JEFFERSON CITY, Mo (KMOX) - Missouri Gov. Mike Parson is sticking to his pledge to pardon a St. Louis couple charged with felonies for waving guns at protesters outside their home in June.
The Republican governor said on Wednesday he still plans to pardon Mark and Patricia McCloskey if they are convicted. They were indicted by a grand jury on Tuesday on charges of unlawful use of a weapon and evidence tampering.
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“Most certainly would. Most certainly would," Parson said when asked during his COVID-19 press conference. "We’ll let it play out and see how this all comes out in the courts, but I stand by what I said."
The McCloskeys appeared in a downtown St. Louis courtroom on Tuesday and after that hearing were formally charged with unlawful use of a weapon for exhibiting their guns and tampering with evidence, for allegedly making a gun inoperable before they turned it in as evidence.
Mark McCloskey accused St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, who charged each of them with one felony count of unlawful use of a weapon, of being a socialist prosecutor who treats criminals like common citizens.
Schwartz said before Tuesday's decision that if the McCloskey's are formally charged today, he'll file a motion to dismiss the case based on multiple issues. One of them being that he believes Gardner's office changed the gun held Patricia McCloskey from an inoperable "prop" pistol into a working gun.
The McCloskeys are both lawyers, who waved guns at protesters that were outside their St. Louis home in June. The controversial story has gotten the attention of President Donald Trump and others.
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