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Judge Finds Former St. Louis Cop Not Guilty of Shooting Unarmed Man | St. Louis

Published

2 years ago

February 9, 2024

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COURTESY ST. LOUIS POLICE Matthew EerNisse allegedly shot an unarmed man in the back in 2018. Former St. Louis cop Matthew EerNisse has been found not guilty of shooting an unarmed man in the back in north city in 2018 — a case that began with St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner and that drew angry pushback from the union representing police officers in the city.The verdict came today after a three-day bench trial in front of St. Louis Circuit Judge John T. Bird last month. Defense attorneys Scott Rosenblum and T.J. Mathes had opted to waive their client’s right to a jury trial in order to try their chances with Bird.Bird was appointed to the bench by Governor Mike Parson in 2021.In his 10-page ruling, Bird wrote that EerNisse was not guilty of assault in the second degree or armed criminal action. He wrote that he found the testimony of Arvell Keithley, the man shot by EerNisse, not credible — and that EerNisse was credible.Keithley was in a stolen red Mustang at a McDonald’s in north city on August 27, 2018, when police officers spotted him. Bird wrote that testimony found that Keithley sped off, traveling as fast as 110 miles per hour before the vehicle spun out and Keithley took off on foot. EerNisse gave chase, and eventually caught up to Keithley. But it was dark in the gangway where they finally met, and the former officer testified that Keithley ignored his commands to stop. EerNisse said Keithley reached for his waistband, and that EerNisse tried to swat his hand away — but that Keithley than grabbed for EerNisse’s weapon. At that point, EerNisse testified, he fired in self-defense. He explained shooting multiple times by saying he was disoriented by the “strobe light” effect of the muzzle flash and also still felt under threat. A police technician later found seven spent shell casings. Keithley was injured but survived the shooting.Judge Bird found EerNisse’s actions to be justified, writing that he and other officers believed Keithley to be armed (even though they ultimately learned he was not). Beyond that, he wrote, “a law enforcement officer is justified in using such physical force as he believes is necessary to effect an arrest or prevent an escape from custody.” Bird found “no evidence” that EerNisse shot Keithley in the back after being blinded by the muzzle flash and no evidence that he “continued to shoot his weapon when it was reckless to do so.”Prosecutors had originally charged EerNisse with shooting blindly through plywood at Keithley and charged him with first-degree assault, but later substituted the lesser charge. With that move, Bird writes, prosecutors “essentially conceded that Officer EerNisse was justified in initially shooting at Mr. Keithley.”The case was originally investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s internal affairs unit and Force Investigation Unit. But Jeff Roorda, the business manager of the St. Louis Police Officers Association, blamed Gardner, who filed the charges nearly a year after the shooting, in October 2019: “It’s appropriate on Halloween that we have a criminal masquerading as a prosecutor charging yet another innocent police officer,” he told KMOV at the time. “We’ll let his attorney address the facts of the case, but we are here to stand up for our member, and we believe this is about him wearing a badge, not the facts of the case.” EerNisse later resigned from the force. The Post-Dispatch reported last month that he turned down a plea deal to plead his innocence at trial. Subscribe to Riverfront Times newsletters.Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Or sign up for our RSS Feed

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Fenton Man Charged in Sword Attack on Roommate

Published

1 year ago

May 22, 2024

Natural Bridge

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A warrant is out for a Fenton man’s arrest after he allegedly attacked his roommate with a sword.

Police say that on Sunday, Angelus Scott spoke openly about “slicing his roommate’s head” before he grabbed a sword, raised it up and then swung it down at the roommate.

The roommate grabbed Scott’s hand in time to prevent injury. When police arrived at the scene, they found the weapon used in the assault.

The sword in question was a katana, which is a Japanese sword recognizable for its curved blade.

This isn’t the first time a samurai-style sword has been used to violent effect in St. Louis. In 2018, a man hearing voices slaughtered his ex-boyfriend with a samurai sword. His mother said he suffered from schizoaffective disorder.

As for Scott, 35, the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office was charged yesterday with two felonies, assault first degree and armed criminal action. The warrant for his arrest says he is to be held on $200,000 bond.

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Caught on Video, Sheriff Says He’s Ready to ‘Turn It All Over’ to Deputy

Published

1 year ago

May 22, 2024

Natural Bridge

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Video of St. Louis Sheriff Vernon Betts taken by a former deputy suggests that the sheriff has a successor in mind to hand the reins of the department over to, even as Betts is in an increasingly heated campaign for reelection.

“I ain’t here for all this rigmarole,” Betts says in the video while seated behind his desk at the Carnahan Courthouse. “The Lord sent me here to turn this department around and I’m doing the best I can and I think I’ve done a good job. I’ve got about eight months and I’m going to qualify for my fourth pension.”

He goes on, “Right now I can walk up out of here and live happily ever after and forget about all this…and live like a king.”

The sheriff then says his wife has been in Atlanta looking at houses and that the other deputy in the room, Donald Hawkins, is someone Betts has been training “to turn it all over to him.”

Asked about the video, Betts tells the RFT, “My future plans are to win reelection on August 6th by a wide margin and to continue my mission as the top elected law enforcement official to make St. Louis safer and stronger. Serving the people of St. Louis with integrity, honor and professional law enforcement qualifications is a sacred responsibility, and I intend to complete that mission.”

The video of Betts was taken by Barbara Chavers, who retired from the sheriff’s office in 2016 after 24 years of service. Chavers now works security at Schnucks at Grand and Gravois. Betts’ brother Howard works security there, too.

Chavers tells the RFT that she was summoned to Betts’ office last week after Betts’ brother made the sheriff aware that she was supporting Montgomery. It was no secret: Chavers had filmed a Facebook live video in which she said she was supporting Betts’ opponent Alfred Montgomery in the election this fall. “Make the judges safe,” she says in the video, standing in front of a large Montgomery sign on Gravois Avenue. “They need a sheriff who is going to make their courtrooms safe.”

In his office, even as Chavers made clear she was filming him, Betts told Chavers he was “flabbergasted” and “stunned” she was supporting Montgomery.

“I don’t know what I did that would make you go against the preacher man,” he says, referring to himself. He then refers to Montgomery as “ungodly.”

Betts goes on to say that not long ago, he was walking in his neighborhood on St. Louis Avenue near 20th Street when suddenly Montgomery pulled up in his car and, according to Betts, shouted, “You motherfucker, you this, you that. You’re taking my signs down.”

Montgomery tells the RFT that he’s never interacted with Betts outside of candidate forums and neighborhood meetings.

“I don’t think anyone with good sense would do something like that to a sitting sheriff,” Montgomery says.

Montgomery has had campaign signs missing and on at least two occasions has obtained video of people tearing them down. (Chavers notes that the sign that she filmed her original Facebook video in front of is itself now missing.)

One man who lives near Columbus Square says that he recently put out two Montgomery signs, which later went missing. “If they keep taking them, I’ll keep putting them up,” he said.

Betts says he has nothing to do with the missing signs. In the video Chavers filmed in Betts’ office, Betts says that his campaign isn’t in a spot where it needs to resort to tearing down opponents’ signs.

“If you sit here long enough, a man is getting ready to come across the street from City Hall bringing me $500, today,” Betts says. “I’m getting that kind of support. I don’t need to tear down signs.”

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St. Louis to Develop First Citywide Transportation Plan in Decades

Published

1 year ago

May 21, 2024

Natural Bridge

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The City of St. Louis is working to develop its first citywide mobility plan in decades, Mayor Tishaura Jones’ office announced Tuesday. This plan seeks to make it easier for everyone — drivers, pedestrians, bikers and public transit users — to safely commute within the city.

The plan will bring together other city projects like the Brickline Greenway, Future64, the MetroLink Green Line, and more, “while establishing new priorities for a safer, more efficient and better-maintained transportation network across the City,” according to the release.

The key elements in the plan will be public engagement, the development of a safety action plan, future infrastructure priorities and transportation network mapping, according to Jones’ office.

The overarching goals are to create a vision for citywide mobility, plan a mixture of short and long-term mobility projects and to develop improved communication tools with the public to receive transportation updates. In recent years, both people who use public transit and cyclists have been outspoken about the difficulties — and dangers — of navigating St. Louis streets, citing both cuts to public transit and traffic violence.

To garner public input and participation for the plan, Jones’ office said there will be community meetings, focus groups and a survey for residents to share their concerns. The city will also be establishing a Community Advisory Committee. Those interested in learning more should check out at tmp-stl.com/

“Everyone deserves to feel safe when getting around St. Louis, whether they’re driving, biking, walking or taking public transit,” Jones said in a news release. “Creating a comprehensive transportation and mobility plan allows us to make intentional and strategic investments so that moving around St. Louis for jobs, education, and entertainment becomes easier, safer and more enjoyable.”

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