Osage Beach Alderman Charged with Felony Election Offense

Osage Beach Alderman Jeff Bethurem has been charged with a felony Class 1 election offense for making a false statement or signing an affidavit knowing it contained a false statement.  Bethurem is accused of swearing he has no felony convictions by signing his affidavit of candidacy. The affidavit asks the candidate to affirm that he has not been convicted of or plead gulty to a felony or misdemeanor. Bethurem has a number of misdemeanor convictions. KRMS has learned he was previously convicted of a felony in Kansas. Through his attorney, Bethurem denied the conviction ever existed, but in a sworn statement to the county prosecutor, Mayor John Olivarri says Bethurem acknowledged the conviction when confronted with the information, but said he thought it had been expunged from his record.