St. Louis Mayor

A St. Louis judge has halted the mayor’s office, Board of Aldermen and state lawmakers from taking the next steps to appoint a sheriff. Board members hope the decision will stay in local hands.

The decision by St. Louis Circuit Judge Steven R. Ohmer brings a dramatic end to Montgomery’s turbulent yearlong tenure — one marked by lawsuits, whistleblower complaints, a damning city audit and a court battle over whether he should remain in office.

A fight is brewing even as a judge considers whether St. Louis Sheriff Alfred Montgomery will get to keep his job.

Conway, who also served in the Missouri House and Senate, was 93 years old.

“We don't need a sheriff in the city of St. Louis, but we especially don't need this sheriff,” Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said Thursday.

After less than a year, Alfred Montgomery faces removal efforts, controversies and multiple lawsuits. But he came in with big goals for the St. Louis sheriff’s office.

In a Tuesday order, Circuit Judge Joan L. Moriarty cited a lack of staff at the City Justice Center — and subsequent reductions in detainee services — as reasons to require Sheriff Alfred Montgomery's office to immediately provide transportation to external medical providers.

Mayor Cara Spencer said she is shocked that Montgomery would float taking over the city’s jail while he doesn’t fulfill the debated duties of his office.

Following an hourslong hearing, Sheriff Alfred Montgomery said his office should take over the City Justice Center in order to provide detainees with improved medical care.

More than four months later, north St. Louis streets, alleyways and sidewalks are starting to look clearer as city contractors remove debris from the May 16 tornado. But neighbors say the job isn’t as far along as they’d like, and in some cases the work is falling short.