Revival of Oran police board urged amid timecard fraud, nepotism allegations

ORAN, Mo. -- The wife of an Oran alderman asked the town board Tuesday to resurrect the city's police board to oversee police operations in response to allegations of timecard fraud and nepotism involving the town's police department.

Mayor Gary Senciboy and the board took no action at the public meeting at city hall.

Cindy Seyer, whose husband serves on the board, and former city clerk Debra Phillips last month requested the town board ask the Missouri State Highway Patrol to investigate the matter. The aldermen denied the request at the special meeting.

The women renewed their request for an independent investigation Tuesday, but city officials did not take up the request during the brief board meeting.

Seyer has made similar requests to the Missouri Attorney General's Office and Scott County Sheriff Wes Drury.

Debra Phillips, former Oran city clerk, addresses the city's board of aldermen Tuesday in Oran, Missouri.Fred Lynch

The Missouri Attorney General's Office said Monday it is reviewing the request.

Drury has not responded to Seyer's request.

Seyer said Oran had a police board from 1980 to 1995 and again in 2005 and 2006. She said after the meeting re-establishing a police board would bring accountability to the police department.

Phillips and Seyer have raised accusations former police officer Jason Ourth committed timecard fraud and that police chief Gregg Ourth's hiring of his son Jason as a part-time officer constituted nepotism and violated city policy.

The women have said Gregg Ourth clocked in his son, but there is little or no evidence he worked as a police officer.

Cindy Seyer addresses the city's board of aldermen Tuesday in Oran, Missouri.Fred Lynch

Senciboy and other city officials have dismissed the accusations as unfounded.

They said recently Jason Ourth was doing undercover, surveillance work at night.

Jason Ourth served as a part-time officer for Oran for a little more than three years. He resigned last month amid the fraud accusations.

Jason Ourth did not attend Tuesday's board meeting. His father, Gregg, attended but did not speak about the allegations. The mayor and board members also said nothing at the meeting about the accusations.

Seyer told the board the city used to place an ad in the newspaper to fill open positions, including police positions.

She said she recently reviewed city minutes and found no documentation the city followed that procedure in hiring Gregg Ourth as police chief in 2013 or Ourth's son Jason in 2014.

But city clerk Tom Urhahn, who was mayor at the time, said that city officials "interviewed three people" for the police chief job. As for the lack of documentation about Gregg Ourth's hiring, Urhahn said some city minutes are missing.

Phillips said she was city clerk when Urhahn and Gregg Ourth ordered her to put Jason Ourth on the payroll.

Seyer said that amounts to nepotism. But Urhahn jumped up and said, "Gregg did not hire his son; I did. So there is no nepotism."

According to the Missouri Ethics Commission, it constitutes nepotism for a public officer or government employee to appoint a relative to public office or hire such a person.

The commission's website said nepotism involves any relative within the fourth degree by blood or marriage, which extends to first cousins, great-aunts, great-uncles and great-great-grandchildren.

The penalty for nepotism is automatic forfeiture of office, according to the website. Legal action may be pursued to remove the individual from office or employment, the commission said online.

Seyer said the issue of nepotism has come up before in the small Scott County town.

She told the aldermen the issue was raised at a town board meeting in January 1985, according to city minutes. The board at that time approved a policy barring the city from hiring more than one person from any immediate family, effective March 1, 1985, Seyer said.

Seyer said she recently reviewed city minutes and found no evidence city officials eliminated the policy.

According to Seyer, the decision to hire Jason Ourth as a police officer in 2014 went against city policy.

She said minutes show the hiring of Jason Ourth was questioned at a March 2014 board meeting when Urhahn still was mayor. Senciboy was elected mayor in April 2014.

Phillips echoed that point, saying she recalled that board meeting.

Senciboy allowed Seyer and Phillips only a few minutes to speak to the board.

When Phillips concluded her brief remarks, Senciboy asked, "Is that all you got?"

mbliss@semissourian.com

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