Gun-waving St. Louis lawyer sues to reclaim guns and money | Law and order
ST. LOUIS — Mark McCloskey, a Republican U.S. Senate candidate who along with his wife was pardoned this week after pointing guns at racial justice protesters last summer outside their Central West End mansion, sued Missouri Wednesday to get his guns back.
McCloskey, 64, filed a civil suit in St. Louis Circuit Court seeking the return of a Colt AR-15 rifle and Bryco .380-caliber pistol that he and his wife Patricia McCloskey, 62, agreed to surrender in June when they pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges stemming from a confrontation outside their Portland Place mansion last year.
The suit names the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office as a defendant even though an independent special prosecutor negotiated a plea agreement with the McCloskeys after St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner was disqualified from the case. The couple’s plea agreement consented to the destruction of their guns.
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A spokeswoman for Gardner could not be reached.
Richard Callahan, the appointed special prosecutor and former U.S. attorney in St. Louis, said that while a governor’s pardon nullifies a criminal conviction, he suspects “it does not entitle (McCloskey) to the guns, if they exist, or to the fines, any more than a person receiving a pardon who has spent time in prison gets reimbursed for the time they spent in prison.”
Gov. Mike Parson’s pardon of the couple this week absolved them of “all wrongdoing” and annuls “all judgments and dispositive orders” related to his case, the lawsuit says. It also seeks a refund of $872.50 in fines paid in June.
McCloskey’s suit claims “There is no just basis or right for the State of Missouri to possess the above-referenced firearms or to retain the above-referenced funds and that such firearms and funds should be immediately returned into the possession of the petitioner.”
An affidavit filed with the suit claimed the rifle is worth $1,500 and that the pistol is worth $400.
It was not immediately clear who has custody of the guns or if they still exist. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department had seized the weapons during its investigation. A police spokesperson referred questions to the Circuit Attorney’s Office.
The letter from chief disciplinary counsel said the duo “admitted committing a criminal act that shows indifference to public safety and invol…
She paid $2,122.50 for the fine, court costs and fees, and has sued to recover the amount.
The appointed special prosecutor said that while a governor’s pardon nullifies a criminal conviction, he suspects “it does not entitle (McClos…
“They’re thrilled,” the couple’s attorney, Joel Schwartz, said Tuesday. “They want to put this episode of their lives behind them and focus on…
Mark McCloskey, 64, will pay a $750 fine after pleading guilty to fourth-degree assault. Patricia McCloskey, 62, must pay a $2,000 fine after …
The special prosecutor said he will soon decide whether to do the same for her husband, Mark McCloskey.
“God came knocking at my door last summer disguised as an angry mob — and it really did wake me up,” McCloskey said.
A St. Louis judge Wednesday appointed a former U.S. attorney as special prosecutor in the case. The removal of the prosecuting attorney surviv…
A judge on Thursday cited improper fundraising emails by Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner’s campaign in disqualifying Gardner and her offi…
The suit alleges the photo was taken on their property. The couple also sued Redbubble Inc., a San Francisco-based online marketplace for prin…
United Press International is considering whether to send a “cease and desist” order to the couple because of their use of a UPI photo as part…
The couple was indicted on felony charges of unlawful use of a weapon and evidence tampering. The indictments were filed under seal Tuesday.
Mark McCloskey and his attorney Joel Schwartz speak to the press outside the Carnahan Courthouse after a court appearance on Tuesday, Oct. 6, …
The nine had been issued police summonses earlier this month, but City Counselor Michael Garvin said in a statement that “prosecution is not w…
The police department confirmed it issued citations to nine people but declined to identify them, citing provisions of the state Sunshine Law …
“This is their way of just trying to get attention, trying to get some notoriety,” Bush said Tuesday about the McCloskeys, the St. Louis coupl…
“We have a God-given right to defend ourselves, and the right of self-defense is one of the most basic civil rights, one of the most basic hum…
Gardner, a Democrat, filed a motion Friday to strike the Republican attorney general’s controversial decision to ask that gun charges be dismi…
The McCloskeys are now forever associated with the latest trend in Republican politics, to find a wedge issue so outrageous that it must be em…
He said his controversial decision to seek to have gun charges against Mark and Patricia McCloskey dismissed is rooted in the state’s long-hel…
They each face a single felony count of unlawful use of a weapon — exhibiting. Charging documents say he pointed an AR-15 rifle at protesters …
Did the McCloskeys stand their ground or commit a crime? State law suggests the latter. But white, rich people enjoy their own justice system.
The McCloskeys have a legal right to own guns. But their front-porch armed defense demonstrated an appalling ignorance of basic gun safety.
Parson also raised eyebrows by saying he would probably pardon the couple if they were to be convicted of crimes.
“Targeting law-abiding citizens who exercise constitutionally protected rights … is an abuse of power,” the U.S. senator said.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson says that the city’s prosecutor is attempting to take the McCloskey’s rights away, and that he has spoken with Presi…
Parson said he spoke with President Donald Trump about the situation.
Public records and interviews show Mark and Patricia McCloskey are almost always in conflict with somebody, often concerning property rights.
Police served a search warrant Friday and seized the rifle that Mark McCloskey had brandished that evening.
A closer look at the confrontation on June 28, 2020 between Mark and Patricia McCloskey and protesters in front of their house. Video by Jerem…
The gate to Portland Place remained locked, and protesters eventually marched south on Kingshighway toward the highway.
In 2017, the McCloskeys sued to defend a sliver of property that they claim as their own and Portland Place trustees say belongs to the neighborhood.
‘I believe … the only thing that kept those mobsters, that crowd, away from us is that we were standing there with guns,’ Mark McCloskey said.
One protester who witnessed the showdown told the Post-Dispatch that marchers took notice of the McCloskeys only when the couple emerged from …
“They are owned by the property owners, and the owners pay for them, the street repairs and maintenance,” Bush said Monday.
Were the couple, as they stood on their own property, within their rights to point weapons at protesters? Gun rights advocates say yes. A poli…