New Moniteau County sheriff has 25 years in law

Moniteau County Sheriff Tony Wheatley and K-9 officer Mizzou, with Mizzou the tiger on the University of Missouri campus.
Moniteau County Sheriff Tony Wheatley and K-9 officer Mizzou, with Mizzou the tiger on the University of Missouri campus.

Moniteau County Sheriff Tony Wheatley, elected in November of 2016, took office Jan. 1.

He brings with him K-9 Officer Mizzou.

Wheatley's 25 years of experience includes law enforcement in small towns, counties, a large city, a drug task force and international work training forces for a private contractor.

After the Tipton native started as a full-time patrolman in Stover, in 1992, he had a varied career path before being elected sheriff of Moniteau County. Wheatley's 25 years of experience has included law enforcement in small towns, counties, a large city, drug task forces and international work training forces for a private contractor.

He worked for the City of Stover for a little more than a year, before being hired as a road deputy for the Morgan County Sheriff's Department, where he remained until 1997. At that time, Wheatley went to the Kansas City Police Department, attended the Kansas City Police Academy for 920 hours, and worked for the department until 1999. Returning to the Morgan County Sheriff's Department, as their drug investigator under the MOSMART Grant (Missouri Sheriff's Methamphetamine Relief Team) until 2001. At that time, Mid Missouri Drug Task Force was formed and he accepted the position as Lieutenant with the drug task force. He was named drug task force officer of the year in 2002, and in 2003, was promoted to Captain and Officer in Charge. He was also acting as the K-9 handler with K-9 "Joky" until 2008.

In 2008, Wheatley applied for and was accepted to go overseas to Afghanistan as a private contractor for the U.S. Department of State. "In Afghanistan I was embedded with militaries from different countries along with the U.S. military training troops and Afghan Police forces," he said. "While in Afghanistan I received two letters of achievement for excellence from the Commander of the Spanish Reconstruction Team and the ISAF International Security Assistance Force in Qala e Naw Afghanistan. Also received was a United States Police Mentor/Trainer appreciation for my work in Islam Qala Afghanistan and a Meritorius Service Award for the work I did in Herat Afghanistan. I believe the biggest achievement that I received from there would have to be a nomination from the Spanish Military and their National Police the Guardia Civil for the National Honor of the Guardia Civil Order of Merit with white distinction medal for my work out of the Badghis province in Afghanistan as well as a letter of commendation from the ARSIC West Commanding Officer Col. J. Bessler of the U.S. military for our part in removing corrupt Afghan Generals from power in the region."

Wheatley finished his his four-year tour in 2012. He then returned to work for the Morgan County Sheriff's Office as a Detective. Named a Special Deputy U.S. Marshal on the service's fugitive team in January of 2013 - an office he retains at the present - Wheatley was promoted to Chief Deputy in 2015. He remained in that office until he became Sheriff in Moniteau County, where he and Mizzou, a female German Shepherd K-9, work with a dedicated department staff to enforce the law.

Once in office, Wheatley set about to fulfill a campaign promise to address the growing drug problem and the increase in property thefts. He has followed up on his plans to target distributors "wherever they live and send them a clear message that law enforcement and the community will not tolerate it. In the area of property thefts, we as a department need to build a closer relationship with the communities to try and deter some of these crimes before the happen."

Wheatley said, that in his years of law enforcement, he has learned that most property crimes are solved by tips and information from members of the community, if law enforcement would just take the time to talk to the people and listen to what they have to say. "To solve crimes we must also do a better job in processing the crime scene and following up on information to solve it," he said.