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St. Louis Circuit Attorney Faces the Press, Refuses to Resign | St. Louis Metro News | St. Louis

Published

2 years ago

February 23, 2023

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click to enlarge RYAN KRULL Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner was surrounded by supporters at today’s press conference.
Amid increasing calls for her resignation, embattled Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner dug in this afternoon, hosting a press conference that at times turned contentious, with supporters taking it upon themselves to shout out answers to questions reporters put to Gardner. With several dozen of her supporters gathered on the fourth floor of the Carnahan Courts Building, Gardner’s own demeanor was measured, but some of the supporters were feisty in their defense of her, applauding much of what Gardner had to say and jeering at several questions asked by reporters. At the press conference, Gardner doubled down on her strategy of blaming Judge Bryan Hettenbach for 21-year-old Daniel Riley remaining free on bond even after he violated that bond dozens of times. On Saturday, Riley struck a teenager visiting from out of town, leading to both her legs being amputated. The blowback against Gardner’s office was swift, with critics saying Riley was not in jail due to Gardner’s mismanagement. Yesterday, Mayor Tishaura Jones said that Gardner “needed to do some soul searching” and had lost the trust of the people. Today Gardner, after expressing sympathy for Janae Edmondson and saying that she is holding Edmondson’s family in her thoughts and prayers, said that “on three separate occasions my office requested the defendant’s bond be revoked. The court either denied or ignored each of these requests.” One of the instances cited by Gardner happened on August 10, 2022, when Gardner says that Riley was taken into custody by the court but released again on his own personal recognizance against her office’s wishes. One reporter asked, “Why doesn’t the court record show one example of a motion to revoke bond?” “It’s in Casenet, you must not have looked at it,” said a Gardner supporter. Gardner replied that it is “normal practice” for such motions to be made orally, not in writing. A transcript of the August 10 hearing obtained by the RFT shows the judge asking Assistant Circuit Attorney Jonathan Phipps, “What does the state propose we do with Mr. Riley this time around?” Phipps replied that he had reached a deal with Riley’s defense attorney for Riley to be released on house arrest and GPS monitoring, according to the transcript. If Phipps made a case for Riley to be held in jail, the transcript does not capture it. In her remarks this afternoon, Gardner said that Riley subsequently left his home multiple times in direct violation of his bond. “In spite of this, the court modified the bond, allowing him to leave home for work against the state’s objections,” she said. A question from a reporter about Mayor Jones’ statement that Gardner had lost city residents’ trust brought a chorus of shouts from Gardner’s supporters. “We are the public,” said a supporter. “She hasn’t lost it,” said another. After they died down, the reporter asked the question again. “We answered for her!” someone shouted, to applause. “Ask the mayor why she’s not at the press conference,” shouted a member of the crowd. The reporter put the question to Gardner a third time. Gardner replied that she wasn’t going to speak to what the mayor said, but that the people would have their chance to make their voices heard at the next election. “While it is true my office could have done more, to say we did nothing is not only disingenuous but it’s willfully ignorant of the reality of our court system,” Gardner said. Gardner ended her remarks by saying that the myriad efforts in Jefferson City to remove her from office were akin to voter suppression. After Gardner’s remarks, a brief chant of “No Justice, No Peace” went out among her supporters. Former prosecutor and noted defense attorney Jerryl Christmas shouted to the crowd through a bullhorn: “Only judges can set a bond and revoke bond. Only judges can set a bond and revoke bond.” Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey had threatened to file a quo warranto action seeking to remove Gardner from office if she failed to resign by noon today. Bailey filed the petition one minute after the deadline passed. If Gardner resigns or is removed from office, Governor Mike Parson, a Republican, would choose her successor. click to enlarge RYAN KRULL Former prosecutor and noted defense attorney Jerryl Christmas.
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Fenton Man Charged in Sword Attack on Roommate

Published

7 months 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

7 months 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

7 months 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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