Update: Missouri’s attorney general, Eric Schmitt, files brief to dismiss charges. Read the full story here.
St. Louis Prosecutor Handing Out Second Set of Charges
St. Louis Circuit Attorney and top prosecutor, Kim Gardner, has said she will charge Mark and Patricia McCloskey for felony unlawful use of a weapon. This is on top of the misdemeanor charge of fourth-degree assault already given out.
Gardner said, “It is illegal to wave weapons in a threatening manner — that is unlawful in the city of St. Louis.” She also isn’t recommending jail time and is instead requesting a diversion program like community service.
The McCloskeys’ attorney, Joel Schwartz, has said in a statement that “I, along with my clients, support the First Amendment right of every citizen to have their voice and opinion heard.,” he said. “This right, however, must be balanced with the Second Amendment and Missouri law, which entitle each of us to protect our home and family from potential threats.”
The couple has continually said that they were defending themselves from a mob of hundreds of people that broke through their gate and moves onto a private road and private property yelling threats of violence and death.
This also comes after their rifle was seized by police after a search warrant was served.
The governor of Missouri, Republican Mike Parson, has stated that he is considering pardoning the couple if they are criminally charged. He has stated he believes everyone has the right to protect their home and lives from a mob.
In an interview with radio station 97.1 FM, he said, “A mob does not have the right to charge your property. They [the couple] had every right to protect themselves.”
Keep it here for the latest on this always-changing situation.
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