Jackson County Sheriff Darryl Forte says there may have been a crime committed when two former civilian employees didn’t come to work.
In a story first reported Monday by the Kansas City Star, Forte said he recently discovered that two part-time workers hired by former sheriff Mike Sharp were being paid for little or no work.
A sheriff's office source tells KCUR the pair reported directly to Sharp, so no one knew what they were doing.
Forte tells KCUR he has turned over the information to outside criminal investigators. He wouldn’t say who the outside agency is.
“It’s at the beginning stages right now, so I can’t really share too much information,” Forte says.
Such investigations would typically be handled by the Missouri Attorney General or the FBI.
A FBI spokesperson would neither confirm nor deny that an investigation was underway, and a spokesperson for Attorney General Josh Hawley wouldn’t comment.
Forte was appointed sheriff after Sharp resigned in April after admitting to a sexual and financial relationship with a sheriff's office civilian employee.
Sam Zeff is KCUR's metro reporter. You can follow Sam on Twitter @samzeff.
