CrimeTimeNews (c)

Plattsburg, MO - "I was not able to take it any more." Clinton County Sheriff, Dan Jones, wrote to his wife. "They are trying to destroy my name and reputation. I was just tired of the threats, backstabbing and blackmail that is occurring."
In addition to the note to his wife, Jones left a stack of letters addressed to numerous officials he felt were trying to force him from office. In fact, the family specifically blamed eight former county colleagues for his suicide. The group, which included the coroner, prosecutor and deputies, were asked not to attend the sheriff's memorial service.
Ironically, the trouble really started when Jones decided not to seek reelection. That triggered a tug-of-war between two of his deputies for the top spot. The men had been friends for years but, the lure of power pulled them apart.
Their bickering spilled all over the county political landscape and soon everyone was taking sides. Charges began to fly back and forth. One deputy was charged with a felony firearms violation for possession of a sawed-off shotgun. The other fired back accusing his old partner of being involved in a suspicious death.
Things came to a head for Jones when a police chief that had been his friend for twenty-five years, passed along word that the sheriff was going to be removed from office so that one of the deputies could run as an incumbent. The reason for removal? Incompetence.
According to the chief, Jones was "Comatose. He was so scared. He said, 'I might as well be dead." Two days later he was.
It was Saturday afternoon when the sheriff drove out to a reservoir where he liked to fish. He lit a charcoal grill and waited until the embers were just right. Then he set the smoldering charcoal in the back of his county issued Chevrolet Tahoe. Wearing his full uniform, he sat behind the steering wheel, laid back against the head rest, and inhaled.