The St. Louis prosecutor spearheading the case against Mark McCloskey, one half of the husband-and-wife team who menaced Black Lives Matter protesters with weapons, has been removed from the case.
Circuit Judge Thomas Clark II on Thursday dismissed Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner and her entire staff, saying campaign fundraising emails she sent to constituents that alluded to Mark and Patricia McCloskey’s case, “raise the appearance of impropriety and jeopardize the defendant’s right to a fair trial,” The Associated Press reported.
The ruling means Gardner can no longer oversee McCloskey’s prosecution. Instead, a special prosecutor will have to be selected to take over. The decision does not apply to McCloskey’s wife, Patricia, who is scheduled to appear before a different judge on Jan. 15, 2021.
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