Felony Charges Dropped Against Camden Commissioner In Plea Deal Over License Plate Cameras

CAMDEN COUNTY, Mo. — The two felony charges against Camden County Commissioner Ike Skelton

Skelton was initially charged with:

• Felony Stealing (Class D Felony)

• Tampering with Utility Service (Class D Felony)

• Obstructing Government Operations (Class B Misdemeanor)

However, his plea deal with the state via Special Prosecutor Nicholas Komoroski resulted in the dropping of those two felony charges. Skelton pleaded guilty to Class B Misdemeanor Obstructing Government Operations (in a press release, he referred to the plea as guilty of "Obstructing (Illegal) Government Operations").

After his plea, which was entered on Monday, Oct. 6, Skelton was sentenced to a $500 fine in addition to paying court costs. In the press release on Monday, Skelton called the plea "a pragmatic step that allows county government to move forward."

A felony conviction could have resulted in Skelton's ineligibility to hold office in the county, per state statute, whereas misdemeanors are not automatically disqualifying.

"I will always stand up for our citizens and their constitutionally protected freedoms and liberties," Skelton said. "With this matter behind us, I’m focused on doing the work the people elected me to do."

Case Background

Skelton was charged in March 2025 after taking down a FLOCK license plate reader camera that was installed by the State of Missouri along Highway 54 within Camden County. The county had previously passed an ordinance banning such cameras.

The device is owned by Flock Group, Inc. The company has had an agreement — obtained by LakeExpo and viewable at the end of this article — with the Missouri Department of Public Safety since March of 2022. The agreement is called a "Government Agency Study Agreement" and the state DPS signed it under what the agreement calls a "yearlong study on the efficacy of license plate reader technology." The document does not stipulate an end-date to the camera usage agreement.

The agreement stipulates that the technology "is solely to facilitate gathering evidence that could be used in a criminal investigation by the appropriate government agency and not for tracking activities that the system is not designed to capture." However, the cameras are not limited to only capturing data related to a criminal investigation.

In January of 2024, the Camden County Commission passed a county ordinance banning the use of all automated license plate readers in the county (a 2023 ordinance had banned all static license plate readers, but the 2024 ordinance expanded that to include all automated license plate readers). In that ordinance, commissioners cited "numerous complaints" about the cameras "and the potential of unwarranted/inappropriate monitoring of its citizens [sic] freedom of movement and travel in violation of their right of privacy, unreasonable search and seizure and other constitutionally protected rights[.]"

The ordinance also stated, "Any Automated License Plate Readers currently in violation of this Ordinance shall be immediately removed. If identification of ownership is listed on any such device, the listed owner shall be notified to remove said device. Any device not removed within 30 days of notification to remove said device may be removed by Order of the Camden County Commission."

That's the context in which Skelton removed a license plate reader along Highway 54.

Skelton was initially charged with:

• Felony Stealing (Class D Felony)

• Tampering with Utility Service (Class D Felony)

• Obstructing Government Operations (Class B Misdemeanor)

Camden County Commissioner Ike Skelton — photo by Nathan Bechtold

Skelton pleaded Not Guilty in March 2025 after he was charged. Then, in June, he filed a Motion to Dismiss the case, arguing three things:

1) He was entitled to official immunity for his official acts as commissioner,

2) He had a claim of right to take down the Flock camera (due to a county ordinance that banned them), and

3) He did not intend to deprive Flock of its camera permanently (to constitute stealing).

Special Prosecutor Nicholas Komoroski responded:

1) Official immunity only applies to public officials sued in their individual capacities for alleged acts of negligence committed during the course of their official duties. He argued this was not a civil suit nor was it an act of negligence.

2 & 3) The "Claim of Right" and "Intent" questions should be left to a jury.

But on Aug. 18, the prosecution requested a continuance (delay) in the proceedings, informing judge Aaron Martin that Skelton had come to a plea agreement. The continuance was requested because there were certain pre-plea conditions that Skelton had to meet.

Press Release

Felony Counts Dismissed; Commissioner Ike Skelton Resolves Case and Refocuses on County Priorities

Camden County, Missouri — October 6, 2025 — Presiding Commissioner Ike Skelton announced today that the State of Missouri has dismissed all felony charges previously filed against him.

At the core of the now-dismissed case was a claim of stealing tied to the removal of a privately owned automatic license plate reader (ALPR) device. From the outset, Commissioner Skelton and his counsel maintained there was no evidence of theft or intent, noting that the device’s owners and the State were repeatedly notified to remove an unauthorized camera placed in Camden County. The owners were subsequently invited to retrieve their property after the camera was taken down.

The matter also underscored a broader legal question: no Missouri statute grants the Department of Public Safety—or any private company—the authority to erect ALPR systems on state highways, and any such power would require legislative action. While MoDOT controls highway rights-of-way, that authority does not transfer to DPS or to private vendors. The Camden County ordinance prohibiting ALPR’s remains in effect.

To eliminate prolonged cost and distraction for taxpayers and his family, Commissioner Skelton agreed to resolve the case with a Class B misdemeanor for obstructing an (illegal) government operation—a resolution he characterized as a pragmatic step that allows county government to move forward. “I will always stand up for our citizens and their constitutionally protected freedoms and liberties,” Skelton said. “With this matter behind us, I’m focused on doing the work the people elected me to do.”

Commissioner Skelton expresses gratitude to his family, friends, faith leaders, and community members for their steadfast support, and thanks to visiting Prosecutor Nicholas Komoroski and Judge Aaron Martin for bringing this matter to a close. I also want to thank my attorney Kim Benjamin, of the Benjamin Law Firm. He reaffirmed his commitment to serve with honesty, integrity, and dedication, and to continue advancing county priorities consistent with law and liberty.