Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway
JEFFERSON CITY – Attorney General Catherine Hanaway praised a court decision to temporarily remove St. Louis City Sheriff Alfred Montgomery from office pending his trial, scheduled for Nov. 18, in the ongoing quo warranto proceedings brought by the Attorney General’s Office.
Montgomery
Hanaway said the ruling was appropriate given Montgomery’s current circumstances, including a federal indictment and his detention in jail.
“(The) decision to remove Sheriff Montgomery from office until trial was the right call,” Hanaway said in a statement. “A sheriff under federal indictment, facing a quo warranto proceeding, and sitting in jail cannot credibly lead a law enforcement agency. My office will continue pressing the case to ensure the Court grants the quo at trial on November 18. The people of St. Louis deserve to have confidence that their law enforcement leadership is steady, capable, and worthy of the public’s trust.”
Earlier this year, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office filed a quo warranto petition seeking to remove Montgomery from his elected position, citing what the office described as “egregious conduct and complete disregard” for his duties.
A quo warranto action is a legal proceeding used to challenge whether an individual lawfully holds public office.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, Montgomery was indicted on multiple federal charges in a superseding indictment, including four counts of witness retaliation, one count of witness tampering and one count of deprivation of rights under color of law.
Following the indictment, Montgomery was initially placed on house arrest while awaiting a federal detention hearing.
However, after allegedly violating the terms of his release, he was taken into custody and remains in jail.
Because of his detention and the ongoing criminal proceedings, Hanaway’s office argued that Montgomery could not perform his official duties as sheriff of the city of St. Louis.
The court’s decision to suspend him from his position will remain in effect until the trial on November 18, when the quo warranto case will be heard.
The Attorney General emphasized her office’s continued commitment to ensuring that law enforcement leadership in Missouri operates with integrity and stability.
“The people of St. Louis deserve to have confidence that their law enforcement leadership is steady, capable, and worthy of the public’s trust,” Hanaway reiterated in her provided statement.
The Attorney General’s Office said it will continue to pursue the quo warranto proceedings to permanently remove Montgomery from office if the court grants the request at trial.
The office maintains that the action is necessary to uphold the credibility and functionality of law enforcement institutions in St. Louis and across the state.
“The Attorney General’s Office remains committed to ensuring the stability and integrity of law enforcement in St. Louis and across the state and will continue seeking a quo warranto to protect the public’s trust,” Hanaway’s provided statement concluded.
The temporary removal marks the latest development in a series of legal troubles for Montgomery since the Attorney General’s Office first filed the quo warranto petition earlier this year.
With Montgomery’s trial on the quo warranto matter set for later this month, the court’s decision means that St. Louis will remain without its elected sheriff until the case is resolved.
