St. Louis Sheriff

Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has also argued St. Louis should abolish the office altogether.

“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.

The Missouri attorney general’s quest to oust Montgomery permanently is scheduled for trial next month.

Blake Lawrence, an attorney for the St. Louis sheriff's office, is on administrative leave after allegedly sending harassing text messages to a St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter. But he says the move is retaliation.

A former personnel and fiscal operations director claims the sheriff sued her for testifying in the state's removal effort. She’s seeking back pay and punitive damages.

The city’s financial watchdog warns of widespread financial mismanagement in the St. Louis sheriff's office under now-jailed Sheriff Alfred Montgomery and former Sheriff Vernon Betts.

Prosecutors said there wasn’t a way to effectively monitor Alfred Montgomery’s communications while he was on bond, and the judge agreed that the alleged burner phone was a step too far.

The judge's decision came the day after Sheriff Alfred Montgomery was indicted on five federal felony charges.

The sheriff was charged with witness retaliation and witness tampering.

"The undisputed facts prove Sheriff Montgomery has forfeited the right to hold public office, and this motion seeks to ensure justice is finally done for the people of St. Louis," Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said.