Missouri Lawmaker Had Sex As On-Duty Cop, Report Alleges

The Missouri State House in Jefferson City.

A report has alleged that Missouri Republican Rep. Chad Perkins had sex with a drunk 19-year-old while on duty as a police officer in 2015, prompting the Missouri Highway Patrol to review the claims.

Perkins, 42, worked at the Bowling Green Police Department in Pike County before he was elected to the state House in November.

Highway Patrol Capt. John Hotz was cited as saying by AP News that the Pike County prosecutor raised a request to investigate Perkins and that the patrol agency is “currently conducting a preliminary inquiry.”

In a response to an open records request, Frankford Police Chief Josh Baker turned over a package of evidence against Perkins to the Highway Patrol, House speaker, and other law enforcement last month, the report said.

According to a spokesman for House Speaker Rob Vescovo, the Republican immediately turned over the documents to the House Ethics Committee, which investigates alleged misconduct.

In his defense, Perkins said the sex with the teenager was consensual and that the report was “political retaliation” over his decision to not endorse Baker's wife in her bid for Pike County assessor last year.

"There's nothing to that. Nothing ever happened while I was on duty," he told St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I live a single man lifestyle," he told the newspaper.

The documents presented by Baker included a report from a former Pike County detective who received copies of messages between the teenager and Perkins anonymously in September 2019.

"The victim was an intoxicated young girl, the police officer on duty was a Bowling Green, Missouri police officer. Instead of doing his job at the city park, he decided to receive a sexual favor instead," the detective stated in an August 2020 email to a U.S. Department of Justice employee that was included in the report.

Baker said that Pike County Sheriff Stephen Korte brushed the matter under the rug when he approached him with the report.

“Sheriff Korte informed me that he was aware that Perkins had sexual relations with (the teen). Korte did not want me to investigate the matter further and informed me that we needed to ‘Do everything we can to get Chad elected,’” Baker added.

Interestingly, Perkins has given his support to a bill that prevents law enforcement officers from using their power to gain sexual favor from a detainee or prisoner under their custody. As per the bill, the officers found guilty will be charged with class E felony, punishable by up to four years imprisonment.