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ST. LOUIS – Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has given embattled progressive Democratic St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner an ultimatum to resign or be removed from office due to neglect. The impetus behind the demand is a public safety outcry following another catastrophe created by someone who should have been in custody.
Bailey, a Republican, gave Gardner “until noon tomorrow” to announce her resignation, after a driver who repeatedly violated his bond conditions on earlier charges smashed into a teenage volleyball player, critically injuring the girl, Fox News reported.
Janae Edmondson, 16, was visiting St. Louis with her family last Saturday. She was in town competing in a volleyball tournament. The girl and her family were in the downtown area when a speeding motorist failed to yield about 8:40 p.m. and caused a collision, ultimately striking Edmondson.
Edmondson’s father is credited with saving her life due to his quick thinking and military training, KTVI reported. However, one of her legs was severely damaged and the other was maimed.
Gardner’s tenure in office has been filled with controversy as she has a soft-on-crime track record. She also made national news when she filed criminal charges against a married couple, Mark and Patricia McCloskey for arming themselves and protecting their property against an aggressive group of BLM agitators that came marching through their neighborhood in June 2020.
None of the protesters were charged, despite trespassing and vandalism that occurred, but Gardner indicted the couple protecting their home. After coercive legal proceedings, the McCloskey’s were later pardoned by Gov. Mike Parson, Law Officer reported.
The tragic circumstances last Saturday involving the Edmondson’s seems to be “the straw that broke the camel’s back” as it relates many community members tolerating Gardner’s dereliction of duty.
“We are giving Kim Gardner until noon tomorrow to resign. If she refuses, she will face immediate removal proceedings in the form of a writ of quo warrant brought by our office,” Bailey revealed on Twitter.
We are giving Kim Gardner until noon tomorrow to resign. If she refuses, she will face immediate removal proceedings in the form of a writ of quo warranto brought by our office.
— Attorney General Andrew Bailey (@AGAndrewBailey) February 23, 2023
Meanwhile, Edmondson remains hospitalized in critical condition, according to Fox.
Gardner has maintained an adversarial role with St. Louis cops. She actually filed a lawsuit against the city, its police union and five others for what she called a racist effort to block her reform agenda in 2020, Law Officer reported.
Now, Attorney General Bailey has taken a position that Gardner is facilitating crimes, rather than preventing them.
“As AG, I want to protect the people of St. Louis, and that includes protecting victims of crime and finding justice for them,” Bailey noted.
Janae Edmondson was in town for a volleyball tournament when she was struck in a crosswalk by a speeding vehicle being driven by Daniel Riley, according to authorities. (Town of Smyrna, St. Louis Police Department)
The statement added: “Instead of protecting victims, Circuit Attorney Gardner is creating them. My office will do everything in its power to restore order, and eliminate the chaos in St. Louis caused by Kim Gardner’s neglect of her office.”
Instead of protecting victims, Circuit Attorney Gardner is creating them. My office will do everything in its power to restore order, and eliminate the chaos in St. Louis caused by Kim Gardner’s neglect of her office.
— Attorney General Andrew Bailey (@AGAndrewBailey) February 23, 2023
Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden, a Republican, said Gardner should resign, referring to her as “incompetent and grossly unfit to hold her office.”
Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher joined in and urged her to step down.
Images from the scene show one vehicle was overturned in the collision as people tended to Edmondson in the crosswalk. (Citizens for a Greater Downtown St.Louis)
There are some Democrats who are also joining the chorus in criticizing the embattled rogue prosecutor, Fox reported.
Democratic St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones said Gardner had “lost the trust of the people.” However, she stopped short of soliciting Gardner’s resignation.
The suspect in the crash that maimed Edmondson was iedntified as 21-year-old Daniel Riley. He was out on bond when the wreck occurred from an August 2020 robbery case.
Riley now faces five additional charges, which include felony assault and operating a vehicle without a license. He was being held at the St. Louis City Justice Center.
Edmondson had already committed to playing Division II volleyball in college, according to KTVI, but it’s unlikely that she’ll play competitively again due to the severity of her injuries.
Earlier in the evening, before 9 PM, this vehicle sped through 11th ST at St. Charles ST, flipping the vehicle and hitting multiple other vehicles. Occupants or pedestrians appeared to lay in the street and at least one appeared pinned under a vehicle. @JasonHallSTL… https://t.co/afabv2gWFs pic.twitter.com/5MJXCEpaXH
— Citizens for a Greater Downtown St. Louis (@Citizens4STL) February 19, 2023
The attorney general’s announcement was heavily supported on Twitter.
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