ST. LOUIS 鈥 A group of attorneys is calling on state and local officials to remove 蜜芽传媒 Sheriff Alfred Montgomery from office for failing to do his job, adding to a growing chorus criticizing of one of city government鈥檚 newest and most controversial figures.
In a letter made public on Friday, Holy Joe Society chair Emily Perez said Montgomery broke laws when he ordered the handcuffing of a top city jail official, debased his office when he told a deputy to roll golden dice to keep his job, and is misusing public resources by having another deputy take his kids to and from school. Perez said he was also failing in his duty to properly staff courtrooms and transport inmates to court and hospitals.
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鈥淔or the foregoing reasons, the Society submits that each of you can and should take action to secure the ouster of Sheriff Montgomery,鈥 Perez wrote to Attorney General Andrew Bailey, Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore and City Counselor Michael Garvin.
The letter marked the latest headache for the sheriff, who took office in January and is already dealing with lawsuits from fired deputies, a federal investigation into the handcuffing incident, and a budget deficit projected to exceed $600,000 by June 30.
Representatives for Bailey and Gore did not respond to requests for comment Friday afternoon. Garvin declined to comment.
Jack Gieseke, a spokesman for the sheriff, denied the allegations in a written statement.
鈥淭he claims made by the Holy Joe Society regarding Sheriff Alfred Montgomery are based on false and misleading media reports, not verified facts,鈥 Gieseke wrote in a text message. 鈥淭hese accusations are politically motivated and lack any credible evidence. We urge the public and officials to reserve judgment until all facts are thoroughly reviewed through proper legal channels.鈥
He would not elaborate on the record. But Montgomery has said the jail official was obstructing an investigation, that the golden dice were intended to calm an agitated deputy, and that the deputy picking up his kids at school is doing so off-duty.
He has blamed problems with staffing courtrooms on the city tasking him with transporting inmates to hospitals for medical visits, which he says takes too much manpower from his department.
Still, trouble continues to pile up. The jail official he ordered handcuffed, Deputy Corrections Commissioner Tammy Ross, is suing him claiming battery, unlawful arrest and a civil rights violation. Former deputy Tony Kirchner, who rolled the golden dice, has sued Montgomery for defamation.
In the past month alone, he has raised eyebrows with news of the $11,700 purchase of four used golf carts, and had courthouse denizens chuckling with the release of a new 鈥渘o-gossip鈥 policy for deputies.
And just this week, he irked Mayor Cara Spencer with the threat to stop driving city jail inmates to the hospital when required.
She told the Post-Dispatch on Thursday evening that Montgomery would be failing to do his job if he carried out his threat. She said he caused his own budget problems by firing a bunch of former Sheriff Vernon Betts鈥 top administrators 鈥 with a lot of accrued benefits 鈥 when he took office.
Alderman Rasheen Aldridge said Thursday he has called Montgomery to appear before a budget committee hearing on Monday over the financial issues.
Montgomery agreed.
蜜芽传媒 Sheriff Alfred Montgomery talks about terminations in his department due to a racist gang or clique running the office.
