Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey
JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has filed a petition seeking the immediate and permanent removal of Benton County Treasurer Richard Louis Renno from office.
The filing comes after Renno was charged with two felony counts involving sexual misconduct with a minor and has been incarcerated during regular business hours while still serving in an elected capacity, according to a complaint filed July 15 in Benton Circuit Court.
Bailey’s petition notes a series of allegations that he claims amount to gross misconduct, criminal behavior, and abandonment of office, asserting that Renno has “forfeited the right to serve the people of Benton County.”
Bailey’s court document claims Renno’s conduct meets the legal threshold for forfeiture under Missouri law and, as the attorney general, he is the appropriate authority to bring such an action in the absence of local mechanisms to address the crisis.
Renno, who has served as Benton County Treasurer since Jan. 1, 2023, was arrested and jailed during the workday while facing charges of attempted enticement of a child and sexual misconduct with a minor under the age of 15, according to the petition.
The petition alleges that during taxpayer-funded work hours, Renno used the dating application Grindr to engage in sexually explicit conversations with someone he believed to be a 14-year-old boy.
The filing states that Renno sent graphic images and continued the conversation even after the individual identified himself as a minor.
Bailey is requesting both a preliminary and permanent writ of quo warranto.
The preliminary writ would temporarily bar Renno from exercising any powers of the treasurer’s office or entering the office itself. The permanent writ, if granted by the court, would irrevocably remove Renno from his elected position.
Bailey noted that such action is warranted not only by the criminal charges but also by Renno’s failure to fulfill his statutory obligation to be physically present in the office during business hours as the sole employee in that office.
The petition points to Missouri statutes and constitutional authority empowering the Attorney General to act in cases where a public official is alleged to have engaged in willful neglect, criminal conduct, or abandonment of duty.
Bailey specifically cited § 106.220 and § 54.100 of the Missouri Revised Statutes as grounds for removal and forfeiture of office. His petition also noted that the Attorney General’s action is necessary because the Benton County Prosecutor, by law, must represent local officials and is therefore unable to pursue such a removal action.
In the petition, the state argues that Renno’s behavior — especially the alleged use of a dating app to solicit a minor during work hours—constitutes a clear and serious breach of public trust.
“By abandoning his office, engaging in criminal conduct during work hours, and spending taxpayer time soliciting what he believed to be a minor, Respondent has forfeited the right to serve the people of Benton County and must be removed,” the petition states.
Bailey noted the seriousness of the charges while reminding the public that Renno is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
“There is no place in public service for child sex predators,” Bailey said in a provided statement. “We will continue to act decisively whenever an elected official abuses their power or abandons their post.”
In his filing, Bailey asks the court to issue an order requiring Renno to respond to the allegations and to grant permanent removal as the ultimate resolution.
A preliminary order is mandated under Missouri rules of civil procedure when the Attorney General brings a quo warranto action based on personal information.
Benton Circuit Court case number: 25BE-CC00047
