The controversial police chief of the Ferrelview (Mo.) Police Department no-showed for a pair of scheduled Platte County court dates late last month, according to the attorney of two clients pursuing litigation.
Daniel Clayton was slated to appear on Tuesday, Nov. 29 about a ticket he allegedly wrote out of his jurisdiction and again the same day for an order of protection sought against him. Dennis Rowland, the attorney in both cases, said the police chief didn’t show for either one.
In a scheduled Division 5 hearing, Tara Borron was granted acquittal on the ticket Clayton wrote her. Rowland filed a trial de novo in the incident because a survey had not been to prove the chief was out of his Ferrelview jurisdiction when he wrote the ticket.
Because Clayton did not show, the motion for acquittal was granted.
Later that day, Clayton was scheduled to appear in Division 4 for allegedly harassing Wesley Watkins while he was in a private storage area in North Creek Village, which is located outside the Ferrelview village limits. Watkins claims that on Oct. 15, 2016, he was in a secluded area known as the Storage Lot available for residents of North Creek Village.
Watkins lives in North Creek Village.
According to Rowland, Clayton, under the color of law, approached Watkins as he left the area and demanded he produce ID. Watkins said he complied but also advised Clayton that he was outside his jurisdiction and that Clayton had no authority to be on that piece of private property.
“I’m allowed to be back here,” Clayton allegedly told him.
According to the owner, Mr. Ralph Meier, no permission had been given to Clayton nor any authority of the Village of Ferrelview to patrol or be present on that piece of private property.
After an additional verbal exchange occurred, Watkins alleges that Clayton took a very aggressive stance with his hand on his weapon in what Watkins believed was an effort to provoke him into a physical confrontation. The situation de-escalated and Clayton left without issuing any citations.
Because this was the second confrontation between the two, Watkins filed for an order of protection.
As part of Clayton’s defense, his legal counsel provided a call log from the Platte County Sheriff’s Office which indicated that, shortly before his encounter with Watkins, Clayton was investigating a report of fireworks at the Unicorn Apartments. Clayton implied that he was in the area on the ostensible pretext of investigating the source, which may have been from the general area of Watkins’ location.
The Unicorn Apartments are in Ferrelview, approximately a half mile from the storage area.
According to Rowland, Platte County judge Ann Hansbrough appeared to be sympathetic to Watkins, but she dismissed the order of protection because it takes two or more incidents, instigated by an unrelated perpetrator, for a petition for order of protection to be granted for harassment or stalking.
Watkins said Clayton previously stopped his fiancé in July, and she didn’t have her proof of insurance card with her. She told Clayton that she was calling Watkins, who was to bring the insurance card. According to Watkins, Clayton drew his weapon on him when he arrived with the insurance card, telling Watkins, “Get back in his (expletive) car.”
Clayton then issued the ticket to his fiancé anyway.
The rules for orders of protection are different when dealing with related parties and unrelated parties, according to Rowland. In this case, because Watkins and his fiancé are unrelated, the judge had to consider the matter in the context of stalking and that requires two or more acts.
Clayton has been under fire in the past year for his alleged series of unwarranted aggressive acts toward residents of Ferrelview and other citizens passing through the village.
With the village for a little more than a year, Clayton drastically increased the number of tickets filed in Ferrelview’s municipal court, according to documents The Citizen obtained over the summer. There were a pair of contentious Ferrelview Board of Trustees meetings, including one in May when Clayton called for assistance from the Platte County Sheriff’s Office to disperse an unruly crowd.
Some in the village have stood behind Clayton and his efforts to “clean up” Ferrelview. The board also has shown support for Clayton despite the repeated accusations of unnecessary use of force and harassment.