Spotlight
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Republican Mark McCloskey, a candidate for the U.S. Senate in Missouri, was the center of attention for some demonstrators and members of the media outside the Kenosha County courthouse Tuesday, as jurors inside continued deliberations in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial. Warning: This unedited vi…
ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis judge on Wednesday expunged the misdemeanor convictions of a local lawyer and his wife after they were pardoned for pointing guns at racial justice protesters outside their Central West End mansion in 2020.
Immediately after his conviction was cleared, Mark McCloskey demanded the city return the two guns that were seized as part of his guilty plea to misdemeanor assault, he said in an interview Thursday.
“It’s time for the city to cough up my guns,” he said.
If it doesn’t, he said, he’ll file another lawsuit.
The expungements, which came over objections from city prosecutors and police, marked the latest development in a four-year saga that began in the summer of 2020 when McCloskey and his wife, Patricia, emerged from their home on Portland Place and waved guns at people walking by during a protest of the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.
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The McCloskeys, who said they were protecting their property from protesters trespassing on the private street, were charged by St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner with multiple felonies. Gardner was later disqualified from prosecuting them after mentioning their case in campaign emails.
A special prosecutor took over and indicted the McCloskeys on felony charges of unlawful use of a weapon and evidence tampering. They later reached an agreement in which Mark McCloskey pleaded guilty to fourth-degree assault and his wife, Patricia McCloskey, pleaded guilty to second-degree harassment, both misdemeanors.
As part of that agreement, the McCloskeys surrendered the Colt AR-15 rifle and a Bryco .380-caliber pistol they were holding during the confrontation on Portland Place and paid a fine of $872.50.
Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, later pardoned the couple, and McCloskey sued in 2021 to get his guns back. Judges denied that request and a subsequent appeal.
Meanwhile, McCloskey launched an unsuccessful campaign for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate. He has also gotten involved with a controversial statewide push to adopt a GOP candidate vetting protocol to stamp out candidates who aren’t “true Republicans.”
Then, in January 2024, the McCloskeys petitioned to expunge the couple’s misdemeanor convictions. They testified at a hearing in March and argued they have been upstanding citizens since their guilty pleas. Mark McCloskey said he has continued to work as a lawyer, fighting for his clients.
Attorneys for the city’s public safety department, however, asked protesters to testify about how the McCloskeys’ actions affected them. They also quizzed the couple on advertisem*nts for Mark McCloskey’s subsequent political campaign that featured footage from the incident.
The city and St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore’s Office argued that the couple represents a continued threat to public safety and has shown no remorse for the impact of their actions.
But Judge Joseph P. Whyte wrote in an order that the testimony of the protesters showed a threat to public safety on June 28, 2020 — not in the time since.
The purpose of an expungement, he wrote, is to give people who have rehabilitated themselves a second chance. McCloskey’s campaign rhetoric is protected by the First Amendment and not evidence of a continued threat, Whyte said.
“It seems the parties have attempted to make political arguments in this proceeding,” Whyte wrote. “This court, however, is required to look only at the relevant language in the statute.”
Essential reading on the McCloskeys, the St. Louis couple who used guns to confront protesters on a private street
On June 28, Mark and Patricia McCloskey say they felt threatened by a group of protesters who entered Portland Place, a private street in the Central West End.
Patricia used a handgun, and her husband used a long-barreled gun to confront the protesters. Their actions drew condemnation, but also support from the governor and the president.
Madison News
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The couple was indicted on felony charges of unlawful use of a weapon and evidence tampering. The indictments were filed under seal Tuesday.
Madison News
Watch now: Mark McCloskey says he and wife are being 'persecuted' for protecting themselves
- By Colter PetersonSt. Louis Post-Dispatch
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Mark McCloskey and his attorney Joel Schwartz speak to the press outside the Carnahan Courthouse after a court appearance on Tuesday, Oct. 6, …
Madison News
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The nine had been issued police summonses earlier this month, but City Counselor Michael Garvin said in a statement that “prosecution is not w…
Madison News
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The police department confirmed it issued citations to nine people but declined to identify them, citing provisions of the state Sunshine Law …
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“This is their way of just trying to get attention, trying to get some notoriety,” Bush said Tuesday about the McCloskeys, the St. Louis coupl…
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"We have a God-given right to defend ourselves, and the right of self-defense is one of the most basic civil rights, one of the most basic hum…
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Gardner, a Democrat, filed a motion Friday to strike the Republican attorney general'scontroversial decision to askthatgun chargesbe dismi…
Madison News
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The McCloskeys are now forever associated with the latest trend in Republican politics, to find a wedge issue so outrageous that it must be em…
Madison News
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He said his controversial decision to seek to have gun charges against Mark and Patricia McCloskey dismissed is rooted in the state’s long-hel…
Madison News
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They each face a single felony count of unlawful use of a weapon — exhibiting. Charging documents say he pointed an AR-15 rifle at protesters …
Opinion
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Did the McCloskeys stand their ground or commit a crime? State law suggests the latter. But white, rich people enjoy their own justice system.
Opinion
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The McCloskeys have a legal right to own guns. But their front-porch armed defense demonstrated an appalling ignorance of basic gun safety.
Madison News
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Parson also raised eyebrows by saying he would probably pardon the couple if they were to be convicted of crimes.
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"Targeting law-abiding citizens who exercise constitutionally protected rights ... is an abuse of power," the U.S. senator said.
Madison News
Gov. Mike Parson discusses the McCloskeys and a phone call with the president
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Missouri Gov. Mike Parson says that the city's prosecutor is attempting to take the McCloskey's rights away, and that he has spoken with Presi…
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Parson said he spoke with President Donald Trump about the situation.
Madison News
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Public records and interviews show Mark and Patricia McCloskey are almost always in conflict with somebody, often concerning property rights.
Madison News
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Police served a search warrant Friday and seized the rifle that Mark McCloskey had brandished that evening.
Local News
Watch now: A closer look at the Portland Place confrontation
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A closer look at the confrontation on June 28, 2020 between Mark and Patricia McCloskey and protesters in front of their house. Video by Jerem…
Madison News
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The gate to Portland Place remained locked, and protesters eventually marched south on Kingshighway toward the highway.
Madison News
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In 2017, the McCloskeyssued to defend a sliver of property that they claim as their own and Portland Place trustees say belongs to the neighborhood.
Madison News
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‘I believe… the only thing that kept those mobsters, that crowd, away from us is that we were standing there with guns,’ Mark McCloskey said.
Madison News
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One protester who witnessed the showdown told the Post-Dispatch that marchers took notice of the McCloskeys only when the couple emerged from …
Madison News
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“They are owned by the property owners, and the owners pay for them, the street repairs and maintenance,” Bush said Monday.
Madison News
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Were the couple, as they stood on their own property, within their rights to point weapons at protesters? Gun rights advocates say yes. A poli…
Madison News
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The suit alleges the photo was taken on their property. The couple alsosued Redbubble Inc., a San Francisco-based online marketplace for prin…
Madison News
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United Press International is considering whether to send a "cease and desist" order to the couple because of their use of a UPI photo as part…
Madison News
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A judge on Thursday cited improper fundraising emails by Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner’s campaign in disqualifying Gardner and her offi…
Madison News
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A Missouri appellate court denied the circuit attorney's appeal of her and her office's disqualification from Mark McCloskey's criminal case. …
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A St. Louis judge Wednesday appointed a former U.S. attorney as special prosecutor in the case. Circuit Judge Steven Ohmer picked Richard Callahan.
Madison News
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St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner asked the state's highest court to restore her authority over the case.
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The special prosecutor said he will soon decide whether to do the same for her husband, Mark McCloskey.
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“God came knocking at my door last summer disguised as an angry mob — and it really did wake me up,” McCloskey said.
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Mark McCloskey, 64, will pay a $750 fine after pleading guilty to fourth-degree assault. Patricia McCloskey, 62, must pay a $2,000 fine after …
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Democratic state Rep. Crystal Quade, the House minority leader, said in her own statement that the governor's decision was "beyond disgusting."
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The appointed special prosecutor said that while a governor's pardon nullifies a criminal conviction, he suspects "it does not entitle (McClos…
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“They’re thrilled,” the couple’s attorney, Joel Schwartz, said Tuesday. “They want to put this episode of their lives behind them and focus on…
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The letter from chief disciplinary counsel said the duo “admitted committing a criminal act that shows indifference to public safety and invol…
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She paid $2,122.50 for the fine, court costs and fees, and has sued to recover the amount.
Madison News
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“I’m going to look to see if there’s some good anti-critical race theory community service organizations I can work for, and we’ll see what th…
Madison News
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The court suspended their law licenses but delayed the suspension, putting them on probation for one year. That means they can continue to pra…
Madison News
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McCloskey received slightly less than 3% of the vote in the Republic primary.
Katie Kull – 314-340-8087
kkull@post-dispatch.com
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