St. Louis mayor has ‘lost confidence in the sheriff’

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer said she has now lost all confidence in the city’s sheriff after First Alert 4 Investigates uncovered his office is refusing to perform one of the critical duties of his office, despite promising aldermen just one week ago that he would.

It’s the latest in a series of controversies First Alert 4 Investigates has reported on, including:

• Authorizing the handcuffing of an acting jail commissioner, which the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department turned over to the FBI
• Rolling the dice over a deputy’s employment
• Writing a letter stating he would no longer transport inmates for medical needs because his office lacks funding—even while purchasing an SUV, golf carts and flashy uniforms

Mayor Spencer called the latest incident “horrendous.”

“Right now, I have lost my confidence in the sheriff,” Mayor Spencer said.

Mayor Spencer told First Alert 4 that Sheriff Alfred Montgomery and his office committed a “tremendous failure” by refusing to provide medical transport for multiple city jail inmates.

“It is a failure of extreme magnitude, the ramifications of which I can’t speak to right now,” Spencer said. “What I can say is that it is absolutely imperative that we get the folks who need medical assistance to the hospital when they need it—without question.”

What’s worse, she said, is that Sheriff Montgomery went before the Board of Aldermen last Monday and retracted the letter he had sent city leaders last month stating his office would no longer transport and supervise inmates for medical care.

Ward 5 Alderman Matt Devoti pressed Montgomery to clarify his actions:

Devoti: You had agreed to temporarily continue providing transport and supervision of hospital detail.

Montgomery: We are going to transport. We are going to transport them.

Devoti: Have you withdrawn this letter in its totality?

Montgomery: I think I made it clear that letter is withdrawn. It’s null, void, non-existent. It’s done.

But the very next day, First Alert 4 confirmed the sheriff’s office reversed course.

In a statement from the Department of Public Safety:

“The sheriff’s office refused five medical transport requests: one on June 3, two on June 5, one on June 6, and one on June 7. In all five instances, transports were handled by the Division of Corrections.”

“He promised he would do it,” Mayor Spencer said. “To find out in retrospect—and to have it confirmed by the director of public safety just this afternoon—that duty was not fulfilled is truly horrendous.”

Sheriff Montgomery continues to be unavailable for on-camera interviews. In the past, he has said that inmate transport is not a duty assigned to his office under current law.

First Alert 4 asked the mayor if she believes he should be removed from office. She said she could not comment on that specifically.

David Mason, Montgomery’s attorney, provided the following statement to First Alert 4:

”The sheriff understands why the mayor is concerned given what was reported to her. The sheriff is looking forward to meeting with the mayor so appropriate trust between city officials can be reestablished.”

Something that came out of that June 2nd city budget hearing the sheriff spoke at was an agreement with Alderman devoting in others that it could be helpful. If the Board of Alderman legislation specifically outlining the sheriffs office role and duties.

Devoti wasted no time and drafted Board Bill 33. If ed as written it makes clear the sheriffs office will be in charge of protect protecting the courts, serving papers, and transporting prisoners. It also states that the sheriffs office will be responsible for the transportation, supervision, and protection of inmates, needing hospital care.

That Bill has it for reading before the board of Alderman this Friday.

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