4 St. Louis police officers indicted on federal charges, accused of beating an undercover colleague -
ST. LOUIS ? Four St. Louis police officers were indicted Thursday on federal charges claiming that three of them beat an undercover colleague during protests last year and all four then covered it up, federal prosecutors say.
Prosecutors allege that officers Dustin Boone, Randy Hays and Christopher Myers threw a 22-year police veteran to the ground and kicked and hit him with a police baton on Sept. 17, 2017, amid protests downtown that followed the acquittal of former police Officer Jason Stockley on a murder charge for the fatal shooting of Anthony Lamar Smith. They believed the undercover officer was a protester and assaulted him "while he was compliant and not posing a physical threat to anyone," prosecutors said.
Officer Bailey Colletta is accused of lying to a federal grand jury investigating the incident.
The indictment also lays out various electronic messages that "expressed disdain" for protesters and "excitement about using unjustified force against them and going undetected while doing so."
In one Sept. 15, 2017 message, Myers writes "let's whoop some ass" in response to a message about where the officers are meeting.
On Oct. 5, 2017, Hays writes "going rogue does feel good."
Boone later replies that "it's gonna be a lot of fun beating the hell out of these (expletive) once the sun goes down and nobody can tell us apart!!!!" On Sept. 17, he wrote that it was "a blast beating people that deserve it."
After learning that the person they attacked was an undercover officer, the three male officers lied about the arrest, claiming he resisted arrest and was not complaint and tried to contact the officer to dissuade him from pursuing disciplinary or legal action, the indictment says.
The undercover officer is identified only by the initials "L.H." The age, gender and initials match only one officer: Luther Hall. Hall was working undercover aiding other officers in identifying criminal activity, sources said.
Myers destroyed Hall's cell phone with the intent to obstruct any subsequent investigation, sources said, and Boone, Hays and Myers obstructed justice by conspiring to prevent information about the beating from reaching federal investigators. Colletta and Hays were in a romantic relationship at the time of the incident and investigation, the indictment says.
Colletta initially denied knowing Hall and denied that she'd ever come into contact with him on the night of his arrest, the indictment says, and lied when saying he was "brought to the ground very gently."
Boone, 35, Hays, 31, and Myers, 27, all face charges of depriving Hall of his constitutional rights and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Myers also faces a charge of destruction of evidence relating to the cell phone and Colletta, 25, faces a charge of attempting to obstruct grand jury proceedings.
St. Louis public safety director Jimmie Edwards, who called the officers "outliers" in a statement, said the four officers have been suspended without pay from the police force.
In his own statement, Chief John Hayden said police sought the FBI's help after learning about the allegations involving Hall. "I am deeply disappointed in the alleged actions of these individual officers; however, it is in no way reflective of the hard work and dedication exhibited by the men and women of our Department who serve the community on a daily basis with integrity and honor," his statement reads, in part.
Hayden said Hays had eight years with the department, Myers had three, Boone had two and Collette has been with the department for 18 months.
The officers could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted, although recommended federal sentencing guidelines will likely call for much less prison time.
All four were among the 200 officers assigned to the police "Civil Disobedience Team," prosecutors say, working protest duty.
They're also among current and former officers that St. Louis city prosecutors have purportedly excluded from testifying in criminal cases.
Federal prosecutors on Nov. 26 dismissed a gun case investigated by Myers after the defendant's lawyer said she would take the case to trial and subpoena Myers.
In a Nov. 19 hearing, lawyer Kristy Ridings said Myers and other officers involved in the case were on a list of officers who were no longer being used to prosecute cases, apparently a reference an "exclusion list" generated by city prosecutors earlier this year.
The full scope of Hall's injuries were not immediately disclosed by prosecutors.
Also not immediately clear was whether Thursday's indictment would close out a federal investigation into police activity during a controversial police ?kettle? on the night of Hall's arrest.
St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson and then-interim Police Chief Lawrence O'Toole were among the officials who asked the U.S. Attorney's office to investigate less than two weeks later.
The mass arrest prompted criticism of police tactics by a federal judge and a series of federal lawsuits alleging that police violated arrestees Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights to be free from unlawful seizure and their First Amendment rights to assemble in public and express their views free from retaliation. The suits say arrestees were pepper-sprayed and physically injured even when attempting to be compliant with police orders.
Former Post-Dispatch reporter Mike Faulk, who was among the reporters assigned to cover the protests that night, was also arrested and has filed his own lawsuit.
Police supervisors have said that protesters blocking the street and refusing to disperse were given multiple warnings about possible arrest and the use of chemical munitions. They denied seeing any inappropriate use of force, saying pepper spray was used only on those who resisted police orders.
Police have also said multiple officers have been injured by rocks and bottles thrown by protesters on various occasions.
?In a few instances, some officers have fallen short of the professionalism required to work in our Police Department,? Edwards said in a statement. ?I take accountability and transparency very seriously. When a public safety employee acts outside the scope of their authority, it is imperative that they be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law."
ST. LOUIS ? Four St. Louis police officers were indicted Thursday on federal charges claiming that three of them beat an undercover colleague during protests last year and all four then covered it up, federal prosecutors say.
Prosecutors allege that officers Dustin Boone, Randy Hays and Christopher Myers threw a 22-year police veteran to the ground and kicked and hit him with a police baton on Sept. 17, 2017, amid protests downtown that followed the acquittal of former police Officer Jason Stockley on a murder charge for the fatal shooting of Anthony Lamar Smith. They believed the undercover officer was a protester and assaulted him "while he was compliant and not posing a physical threat to anyone," prosecutors said.
Officer Bailey Colletta is accused of lying to a federal grand jury investigating the incident.
The indictment also lays out various electronic messages that "expressed disdain" for protesters and "excitement about using unjustified force against them and going undetected while doing so."
In one Sept. 15, 2017 message, Myers writes "let's whoop some ass" in response to a message about where the officers are meeting.
On Oct. 5, 2017, Hays writes "going rogue does feel good."
Boone later replies that "it's gonna be a lot of fun beating the hell out of these (expletive) once the sun goes down and nobody can tell us apart!!!!" On Sept. 17, he wrote that it was "a blast beating people that deserve it."
After learning that the person they attacked was an undercover officer, the three male officers lied about the arrest, claiming he resisted arrest and was not complaint and tried to contact the officer to dissuade him from pursuing disciplinary or legal action, the indictment says.
The undercover officer is identified only by the initials "L.H." The age, gender and initials match only one officer: Luther Hall. Hall was working undercover aiding other officers in identifying criminal activity, sources said.
Myers destroyed Hall's cell phone with the intent to obstruct any subsequent investigation, sources said, and Boone, Hays and Myers obstructed justice by conspiring to prevent information about the beating from reaching federal investigators. Colletta and Hays were in a romantic relationship at the time of the incident and investigation, the indictment says.
Colletta initially denied knowing Hall and denied that she'd ever come into contact with him on the night of his arrest, the indictment says, and lied when saying he was "brought to the ground very gently."
Boone, 35, Hays, 31, and Myers, 27, all face charges of depriving Hall of his constitutional rights and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Myers also faces a charge of destruction of evidence relating to the cell phone and Colletta, 25, faces a charge of attempting to obstruct grand jury proceedings.
St. Louis public safety director Jimmie Edwards, who called the officers "outliers" in a statement, said the four officers have been suspended without pay from the police force.
In his own statement, Chief John Hayden said police sought the FBI's help after learning about the allegations involving Hall. "I am deeply disappointed in the alleged actions of these individual officers; however, it is in no way reflective of the hard work and dedication exhibited by the men and women of our Department who serve the community on a daily basis with integrity and honor," his statement reads, in part.
Hayden said Hays had eight years with the department, Myers had three, Boone had two and Collette has been with the department for 18 months.
The officers could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted, although recommended federal sentencing guidelines will likely call for much less prison time.
All four were among the 200 officers assigned to the police "Civil Disobedience Team," prosecutors say, working protest duty.
They're also among current and former officers that St. Louis city prosecutors have purportedly excluded from testifying in criminal cases.
Federal prosecutors on Nov. 26 dismissed a gun case investigated by Myers after the defendant's lawyer said she would take the case to trial and subpoena Myers.
In a Nov. 19 hearing, lawyer Kristy Ridings said Myers and other officers involved in the case were on a list of officers who were no longer being used to prosecute cases, apparently a reference an "exclusion list" generated by city prosecutors earlier this year.
The full scope of Hall's injuries were not immediately disclosed by prosecutors.
Also not immediately clear was whether Thursday's indictment would close out a federal investigation into police activity during a controversial police ?kettle? on the night of Hall's arrest.
St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson and then-interim Police Chief Lawrence O'Toole were among the officials who asked the U.S. Attorney's office to investigate less than two weeks later.
The mass arrest prompted criticism of police tactics by a federal judge and a series of federal lawsuits alleging that police violated arrestees Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights to be free from unlawful seizure and their First Amendment rights to assemble in public and express their views free from retaliation. The suits say arrestees were pepper-sprayed and physically injured even when attempting to be compliant with police orders.
Former Post-Dispatch reporter Mike Faulk, who was among the reporters assigned to cover the protests that night, was also arrested and has filed his own lawsuit.
Police supervisors have said that protesters blocking the street and refusing to disperse were given multiple warnings about possible arrest and the use of chemical munitions. They denied seeing any inappropriate use of force, saying pepper spray was used only on those who resisted police orders.
Police have also said multiple officers have been injured by rocks and bottles thrown by protesters on various occasions.
?In a few instances, some officers have fallen short of the professionalism required to work in our Police Department,? Edwards said in a statement. ?I take accountability and transparency very seriously. When a public safety employee acts outside the scope of their authority, it is imperative that they be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law."
