2023 Team Member of the Month Archives

Corporal Justin E. Peabody, a criminal investigator with the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control, is the August 2023 DPS Sworn Team Member of the Month for his careful and unrelenting work to track down answers in missing person cases. His commitment was demonstrated in three recent cases.

First, was the case of a 65-year-old man who had been reported missing. Through metadata on a photograph and an overseas Instagram account, Justin traced the man to South America. He made contact with the man, who said he had voluntarily moved to South America and did not plan to return.

In the second case, Justin used his experience developing informants to gain the trust of a former boyfriend of a missing 16-year-old girl. The former boyfriend contacted Justin soon after the girl contacted him. Once he was in contact with the girl, who was in Arkansas, Justin convinced her to return to Missouri, and she was placed in the custody of a family member.

Finally, Justin’s investigative skills not only allowed him to find a missing 17-year-old girl but to also learn of a sexual assault on a 14-year-old that resulted in criminal charges against a 32-year-old man.

Justin’s outstanding investigative skills, ability to develop trust, and determination to solve missing person cases regularly helps bring justice to victims and their families.

*Named State Team Member of the Month for September 2023

Pam Aberle, Supervisor of the Highway Patrol’s Sex Offender Registry Unit, is the August 2023 DPS Non-Sworn Team Member of the Month for her work planning and organizing the Missouri Sex Offender Registry Conference held March 28-30, 2023. It was the first such conference since 2009.

With continuing changes in laws, technology and software systems, Pam believed it was important to bring together Missouri law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, the Department of Corrections and state and federal probation and parole offices. Pam spent almost six months planning the conference, identifying relevant presentations and speakers from state and federal agencies to best inform attendees on subjects ranging from fingerprint and DNA collection to petitions for removal from the sex offender registry, appeals and victim rights.

The conference attracted 134 attendees who had a tremendous opportunity to learn about important resources and to network. Pam accomplished all this while continuing her daily duties of supervising eight team members in the Patrol’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division, and while participating in the Missouri Leadership Academy.

Sean Lashmet, a Corporal with Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop D, is the July 2023 DPS Sworn Team Member of the Month for his heroic and compassionate efforts beyond the call of duty to save the life of a shooting victim.

On Feb. 23, 2023, Sean received a call for service about a suicidal person at the Busiek State Forest and Wildlife Area, south of Highlandville. Upon arrival, Sean attempted to make contact with a 26-year-old woman but she shot herself in the chest as he approached her vehicle. Sean secured the firearm and immediately started medical aid. He was able to speak by cellphone with a trauma doctor at Mercy Hospital Springfield and rendered additional medical assistance.

Concerned about the time it would take for an ambulance to arrive to the remote location, Sean carried the victim to his patrol vehicle and transported here about 26 miles to Mercy Hospital within 16 minutes. The victim survived emergency surgery but later succumbed to her injuries in the ICU.

The attending physician, with whom Sean had spoken from the scene, praised the corporal on the Patrol website, writing, “It is because of the Corporal’s quick actions the patient had a chance of survival.” Sean took decisive, resourceful action in a valiant effort to preserve human life.

Jessica Wilson, Accounting Manager at the Missouri Veterans Commission’s Mt. Vernon Veterans Home, is the July 2023 DPS Non-Sworn Team Member of the Month for her expertise, thoroughness and support of the six other account managers at MVC homes.

Jessica has served on multiple accounting working groups that have worked to standardize accounting roles and responsibilities across all seven MVC homes, and is considered a leader and mentor by her accounting colleagues. She also serves as the homes’ lead accountant during audits.

In addition, Jessica sets a tremendous example of prioritizing the veterans the Mt. Vernon Home cares for. A handwritten note in her office reads, “Remember why you’re here.” This is Jessica’s motivation. She finds solutions to meet veterans’ dietary needs and procure equipment and supplies to provide the best care. She also pitches in to help other departments in the home, including with the direct care of veterans and on weekends.

Jessica is a tremendous asset whose hard work improves the lives of every veteran at the Mt. Vernon Home.

Sergeant Gregory D. Primm and Trooper Joshua H. Thompson, of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, are the June 2023 DPS Sworn Team Members of the Month for their actions to rescue three human trafficking victims in Missouri and for bringing about the release of 17 others in Texas.

On Dec. 21, 2022, Greg, who is assigned the Division of Drug and Crime Control, received word through the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department that FBI agents in Texas were requesting assistance locating a suspect in a human trafficking case. The suspect’s vehicle was believed to be in the Kansas City area en route to Minnesota.

Greg coordinated the Patrol’s search for the vehicle, which was located at a gas station off interstate 35 in Clinton County. Joshua established probable cause to stop the vehicle when he observed a traffic violation on I-35 in Daviess County. Joshua, of Troop H, identified the driver of the vehicle, who was arrested for failure to possess a valid driver license.

During questioning at the Daviess-DeKalb Regional Jail, the driver admitted to being involved in a human trafficking conspiracy. During subsequent interviews, it was discovered that the three passengers in the vehicle were being smuggled to Minnesota and that 17 others were being held in Texas, some of whom were locked in closets serving as makeshift jail cells.

Greg and Joshua’s teamwork, coordination with the FBI and the thoroughness of their interviews with the suspect immediately stopped the exploitation of 20 people and prevented additional crimes from occurring. The charges are mere accusations and not evidence of guilt. Evidence in support of the charges must be presented before a court of competent jurisdiction whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

Chelsey Call, a Grants Supervisor in the DPS Office of the Director, is the June 2023 DPS Non-Sworn Team Member of the Month for her extraordinarily thorough and skillful work supervising an increasing number of public safety grants.

The DPS Grants Section administers over 40 grants that send more than $200 million in funding to public safety partners for everything from cybersecurity and terrorism preparedness to assistance to economically distressed zones. Chelsey and the grants team develop and administer these efforts with care and precision.

In 2022, DPS was tasked with administering new American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant funding for law enforcement, the fire service, EMS agencies and county jail maintenance and improvements. Working on a very tight timeline, Chelsey developed and oversaw these initiatives that awarded over $16 million in assistance through more than 450 grants across Missouri.

Chelsey worked quickly and efficiently, developing grant application and compliance workshops and spending many hours working one-on-one with applicants to explain grant requirements and restrictions. The result was millions of dollars in additional funding so that Missouri first responder partners could advance public safety in the state.

As is often the case, Chelsey’s hard work and professionalism were instrumental in DPS delivering vital assistance for our public safety partners.

Orrin D. Hawkins, a Trooper with Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop E, is the May 2023 DPS Sworn Team Member of the Month for his life-saving response after a shooting in Cape Girardeau.

On the night of March 4, 2023, Orrin overheard Cape Girardeau Police radio traffic about an active shooter in a downtown bar and immediately responded. Orrin and a Cape Girardeau officer entered the building, searched for a gunman, and began clearing the bar. As he was doing so, Orrin found two men on the floor with apparent gunshot wounds. One, who complained of being shot in the leg, shouted that the other man had shot him. That man was unresponsive and appeared to have been shot in the abdomen and throat. There was an exit wound in his chest. A gun was near him on the floor. Orrin directed the Cape Girardeau officer to keep bystanders away from the gun as he began treating the unresponsive man.

Orrin applied paper towels to the abdomen wound. The man’s weak pulse stopped. Orrin began CPR but that increased the man’s bleeding. Concerned the man would bleed out, Orrin directed a security guard to bring him plastic wrap from the kitchen and used it to cover the chest wound. Once medical personnel arrived, Orrin assisted them with their evaluation and the application of chest seals to wounds in the man’s thoracic region. The man was flown to a St. Louis hospital and, after undergoing several surgeries over several weeks, was released from intensive care and continues to recover. Orrin’s quick response and outside-the-box thinking helped save this man’s life.

Missouri State Highway Patrol Computer Information Technology Specialists and Michelle Frey, Todd Schneider and Drew Wansing, are the May 2023 DPS Non-Sworn Team Members of the Month for their outstanding work to develop a recently mandated data-sharing interface.

Michelle, Todd and Drew work on application development for the Highway Patrol. One of their many projects is development and support of the Missouri Uniform Law Enforcement System, known as MULES. Recently, the FBI mandated that all U.S. states begin utilizing a new national information exchange model to interface with the National Crime Information Center. NCIC is the nationwide database that houses criminal justice information utilized by law enforcement and criminal justice agencies.

Michelle, Todd and Drew worked long hours, including weekends and during scheduled vacations, to coordinate and implement the new interface within MULES, completing the project in October 2022. The FBI confirmed Missouri was the first state in the nation to implement NIEM NCIC interface. The team’s hard work allowed Missouri to meet mandated standards and the state’s law enforcement agencies can continue to exchange vitally important criminal justice data.

Timothy A. Barrett, a Corporal with Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop D, is the April 2023 DPS Sworn Team Member of the Month for the vigilance he brings to the job each day, which led to one of the largest methamphetamine seizures in Missouri history.

On Nov. 12, 2022, Timothy was working stationary traffic enforcement on Interstate 44 in Greene County when he stopped an eastbound SUV traveling well over the speed limit. During an interview, the driver acted suspiciously and made several inconsistent statements. Suspecting the driver was involved in criminal activity, Timothy requested and received consent to search the vehicle. In the back of the SUV, Timothy found three large cardboard boxes containing 170 pounds of crystal methamphetamine, three handguns, cocaine and marijuana.

Timothy’s concentration on his duties, skillful interview technique and follow up on inconsistent statements led to the confiscation of one of the largest methamphetamine caches in Missouri history and likely prevented numerous additional crimes and the endangerment of innocent people.

Patsy Blomberg, an Accounting Generalist at the Missouri Veterans Commission’s Jefferson City headquarters, is the April 2023 DPS Non-Sworn Employee of the Month for the outstanding quality of her work and her willingness to take on new responsibilities when necessary to support MVC. She’s proven to be an invaluable asset to MVC.

In 2022, while Patsy was already filling extra responsibilities to assist the MVC Cemetery Program Director because of a gap in staffing, the Missouri Veterans Cemetery – Jacksonville Cemetery Representative resigned to take a position outside MVC. Patsy not only continued her support to the Cemetery Program at headquarters, but now stepped in to provide additional support to the Jacksonville cemetery. She assisted in training team members at the cemetery in billing and processing, all while also continuing to accomplish her regular job duties as an Accounting Generalist.

Patsy also took the initiative to provide additional training and support for all MVC Cemetery Directors. Her programmatic knowledge, professionalism and positive attitude make Patsy indispensable to MVC.

Patsy started as an Administrative Office Support Assistant at the Veterans Commission in 2019. Throughout her tenure, she has been the ultimate team player, consistently supporting MVC colleagues.

Brian Baker and Joe Jones are the March 2023 DPS Sworn Team Members of the Month for the thoroughness of their work and the determination they exhibited during a complex investigation into two incendiary fires in December 2022.

On Dec. 23, 2022, Senior Commissioned Fire Investigators Brian and Joe were called to investigate a fire inside a large warehouse in Mexico, Mo. Brian responded despite being off duty for the Christmas holiday. The two investigators collected physical evidence and surveillance video during a textbook, professional investigation, and determined the fire had been set. They then proceeded to a second fire in an apartment complex in the area. This investigation involved excavation of the scene at a time when temperatures were below zero. The excavation required breaking through ice build-up and the use of heavy equipment. The body of a woman who had died was located.

Working with the Mexico Department of Public Safety in extreme winter weather for several days, Brian and Joe recovered key evidence and identified burn patterns that helped connect the fires and led to arson and murder charges being filed in the case. The charges are mere accusations and not evidence of guilt. Evidence in support of the charges must be presented before a court of competent jurisdiction whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

Ronda Schmitt, a paralegal in the Missouri Veterans Commission headquarters in Jefferson City, is the March 2023 Non-Sworn Team Member of the Month.

Ronda was selected for her leadership and perseverance during a six-month project to review and update the Missouri Veterans Commission’s policy manuals, which were disparate documents, varying between MVC programs, and which often had never been converted to electronic documents.

Ronda’s outstanding organizational abilities were necessary to accomplish this herculean feat, which was done with patience, determination and skill. Ronda also convened the policy review committee to ensure critical policies were updated to meet current industry standards. Her commitment to excellence and concern for staff and Missouri’s veterans resulted in fully aligned, comprehensive documents that will serve MVC well into the future.

Missouri State Highway Patrol Sergeant Greg A. Weddle and Corporal Shawn M. Blackston, of Troop I, are the February 2023 DPS Sworn Team Members of the Month for their outstanding initiative and investigative work that resulted in a father and son being reunited 13 years after a child abduction.  

Greg initiated a traffic stop on Interstate 44 in Pulaski County for excessive speed. The driver was unable to produce identification and Greg requested that Shawn come to the scene with a mobile fingerprint scanner to confirm her identity. The driver was identified as one of the state of Texas’ 10 most wanted fugitives with a warrant for parental kidnapping since 2009. Greg and Shawn conducted additional interviews and located her son in St. Peters, Missouri. The Collin County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office was informed of the child’s recovery and notified the father, who responded from Texas to be reunited with his son. Following a routine traffic stop, Greg and Shawn demonstrated outstanding initiative, identifying a wanted criminal suspect, recovering a missing person and reuniting a father and son after 13 years.

Public Information Specialist Meghan E. Basinger, of the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Public Information and Education Division, is the February 2023 DPS Non-Sworn Team Member of the Month. Meghan, who works at Patrol General Headquarters, creates content and manages the Patrol’s multiple social media accounts.

On Aug. 25, 2022, a Patrol account Meghan monitors received emails from a woman experiencing a mental health crisis. The woman said she had been in a traffic crash and felt responsible, that she was extremely depressed, suicidal and that she was having “very bad thoughts.” Meghan utilized information in the emails to identify the woman through her social media accounts.

With the information Meghan obtained, the Patrol was able to determine the traffic crash occurred in the Rolla area. The information was forwarded to Troop I communications staff. Troop I and the Rolla Police Department developed further information, identified the woman, and located her. Meghan’s actions allowed personnel in Troop I to quickly take the appropriate action to help a person in need. Meghan’s attention to detail, dedication, and her strong work ethic led to a positive outcome to what could have been a tragic loss of life. 

*Named State Team Member of the Month for March 2023

Missouri State Highway Patrol Corporal Eric L. Mueller, of Troop D, is the DPS Sworn Team Member of the Month for January 2023 for his thorough investigative work, which led to the arrest of registered sex offender in possession of child pornography.

While conducting routine traffic enforcement in Webster County, Eric stopped a pickup truck for a registration violation. A check of the driver revealed he was a registered sex offender. The vehicle he was driving was not among those listed in the sex offender registry. During questioning about the vehicle and his email and social media accounts, the driver opened photos in his cell phone that appeared to be of underage children.

Eric seized the phone as evidence and arrested the driver for possession of child pornography and failure to list the vehicle in his sex offender registration. The motorist pleaded guilty of one count of receiving child pornography and was sentenced to 15 years in prison without parole. Eric’s attention to detail and probing questioning resulted in the successful prosecution of a registered sex offender, who was continuing to participate in the exploitation of children.

Robin Jaegers, an Administrative Support Professional in the Investigation and Explosive Enforcement Unit at the Missouri Division of Fire Safety, is the January 2023 DPS Non-Sworn Team Member of the Month. Robin, a 30-year DFS veteran, is being recognized for her professionalism and ability to efficiently handle numerous time-sensitive responsibilities across two important DFS programs.

Robin handles all paperwork for blasting licensing and blasting operations across the state; she deals with blasting complaints from the public with tact and understanding. Robin has responsibility for tracking blasting fee payments and recently enabled the unit to collect almost $200,000 in unpaid fees. In addition, Robin is a key part of the fire investigation unit, with responsibility for preparing reports and cases for prosecution, and supporting investigators working in the field across Missouri. She also serves as custodian of records, prepares subpoenas and serves as MULES coordinator.

In her three decades with DFS, Robin has established herself as an integral part of the division. She is driven to serve the public and to support her fellow DFS team members.