Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey
ST. LOUIS – Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s office has filed a petition to remove St. Louis Sheriff Alfred Montgomery from office.
The 90-page writ of quo warranto filed June 25 outlines extensive misconduct and abuse of authority. A preliminary order has been issued to remove Montgomery from office pending litigation.
Montgomery
“For weeks, my office has received reports of misconduct, malfeasance, and unethical behavior regarding St. Louis Sheriff Montgomery,” Bailey said. “After launching our own investigation and reviewing a growing pile of evidence substantiating these allegations, I was left with no other choice but to take action.
“I gave Sheriff Montgomery the chance to do what is right by the people of St. Louis, and he declined. This is about restoring the rule of law.”
Montgomery has said he will not resign.
“I have not been found guilty of any wrongdoing, and I will not be removed from this office,” he said during a press conference. “I will not run from this office.”
Bailey’s petition identifies six specific counts supporting Montgomery’s removal:
Count One: Nepotism. Montgomery hired his own brother to serve as a deputy sheriff — a violation of the Missouri Constitution’s ban on nepotism in public office.
Count Two: Illegal Arrest of Acting Jail Commissioner Tammy Ross. Montgomery unlawfully ordered his deputies to arrest the acting jail commissioner, fully aware that neither he nor his deputies have the statutory authority to arrest private citizens.
Count Three: Illegal Arrest and Disarmament of Darryl Wilson. Montgomery is accused of illegally arresting a lawfully licensed private security guard and seizing the individual’s firearm, despite lacking any legal authority to make arrests to deprive citizens of their protected constitutional rights.
Count Four: Failure to Transport Inmates for Critical Medical and Mental Health Treatment. Since taking office, Montgomery has failed to carry out his legal duty to transport inmates for essential medical and mental health care on at least 59 official known occasions. The first violation occurred less than 15 hours into his term.
Count Five: Illegal and Fraudulent Use of the Office for Personal Gain. Montgomery repeatedly exploited his office for personal benefit, including using on duty deputies to babysit his children and directing them to use government vehicles to pick his children up from school and bring them to the office.
Count Six: Financial Mismanagement of the Office. Montgomery has squandered tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars on frivolous and inappropriate expenditures, such as golf carts, gold-plated badges, a new take-home Chevrolet Tahoe, and office robots. He also unlawfully hired attorneys beyond those authorized in statute and misrepresented his office’s needs to the City of St. Louis Board of Aldermen and the public when requesting budget increases.
“This level of misconduct and instability demands immediate accountability,” Bailey said. “Law enforcement officers in St. Louis deserve a leader who supports them, not one who abandons core responsibilities less than 15 hours into the job. It’s time to restore confidence in our elected officials and uphold the rule of law, not just in St. Louis, but across all of Missouri.”
The day before, Bailey had issued an ultimatum to Montgomery to resign of face the removal proceedings.
“As Attorney General, I am committed to upholding the rule of law in St. Louis,” Bailey said. “Sheriff Alfred Montgomery’s job is to secure the courthouse, protect detainees, and uphold public trust, not abuse taxpayer resources. This level of misconduct and instability demands immediate accountability.”
Bailey’s office has established a tip line, inviting the public to provide additional information regarding the sheriff’s misconduct. Individuals with relevant information are encouraged to email STLcorruption@ago.mo.gov.
“We relentlessly pursue any public official who violates the law. This office has a zero-tolerance policy on public corruption,” Bailey said.
