Matt Stewart returns to law enforcement as Newton County Sheriff
NEOSHO, Mo. — For 187 years, the Newton County sheriff's office has provided law enforcement services to the people of Newton County.
Established in 1838, it has gone from a two-man department to one that consists of three divisions: patrol, investigation and corrections. Each division is supervised by a captain, and all are led by newly elected Sheriff Matt Stewart.
Stewart, who was elected in November as the county's 45th sheriff, spent four years as the Children's Center director in Joplin. Prior to that role, he worked through the ranks to become the Joplin police chief. He retired from Joplin Police Department in 2020 after 20 years of service.
'I've always had a desire ... was drawn to law enforcement,' Stewart said. 'I saw it is a place to give back to the community and serve the public in some capacity.'
Other command staff members include Chief Deputy Joe Moore, who joined the department alongside Stewart. For the past four years, Moore served as the police chief in Lamar, following a 20-year career with the Joplin Police Department.
The department has 30 uniformed deputies working under the leadership of Capt. Mike Barnett. Barnett has worked in law enforcement for 32 years, with 28 at the Newton County sheriff's office. He's worked his way up from being a patrol officer to first leading the corrections division for seven years to today leading the patrol division.
The Investigation Division, which includes eight detectives and a civilian victim's advocate, is led by Capt. Stacy Moore, whose law enforcement experience began as a commissioned U.S. Army infantry officer and later as a military intelligence officer. After eight years of military service, he joined the FBI as a special agent. Following his retirement from the FBI, he joined Newton County in January as the captain of the Investigation Division.
The Corrections Division, led by Capt. Jerry Hornback, has a 42-member team. Jerry Hornback also began his career with the U.S. military, serving for 20 years with both the U.S. Air Force and the National Guard. He served as a military police investigator prior to joining the Newton County sheriff's office in 2005. He began as a court bailiff and rose through the ranks to become the Correction Division supervisor that oversees the jail and courthouse security.
Transparency
Stewart said he has set a goal to increase the office's transparency with the community. This has included social media posts, providing information about weekly service call numbers, as well as ongoing investigations. Other data, including a daily arrest log, is posted to the office's website.
Stewart said he wants Newton County residents to see what his deputies are doing on an ongoing basis to help keep residents safe.
Since January, Stewart has also hosted a monthly 'Coffee with the Sheriff' at various locations around the county. He said it allows residents to voice concerns about issues within their communities, as well as provide feedback.
In March, the county became part of the Blue Shield Program, an initiative created by Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe designed to recognize a community's commitment to enhancing public safety and support for law enforcement. As a member of the Blue Shield Program, county officials can access a pool of $10 million in state grants for law enforcement training and equipment.
Goals, initiatives
Looking ahead, Stewart hopes to begin the bidding process this summer for a new evidence facility located at the sheriff's office.
He would also like to work to increase retirement benefits for those working within the department.
'I hope we can get to the point where we invest in our employees here, the best we can, to make sure they have a good retirement in place,' Stewart said. 'We also hope the community sees us as a responsible agency, and we develop the trust of the community.'
Stewart said he wants county residents to know everyone in the office is there to serve them, to make 'Newton County the safest place it can possibly be.'
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