CAMDEN COUNTY, Mo. — The sheriff has a problem. In fact, he has two.
The first problem is a deputy, Sgt. Bryce Easley. A series of bodycam videos released by the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office reveal disturbing behavior during multiple arrests conducted by Easley. The videos — redacted by the Prosecutor’s Office to protect victims — are below. In one incident Easley punched a suspect repeatedly in the head while arresting him, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated it for potential officer misconduct.
The sheriff’s second problem? The Camden County Prosecutor’s Office is now refusing to prosecute any case Easley investigates. She says his body cam videos from multiple encounters are more likely to hurt her cases than help them, due to Easley’s behavior.
Sgt. Bryce Easley prepares to deploy his taser during an encounter with a woman he intends to arrest.
The resulting standoff between the two offices – with the Sheriff’s Office retaining Easley as a training officer and supervisor, and the Prosecutor’s Office declining to prosecute cases he’s involved in — has essentially sidelined a number of arrests coming out of the Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Chris Edgar has called Prosecutor Richelle Grosvenor’s position a “personal vendetta,” and stood up for Easley, calling him “a valuable member of my office.”
But Grosvenor calls the situation “a powder keg.” In a conversation with LakeExpo she said Easley seems to enjoy escalating situations. “He's going to hurt someone,” she said.
Grosvenor says she had shared her concerns with the Sheriff’s Office but kept them out of the public light. However, after a recent incident involving Easley, she opted to go public with her concerns.
The Prosecutor's Office wrote in a statement to LakeExpo, “Recently, a traffic stop was conducted in which Deputy Easley conducted a search of a vehicle without recording the search on his body worn camera. Due to that and other missteps, charges could not be filed against the driver, who was accompanied by a child, and was found to have a handgun and drugs in the vehicle. That has prompted Grosvenor to make the difficult decision to release to the public video of incidents involving the deputy, and other documentation in the hopes of resolving this dangerous situation.”
The full text of the statement is in the Resources section at the end of this article.
Grosvenor’s office shared with LakeExpo the following video showing several incidents that she says exhibit a pattern of “unprofessional and unacceptable behavior.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: Due to potential concerns that the actions in these videos may be misinterpreted without being viewed in their larger context, we have included longer versions of these videos, some with multiple camera angles, in the “Resources” section at the end of this article.
HIGHLIGHTS: OZARKS BODY CAM Videos Spark Standoff Between Camden Sheriff, Prosecutor
The Menards Incident
In October 2024 Easley conducted the traffic stop depicted below as Incident D, during which he broke his hand while punching a suspect repeatedly in the head.
After that incident, which began in Camden County but ended in Miller County, the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office referred it to a special prosecutor for an investigation into Easley’s use of force during the stop. That special prosecutor worked alongside the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control to investigate Easley’s actions.
LakeExpo confirmed with Grosvenor and Sheriff Edgar that the findings of the MSHP investigation were forwarded to the Miller County Prosecutor’s Office — under the direction of then-Prosecutor Matt Howard (who has since passed away). Howard’s office declined to press charges and sent a letter to Easley and/or the Camden Sheriff’s Office saying it found no prosecutable offenses in the encounter, according to Edgar. In a deposition given to the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, Easley said he had that letter framed on his wall.
The full letter is included in the Resources section at the end of this article.
Excerpts:
To the extent that any potential criminal charge might have been suggested to be preferred against any law enforcement officer arising from this incident, specifically including Deputy Easley, I have determined that based upon the available facts and evidence that no basis exists to believe any crime was committed. Therefore, in my sole discretion and as the final authority having jurisdiction over this matter on behalf of the State of Missouri, this letter may be deemed as notice of my final decision that no criminal charges will be pursued against Deputy Easley.
I would briefly note for further explanation, that in this instance, the suspect's arrest was in fact lawful, with pursuit having been initiated by Deputy Easley within his territorial jurisdiction thereby authorizing continued pursuit of the suspect into Miller County. The suspect's willful, continuing failure to stop, the highly unusual path of travel off the highway leading the pursuing officer to an abandoned parking lot at night, the suspect's prior history of criminality and dangerous behaviors, his demeanor and actions, the active and continuing resistance of the physical arrest in preventing the officer from being able to gain control or restrain the movements of the suspect until the arrival of a second officer and canine unit and the superficial nature of the abrasions and contusions suffered by the suspect, have all been considered by me in this determination…
To the extent that errors in judgment or analysis of threat assessment and approach of the suspect were made leading up to the need for the officer's use of force, those matters are outside our consideration and are presumably properly within the sole purview of the command structure of the Camden County Sheriff's Office.
LakeExpo has requested the investigation documents from the MSHP and is currently awaiting receipt of them.
Officers’ Reactions
LakeExpo showed the videos to a local law enforcement officer from another agency, who asked to remain anonymous. He was shocked by Easley’s behavior. He said it was likely that Easley would be able to provide sufficient explanation for his actions in some of the circumstances, but he said he would never want to work with an officer like that.
In the officer’s opinion, the clear pattern throughout the videos was one of escalation rather than de-escalation. Easley, he said, turned what should have been routine arrests into excessively escalated encounters.
In the instance from the Menards parking lot, the officer said Easley behaved in a way that endangered everyone and was contrary to how officers are trained. “In that situation, you don’t even cuff the guy,” he said. “You keep your gun drawn, tell the guy to stay on the ground and keep your eye on him and the person in the car, until your backup arrives. You don’t just bum-rush the guy.” Watching the timestamp on Easley’s body cam, the officer pointed out backup was only about 30 seconds away.
The incident at Menards appears to have become infamous among local law enforcement: another officer LakeExpo spoke with recalled that Easley had broken his hand during that encounter.
LakeExpo also showed the video to a law enforcement consultant who has been an FBI Crisis Course instructor. Those courses focus on teaching law enforcement officers tactics and strategies for negotiation, de-escalation, and proper/improper use of force. He also spent five years as a use-of-force instructor (UOF) and nine years as a field training officer (FTO).
“This guy should not be in law enforcement,” the man told LakeExpo after watching the videos. In the videos he reviewed, the consultant identified what he believed were multiple violations of individuals’ constitutional rights.
He recommended the Sheriff’s Office should convene a Use Of Force Committee and Board to review all reported Use Of Force incidents related to officers currently employed by the Sheriff’s Office. He also recommended the Sheriff’s Office should take deputies through an FBI Crisis Course and review all Sheriff’s Office policies, particularly the Officer Intercede policies (which state when an officer should intercede if they see another officer breaking policy). He also said the Sheriff’s Office would benefit from regular check-ins with deputies to monitor their mental health and stress levels.
In a previous interview with LakeExpo, Edgar — who took office in January 2025 — said since taking office he had hired a mental health and wellness director to serve deputies. In the past, he said, if a law enforcement officer indicated they were struggling, “the first thing they would do is take away your badge and your gun… which is the worst thing you can do for a guy.” He emphasized his desire to more carefully attend to the mental health of his force, acknowledging the unique pains and strains that come with the job.
Sgt. Easley's response
LakeExpo reached out to Sgt. Easley for comment. His attorney sent the following response:
Bryce Easley's actions have already been fully investigated. Your elected Sheriff is refusing to bow down and refusing to cede responsibility for running the Sheriff's office. And your elected prosecutor is throwing a very public tantrum about it.
Force is not pretty. Sometimes officers use strong language. We ask officers to make split-second decisions in tense, uncertain, and rapidly unfolding situations. Officers' actions can only be fairly evaluated based on the information known to them at the time and only from their perspective. Many attorneys (sadly, including some prosecutors), do not know this.
There have always been people who want to further their political agendas or their political careers on the backs of the brave men and women who serve in law enforcement. The Camden County Sheriff's Department, the Camdenton Police Department, and the Osage Beach Police Department are all looking for good people to serve this community. I encourage any politicians or anonymous keyboard warriors who are willing to leave the safety of their secure offices (or of their parents' basements) to apply. And if anyone wants to run the Camden County Sheriff's office, Mr. Edgar is up for reelection in 2028.
The Standoff
Grosvenor tells LakeExpo that when she took office in 2023, she soon discovered a concerning pattern of behavior in Easley’s arrests. As a result, her office was judicious in which cases from Easley it chose to prosecute; she says some were fine while others were too tarnished by his behavior and would jeopardize the case. When Edgar became Sheriff, she passed the concern along to him and says he told her Easley would be removed from road duty — e.g., would no longer be making arrests.
That lasted… for some time. But after a while, Grosvenor says her team began spotting Easley in other officers’ body cam videos and learned he was not only making arrests again, he was actually training new deputies.
At that point, Grosvenor says she made it known she would no longer accept any cases that had Easley’s fingerprints on them. And the standoff began.
During a deposition given to an attorney with the Prosecutor’s Office, Easley said plainly that he had been telling deputies they would have to write the probable cause documents on particular arrests, to keep his name off of them.
He also said he had been accumulating a stack of cases that he planned to file in 2027 if Grosvenor loses her reelection bid during the 2026 August primaries. When asked what kind of cases he was sitting on, Easley responded, “I believe all of them are felony offenses.” He also affirmed his command was aware he was sitting on those cases.
When asked if he had a “Plan B” in case Grosvenor won the election, he said he had no Plan B, adding, “I’m very hopeful that a new individual is gonna take over on January 1st… We are all very hopeful that somebody new is gonna take over on January 1st.”
The full transcript of that deposition is in the Resources section at the end of this article.
Meanwhile, Grosvenor has flagged another deputy within the CCSO whom she says is also a liability to cases due to concerns over evidence handling. Her pressure on the Sheriff’s Office to reassign those deputies has been met with pushback by Sheriff Edgar.
The Sheriff’s Response
LakeExpo discussed the videos and situation with Sheriff Edgar at length.
Edgar said he was aware of the Prosecutor’s position regarding Easley’s cases. He said he had been trying to keep Easley out of situations where he might make an arrest as much as possible, due to the Prosecutor’s policy. Easley is currently the training coordinator for the Sheriff’s Office, which Edgar says reduced his time on patrol but has not eliminated it.
He said the Menards incident was the only body camera video from Easley that he had seen, and while he had been told by the Prosecutor’s Office that other concerning body camera videos existed from other incidents, he says he had never received those videos from the Prosecutor despite requesting them. In an email to LakeExpo, Edgar added, “we do not consent [to] the release of the materials. Due to the possibility of cases ongoing or may be filed at a later date and possibly exposing undercover deputy/deputies.”
The Menards incident occurred before Edgar took office. He says he was shown the body camera video shortly after taking office in 2025, and he too had concerns about Easley’s actions. So he required Easley to take a de-escalation course.
Edgar pointed to the Missouri Officer’s Bill of Rights, which lays out a process for complaints to be brought to officers. He noted that the letter from then-Miller County Prosecutor Matt Howard said Howard’s office found nothing prosecutable about Easley’s behavior in the Menards incident.
In a letter to the public on June 25, 2026, in response to the release of these videos and the ongoing dispute with the Prosecutor’s Office, Edgar wrote:
For unknown reasons, and for well over a year, Prosecuting Attorney Grosvenor has appeared to have a personal vendetta against certain members of the Sheriff's Office, including Sergeant Bryce Easley. PA Grosvenor's release to the media of a compilation of videos, deposition testimony, and email to my office is a continuation of this smear campaign. As referenced in her email to my office, PA Grosvenor even went as far as seeking a criminal investigation by the Missouri State Highway Patrol into Sergeant Easley's actions. At her request, the Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated Sergeant Easley's actions and did not find probable cause that Sergeant Easley committed any crimes. Furthermore, after reviewing the Missouri State Highway Patrol's investigative report, the Miller County Prosecuting Attorney declined to bring any charges against Sergeant Easley. Despite an independent investigation finding no wrongdoing by Sergeant Easley, PA Grosvenor has continued her smear campaign against Sergeant Easley. Her baseless attacks against Sergeant Easley do not serve the interests of the public.
He continued:
Unfortunately, deputies must sometimes use force. These physical altercations often place the safety of deputies at substantial risk. I pray that none of you ever know how it feels to be afraid you won't make it home. While not pleasant to view, such altercations are often necessary. I wish every use of force was beautifully choreographed, and our choice of words in the heat of the moment were always PG. But this simply isn't reality and my deputies, your deputies, do this all the time doing their jobs.
Edgar also defended Easley:
Sergeant Easley is a valuable member of my office, and I am proud to have him protecting this community that I live in and am a part of. My wife, kids, friends, and family live here and I rest easier knowing officers and deputies in this community are willing to do this job. It keeps my loved ones and yours safe when we can’t.
The full letter from Edgar is in the Resources section at the end of this article.
The letter ends with a scripture in the footer: "Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent—both are detestable to the Lord."
Proverbs 17:15 NLT
Video Resources & Summaries
Incident A
Multiple video angles depict Easley conducting a traffic stop of a large man on a motorcycle. Easley arrests and handcuffs the man, and when the man says he would like to be on the phone with dispatch during the arrest, Easley takes his phone away. Easley tries to get the man into the back of his vehicle, but the man complains, saying he has an upcoming knee surgery and can’t bend his knee to get into the vehicle. The situation grows more heated and Easley pulls the man out of the vehicle and takes him to the ground, where he removes the man’s earbuds. Easley holds him there — at times with his knee on the man’s upper-back — while the heated conversation continues. In a more complete body cam video, the man is eventually transported to the second responding officer's patrol car (an SUV) with more space in the back seat.
Incident B
Six weeks after the death of Officer Phylicia Carson, who perished in a crash during a high-speed pursuit, Easley was accompanied by multiple officers on a pursuit that ended with the suspect stopping their vehicle. Easley says “It would have been more fun if he wouldn’t have stopped.” When one of the other officers replies, “What?”, Easley repeats himself.
Incident C
Easley and another deputy are searching for a man in a residence. A woman inside seems agitated and asks both deputies their names and badge numbers. They locate the man and as Easley moves toward the area where the man was hiding, he tells the woman to move. She responds “I’m not going to move… get the f*** out of my face.” Easley then tells her he’s placing her under arrest for “hindering.” She resists, saying “I’m not under arrest.” The other deputy handcuffs the man and has him sit down, while Easley struggles to handcuff the woman. Easley takes the woman to the ground and warns her she is going to get tased, and points his taser at her. The other deputy rushes over, helps the woman stand, and begins speaking to the woman, telling her to get her hands behind her back, while he takes her left arm and prepares to handcuff her. Easley tells the deputy multiple times, “back off,” nudging the deputy to move away. He then announces, “taser, taser, taser” and tases the woman, who screams and falls to the floor. The other deputy handcuffs her and then moves back to the man, as Easley moves the woman toward the door. The video continues as Easley and the woman argue, as he tries to get her to his vehicle.
Incident D
This incident occurred at night. Easley follows a man driving a large pickup truck on Highway 54 and eventually turns on his lights to stop the man. The man does not immediately pull over, but takes the next exit off the highway and then drives to the Menards parking lot, where he stops. Easley steps out of the vehicle and yells at the man to put his hands out of the window, and the man complies. Then Easley screams “Get the f*** out of the truck,” while pointing his weapon at the vehicle. The man shouts something back at Easley (unintelligible) while getting out of the vehicle. He lays on the ground and puts his hands behind his back. Easley yells at the person inside the vehicle to put their hands on the dashboard, and then yells at the man on the ground to “Give me your hands… give me your f****** hands!” as the man continues laying on his stomach with his hands behind his back. While shouting this, Easley jerks upward on the man’s hands, and the man reacts by pulling his hands away.
At that point, the situation escalates quickly as Easley shouts at the man to give him his hands, the man appears to keep his hands away from him, and Easley begins punching the man in the head while straddling him. In a deposition, Easley told an attorney from the Prosecutor’s Office that he broke his hand while punching the man.
About 40 seconds elapsed from the time Easley exited his vehicle to when backup arrived with a K-9 unit and he handcuffed the man.
Incident E
There is no audio in this clip, which comes from a security camera inside a Sheriff’s Office facility, presumably the County Jail. In it, Easley pulls his vehicle into a bay, exits the vehicle, and then opens the rear door where a handcuffed person is seated. It’s unclear what escalates the encounter, but Easley can be seen suddenly pulling the handcuffed man from the vehicle and tackling him to the ground, while another officer runs into the room to help.
(No Incident F)
Incident G
After Easley pulls over and arrests a man who was driving a motorcycle with allegedly expired license, the female passenger is talking with him about the details of the incident. Both become agitated, with the woman telling Easley she feels he has disrespected her, after which Easley apologizes. Then Easley tells the woman to walk away and go stand near a road sign about 100 feet away and wait for someone to pick her up. The woman walks away, continuing to voice her protests about the encounter. Easley then turns from the motorcycle and rapidly approaches the woman, telling her, “You wanna run your f***** mouth, you came to the right place, turn around.” He tells her to drop her phone; she asks if she can put it in her backpack and he replies, “Drop your phone or I’m gonna drop you on the ground, you understand me?”
As he handcuffs her:
Woman: “I didn’t do nothing to you.”
Easley: “I told you to walk away.”
Woman: “I did walk away.”
Easley: “You were running your mouth. That’s not how this works.”
…
Easley: “You’re detained.”
Woman: “For what?”
Easley: “Because you want to run your mouth, you’re interfering with this traffic stop, I told you to walk away.”
The woman tells Easley she has an ankle issue, and as he tells her to sit, she begins to move slowly. He tells her several times “Sit!” and she replies “I’m trying! My ankle is f****d!” Easley forces her to the ground and then tells her, “You’re going to jail too now.”
He later tells her, “You’re going to go to jail for resisting or interfering with a stop, detention, or arrest.”
Woman: “I didn’t do s***!”
Easley: “Yeah you were. I told you to leave.”
Woman: “I did everything you said.”
While Easley records information from the motorcycle, she asks him to make sure he doesn’t forget her and her boyfriend’s stuff, as her phone and backpack were left on the ground near the sign where she had been standing when Easley handcuffed her. Easley replies, “This is what interfering with a traffic stop is. You understand that, right? While I’m trying to do my job and everything that I’m doing, and you’re continuously running your mouth and taking away from what I’m doing, that is the definition of interfering.”
He adds, “What could have… been a detention… becomes resisting.”
She replies, “How did I resist?”
Easley answers, “When you’re not sitting down and you’re not doing what I’m telling you to. And all the way over here you’re pulling away from me.”
RESOURCES
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