Madison County Sheriff will retire Dec. 31
MADISON COUNTY – A chapter in the history of southeast Missouri law enforcement will come to a close effective 11:59 p.m. Dec. 31 when Sheriff David Lewis will retire after serving the residents of Madison County for the past 16 years.
A lifelong resident of the county, Lewis spent 30 years working in public safety. He has earned the respect of the citizens, his fellow law enforcement officers and even many of those in his custody due to his fairness and professionalism.
“He was always a pleasure to work with,” said Madison County Presiding Commissioner Robert “Bob” Mooney. “He was always willing to answer a question. I wish him well on his retirement, and he deserves it. He put in a lot of hours. He could tell some great stories.”
Lewis started his law enforcement career in September 1982 as a Madison County Sheriff reserve officer. In 1989 he applied with the Fredericktown Police Department and was hired in March. He rose through the ranks rapidly and was promoted to Sergeant in 1990. He ran for, and was elected Sheriff in November 1996.
During his tenure in law enforcement, Lewis worked cases that shocked the county, the state, and the nation, including the disappearance of a young girl, who to this day has never been located.
Gina Dawn Brooks was abducted Aug. 5, 1989 while riding her bicycle down a city street. The case gained national media attention when she went missing, and again in 1999 when suspect Nathan D. Williams was arrested and charged with her murder.
While the case fell under the jurisdiction of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Lewis assisted in the abduction case as a patrol officer, and later was responsible for the housing and protection of suspect Williams.
“When it happened back in 1989, the FBI and the highway patrol came in, and I wasn’t that active on it, as I was a patrol officer at the time,” Lewis said. “Over the years, anytime we had a lead we would run it down. When the suspect (Williams) was charged we were responsible for incarcerating him and providing security for him because of the public outrage. And you don’t like it, but you still have to do your job to keep this man safe for a successful prosecution.”
The cased against Williams was dropped in 1999 due to lack of evidence. He is currently incarcerated on an unrelated rape conviction.
Another case that gained national attention was the armed robbery of a pharmacy March 5, 1994 in the downtown business district in Fredericktown. Two pharmacy workers were shot. One of the workers died in the incident.
Working for the Fredericktown PD at the time, Lewis was the lead investigator on the case. He responded to the scene seconds after the shooting occurred. According to Lewis the victim, Vickie O’Brien, 36, lost consciousness while talking to him. With her testimony, and information from witnesses on the scene, officers were able to construct a vehicle and suspect description.
The suspect, Robert Shannon of Park Hills, was arrested about 17 minutes later by the St. Francois County Sheriff Department and Farmington Police at the intersection of Missouri 32 and Route OO. Lewis said it was one of the most heinous crimes he witnessed during his career.
“It was about 9 o’clock on a Saturday morning. The whole town was full, it being right here on the courthouse square. And basically, she died while I was talking to her,” said Lewis.
The sheriff said that because of the quick response, and because witness had a plate number, officers were able to catch the suspect before he could leave the area. Although, some confusion existed because two witnesses gave differing plate numbers. While the first three numbers reported by the first witness were correct, the last three digits were wrong. While the last three digits reported by the second witness were correct, the first three were wrong.
“We put it together and got a description. We put it out and they were able to stop the guy, and he still had the money and the drugs on him. We brought him down here and he confessed immediately,” Lewis said.
Lewis worked other murders in the county, though none as notorious as that of the pharmacy worker. He also worked a variety of felonies, sex offenses, drug crimes, accidents and other petty offenses during his career. When asked if there was ever a time when he wanted to quit he replied, “Several times, absolutely.”
“Then I would go home and sleep for a few hours and come back and I’m OK. I don’t think people have any idea of the pressures of doing this job. Sometimes it’s pretty tough. People want to make up lies and I don’t understand why they want to persecute people when they don’t really know what’s going on. You have to deal in evidence. What you’re doing is never fast enough for the public, but you have to do this job by the law,” Lewis said.
Not everything Lewis investigated was of a criminal nature, however, as was the case of Joshua Childers, a 3-year-old boy who went missing from his home in Iron County near the Madison County border about 11:30 a.m. May 4, 2009 according to reports from the Associated Press.
Investigators, including Lewis, feared the worse for the toddler. Hundreds of law enforcement officers and concerned citizens swept the area for 50 hours straight before he was found by Madison County resident Donnie Halpin about three miles from his home.
“When we originally responded I thought it would be a three- or four-hour search. But we didn’t find the kid the first night. We were out there all night. So the second day I was getting pretty concerned. By the third day I was starting to panic. I thought we were running out of time. Luckily he was found and everything worked out. It tickled me to death obviously. That was one tough kid,” Lewis said.
Admired by his staff and other officers in the community, Lewis’ experience and investigative prowess will be a loss for Madison County at large. Those who worked under him said he treated his employees like a family and wanted them to succeed while keeping the safety of the county first and foremost.
“Working with Dave has been an honor,” said Fredericktown Police Supervisor Captain Eric Hovis. “He’s put 30 years into law enforcement. He’s been through it all. I’ve known him since I was a little boy, and if Dave tells you something you can take it to the bank. I hope he enjoys his retirement. I, along with the citizens of Madison County love him and respect him.”
“He was a very active sheriff. His whole career he’s been active in all the cases that are active. As long as they’ve done the right thing he’s stood behind his employees 100 percent. For 16 years he’s been there 24/7 making himself available for the community,” said Madison County Detective Rebecca McFarland.
“As sheriff he was in control of all the situations and investigations brought before our department. He looked at us as a family and wanted to lead us down the right road and do what was beneficial to the county and the department and the public, He’s taken one or two vacations that I know of, the rest of the time he’s there seven days a week,” said Madison County Deputy Wendell Bellew.
In January, Lewis plans on taking a month-long vacation. After that, he said since he’s too active to retire, he may get another job.
“My problem is I’m used to working seven days a week. I’ll probably get a job somewhere doing something. I tell you what I am going to do, I’m going to make myself work 40 hours a week. I’m not going to work seven days a week anymore. I’m just not going to do it.” Lewis said with a smile.
Robert Spain will be sworn in as the Madison County Sheriff Jan 1, 2013.
Pat Pratt is a reporter for the Daily Journal and can be reached at 573-431-2010 ext. 172 or ppratt@dailyjournalonline.com
