Documents allege romance, assaults, undercover operations in Texas County Sheriff's Office

Court documents released to the public on Thursday describe an array of questionable practices inside the Texas County Sheriff's Office.

The documents were used to charge Sheriff James Sigman and Chief Deputy Jennifer Tomaszewski with an array of crimes, including first-degree assault, robbery and endangering the welfare of a child.

A probable cause statement says Sigman and Tomaszewski were involved in a romantic relationship, and Tomaszewski quickly rose through the ranks of the sheriff's office over the last two years.

Here is a summary of some of the allegations in the probable cause statement:

Tomaszewski performed police duties before she was a commissioned officer.

Sigman used Tomaszewski as "bait" in undercover operations.

During the execution of a drug search warrant in June 2017, Tomaszewski pointed a gun at a neighboring family (including a 1-year-old child) when they possibly took photos of the officers.

Tomaszewski threatened to shoot an inmate in the head.

Tomaszewski straddled an unconscious inmate and hit the inmate in the head with her elbows. The inmate allegedly has the mental capacity of a 9-year-old.

Sigman was present during the alleged assault and did not intervene.

Tomaszewski brought a child to the jail where there were unsecured inmates.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol said Sigman, 48, and Tomaszewski, 38, were arrested on Wednesday. The prosecutor said both suspects were released on bond Thursday.

The criminal charges follow a year in which more than 40 sheriff's office employees were fired or quit.

Sigman was elected in 2012 and remains in office, although the coroner has been leading the department.

Neither Sigman nor Tomaszewski had defense attorneys listed for their cases on Thursday.

The first-degree assault charges carry possible life sentences.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.