School officials detained; Dexter superintendent placed on leave

DEXTER, Mo. — The appearance of mug shots on a website that tracks arrests has created problems for two area school superintendents, and after declaring repeatedly neither administrator had been placed under arrest, Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter changed his story Tuesday.

The Dexter School Board placed superintendent Mitch Wood on administrative leave Oct. 27 after a mug shot of him, along with an arrest report, appeared on a website connected to the Scott County Sheriff’s Office. The report stated Wood was charged with DWI in the early morning hours of Oct. 23.

In interviews with The Dexter Statesman last week, Walter denied Wood faced any charges, but acknowledged Wood had been detained by a deputy after a stop for a defective tail light revealed a warrant for his arrest in Dexter for an unpaid speeding ticket.

Walter told The Dexter Statesman a fine of $74.50 was paid, and Wood subsequently was released.

“There was no arrest,” Walter said Oct. 27.

On Tuesday, however, having denied arrest reports existed and claiming no knowledge of whether Wood underwent a Breathalyzer test, Walter said on KFVS12 whether Wood was formally arrested was up to “interpretation.”

Walter has stressed several times there was no “special treatment” afforded Wood. He acknowledged Wood’s wife, Shawn, has worked for the Scott County Sheriff’s Office since 2005 and serves as office manager there.

Compounding the problem for Wood is the appearance of a second arrest report from the same website as Wood’s. It indicates the arrest of Van Buren superintendent Sonia Kuessner, 39, also in the early morning hours of Oct. 23 and for DWI — about 1 1/2 hours after Wood’s detainment.

Kuessner is a known acquaintance of Wood’s, but Walter would not confirm last week Kuessner was at the sheriff’s office after having been called by Wood to pick him up.

“If I said so, it would be hearsay,” Walter said. “I was not at the jail when she was here.”

The Van Buren School District reportedly has taken no action against its superintendent after the incident.

Arrest reports for “DWI alcohol” were generated online through a system Walter confirms is used by his department, but one he said often provides incorrect information.

He declined last week to release official sheriff’s department reports about either incident, saying it could take “several weeks” to process documents through normal channels.

He admitted Tuesday reports about the two “detainments” were taking longer than usual, but stressed the two received no special treatment.

Adding to Walter’s woes is the appearance of fingerprint cards on the desk of Scott County Prosecuting Attorney Paul Boyd. Those cards also would indicate Wood and Kuessner had been arrested, but Walter told KFVS12 he had “no idea” how the cards got there.

Walter is on the ballot in Scott County for re-election as sheriff. His challenger is Wes Drury, an investigator with the prosecuting attorney’s office.

The prosecuting attorney’s office Tuesday had received no reports of either arrest, which Boyd said was unusual.

Kuessner has retained an attorney, Danny Moore, who said Friday the accusations are false.

“There’s nothing to it,” Moore said, adding anytime someone is taken into custody, they technically are considered under arrest.

The suspicions of the deputy are only an opinion, Moore said.

Walter said when a person is processed at his facility, the information, including a mug shot — regardless of whether a formal arrest takes place — is fed automatically to the online site. He referred to the system as a “mobile patrol” that can be misleading.

Asked whether Wood was allowed to drive his vehicle from the jail, Walter said Wood was not allowed to do so, and Wood’s vehicle had been left “roadside” when he was picked up. Wood had to call for a ride from the station. Walter did not explain why Wood was not taken back to his vehicle to drive himself rather than to have to phone for a ride.

The Dexter School Board met the morning of Oct. 27 in closed session — a typical move when a personnel matter will be discussed. After the closed session, an email went out to the school staff from director of special services Amy James. The email read, “Please be aware, Mr. Wood has been placed on administrative leave. Due to his absence, I have been assigned as the acting superintendent.”

Wood is reportedly on administrative leave with pay.

It was learned early Monday the Dexter School Board met in executive session again Monday morning.

Asked for confirmation, Dexter School Board vice president Rick Williams said Wood remains on administrative leave, and “no further information is available at this time.”

Pertinent address:

1031 Brown Pilot Lane, Dexter Mo.