Illinois — Newly released audio recordings detail former Sangamon County, Illinois, sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson disobeying orders on a high-speed chase early on in his career.
Grayson, 30, is accused of fatally shooting Sonya Massey on July 6. The 36-year-old mother had called 911 to report a possible “prowler” at her home near Springfield, Illinois, according to a court document filed by prosecutors. Grayson and another deputy arrived at Massey's home to investigate. Not long after, following a dispute involving a pot of hot water, Massey was dead, authorities said. Body-camera footage showed Grayson shooting Massey and failing to render aid.
It turns out, according to law enforcement officials, Grayson was previously reprimanded due to inaccuracies in his police reports (at another agency) and failure to follow orders from a senior leader and a "perceived lack of integrity."
During a November 9, 2022, review, Grayson was pressed about the particulars of the chase by Logan County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Nathan Miller, who told Grayson his report could have amounted to “official misconduct” and constituted several policy violations.
Grayson reportedly said he believed he was on a different street that he referenced in his report.
“If we can’t trust what you say and what you see, we can’t have you in our uniform,” Miller told Grayson.
“Others will say you have no integrity, and you’re lying to get to that traffic stop,” Miller said at another point. “And I have told you that I have zero tolerance for stretching the law. Because when you have officers that stretch the law, they will get caught, they will get prosecuted.”
“I’m getting goosebumps. This is extremely concerning,” the chief deputy said a few minutes later. “Everybody likes you. I gotta be able to trust you. Was this a purposefully done lie?”
“No,” Grayson responded.
Records show Grayson worked at six law enforcement agencies in four years and was charged with driving under the influence twice. He resigned from Logan County in April 2023, state records show.
The conversation appears to coincide with an internal review detailed in Grayson’s Logan County Sheriff’s Office disciplinary records previously obtained by CNN. Those records indicate Grayson was on patrol early in the morning on September 12, 2022, in Lincoln, Illinois, when he began pursuing a maroon truck, believing a woman in the driver’s seat was acting suspicious.
Grayson “pursued the truck through Lincoln at a high rate of speed,” Miller writes in a description of the incident. Grayson’s supervisor eventually terminated the pursuit via radio communications, the documents state, but Grayson continued to travel at a high speed before hitting a deer.
The disciplinary records – which also reference a November 9, 2022, interview with Miller – indicate the sheriff’s office recommended Grayson needed “report writing training, high stress decision making classes, and needs to read, understand and discuss issued Logan County Sheriff’s Office Policy.”
Grayson was indicted by a grand jury July 17 on three counts of first-degree murder and one count each of aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct.
An attorney for Grayson declined to comment Tuesday.
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