues regarding the interactions between CPD and Barry Manthe,” Jones said in an emailed statement. “The videos do not address the actions taken by CPD to address prostitution and criminal activity. CPD officers have arrested Manthe, which contradicts the allegations of protection and assistance by officers the Citizens for Justice videos. Additionally, Columbia [p]olice included the Federal Bureau of Investigation to assist in identifying and interviewing sex workers who could be the victims of sex trafficking.”

Jones first asked the Missouri State Highway Patrol to review its work on April 9. The patrol turned down that request two weeks ago due to regulations against reviewing “already investigated” matters.

Matt Akins, founder of Citizens for Justice and producer of the series, said the bevy of police reports and surveillance done on Manthe’s house was part of the point of the documentary. Manthe was arrested a few times by law enforcement over two decades in Boone County, despite the work put in by CPD.

“His handful of arrests that were always downgraded to non-sex crime related offenses don’t begin to account for the numerous police reports implicating him in the in drug and sex crimes,” Akins said.

Jones said the information officers got by surveilling Manthe’s house led to several arrests, including drug crimes and other felonies. Jones previously told ABC 17 News that while he did not know if Manthe was a confidential informant for the department, officers sometimes needed to protect informants from danger in exchange for information about other crimes.

Akins questioned how CPD handled the internal review. Interim city manager John Glascock asked then-Acting Chief Jill Schlude to conduct the review after the series was released. In an email obtained by ABC 17 News, Schlude emailed Jones about the perception of a conflict of interest. Her husband, Sgt. Roger Schlude, ran the Street Crimes Division, which frequently had contact with Manthe.

The email chain shows that Jones still wanted Schlude to conduct the investigation, then send the results to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, because the agency had not been brought up in the series.