Sarcoxie Mayor says police chief told him about misuse of official information in December

When the Jasper County Prosecuting Attorney's office filed a misdemeanor misuse of official information charge against Sarcoxie Police Chief Brandy Corum Wednesday, it came as no surprise to the city's mayor Don Triplett.

In a message posted this morning on the Sarcoxie Police Department Facebook page, Triplett said the chief told him about the allegation in December.

While Triplett waited for the Highway Patrol investigation to conclude, Triplett says he disciplined Corum, taking steps that included an unpaid suspension and restrictions on her access to certain types of information.

Triplett stressed that Corum has learned her lesson and has " tirelessly served the City of Sarcoxie with dedication and enthusiasm.

A July 15 arraignment is scheduled in Jasper County Circuit Court for Corum, 34, who allegedly ran a check on a license plate to help her friend who was going through a divorce and hoped to discover the identity of her husband's mistress.

Information from the probable cause statement can be found at this link.

To the residents of the City of Sarcoxie,

By now, we have probably all seen information about Chief Brandy Corum being charged with the misdemeanor offense of misuse of public information. Without excusing or condoning the issue, I do want to provide some additional information.

In late December of last year, I was advised of this matter by both Chief Corum and an impacted county agency. Because of its potential seriousness, the City took a wait and see position while the Missouri State Highway Patrol conducted a thorough investigation of the matter.

Regardless of whether or not charges were filed against Chief Corum, I addressed this matter directly with Chief Corum through disciplinary action that included an unpaid suspension. In addition, she was also sanctioned with restrictions on future access to this kind of information.

Chief Corum understands the seriousness of what I believe to have been a momentary lapse in judgment and learned a powerful lesson for both herself and fellow police officers for the remainder of her career in law enforcement. Chief Corum also took the initiative to self-report this matter to the Missouri Peace Officer Standards & Training Commission (POST) – the State agency for police officer certifications.

Prior to and since this incident, Chief Corum has tirelessly served the City of Sarcoxie with dedication and enthusiasm. While she will have to face the consequences of her actions in court, Chief Corum continues to have my confidence in her ability to lead the Sarcoxie Police Department.

Mayor Triplett
City of Sarcoxie, MO