BELLE — While Belle Police Officer Erican B. Sugg continues to wait for a March 21 Administrative Hearing through the Department of Public Safety to determine the outcome of complaints made against his peace officer’s license, a second complaint of a “sexual nature” is under investigation by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

On Feb. 13, Master Sgt. Darrin Haslag, Public Information Officer Division of Drug and Crime Control said Sugg remains under active investigation through the Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP).

However, the city of Belle received an email on Jan. 16 from Maries County Sheriff Chris Heitman, informing officials that his office had received a complaint from a citizen and forwarded the investigation to MSHP.

“This letter is to advise you my office has received another complaint of a sexual nature against Erican Sugg, currently a police officer for the city of Belle. My office will not investigate the details of this complaint, but I have forwarded it to Colonel Eric Olson of the MSHP and requested they investigate it,” Heitman wrote. “In my opinion, you have allowed this perpetrator, Erican Sugg, to violate another young lady by leaving him in a position of power and failing to act on the knowledge you have.”

Heitman went on to say that at Sugg’s time of employment with the city, Mayor Daryl White, Jr., was aware of “three pending investigations against Sugg for sexually groping women.” He adds that the city is also aware that the Missouri Attorney General’s Office filed detailed complaints against the Belle officer at the Administrative Hearing Commission involving the reason Sugg was terminated from the Maries County Sheriff’s Office.

“You have also been made aware of pending litigation against his former employer where he is accused of inappropriate sexual conduct, and you are aware he is currently banned from a restaurant in the city of Belle for inappropriate behavior toward female employees,” Heitman said. “Knowing all these details, you still allowed him to work in a position of power and community trust. To magnify the problem, Mayor White, certain council members, and his direct supervisor Sgt. Mark Morgan, have all continued to defend him. Some have even lied to the public to misrepresent the knowledge they have of his actions.”

Heitman says he agrees with White’s statement, printed in The Advocate, that (Sugg) is innocent until proven guilty.

“However, to protect the public, judges will place restrictive bond conditions on suspects until the facts are presented and innocence or guilt is determined,” Heitman said. “You have taken no measures to protect the public from his repeat behavior and instead exhibited the most gross negligence by any government I have seen.”

Heitman called the Belle Board of Aldermen to action.

“Moreover, as a group of leaders, I do hope you take action to correct your mistake and finally do what is right for the citizens you are sworn to serve and protect,” Heitman said. “Marshal (Jerry) Coborn, if your council fails to act, you have the authority to act and honestly hold the most accountability for commissioning him as a peace officer in your city. Do not let the threat of retaliation from anyone prevent you from acting if you believe you should.”

On Feb. 5, Morgan contacted The Advocate saying he still had not confirmed with MSHP what the investigation entailed.

“I don’t know where the complaint came from, the specific incident involved,” Morgan said. “They are supposed to be assigning an investigator (to the case). I haven’t been able to figure out what the complaint is about.”

Morgan said he plans to check once a week to see if an investigator has been assigned to the complaint.

For his part in the Administrative Hearing Commission’s investigation, Sugg replied on Dec. 5, 2023, to a request to respond to accusations from the first sexual harassment allegation that resulted in his termination from the Maries County Sheriff’s Office. He denied wrongdoing and claimed that some of the accusations were taken out of context.