Records show deputy charged with Sonya Massey’s murder had history of disciplinary issues at previous job
SPRINGFIELD, Ill (NEXSTAR) — The former deputy charged with the murder of Sonya Massey had a history of disciplinary issues at his previous law enforcement jobs before he worked with the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, as shown in new records obtained by WCIA.
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In November of 2022, then-Logan County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson sat at a table with Deputy Chief Nate Miller. The two were joined by another one of Grayson’s superior officers.
The meeting was about discussing a high-speed chase that Grayson started after the driver failed to use a turn signal. Audio recordings provided by the Logan County Sheriff’s department from a Freedom of Information Act request show that the meeting culminated in Miller questioning how Grayson was still employed by the department.
“Seven months in … How are you still employed with us?” Miller said.
“I don’t know,” Grayson responded.
In the recording, Miller said that Grayson had violated all department pursuit policies in deciding to chase the driver. The chase started when Grayson said he saw a woman act suspiciously when driving a truck. His report said that he watched the driver interact with a different car for several minutes before starting to tail her. Eventually, he attempts to pull the driver over for failing to properly use her turn signal. The driver speeds off instead of stopping, and Grayson takes off after her. Dash cam video showed Grayson speeding through residential areas and blowing through multiple intersections. He eventually is forced to stop pursuing because he hits a deer.
Miller also pointed to glaring inaccuracies and problems with Grayson’s report of the chase, at one point spelling it out by saying Grayson’s story doesn’t make sense, because the streets he said he was on would mean he couldn’t have seen the two cars interacting.
“We do not want cowboys,” Miller said during the meeting. “And we can’t decide to purge pertinent information — because that is yet another policy violation — to get the results you want.”
Grayson was also reprimanded for disobeying and disrespecting superior officers during his time at the Logan County Sheriff’s office, and was criticized for other problems with his report. At one point, the two officials reminded Grayson of the possible penalties, including jail time, for officers that don’t properly report cases.
Grayson’s record of complaints doesn’t end there.
The Logan County Sheriff’s department heard from the Girard Police Department in Macoupin County. The chief said that Grayson used his status as a deputy to insert himself into a child custody case involving Grayson’s parents. Grayson threatened to file complaints against the officer that responded to that scene.
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He also had complaints filed against him by a woman who said he acted inappropriately while she was getting a full body search for drugs she hid on her person. She said Grayson pulled back a hospital curtain while she was in the middle of the search. Then, her fiancée filed a complaint. He was also being held in jail, and he said Grayson came to his cell to harass him after his wife complained. Logan County records show that these two complaints were deemed “unfounded” and they say Grayson was trained on the best practices.
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