Court document: Sarcoxie School Board member is a threat to the community

Sarcoxie Board of Education member John Lewis is a threat to the community and should remain bars while awaiting trial, the government said in a document filed today in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.

The document was filed in response to a motion by Lewis' attorney to have the subject of bond for Lewis reconsidered. Lewis is charged with receiving pornographic material and

In her response, U. S. Attorney Tammy Dickinson said, "It is clear defendant has demonstrated by his behavior that he is unwilling to abide by the law. This 66-year old defendant is a manifest risk to the safety of the community, generally, and, particularly, to the multiple minor victims to whom he exposed himself to which he had access through his position as a member of the school board for the Sarcoxie Public Schools."


Ms. Dickinson wrote, "(T)he defendant has visited approximately 30 foreign countries; he currently holds a passport, which he told the interviewing Pretrial Services Officer was stolen, then told the Court it was misplaced; he recently applied for a new passport; he has substantial financial resources that could be put toward travel; his estate is worth approximately $2.2 million; he lacks significant family ties in the area; he reported to the Pretrial Services Officer that he is not close to any of his extended family members; evidence was presented that he exposed himself to two sixteen-year-old boys who worked on his farm, and that the defendant possessed photographs of unclothed young men from the area, who may not have been above the age of consent at the time the photos were taken; and he is known to possess a significant number of firearms."

Lewis' next court date is Tuesday, April 2, the same day Sarcoxie voters will determine whether he remains on the board of education.