missouri attorney general eric schmitt Archives

Missouri becomes first state to sue China alleging coronavirus coverup

April 22, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Missouri is suing China alleging the country engaged in a campaign of deceit and concealment and failed to stop the global spread of the coronavirus pandemic. State Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a Republican, says the Chinese government, Chinese Communist Party, and other Chinese officials and institutions should be held accountable.

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt briefs Capitol reporters in Jefferson City in September 2019 (Missourinet file photo)

“When Chinese authorities were well aware of human-to-human transmission, they didn’t do anything about it,” says Schmitt. “In fact, destroyed critical evidence, concealed those indications, silenced whistleblowers along the way, including health professionals in China, all of that losing valuable and critical time when this deadly virus could have been stopped in its tracks.”

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, says China hoarded personal protective equipment – causing the global pandemic that Schmitt says was unnecessary and preventable. He says China’s failures have led to Missouri’s loss of life and severe economic consequences.

State Rep. Kip Kendrick, D-Columbia, speaks in support of the COVID-19 supplemental budget on April 8, 2020 in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

“And as legislators go back next week to craft a budget, they’re dealing with this in very real terms,” says Schmitt. “They’re going to have a real impact for real people.”

Missouri Democrats say the suit is a political stunt. State Representative Kip Kendrick, D-Columbia, is the ranking Democrat on the Missouri House Budget Committee. He tells the Kansas City Star the state does not have a leg to stand on in the lawsuit and says Schmitt is wasting taxpayer money.

The lawsuit does not specify compensation but says it could include civil penalties, restitution, punitive damages, among other things.

Court: Missouri lake that’s seen nine deaths since 1989 must remain closed (AUDIO)

April 19, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

The Missouri Court of Appeals’ Eastern District has upheld a circuit judge’s ruling that shut down a popular recreational lake in southeast Missouri that’s been the site of at least nine deaths.

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt briefs Capitol reporters in Jefferson City in September 2019 (Missourinet file photo)

The Court of Appeals has affirmed Madison County Judge Wendy Horn’s 2019 ruling, which ordered “The Offsets” near Fredericktown to be closed until several safety measures are implemented.

Attorney General Eric Schmitt (R) praises the ruling, saying that at least nine people have died at the Offsets since the 1980’s.

“This watering hole is an old flooded lead mine,” Schmitt says. “There’s very difficult ingress and egress for people to get in and out of the water. There are no lifeguards on duty, there’s just no precautions taken.”

Former Attorney General Josh Hawley’s office filed the lawsuit against the Offsets in July 2018. Hawley described the Offsets then as a “serious danger to the public, as evidenced by the repeated tragedies that have occurred at this commercial location.”

The Court of Appeals’ Eastern District ruling says nine people have died at the Offsets since 1989. The ruling says four of the victims died while swimming in the quarry, while the other five died from injuries sustained from jumping or falling into the quarry from the bluffs above.

The Court of Appeals’ decision means the facility must remain closed, until numerous safety measures are implemented.

Schmitt describes the facility as a public nuisance. He tells Missourinet that the court’s decision will likely save lives.

“Look, over the years this has been a place where people have drowned, and not just a single tragic incident, but nine separate times,” says Schmitt.

The quarry at the Offsets is surrounded by 40-foot bluffs, where people have jumped into the lake below. The Offsets also offered swimming, scuba diving and hiking. Visitors camped there as well.

The court ruling says “upwards of hundreds of people visited the Offsets” on a given day, when it was open. It says that when guests arrived, they had to sign a waiver “notifying them of general dangers on the property and that they swim and dive at their own risk.” The court ruling also says an employee would warn guests not to jump off the high bluffs into the quarry.

In its 19-page ruling, the Court of Appeals’ decision prevents the Offsets from re-opening until they submit an emergency response plan and require all patrons jumping into the water to wear Coast Guard-approved life vests. The Offsets must also place a lifeguard in a boat to be available to rescue swimmers. And jumping would only be allowed in certain areas, with lifeguards stationed in those areas.

The owners of the facility disagreed with Judge Horn’s ruling, and filed an appeal. They argue the activity took place on private property, and that Judge Horn erred in her ruling.

The appellants also say Judge Horn erred in concluding that their operation of the Offsets constituted a public nuisance, because “the evidence does not support a public nuisance because nine deaths over thirty-two years is not a public nuisance.”

In their ruling, the Missouri Court of Appeals’ Eastern District slammed that argument.

“This statement seemingly diminishes the deaths of nine people, which we find appalling, and is also somewhat inaccurate,” the court writes. Their ruling says swimming and diving at the Offsets only happens during warm seasons, which is less than half of the year.

“In reality those nine deaths occurred over a period of time closer to 16 years,” the Court of Appeals writes.

“In essence, appellants ask this court to turn a blind eye to the several deaths of members of the public that have occurred in the course of appellants’ operation of the Offsets over the last three decades. This we will not do, especially considering the substantial evidence supporting the trial court’s findings and conclusions regarding appellants’ systematic failures spanning over 30 years to sufficiently warn invited members of the public of inherently dangerous conditions present on the Hensons’ property and to adequately attempt to prevent or prepare for injury caused by those dangerous conditions,” the Court of Appeals writes.

Schmitt tells Missourinet the case is likely over. He believes the Offsets will remain closed, because he doesn’t think the owners will make the plans ordered by the court.

Click here to listen to the full four-minute interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, which was recorded on April 16, 2020:

Missouri attorney general and St. Louis circuit attorney on different sides in Lamar Johnson case

April 14, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

An attorney for a convicted St. Louis murderer who’s served 25 years in prison tells the Missouri Supreme Court that evidence shows that the inmate did not kill Marcus Boyd in 1994.

46-year-old Lamar Johnson is serving a life sentence for first degree murder at the Jefferson City Correctional Center. St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner has filed a motion for a new trial (2019 file photo courtesy of the Missouri Department of Corrections)

The Supreme Court heard historic oral arguments in Lamar Johnson’s case on Tuesday, with six judges participating remotely, due to COVID-19 concerns. Attorneys also participated remotely, via videoconference. Only Chief Justice George Draper was in the Jefferson City courtroom.

It’s the first time the Missouri Supreme Court has used remote arguments.

Attorney Lindsay Runnels represents Johnson, who is the appellant in this case. The Midwest Innocence Project in Kansas City is also involved in Johnson’s defense.

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner has filed a motion for a new trial, saying there is credible evidence that Johnson is innocent.

Gardner is an intervenor in the case. She was represented Tuesday by attorney Daniel Harawa, who says Johnson is innocent and that the circuit attorney has filed for a new trial, as a minister of justice.

“If a prosecutor abused the power of their office to wrongfully convict an innocent person, then a prosecutor must be able to use her office to seek to undo that conviction,” Harawa says.

The Missouri attorney general’s office opposes Gardner’s motion for a new trial. The attorney general’s office says the circuit court has no jurisdiction to consider Gardner’s motion, especially at this late date.

In their 52-page brief, Attorney General Schmitt’s office writes, in part, “This court’s rule 29.11(b) provides that, in a criminal case, (a) motion for new trial … shall be filed within fifteen days after the return of the verdict.”

Johnson was sentenced to prison in 1995.

The chief counsel for criminal appeals for the attorney general’s office, Shaun Mackelprang, argued before the Supreme Court.

“A jury found him (Johnson) guilty, found him guilty of murder in the first degree and armed criminal action. To this day, there has not been a hearing with any evidence presented showing that he is, in fact, innocent,” says Mackelprang.

Mackelprang also says that in a criminal case, only the defendant can file a motion for a new trial.

The case involves allegations of St. Louis police and prosecutorial misconduct. Johnson’s lawyers allege that an eyewitness’ 1994 identification of Johnson “was manufactured and false,” and that the state paid the eyewitness to identify Johnson.

We also learned new details about Johnson’s request on Tuesday, including the revelation that Circuit Attorney Gardner isn’t ruling out requesting a pardon for Johnson from Governor Parson.

Supreme Court Judge Zel Fischer asked Counselor Harawa about that.

“Counselor, why hasn’t the circuit attorney joined with the defendant in requesting the governor to issue a pardon,” Fischer asks.

Harawa responded by saying they’re not ruling it out, but emphasizes they’re focusing on seeking a new trial for Johnson and that the state “engaged in misconduct.”

The Johnson case has received nationwide media attention, and there have been numerous amici briefs that have been submitted to the Missouri Supreme Court.

A group of 45 elected prosecutors from across the nation have filed an amici brief, which says Circuit Attorney Gardner must have a legal mechanism to seek a new trial for a defendant, “when newly discovered evidence shows the conviction was tainted by constitutional violations.”

But a group of 30 elected Missouri prosecutors disagrees, and has also filed an amici brief. They say the circuit attorney’s office has no authority to file a motion for a new trial in a criminal case, on the defendant’s behalf.

There is no timetable on when the Missouri Supreme Court will issue its decision.

Missouri Supreme Court to hear arguments in Johnson case; numerous amici briefs filed

April 13, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

The Missouri Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Tuesday morning in a high-profile case of a man who’s served 25 years in prison for murder, a man the St. Louis Circuit Attorney says was convicted based on police and prosecutorial misconduct.

Because of COVID-19 concerns, the court will hear the case remotely, with only Chief Justice George Draper in the Jefferson City courtroom. The other six judges and the attorneys for both sides will participate remotely via videoconference.

Oral arguments will begin at 9:30 a.m.

46-year-old Lamar Johnson is serving a life sentence for killing Marcus Boyd in 1994. Johnson remains incarcerated at the maximum-security Jefferson City Correctional Center.

Johnson’s co-defendant, Phillip Campbell, signed an affidavit saying that Johnson wasn’t involved in the murder. An eyewitness recanted his identification of Johnson, and signed an affidavit that he received monetary payments from the state.

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner has filed a motion for a new trial, saying there is credible evidence of Johnson’s innocence.

Gardner is an intervenor in the case. In a 72-page brief, Gardner counsel Daniel Harawa writes “He (Johnson) is innocent of the crime for which he has spent the last 25 years behind bars.”

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s office argues the circuit court has no jurisdiction to consider Gardner’s motion, especially at this late date.

In their 52-page brief, Attorney General Schmitt’s office writes “This court’s rule 29.11(b) provides that, in a criminal case, (a) motion for new trial … shall be filed within fifteen days after the return of the verdict.”

The attorney general’s office says Johnson and Gardner want the Missouri Supreme Court to “ignore the plain language of its own rules.” Schmitt’s brief also says Johnson acknowledges that Missouri and federal law already provide at least six mechanisms by which an inmate claiming innocence can obtain relief.

The circuit court overruled Gardner’s motion for a new trial, saying it lacked authority to consider it. The circuit court says Gardner’s accusation of prosecutorial misconduct should have been investigated independently. The circuit court also says Johnson’s lawyer improperly contacted jurors.

The case has attracted national media attention from the “New York Times”, “USA Today” and others.

There have also been numerous amici briefs that have been submitted to the Missouri Supreme Court, from people across the country and state.

Missouri grocers working with attorney general to prevent gouging during pandemic (AUDIO)

March 26, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s attorney general is teaming up with the Missouri Grocers Association (MGA), to protect you from any potential price-gouging during the COVID-19 outbreak.

State Rep. Dan Shaul, R-Imperial, speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on March 2, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

State Rep. Dan Shaul, R-Imperial, heads the 1,300 member MGA. He told the attorney general’s office last week that there will be upward price pressure on some commodities, due to the rapid sale of them.

“We’re (the attorney general’s office and MGA) working together to make sure, one, to protect the consumers of the state, to make sure they’re getting a fair deal on their food,” Shaul says. “But also making sure that the businesses in Missouri aren’t subject to frivolous complaints.”

Shaul notes egg prices are continuing to rise, and he expects some relief on that next week.

He tells Missourinet the aim of the partnership with Schmitt’s office is to provide you with food at a reasonable price, and to protect retailers from “bad actors.”

“Anytime you have a crisis like this, the majority of the grocery industry in Missouri is acting properly, and doing what they can to meet the needs of the citizens of Missouri,” says Shaul.

He says the grocery industry is working tirelessly to serve their communities, during the pandemic. Shaul says Missouri’s grocery workers and retailers have answered the call from Missourians for food.

But he also agrees with Schmitt’s position that “there are a few bad actors that may cast Missouri’s hardworking grocers in a bad light.”

Consumers who see price gouging at their stores can call Schmitt’s office at 1-800-392-8222.

Missouri’s governor says many residents have seen empty grocery store shelves, and emphasizes this is a demand issue and not a supply one. Governor Mike Parson says Missouri’s food supply remains strong, adding that the state’s farmers, ranchers and grocers are working hard to restock shelves quickly.

Click here to listen to the full six-minute interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and Missouri Grocers Association President Dan Shaul, which was recorded on March 26, 2020:

Grand jury in southeast Missouri indicts former priest on sodomy charges

March 11, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

(Missourinet Cape Girardeau television partner KFVS contributed to this story)

A retired Roman Catholic priest from southern Missouri has now been indicted by a grand jury in southeast Missouri’s Stoddard County, for alleged sexual abuse of minors.

Retired Roman Catholic priest Frederick Joseph Lutz is arrested on sex-related charges on February 19, 2020 in Springfield (file photo courtesy of Missourinet Cape Girardeau television partner KFVS)

The grand jury has indicted 76-year-old Frederick Joseph Lutz on two counts of forcible sodomy and two counts of deviate sexual assault. This is a superceding indictment, which replaces the original charges filed in February in Stoddard County.

The court has granted Lutz’s request for a change of venue, and the case has now been transferred to Cape Girardeau County. Lutz will be arraigned on March 23, before Judge Benjamin Lewis in Jackson.

The alleged crimes happened in 2000, when Fr. Lutz served at St. Joseph Parish in southeast Missouri’s Advance. The town of about 1,300 is southwest of Cape Girardeau.

The investigation continues.

Stoddard County Prosecutor Russell Oliver has said that Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt discovered the allegations in church documents, during the AG’s clergy abuse investigation. Schmitt’s office referred the allegations to Prosecutor Oliver on January 2.

Oliver has encouraged anyone with information about Lutz to call the Stoddard County Prosecutor’s office at (573) 568-4640.

Lutz has also served at parishes in Jackson, Springfield, Cassville and Lamar, according to Oliver.

Thursday arraignment set for retired Missouri priest charged with sex crimes

February 19, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A retired Roman Catholic priest from southern Missouri is now charged with four sex-related felonies in southeast Missouri’s Stoddard County, involving alleged sexual abuse of minors.

Our Cape Girardeau television partner KFVS reports 76-year-old Frederick Joseph Lutz was arrested Wednesday morning in Springfield, where he now lives. Stoddard County Prosecutor Russell Oliver has charged Lutz with forcible sodomy, two counts of statutory sodomy and one count of sexual abuse.

Retired Roman Catholic priest Frederick Joseph Lutz is arrested on sex-related charges on February 19, 2020 in Springfield (photo courtesy of Missourinet Cape Girardeau television partner KFVS)

Lutz is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday morning at 9 at the Stoddard County Courthouse in Bloomfield, before Judge Joe Satterfield. Bond for Lutz has been set at $125,000 cash-only.

Mr. Oliver announced the arrest and charges on Wednesday, saying the alleged crimes happened between January and February of 2000, when the priest served at St. Joseph Parish in southeast Missouri’s Advance.

Advance, which is a town of about 1,300 residents, is southwest of Cape Girardeau.

The probable cause statement says Lutz allegedly abused at 17-year-old male at the priest’s residence in early 2000, after asking him to drink alcohol with him. Court documents say the 17-year-old declined and tried to leave, but that Fr. Lutz blocked his exit and allegedly forced the teen to have oral sex with him.

The court documents also describe an alleged incident that happened in 1972 in Cape Girardeau County, involving a 17-year-old male who worked a summer job at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Cape.

The Stoddard County investigation is ongoing.

Prosecutor Oliver says Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt discovered the allegations in church documents, during the AG’s clergy abuse investigation. Schmitt’s office referred the allegations to Stoddard County prosecutors on January 2.

Missourinet spoke to Attorney General Schmitt in late October in Jefferson City, and he noted his office was close to completing 12 referrals of former clergy members across the state for potential criminal prosecution.

The Lutz case is one of those 12 cases. Schmitt noted in October that the 12 referrals are more than any other state attorney general. Attorney General Schmitt issued a statement to Missourinet on Thursday.

“Following our investigation into clergy abuse in the Roman Catholic Church in Missouri, a referral was made to the Stoddard County Prosecuting Attorney about allegations of abuse against retired priest Frederick Lutz. We’re please to see that the case has been initiated and charges have been filed by the Stoddard County Prosecutor’s Office following that referral. While this may not provide much solace to victims, these charges represent the next crucial steps in holding abuses accountable for their actions. Any victims who wish to come forward to report abuse from Lutz should contact the Stoddard County Prosecutor’s office at (573) 568-4640,” Schmitt’s statement reads.

Schmitt says his office reviewed every available personnel record of every priest serving in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau and the Diocese of Jefferson City, dating back to 1945.

As for Prosecutor Oliver, he notes the Stoddard County investigation revealed multiple victims, and emphasizes the investigation continues.

He encourages anyone with information about Lutz to call the Stoddard County Prosecutor’s office at (573) 568-4640.

Lutz has also served at parishes in Springfield, Cassville, Jackson, Oran and Lamar, according to Oliver.

Galloway and Hawley blast each other over attorney general closeout audit

February 7, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s Democratic state auditor and the former GOP attorney general are blasting each other over a closeout audit that was released Thursday afternoon in Jefferson City.

Missouri Auditor Nicole Galloway (D) briefs Capitol reporters about the Hawley closeout audit on February 6, 2020 in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of Auditor Galloway’s Twitter page)

The closeout audit of former Attorney General Josh Hawley’s (R) office found that consultants paid with Hawley state campaign funds interacted with and advised Attorney General office staff. The review said while coordination between campaign consultants and staff gave an appearance of impropriety, there are no clear violations of law.

The audit also found that former Attorney General Hawley used a state vehicle and state employee as a driver/security detail for some trips where the business purpose wasn’t documented.

State Auditor Nicole Galloway (D) released the audit in her Statehouse office, which was packed with reporters. A stage was set up, to accommodate additional television crews that covered the briefing.

Mr. Hawley served as attorney general from January 2017 to January 2019, when he resigned after his U.S. Senate election. In a series of January tweets, Hawley accused Galloway’s office of using partisan Democratic staff. Galloway addressed the issue, with the Capitol Press Corps on Thursday.

“The unfair attacks by Senator Hawley were an attempt to deceive taxpayers about the nature of this audit,” Galloway says.

In his audit response, Hawley says Galloway audit team member Bobby Showers donated to then U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill’s (D) 2018 campaign and wrote recently that any senator who opposes removing President Trump from office “will go down in history as not fulfilling their oath to their country.”

Showers, who was overseeing the closeout audit of Hawley, was removed from that audit in January, due to what Galloway audit director Jon Halwes described as “the appearance of bias.” Halwes also testified that he had not found any indication of actual bias in the audit, when reviewing it.

Halwes testified on January 29, before the Missouri House Special Committee on Government Oversight, which held a hearing on the issue.

During Thursday’s press conference, Auditor Galloway reiterated what Halwes said, adding Showers simply had a different political opinion than Hawley.

During his January tweets, Hawley mentioned Showers and others. Galloway accuses Hawley of launching misinformation ahead of the audit’s release, knowing that she couldn’t respond until the audit was formally released.

“The abuse these dedicated employees and licensed CPA’s (certified public accountants) had to endure is unacceptable,” Galloway tells Capitol reporters.

Galloway says her staff members performed the audit in adherence to professional audit standards. She also says her office experienced “roadblocks and threats” from current Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s (R) office. Schmitt’s office responded by saying the auditor’s claims “are ridiculous and unfounded.”

Galloway says Schmitt’s office challenged her authority to perform the closeout audit.

Hawley accuses Galloway’s office of altering the audit, to make it more critical. He is especially critical of an e-mail from auditor Pam Allison, which used the term “beef up.”

The Missouri auditor’s employee who used the term “beef up” when referring to the closeout audit says her term meant that she would add more detail to the audit. Allison spoke at the press conference with Galloway, telling reporters she grew up on a Polk County family farm, where you send cattle to the feedlot to be finished.

“This inadvertently sent e-mail was not evidence of a lack of objectivity, rather it was evidence that we were appropriately evaluating audit evidence,” says Allison.

The email from Allison read: “I’m thinking I’ll just drop the confidentiality paragraph in the (closeout audit) report and beef up the personal email/personal calendar section.” She says the report was a work in progress at the time, and that more details needed to be added.

The closeout audit concluded that AG Hawley’s office did not always follow communication and retention policies, and that the use of personal text and email to communicate official business was a violation of Attorney General Office (AGO) policy.

Senator Hawley’s written response to the audit describes the audit changes by Allison as “deeply inappropriate, unethical and potentially a violation of state law.”

In a tweet Thursday after the audit was released, Senator Hawley also said: “You (Auditor Galloway) should also come clean to investigators about putting political operatives on state payroll and manipulating audits to help your campaign for governor.”

Missouri Republican Party Executive Director Jean Evans has also issued a statement, calling for an investigation into Galloway’s audit. Evans accuses Galloway of abusing her office for politics.

Missouri audit: Hawley’s AG office might have used state resources to support his U.S. Senate bid

February 6, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

A state audit released today says Republican Josh Hawley’s office as attorney general might have used state resources to support his run for U.S. Senate. But State Auditor Nicole Galloway, a Democrat running for governor, says there were no clear violations of law. During a press conference today at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City, Galloway points to a lack of record keeping in some cases.

State Auditor Nicole Galloway

She talks about meetings held during regular state working hours between staff and campaign-paid consultants that sometimes did not explain the reason for the meetings. The closeout audit shows private emails and personal calendar meeting invites obtained indicate other meetings or phone conferences might have been held but records of those meetings were not kept or provided. The use of personal text and email to communicate official business and the use of a Google calendar for official meeting invites were in violation of the Attorney General’s Office policies.

The review also says Hawley used a state vehicle and driver/security detail for some trips without always explaining the purpose.

“A state vehicle was used to travel to Lincoln Days in Platte County – an event that is clearly political. In some cases, the state employee serving as driver and security detail took vacation time and received separate payment from federal campaign funds for the time of those specific meetings,” she says. “In his responses, the former attorney general claims to have reimbursed the state. There’s no record of any reimbursements to the state for the use of a state vehicle on these personal and political trips.”

Missouri law allows campaign resources to be used for government purposes but does not authorize government resources to be used for campaign purposes. Section 130.034.4(2), RSMo, permits campaign funds to be used for “ordinary and necessary expenses” incurred in connection with an elected office. But, Galloway says this section neither defines “ordinary and necessary expenses” nor specifies whether using campaign funds to pay consultants to provide administrative guidance is allowable. Section 36.157, RSMo, prohibits state employees from engaging in “political activity” while on duty or while using state resources. But, she says this section does not define “political activity.”

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley greets a supporter at GOP headquarters in Winchester on October 23, 2018. (File photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI)

Galloway says the audit details incidents of current Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s staff putting up roadblocks, bullying, and threatening her staff.

“None of this is acceptable and is disappointing how the current Attorney General’s Office conducted itself,” she says. “The former attorney general and the current attorney general have asked for our help in public corruption cases using our audit procedures, our audit standards, these exact auditors that they are questioning now. They don’t have any problems with us doing these exact same procedures with the exact same folks in those public corruption cases, but all the sudden they do. The abuse these dedicated employees and licensed CPAs had to endure is unacceptable. I assume he did not like what this audit said.”

Schmitt’s spokesman, Chris Nuelle provided this statement:

“Auditor Galloway’s claims are ridiculous and unfounded. He says no such claims are even hinted at in the audit report prepared by her staff. From the beginning, Nuelle says the Attorney General’s Office worked tirelessly to cooperate and work with the State Auditor’s Office. That means dedicating thousands of man hours to gather, review, and transmit hundreds of thousands of pages of records, line up interviews and meetings, and respond to requests, all while continuing to perform the normal duties of the Attorney General’s Office. The correspondence from our office showed that we operated in a professional, cooperative manner.”

On Twitter today, Hawley says Galloway’s office engaged in partisan manipulation and potential unethical practices and says the audit was not independent. He says the report reaches the same conclusion as Secretary of State’s report one year ago: no wrongdoing by his office. He has filed a complaint against Galloway with the Board of Accountancy.

Another audit is underway of the general operations of Hawley’s office as attorney general. Closeout reviews are standard procedure when a state elected official leaves office.

To view the audit released today, click here.

Schmitt’s office and law enforcement groups say Missouri carjackings are an epidemic (AUDIO)

February 4, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A state senator from eastern Missouri’s St. Charles County outlined his proposed statewide carjacking statute on Monday in Jefferson City, saying carjackings are an epidemic in the state.

State Sen. Bob Onder (R-Lake St. Louis) speaks to Missouri Capitol reporters (2016 file photo)

State Sen. Bob Onder, R-Lake St. Louis, testified Monday before the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee. Onder tells fellow senators there were 351 carjackings in St. Louis City in 2019.

“These are violent crimes in which Missourians are terrorized in what should be a safe sanctuary, their cars,” Onder testifies.

Onder notes there is currently no uniform sentencing in Missouri for carjacking. Some suspects are being charged with robbery. Others are charged with stealing and are being sentenced to just four months in prison, according to testimony at Monday’s hearing.

During his testimony, Onder read a letter from a retired St. Louis Police lieutenant. The lieutenant’s niece was carjacked in Kansas City in 2018. During the incident, Onder says the suspect put a gun to the victim’s body and threatened to kill her. He then took her vehicle.

Onder says the suspect, who had two prior felony convictions, was released after serving 120 days in prison and was placed on probation.

“It looks like what happened in that case is that perpetrator was sentenced for stealing as opposed to the really vicious, dangerous crime of carjackings,” Onder tells Capitol reporters.

Under Onder’s Senate Bill 561, most carjackings would be a class A felony, with a minimum sentence of ten years in prison.

Instances would include causing serious physical injury to anyone in the vehicle, being armed with a deadly weapon and displaying or threatening the use of what appears to be a deadly weapon.

The Missouri Police Chiefs Association, Missouri Sheriffs’ Association, the Missouri Fraternal Order of Police and the St. Louis Police Officers Association testified for Onder’s bill.

The bill is also a top priority for Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt (R). His office testified for the legislation as well.

Schmitt’s office is calling on Missouri to join 23 other states in passing a statewide carjacking statute. Deputy Attorney General Cristian Stevens testified before the committee, emphasizing carjackings in Missouri are an epidemic.

“With carjackings, very often the reason for the carjacking itself is to use that car then as a getaway car, because it can’t be connected to the person driving it,” Stevens testifies.

Stevens says some of the cars are then used in drive-by shootings.

Missouri’s neighboring states of Illinois, Kansas and Tennessee are three of the 23 states that have approved legislation backed by Schmitt’s office.

Onder says there were more than 550 carjackings in Missouri in 2018, including 248 in St. Louis and 227 in Kansas City. But Schmitt’s office believes those numbers are low, noting that St. Louis Police use crime analysts to review robbery and stealing charges to check for carjackings, since there’s no specific statute.

No one testified against Onder’s bill at the hearing. The committee is expected to vote at a later date.

Click here to listen to State Sen. Bob Onder, R-Lake St. Louis, who was interviewed after the February 3, 2020 hearing at the Missouri Capitol by Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and KTVI’s Jeff Bernthal: