Officer Hayden Miller Charged with Rape

Fayetteville police arrested Hayden Miller, 23, Thursday morning on a rape charge.  Miller was employed as a patrol deputy at the Washington County Sheriff's Office.  

According to investigators, in July of 2013, Miller sexually assaulted another man at his home.  The report was not made to police until Wednesday.  The police report states that the man said he fell asleep at Miller's home and woke up to Miller performing oral sex on him.  He also claimed that Miller grabbed his hand, and forced him to fondle Miller.

When questioned by police, the report states that Miller admitted to attending a party that night, and later going back to his home with the man.  Officers said Miller claims he went to sleep in his bed, and woke up with the man in bed with him.  According to the police report, Miller admitted that he then raped the man while he was sleeping.  He faces a felony charge of rape and is being held in the Washington County Jail.

According to the Washington County Sheriff's Office, Miller was fired from his position Thursday, following his arrest.  The sheriff's office says he began working there in 2009 as a dispatcher and was assigned to the patrol division in 2012.  Miller is the third WCSO employee that has been terminated or resigned this month for misconduct.

Former Officer Steven Magruder Indicted for Child Porn

A federal grand jury has handed up an indictment against a former Springfield police corporal for possession of child pornography.

According to the indictment, Steven Robert Magruder was downloading sexually explicit images of children less than 12 years-old to his computer the day a search warrant was executed at this home.

Court documents allege that Magruder received and distributed those images between April 2012 and April of 2013.  A desktop computer and an SD card found near the computer were seized, according to court records.

"The defendant is currently a security officer for a local college.  In addition, he once served as [a] law enforcement officer.  As a retired law enforcement officer and current security official, the defendant would be familiar with and investigated crimes against minors.  Despite the defendant's law enforcement experience and background he has chosen to violate the law he once swore to enforce by not only possessing images of children engaged in sexual acts, but receiving and distributing these images, further victimizing these children."

Magruder, 59, who retired from the patrol division in 2005, had recently been employed as a security officer at Ozark Technical College's Richwood Valley campus in Christian County, according to OTC public information officer Mark Miller.

"He, like other OTC employees, are required to undergo and pass a background check," said Miller.  Miller said he was unable to comment on when Magruder's last day as an OTC employee was "because it is a personnel issue."

"I can tell you he was a part time officer who worked here for about 8 1/2 years.  He primarily worked one day a week," said Miller.

Court records say, "The defendant's criminal conduct only stopped after law enforcement interceded and executed the aforementioned search warrant."

If Magruder, who was released on his own recognisance,  is convicted he could face anywhere from five to 20 years in federal prison.