SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- The former Sangamon County sheriff's deputy who fatally shot a 36-year-old woman this month was recommended for "high-stress decision-making classes" in 2022 after violating multiple policies at his previous employer, the Logan County Sheriff's Office, records show.
The investigation into Sean P. Grayson's behavior during and after a police chase came about six months before Grayson joined the Sangamon County agency in May 2023. Records also suggested criminal cases were not prosecuted because of Grayson's mistakes, though multiple Logan County authorities could not be reached or declined to clarify when contacted this week.
Grayson has pleaded not guilty to murder charges in the death of Sonya Massey, whom he shot to death in her home while responding to her 911 call about a suspected prowler.
Body camera footage of the July 6 incident, released by authorities on Monday, showed the shooting took place after an exchange over a pot of boiling water, with Massey ducking and apologizing before Grayson fired his gun.
State law enforcement records show Grayson worked at six Central Illinois police agencies in four years. Lee Enterprises filed requests under the Freedom of Information Act with each agency, seeking records of complaints and disciplinary actions made against Grayson, who joined the Logan County Sheriff's Office in May 2022.
Just seven months into the job, Logan County's chief deputy, Nathan Miller, peppered him with questions over factual discrepancies in Grayson's reports of a September 2022 police chase that started with probing a suspicious subject who eventually fled a traffic stop, and ended with Grayson's squad car colliding with a deer outside of Lincoln.
In an audio interview provided along with documents related to the internal investigation, Miller said he asked Grayson the same questions that an attorney would and reminded him of his duty and the sheriff's office policy to ensure deputy reports are written accurately.
Past Employment
Records show Sean P. Grayson's police work history as follows:
- Pawnee Police Department, part time, Aug. 11, 2020, to July 26, 2021
- Kincaid Police Department, part time, Feb. 4, 2021, to May 18, 2021
- Virden Police Department, part time, May 20, 2021, to Dec. 31, 2021
- Auburn Police Department, full time, July 20, 2021, to May 1, 2022
- Logan County Sheriff's Office, full time, May 1, 2022, to April 28, 2023
- Sangamon County Sheriff's Office, full time, May 1, 2023, to July 17, 2024
Miller said he pulled up a road map on a smartphone map and pointed to how the pursuit began on a different street in Lincoln than what Grayson had initially noted in his report. Later in the interview, Miller also questioned him for not terminating the pursuit when ordered to by his superior and failing to slow to a reasonable speed. Video of the chase showed his vehicle later striking a deer.
The chief deputy warned Grayson that "official misconduct will land you in jail."
"A good state's attorney protects laws," Miller said, later adding, "I don't want you to take offense to this ... They dropped your cases because of what I'm looking at right here."
He then told Grayson his memory is failing and they've had to drop cases and boot officers from their agency, "because if we can't trust what you say, and what you see, we can't have you in our uniform."
Grayson said he hadn't realized he could reference his squad car video tapes for filing reports on an incident because he wasn't able to in his past police jobs. When asked why he continued to pursue a vehicle against a sheriff's corporal's orders to stop, Grayson said he made a "dumb mistake" and wouldn't repeat it.
A Lee Enterprises reporter was unable to independently verify whether any criminal cases were actually dropped in Logan County; an employee who answers the phone at the Logan County State's Attorney's Office said they are not making comments about Grayson and hung up. Logan County Board Chair Emily Davenport did not immediately respond to emails or a voicemail asking if the county had knowledge of Grayson's cases being dropped.
According to the interview notes, Grayson had minor injuries after his squad car hit and killed the deer, and no one else was hurt. Miller recommended Grayson take up further training on traffic stops and report writing, in addition to high-stress decision-making.
The Logan County Sheriff's Office has not responded this week to requests for comment about Grayson's work history. The records provided in response to Lee Enterprises' request noted Grayson left Logan County Sheriff's Office in "good standing" and was not under investigation before taking a new deputy job in Sangamon County.
It is unclear whether authorities in Sangamon County were aware of any issues with Grayson's performance with his prior employer. Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell did not respond to a request for comment.
Campbell condemned Grayson's actions in a statement after the charges were filed, saying he "did not act as trained or in accordance with our standards. ... With our badge we accept enormous responsibility, and if that responsibility is abused, there should be consequences."
Discharged from Service
Records from the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board show Grayson took a course called "Officer Stress Management" in July 2022, and again in June -- a month before Massey's death.
The day after she was killed, the records show, Grayson began a three-day "Mental Health Awareness Refresher" course.
He was fired by the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office on July 17, the same day he was indicted. His policing certification has been suspended.
A deputy director for the police training and standards board did not respond to a request for clarification on how and when trainings are necessities.
Grayson was first hired in August 2020 as a part-time police officer in Pawnee. He also picked up shifts for police departments in Kincaid and Virden, before starting full-time in July 2021 at the Auburn Police Department. Requested records stated Grayson received no complaints at police departments in Kincaid or Virden, but he was let go by Kincaid's village board for refusing to live within 10 miles of the village.
Documents provided by the Kincaid Police Department included Grayson's certificate of discharge from the Army, where he served as a wheeled vehicle mechanic at Fort Riley, Kansas. The certificate stated he received a general discharge, citing misconduct of a serious offense.
Bryce Dubee, spokesperson for the Army's public affairs office, in a statement said Grayson had no deployments when he served from May 2014 to February 2016.
Dubee said the Privacy Act and Department of Defense policy prevent disclosure of information about misconduct of low-level employees or characterizations of service at discharge.
Grayson was also convicted of two DUI charges in Macoupin County, occurring in August 2015 and July 2016. It is unclear whether the earlier DUI charge is connected to Grayson's Army service discharge.
Brian Sexton, lead attorney representing Grayson, could not be reached for comment.
'Zero Tolerance'
During the November 2022 internal investigation interview related to the aborted police chase, Miller, the chief deputy in Logan County, admonished Grayson for a slew of policy violations, including violating pursuit rules, standards for report accuracy and code of conduct. In addition to disobeying orders to terminate the pursuit, Miller said he also did not notify Logan County dispatch of his chase in time.
"I have zero tolerance for stretching the law," Miller said. "Because when you have officers that stretch the law, they will get caught, they will get prosecuted and they will handcuff the rest of law enforcement in the state legislation behind the back."
Miller then told Grayson he was "calling you on your integrity."
"How does that make you feel?" Miller asked.
"I'm learning from it," replied Grayson.
Just over a month before he resigned from the Logan County agency, Grayson's interactions with law enforcement in another community were brought to his boss's attention, records show.
Former Girard Police Department Chief Brian Boston wrote to Logan County Sheriff Mark Landers to notify him about the Girard department's interactions with Grayson, who was connected to people involved in a child custody dispute in the Macoupin County city.
Boston said Grayson had complained about how a call related to the dispute, as well as a welfare check on the children, was handled by a Girard Police Sgt. Wayman Meredith.
Also included in the documentation was a report by Meredith, now chief of police in Girard, who wrote that Grayson was "steaming mad" at him for not discussing an alleged "breaking and entering" with parties involved in the custody dispute.
Boston said Grayson was aggravated but spoke in a calm tone throughout the conversation. The former chief said he was told Grayson would file a complaint with the police training and standards board. Boston later said Grayson would have "better served the situation by recusing himself from the matter," rather than involving himself and escalating tensions.
No further documentation on the situation was provided. When reached by a reporter, Meredith declined to comment on Grayson's character, citing limited experiences with him.
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