Maries County Sheriff’s Department Battling Illness

The Maries County Sheriff’s office announced yesterday on Facebook how emergency calls will be handled for the next one to two weeks.

This announcement comes after over half of the county’s deputies, dispatchers, and jailers have gotten sick. Some have tested positive for COVID. On Sheriff Chris Heitman’s page, Chief Deputy John Scott said to be aware calls for service may be handled differently over the next week or two. Currently, more than half of the dispatchers and jailers are sick.

Some have tested positive for COVID-19, some are having symptoms, and some are pretty sick.

The department will continue to respond to all emergency calls in person. Still, during this period, some calls for service may be handled by phone instead of a deputy responding to your residence. The post said most deputies on duty are working sick.