[MO] Sheriff Melton found by his wife, & son runs to neighbors for help

Carter County Sheriff Greg Melton

..."We were watching TV when their son was pounding on my door. He was screaming, 'Someone shot my dad. My dad is dead'"... Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop G was notified at 8:16 p.m. Thursday that Melton was found in his garage by his wife... Mark Hall, another Grandin resident, described Melton as "the best sheriff we ever had"...



PATROL SAYS SHERIFF FOUND DEAD, WAS SHOT
News-Leader
October 18, 2008
[Excerpts] The discovery of Carter County Sheriff Greg Melton's body at his home Thursday night is under investigation by the Missouri Highway Patrol, but the patrol is not seeking any suspects, a patrol spokesman said. The body of the 47-year-old sheriff was found about 8:16 p.m. at Melton's home in Grandin, Troop G spokesman Sgt. Marty Elmore said. Melton had been shot, Elmore said... [Full article here]

CARTER COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEATH INVESTIGATED
Daily American Republic
By David Silverberg
Sunday, October 19, 2008
[Excerpts] GRANDIN, Mo. — Carter County Sheriff Greg Melton, 47, of Grandin was found dead in his garage from a gunshot wound Thursday night. The investigation is being conducted by Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop G based in Willow Springs. "We got the call at 8:16 p.m.," said Sgt. Marty Elmore, public information officer for Troop G. "The sheriff's wife found him." Carter County Coroner Dennis McSpadden, who is now serving as sheriff as required by state law, pronounced Melton dead at the scene... Meanwhile, co-workers, friends and neighbors are mourning the death of Melton... "Everybody is in a state of shock. You never expect anything like this," said Glenda Brittain... "We were watching TV when their son was pounding on my door. He was screaming, 'Someone shot my dad. My dad is dead,'" Brittain said... Numerous city, county and state officers responded to the scene... No one apparently heard a gunshot, but another neighbor reportedly heard the sound of spinning gravel around 7:30 p.m... Mark Hall, another Grandin resident, described Melton as "the best sheriff we ever had." Gary Sullivan, a weekend dispatcher in the Carter County Sheriff's Department, had worked with Melton four years. "He was a great guy to work with " Sullivan said Carter County Presiding Commissioner Gene Oakley was in St. Louis when he received the news. "I have known that boy since he was 9. It is just horrible"... Melton worked as a dispatcher in the Carter County Sheriff's Department from January 1997 through November 1999. Then he was a deputy sheriff in Ripley County until he became Carter County Sheriff on Jan. 1, 2001. A Democrat, Melton was reelected in 2004 and was seeking his third term in the Nov. 4 general election... "It sure was a shock. This leaves a big hole in our lives," said Carter County Clerk Becky Gibbs... "Everyone is in a state of shock. He did what he could for people. If he could help you, he would," Grandin City Clerk Joy Townsend said. She described Melton as someone who "cared about his county, he took his job seriously and he was a very loved family man." Melton is survived by his wife, Laura, who is a dispatcher at Ozark National Scenic Riverways, their son, Austin, 12, and two stepdaughters, Shanna and Macy, in their late teens. [Full article here]

CARTER COUNTY, MO., SHERIFF KILLED BY BULLET FROM HIS OWN GUN
Daily American Republic
By David Silverberg
Monday, October 20, 2008
[Excerpts] VAN BUREN, Mo. — Carter County Sheriff Greg Melton died Thursday night from a bullet from his own gun. "One shell was expended from the sheriff's .357 magnum revolver," Carter County Coroner Dennis McSpadden said Saturday. "We are still waiting for gunshot residue tests to come back." The path of the bullet that caused Melton's death was determined during an autopsy Friday evening... Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop G was notified at 8:16 p.m. Thursday that Melton was found in his garage by his wife, according to Sgt. Marty Elmore, public information officer for Troop G. Melton, 47, a Grandin Democrat, had served as sheriff for nearly eight years. He was seeking re-election to his third term in the Nov. 4 general election. His name will remain on the ballots because it is too late to remove it. By Missouri law, the coroner becomes the acting sheriff until an appointment is made by the Carter County Commission [Full article here]

SHERIFF'S FUNERAL HELD AT SCHOOL GYM
News-Leader
October 21, 2008
[Excerpts] Funeral services for Carter County Sheriff Greg Melton will be held today at the East Carter High School gymnasium. isitation will be from noon to 2 p.m., followed by the funeral, said Deputy Ted Reynolds, who has been named the county's interim sheriff... as devastated," said Reynolds, who has served for eight years as chief deputy of the Carter County Sheriff's Department. "Everybody's shocked -- they're just numb with shock." eynolds recalled the sheriff, a personal friend as well as coworker, as a "hell of a guy" who would do anything for anybody. He enforced the law, but he treated everybody with respect," he said. "He would help anybody at any time who needed anything. He was a great guy." eynolds said Melton had served as the Carter County Sheriff for eight years and had a wife, two daughters and a son. He will be greatly missed," he said. [Full article here]