Overview
- Capt. Billy Pope, who leads Internal Affairs at the Independence Police Department, filed a civil suit in Jackson County Circuit Court alleging age discrimination, on-duty drinking and driving by top brass, and a cover-up of a September 2024 cruiser crash.
- Pope says the department’s Internal Affairs system showed no record of any probe into then‑Chief Adam Dustman’s reported mailbox crash, and he alleges Deputy Chief Jason Petersen gave a false explanation about who investigated it.
- The lawsuit also accuses Deputy Chiefs Michelle Sumstad and Jason Petersen of drinking on duty and leaving in a city vehicle, with a claim that Sumstad repeated the behavior and tried to fix a traffic ticket for an acquaintance.
- The City of Independence says it will vigorously defend against the allegations, and it confirms Sumstad and Petersen remain in leadership roles as former councilman Dan Hobart calls for their suspension and an outside criminal investigation by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
- A separate lawsuit by Major Mike Onka alleges retaliation after he took part in internal probes and gave sworn statements, claiming he was cut out of decisions, denied key information, and targeted through Internal Affairs while the city weakened its human resources function; a case management conference in Pope’s suit is set for Aug. 24.