What began with serious felony charges against the two St. Louis attorneys has now finally been settled as a far less serious matter. Mark and Patricia McCloskey became infamous last year when photos and video went viral showing the couple confronting a crowd outside their home when marchers trespassed in their Central West End neighborhood.
As St. Louis’s NBC station KSDK is reporting . . .
Mark McCloskey pleaded guilty to a count of fourth-degree assault, which was filed in court Thursday and is a Class C misdemeanor. He was originally charged with unlawful use of a weapon and tampering with physical evidence — both felony charges.
Patricia McCloskey pleaded guilty to second-degree harassment, which is a Class A misdemeanor charge that was filed last month when a count of tampering with physical evidence was removed. She also was originally charged with unlawful use of a weapon and tampering with physical evidence.
The couple had previously pleaded not guilty and were set to go to trial on Nov. 1.
The plea deal calls for Mark McCloskey to pay a $750 fine. Patricia McCloskey was fined $2,000 to the courts and ordered to pay $10 to the crime victims fund. Both of the weapons pictured in the viral photos and videos were ordered to be turned over to the state and destroyed.
A judge took the prosecution of the husband and wife out of the hands of St. Louis’s highly politicized prosecutor Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner after she used the case to raise funds from contributors. This final plea deal was reached by a court-appointed special prosecutor, former US Attorney Richard Callahan.
In accepting the plea deal, Callahan said he took several factors into consideration, including “the age and lack of a criminal record for the McCloskeys, the fact they initially called the police and the fact that no one was hurt and no shots were fired.”
Last month Mark McCloskey announced his candidacy for the US Senate seat that Sen. Roy Blunt will vacate when he retires after his current term.
After the McCloskeys were initially charged with felonies by Circuit Attorney Gardner last year, Missouri Governor Mike Parson announced that he’d pardon the pair if they were convicted. The plea deal appears to make that unnecessary.