County whose deputy was charged with sex crime settles

BENTON, Mo. (AP) — A southeast Missouri county has paid $175,000 to a father after a deputy who had been fired from two previous policing jobs was charged with having sexual contact with a teenager in a patrol car.

The Southeast Missourian reports that the settlement stems from the second-degree statutory sodomy case that is pending against 30-year-old Brandon Cook. He was arrested in May 2018 and is accused of having sexual contact with a 15-year-old boy whose father was a commissioned reserve officer with the Scott County Sheriff's Department at the time.

Scott County Clerk Rita Milam says the settlement agreement is sealed and officials can't comment.

Cook previously had been fired by police departments in Caruthersville and Hayti. Cook's license to work as law enforcement officer in the state has been suspended.

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Information from: Southeast Missourian, http://www.semissourian.com