DPS Employees of the Month
April Sworn Employees of the Month
Tyler R. Jenkins and Kurtis T. Welker
Master Sergeant       Trooper
Missouri State Highway Patrol
April Non-Sworn Employee of the Month
Karen Sartain
LPN Core Charge Nurse
Missouri Veterans Commission
Trooper Kurtis Welker and Master Sergeant Tyler Jenkins, both of Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop C, are the April 2021 DPS Sworn Employees of the Month for their tireless and thorough investigative work that led to charges against two people in a murder case.
On Aug. 30, 2020, Kurtis responded to a reported roadside assault on Interstate 64 in St. Charles County. The suspect had fled in a pickup pulling a car hauler trailer, images of which were captured on a vehicle’s dash camera. At the scene, Kurtis found an unconscious 68-year-old man in grave condition with trauma to his face. The victim died at a hospital.
Kurtis, Tyler and other investigators assigned to the Division of Drug and Crime Control initially had few leads to go on beyond the dash cam video.
Tyler took the initiative and asked a popular local Facebook page to post the video of the truck driving away. The post quickly led to numerous. Over several weeks Kurtis, Tyler and DDCC investigators followed leads, conducted multiple witness interviews, reviewed surveillance video captured by local businesses, obtained cell phone records and then executed search warrants at several locations.
Eventually, video and photographic evidence seized through the warrants led to the arrest of a husband and wife. Without Kyle and Kurtis’ tireless work ethic, the man might never have been charged with murder in the second degree, and his wife charged with being an accessory to second-degree murder.
Karen Sartain, a Licensed Practical Nurse Core Charge Nurse for the Missouri Veterans Commission, is the DPS April 2021 Non-Sworn Employee of the Month. She was selected for the compassionate care she provides the home’s heroes.
Karen currently works the night shift for the Missouri Veterans Home in Mexico. One night recently, a Veteran notified nursing staff that a fellow Veteran was trembling in his sleep and needed attention. Karen quickly responded to the call to find the Vietnam Veteran startled from a deep sleep, clearly upset about a horrific dream he just had. Realizing the situation was not a medical emergency but that the Veteran could use some support, Karen took the initiative to sit with and console him a considerable periol of time.
This simple act bonded the two individuals and showed how Karen not only cares for Veterans' physical well-being but their physiological needs as well. During her 18 months at the Missouri Veterans Home – Mexico, Karen has proven herself as a dependable and hardworking individual who is an invaluable asset to the Missouri Veterans Commission.
The Missouri Department of Public Safety. Many Missions. One Team.