Criminal Investigations
The Investigations Process:
Once a uniformed deputy takes the initial criminal complaint the officer usually follows-up the case as far as time permits since the first two hours are the best time to solve the case. The Investigators then conduct the follow-up investigation. Investigators also prepare affidavits for arrest warrants, search warrants, interview victims, witnesses, and suspects, liaison with other agencies and perform many other related duties. Investigators are ultimately responsible for the evidence collected by the entire Sheriff's Office and maintain the integrity of the evidence until it is needed in court and or it is ordered to be destroyed. Felony crimes are given the most attention by this division. Most of the misdemeanor cases are worked as far as possible by the patrol officer as he/she takes the initial complaint.
Chief Deputy Eric Friedrich started his service with the Sheriff's Office in 1988 he worked in the Jail Division, Patrol Division then was assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division in 1994 and later promoted to Sergeant. Friedrich is a former Missouri State Certified Fire Investigator and has specialized training in Interview and interrogations, Counter Drug Special Response Tactical Training by the U.S. Army Military Police, and special weapons training in H&K Automatic Weapons. He supervises three criminal investigators in their daily work and oversees patrol and jail investigations. He also conducts Professional Standards Investigations for the Office. Lt. Friedrich was promoted to Lieutenant on January 01, 2014 and then promoted to Chief Deputy in 2021. He serves on the Cape Girardeau / Bollinger County Major Case as an investigator.
Lt. Travis Sikes is the Chief Criminal Investigator for the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office. Sikes graduated from the Southeast Missouri State University Law Enforcement Academy in November 1993. He also worked for the Cape Girardeau Police Department Reserve Unit from November 1993 - December 1994. Deputy Sikes began his service at the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office on December 27, 1994 when he was assigned to the jail division. His general duties included processing jail inmates in and out of the detention facility, transports for medical, dental, and transporting prisoners to the Missouri Department of Corrections. In February 1996, Deputy Sikes was reassigned to the patrol division where he worked many times as the only Deputy Sheriff on duty at the time. In May 1999, Deputy Sikes was promoted to an Investigator in the Criminal Investigative Division. His general duties include conducting follow-up investigations of all crimes and assisting the Patrol Division in responding to major crimes.
In January 2014, Investigator Sikes was promoted to Sergeant with the Criminal Investigations Division. Sgt. Sikes conducted professional standards investigations as assigned and oversaw evidence collection and preservation for the Sheriff's Office. Sgt. Sikes was assigned to serve on the Cape Girardeau/ Bollinger County Major Case Squad in 1999 and is still serving as a seasoned investigator to this day. He interviews witnesses and suspects and collects evidence as assigned. In February 2021, Sgt. Sikes was promoted to Lieutenant and overseas a Sergeant, Corporal and detective for the criminal Investigations Division. As of March 2021, Lt. Sikes was named an Assistant Squad Commander for the Major Case Squad. Lt. Sikes has specialized training in interviews and interrogations.
Sgt. James (Jamie) Malugen started his service in 1993 graduating from the St. Charles Police Academy then later went to work for the Prosecuting Attorney's Office in Washington County, Missouri as a special investigator for Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse cases. Malugen was also a certified D.A.R.E. instructor through the Washington County Sheriff's Department where he taught this program to schools in the Washington County School District. Malugen started his career with the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office in February 2007. He was assigned to the Criminal Investigation Division primarily investigating Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse cases. Malugen was promoted to the rank of Corporal in 2014 and again to the rank of Sergeant in April of 2021 in the Criminal Investigations Division where his duties changed to conducting follow-up investigations and assisting the Patrol Division with major crimes. Sgt. Malugen has been a member of the Cape Girardeau/Bollinger County Major Case Squad since 2007 and is currently the Hostage Negotiator for the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office.
Corporal Jaime Holloway is currently assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division as a Domestic Violence Investigator. Holloway graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in May 1999, with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice with an emphasis in Social Rehabilitation & Treatment. She completed the Southeast Missouri State University Law Enforcement Academy in August 2000. Prior to Holloway's career at the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office, she worked in the Cape Girardeau County Juvenile Justice System as a detention aide and Division of Family Services liaison handling cases of child abuse/neglect. Holloway also worked for the State of Missouri Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control as an agent investigating and responding to citizen and industry complaints, licensing, and enforcing Missouri statutes and regulations. Holloway served as a reserve deputy with the Sheriff's Office upon completion of the academy until hiring on full-time in 2014. She responds to, investigates, and follows up on all domestic and sexual violence cases. In her duties, Holloway partners with the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney, Courts, Safe House of Southeast Missouri, and Southeast Missouri Network Against Sexual Violence providing support to those affected by domestic and sexual abuse. Holloway was promoted to Corporal in 2021. She serves on the Cape Girardeau/Bollinger County Major Case Squad.
Investigator Robert Jenkins graduated from the SEMO Law Enforcement Academy in 2008. He began his career as a correctional officer with Scott County Sheriff's Office then transferring to Cape Girardeau Police Department with the jail division. Jenkins began his career with Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office in January 2013 and was assigned to the jail division. Later that year he was transferred to the patrol division as a Deputy Sheriff. He received specialized training in crime scene investigation through numerous schools. In 2015 Jenkins was assigned to the Major Case Squad as a crime scene evidence technician. In February 2021 Jenkins was promoted to an Investigator in the Criminal Investigative Division. His general duties include assisting the patrol division with investigations and overseeing evidence collection and crime scene processing.
Investigator Steven Hayden