A Missouri state legislator allegedly used his previous position as a sheriff’s deputy to get “sexual favors from a teenage girl while on duty,” the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported, citing an internal report the newspaper obtained through an open records request. Rep. Chad Perkins, a Republican, also stands accused of attempting to obstruct an investigation into the accusation during his run for the statehouse last year. The report by Frankford, Missouri, Police Chief Josh Baker reportedly includes texts between Perkins and an unnamed 19-year-old he met while responding to a call about a drunk teen in a city park. In the messages, Perkins allegedly inquired about having sex with the girl for a second time, and asked what she was wearing. He told the Post-Dispatch that the relationship was consensual and that Baker is targeting him because he declined to back Baker’s wife in her 2020 run for county assessor.

“There is no victim,” Perkins said. “There’s nothing to that. It was just political sour grapes because I wouldn’t help his wife out.” On his campaign website, Perkins, 42, describes himself as: “A lifelong Missouri resident and small business owner, Chad Perkins is committed to fighting for conservative values and the right to life. As a proud NRA member and deputy sheriff, he staunchly supports the Second Amendment, defending private property rights and reigning in government overreach.”