Attorney General Hanaway Secures Removal Of Corrupt St. Louis Sheriff

Attorney General Hanaway Secures Removal Of Corrupt St. Louis Sheriff

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Today, Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway announced that a judge has handed down the decision that Alfred Montgomery is to be immediately and completely removed from the position of Sheriff and that the costs of the suit are to be taxed to Montgomery.

"Corruption in public office must not be tolerated. The removal of Alfred Montgomery is a win for the people of St. Louis and a step towards restoring integrity and trust in our government and the rule of law," said Attorney General Hanaway. "Missourians deserve better from those in positions of trust. Our Office will continue using the full force of the law to hold any misconduct or malfeasance in public office accountable."

Today's court decision outlines that Alfred Montgomery's actions "constitute a complete disregard and refusal to perform the official acts and duties by law which [Montgomery] was charged to do."

The Attorney General's Office first demanded Montgomery's resignation in June 2025 following credible reports of corruption, financial mismanagement, and workplace instability. When he refused, the Office filed a 90-page petition for a writ of quo warranto outlining six initial counts of misconduct, including unlawful arrests of private citizens, failure to transport inmates for critical medical care, misuse of taxpayer resources for personal benefit, and reckless spending of public funds.

Final counts in the writ of quo warranto case against Alfred Montgomery included:

• Montgomery violated § 106.220 by failing to personally devote his time to the performance of the duties of the office of the sheriff of the City of St. Louis.
• Montgomery ordered deputies to handcuff and detain a deputy commissioner of the St. Louis City Justice Center without authority, violating state law and her civil rights.
• 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 or to deprive citizens of their protected constitutional rights.
• Montgomery refused to carry out his legal duty to ensure detainees received medical treatment, failing to provide required transports more than sixty times during his first seven months in office, despite clear guidance from prior sheriffs, the City Counselor, and the Board of Aldermen that the Sheriff's Office bears that responsibility.
• Montgomery used on-duty deputies and taxpayer-funded vehicles to transport and supervise his children, a clear violation of Missouri's prohibition on deriving personal benefit from public office under § 105.452.
• Montgomery willfully or fraudulently violated an official duty by mismanaging the finances and creating an increasing monetary deficit for the Sheriff's Office.

The Court's order found Montgomery's arrest of Tammy Ross and detention and disarming of Darryl Wilson constituted acts that justified Montgomery's immediate permanent removal from office. The Court's order explained that Montgomery should have "concentrate[d] on [his] actual duties and not perform[ed] other imagined duties."

"It was citizens of St. Louis who reached out with reports of misconduct, malfeasance, and unethical behavior that prompted an investigation," said Gregory M. Goodwin, Public Protection Section Chief Counsel. "Abandoning core responsibilities less than fifteen hours into the job reflected a level of disrespect to the privilege of public office and set the tone for Montgomery's short tenure. The Missouri Attorney General's Office brought forward credible evidence and, with Montgomery's removal, we have won for the people of St. Louis."

The case was investigated and tried by Assistant Attorneys General Gregory M. Goodwin, Andrew Clarke, Casey Campbell, Gabriela González, Caleb Rutledge, Kate Whitaker, Conner McDonough, Investigators Rob Jauer, Tiffany Lindewirth, Carl Schwartze, Jason Bilyeu, and Kyle Eckhoff. Further assistance was provided by Deputy Attorney General Shaun Mackelprang and Tristen Shaw.

Under Missouri law, the Attorney General is authorized to file a petition for a writ of quo warranto to remove an official who has unlawfully held office or forfeited it through willful neglect, abuse of duty, or misconduct. Today's court ruling reaffirms Attorney General Hanaway's commitment to rooting out government corruption and upholding the rule of law in Missouri.

Today's Court decision can be read here.