Scott County fire chief charged with murder in wife’s death
FOX23 Sales Team
SCOTT COUNTY, Mo., (KBSI) — A Scott County fire chief has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder and several other felonies following a more than yearlong investigation into the death of his wife.
Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers arrested 45-year-old Jeremy Perrien shortly after 7 a.m. Friday, Aug. 21, according to Scott County Sheriff Derick Wheetley.
Perrien is charged in Scott County with second-degree murder, felony harassment, second-degree domestic assault and two counts of tampering with physical evidence in a felony prosecution.
He is being held in the Stoddard County Jail without bond.
The charges stem from the investigation into the death of Shelby Perrien. Wheetley said the original call for service was reported as a possible self-inflicted gunshot wound.
At the time, Jeremy Perrien was a reserve deputy, assistant coroner and fire chief in Scott County, according to the sheriff.
Wheetley said the sheriff’s office immediately turned the investigation over to the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control because of Perrien’s connections to local law enforcement and emergency services.
“We did that for one reason: to ensure this investigation was independent, transparent, and free from any actual or perceived conflict of interest,” Wheetley said.
The sheriff addressed accusations that his office had protected Perrien because of his law enforcement connections, saying the sheriff’s office stayed out of the investigation after turning it over to MSHP.
Following the Highway Patrol’s investigation, the case was submitted to the Missouri Attorney General’s Office, which filed the charges.
Wheetley said he personally knew both Jeremy and Shelby Perrien and had worked alongside Jeremy Perrien at numerous fire scenes and calls for service.
“Today’s charges demonstrate exactly why we turned this investigation over from the beginning and why we remained patient and allowed independent agencies to follow the evidence wherever it led,” Wheetley said.
The sheriff’s office said additional questions about the investigation should be directed to the Missouri State Highway Patrol or Missouri Attorney General’s Office.
Perrien is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
