Special prosecutor won’t file charges yet in Ashland police chief investigation

ASHLAND, Mo. (KMIZ)

A special prosecutor said law enforcement has not yet formally asked him to file charges against Ashland's police chief, despite believing he may have committed a crime.

Callaway County Prosecutor Ben Miller sent a memo to the Missouri State Highway Patrol on Nov. 8.

According to the memo, Miller said he felt Gabe Edwards could be charged with misuse of official information for getting information through the Missouri Uniform Law Enforcement System for non-work-related reasons.

However, Miller wrote in the memo that he had not filed charges because the Missouri State Highway Patrol's Division of Drug and Crime Control had not submitted a probable cause statement. Miller said he asked the patrol for a probable cause statement on Oct. 4 but never received one.

Miller wrote in the memo, "If a probable cause statement is submitted to my office by November 15th, 2024, I am open to reassessing the situation. However, any submissions after that date may risk the case not being filed due to the statute of limitations running."

City leaders put Edwards on paid leave in July. Edwards sued the city on Oct. 23, claiming that the city removed him from the job illegally because he criticized the mayor on social media.

Several days after the lawsuit was filed, the city released a statement saying that officials were aware of the lawsuit but clarified that Edwards was still employed.

City Administrator Kyle Michel did not immediately reply to an email Monday night seeking comment about Miller's memo to the highway patrol. Edward's attorney has also not responded to a request for comment.

The highway patrol referred ABC 17 News to Miller when asked for comment.