St. Louis Sheriff responds to alleged sexual assault at CJC, handcuffing of deputy director
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - St. Louis City Sheriff Alfred Montgomery spoke to First Alert 4 Saturday about what he said happened between his office and the deputy director of the City Justice Center Tammy Ross Friday.
“The commissioner denied access to the sheriff’s office to the jail, which impeded on the process of the sheriff’s office,” Sheriff Montgomery said Saturday.
Montgomery said investigators with the sheriff’s internal affairs unit were trying to investigate an apparent sexual assault of a detainee in the jail by a deputy. It is a situation Montgomery said he finds deeply troubling.
“Our office does not tolerate any sexual misconduct,” he said. “It will be strictly enforced and that message also goes for any other deputy that may be involved in anything such as those acts as well.”
Friday, Montgomery’s lawyer told First Alert 4 the deputy who is accused of the assault has been terminated.
According to Montgomery, investigators were heading back to the jail Friday to continue with their investigation but Ross was not allowing them inside.
“I was only summoned over to the jail when our investigators were denied access over to the jail,” he said.
Sources told First Alert 4 the incident ended with Ross in handcuffs.
“A deputy from our office did ask [deputy] commissioner to come over to the sheriff’s side so we could talk to the Public Safety Director about the matter,” he said. “She refused, and she started getting, making the deputies uncomfortable on the floor, started being kind of aggressive and the deputy placed her in handcuffs and brought her over to the sheriff’s side.”
Montgomery did not say whether he instructed the deputy to put Ross in handcuffs or if the deputy acted on their own accord.
Eventually, the investigators were permitted in the jail.
First Alert 4 asked Montgomery if there was anything he would do differently regarding the situation involving Ross.
“Absolutely not,” he said. “I’m a man of law and order. No one is above the law, nobody is above the law, I understand that previously the istration did not take it as serious, but this is a serious law enforcement agency and we must treat it as so.”
Montgomery is asking for charges to be filed against the former deputy. In addition, he said his office is reviewing its legal options regarding its jurisdiction within the jail process.
First Alert 4 reached out to the city of St. Louis asking questions regarding Sheriff Montgomery’s claims about Tammy Ross’ role in the incident at CJC Friday and is awaiting comment.
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