FBI involved in Cole County ambulance controversy linked to Lt. Governor Kehoe

COLE COUNTY — Members of the Cole County Commission say the Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into claims that county officials had their jobs threatened following a decision to change ambulance providers and reports from the St. Louis Post Dispatch plant Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe right in the middle of it.

The controversy stems from the county's decision to stop buying ambulances from Osage Ambulances in Linn and purchase them instead from a French Canadian company called Demers. The commissioners say the move saved them $17,000 per ambulance. Apparently, that's not all it did.

"The threats to staff included loss of employment and the takeover of our EMS service because we refused to buy ambulances from certain places or people using taxpayer money," Western District Commissioner Kris Scheperle said.

Scheperle would not say where the threats came from but said the FBI had questioned him about the matter. In mid-May, theSt. Louis Post-Dispatch made the connection between the commission's decision to buy from Demers and a decision by Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe, the former owner of Osage Ambulances, and his brother John, the current owner, to throw political and financial support behind GOP challengers to Scheperle and Eastern District Commissioner Jeff Hoelscher in the August 4th primary.

Osage Ambulances President Kyle Shimmens was asked if the FBI had been to see him. In response, Shimmens said, "We're aware of the investigation ongoing involving the Cole County Courthouse, and we await the outcome of the investigation."

Beyond that, Shimmens would not confirm anything. An aid to Kehoe said the Lieutenant Governor was traveling and unaware of the commissioner's public statement and would have no comment.

Presiding Commissioner Sam Bushman voted against last year's purchase of Demers ambulances to replace Osage Units destroyed by the May 2019 tornado, saying he wanted to wait for the insurance to settle. He also voted against the purchase of more Demers ambulances this year because the commission did not give Osage an opportunity to match the bid. That seems to point a finger back at the commission, but Scheperle says the panel is not under suspicion.

"We are not the target of this investigation, and we have been told that we did nothing wrong," Scheperle said.

Scheperle also stated, "We are disappointed that corruption and threats were the result of spending the taxpayers' money wisely."

Bushman says he was not interviewed by the FBI which, of course, will neither confirm nor deny the existence of any investigation.

Bushman also says he did not see the statement before Scheperle read it in the open commission meeting and says he will not be putting his signature to it.