Iron County Sheriff, 2 Deputies Among Four Arrested as part of Kidnapping Scheme

(Iron Count, MO) The Iron County Sheriff, two deputies, and another man, are in custody and have been charged with multiple crimes following an investigation by the Missouri Highway Patrol.  

Court documents allege, Sheriff Jeff Burkett, Deputy Chase Bresnahan, Deputy Matt Cozad and helped Iron County Resident Donald "Rick" Gaston with a scheme to kidnap Gaston's children from their mother, following a domestic dispute.  

The charges include participating knowlingly in criminal street gant activities, attempting kidnapping, stalking, misuse of emergency telephone service and unlawfully obtaining criminal history information.  The full list of charges can be found below.

According to court documents, on the night of February 8th, there was allegedly a domestic disturbance between Gaston and the mother.  Two days later on February 10th, Deputy Bresnahan allegedly submitted a warrant application to the Iron County Prosecuting Attorney for one count of first-degree assault and endagering the welfare of a child against the mother, which was denied by the prosecutting attorney.  That same day, Sheriff Burkett allegedly contacted Washington County 911 dispatch to request a cell phone ping to "check the well-being," after claiming a mother left the county with a child without notifying the father.

While tracking cell phone pings, Burckett directed deputies to go to a home and detain the mother.  Deputies were able to find the mother and her children.  After a well-being check found no visible injuries the responding deputies did not take the mother into custody.

Court documents state that Bresnahan contacted Verizon Wireless and requested to ping the mother's phone.  The request to Verizon Wireless came after being denied by Washington County 911 dispatch earlier in the day.

Burkett has a cash only bond of $500,000 while Bresnahan, Cozad and Gaston each have a $400,000 bond.

• Charges against Burkett
  • Participating knowingly in criminal street gang activities
  • Conspiracy to commit class A/B/C felony or unclassified felony exceeding 10 years
  • Attempted kidnapping, facilitating a felony, inflicting injury, terrorizing
  • Stalking, accessory to stalking
  • Obtaining criminal history record information under false pretense
  • Misusing 911
  • Making a false report
• Charges against Bresnahan
  • Participating knowingly in criminal street gang activities
  • Conspiracy to commit class A/B/C felony or unclassified felony exceeding 10 years(two counts)
  • Obtaining criminal history record information under false pretense
  • Misusing 911
  • Stalking(first- and second-degree)
• Charges against Gaston
  • Participating knowingly in criminal street gang activities
  • Attempted parental kidnapping by detaining/concealing child’s whereabouts for 120 days or more
  • Conspiracy to commit class A/B/C felony or unclassified felony exceeding 10 years(
  • Stalking(first- and second-degree)
  • Making a false report
• Charges against Cozad
  • Participating knowingly in criminal street gang activities
  • Conspiracy to commit class A/B/C felony or unclassified felony exceeding 10 years(two counts)
  • Misusing 911
  • Accessory to stalking(first- and second-degree)