Firefighters jailed for taking down mayor's campaign sign

ELLINGTON, Mo. -- Two Ellington firefighters were jailed overnight Tuesday after they removed a campaign sign belonging to Ellington Mayor Ron Wakefield from its perch in front of the fire station.

Rick Bettes, 30, a nine-year veteran of Ellington's volunteer fire department, and Dallas Gilliam, 28, who has been with the department for eight months, were ticketed Tuesday on suspicion of stealing and property damage and were incarcerated at the Reynolds County Jail for 16 hours before they were released Wednesday, according to jail records and summonses issued by the Ellington Police Department.

"The firehouse is not a place for a political statement because we don't support one candidate or another," said Bettes, one of the two who removed the sign. "It's just habit to take them down."

"We were going to give the sign back" to Wakefield, Bettes said, "but city hall was closed."

Ellington police chief Shawna Joplin refused on Thursday to show the Daily American Republic the police report on the incident (which according to state law is public record) and referred all inquiries to Ellington's city attorney, Michael Hackworth of Piedmont, Mo. Hackworth did not respond to calls Friday or Saturday.

Bettes says Wakefield was present during part of his questioning.

"He was in a tirade, telling me how I stole his property, and they wanted to know if the other politician in town had me take the sign down, which was no," Bettes said.

Wakefield refused to comment Thursday as he removed his campaign banner from two poles in front of the fire station. His sign went back up after Bettes and Gilliam were jailed; fire chief Mike Morris later asked him to remove it.