| Revision as of 08:09, 12 December 2014 editChrisGualtieri (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers457,369 edits →Michael Brown: strip out← Previous edit | Revision as of 08:13, 12 December 2014 edit undoChrisGualtieri (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers457,369 edits Remove BLP concern - had a clear agenda and alleges gross misdeed not covered elsewhere. Was not a RS to support a criminal allegationNext edit → | ||
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| ==Tenure as D.A.== | ==Tenure as D.A.== | ||
| Just after he first took office in the early 1990s, McCulloch prosecuted ] of the band ] on charges related to the ] in which 40 concert attendees and 25 police officers were injured.<ref name=STLToday.Controversy>{{cite news |author=Nicholas J.C. Pistor and Joe Holleman |title=St. Louis prosecutor has faced controversy for decades |date=August 16, 2014 |accessdate=September 9, 2014 |publisher=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |url=http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/st-louis-prosecutor-has-faced-controversy-for-decades/article_cdd4c104-6086-506e-9ee8-aa957a31fee5.html |archive-url= |archive-date= |deadurl=no}}</ref> McCulloch charged Rose with misdemeanor assault and property damage for allegedly hitting a security guard, hurting three concertgoers and damaging a dressing room at Riverport Amphitheatre.<ref name=STLToday.Controversy/> McCulloch made headlines when he pursued Rose across the country to serve an arrest warrant in the case, before Rose finally turned himself in and agreed to a plea deal.<ref name=STLToday.Controversy/> | Just after he first took office in the early 1990s, McCulloch prosecuted ] of the band ] on charges related to the ] in which 40 concert attendees and 25 police officers were injured.<ref name=STLToday.Controversy>{{cite news |author=Nicholas J.C. Pistor and Joe Holleman |title=St. Louis prosecutor has faced controversy for decades |date=August 16, 2014 |accessdate=September 9, 2014 |publisher=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |url=http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/st-louis-prosecutor-has-faced-controversy-for-decades/article_cdd4c104-6086-506e-9ee8-aa957a31fee5.html |archive-url= |archive-date= |deadurl=no}}</ref> McCulloch charged Rose with misdemeanor assault and property damage for allegedly hitting a security guard, hurting three concertgoers and damaging a dressing room at Riverport Amphitheatre.<ref name=STLToday.Controversy/> McCulloch made headlines when he pursued Rose across the country to serve an arrest warrant in the case, before Rose finally turned himself in and agreed to a plea deal.<ref name=STLToday.Controversy/> | ||
| In 1997, in the so-called "Kinkogate" case, McCulloch gave a subpoena to the police – using the power of the grand jury, but without informing it – in order to identify a whistleblower who was acting lawfully. He first claimed the fax contained a threat but later conceded that there was no threat and no crime, but denied any wrongdoing. The whistleblower had to quit his job.<ref name=STLToday.Petitions>{{cite news |first=Michael D. |last=Sorkin |title=20,000 sign petitions seeking special prosecutor in Michael Brown shooting |date=August 17, 2014 |accessdate=September 19, 2014 |publisher=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |url=http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/sign-petitions-seeking-special-prosecutor-in-michael-brown-shooting/article_d0cc6e7f-8b32-5153-8ab4-86ebdc4659ca.html |archive-url= |archive-date= |deadurl=no}}</ref> | |||
| In 2000, in the so-called "]" case, two undercover officers, a police officer and a ] (DEA) officer, shot and killed two unarmed black men in the parking lot of a Jack in the Box fast-food restaurant in ]. In 2001, the officers told a grand jury convened by McCulloch that the suspects tried to escape arrest and then drove toward them; the jury declined to indict.<ref name=STLToday.Controversy/><ref name=NYT.Objectivity>{{cite news |first=Frances|last=Robles|title=St. Louis County Prosecutor Defends Objectivity |date=August 20, 2014 |accessdate=September 18, 2014 |publisher=New York Times |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/21/us/st-louis-county-prosecutor-defends-objectivity.html |archive-url= |archive-date= |deadurl=no}}</ref> McCulloch told the public that every witness had testified to confirm this version, but '']'' journalist Michael Sorkin reviewed the previously secret grand jury tapes, released to him by McCulloch, and found that McCulloch's statement was untrue: only three of 13 officers testified that the car was moving forward.<ref name=STLToday.Petitions/> A subsequent federal investigation found that the men were unarmed and that their car had not moved forward when the officers fired 21 shots; nevertheless, federal investigators decided that the shooting was justified because the officers feared for their safety.<ref name=STLToday.Controversy/><ref name=NYT.Objectivity/> McCulloch also drew controversy when he said of the victims: "These guys were bums."<ref name=STLToday.Controversy/> The two men killed, Earl Murray and Ronald Beasley, had prior felony convictions on drug and assault charges.<ref name=STLToday.Controversy/> | In 2000, in the so-called "]" case, two undercover officers, a police officer and a ] (DEA) officer, shot and killed two unarmed black men in the parking lot of a Jack in the Box fast-food restaurant in ]. In 2001, the officers told a grand jury convened by McCulloch that the suspects tried to escape arrest and then drove toward them; the jury declined to indict.<ref name=STLToday.Controversy/><ref name=NYT.Objectivity>{{cite news |first=Frances|last=Robles|title=St. Louis County Prosecutor Defends Objectivity |date=August 20, 2014 |accessdate=September 18, 2014 |publisher=New York Times |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/21/us/st-louis-county-prosecutor-defends-objectivity.html |archive-url= |archive-date= |deadurl=no}}</ref> McCulloch told the public that every witness had testified to confirm this version, but '']'' journalist Michael Sorkin reviewed the previously secret grand jury tapes, released to him by McCulloch, and found that McCulloch's statement was untrue: only three of 13 officers testified that the car was moving forward.<ref name=STLToday.Petitions/> A subsequent federal investigation found that the men were unarmed and that their car had not moved forward when the officers fired 21 shots; nevertheless, federal investigators decided that the shooting was justified because the officers feared for their safety.<ref name=STLToday.Controversy/><ref name=NYT.Objectivity/> McCulloch also drew controversy when he said of the victims: "These guys were bums."<ref name=STLToday.Controversy/> The two men killed, Earl Murray and Ronald Beasley, had prior felony convictions on drug and assault charges.<ref name=STLToday.Controversy/> | ||
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| In 2013, McCulloch publicly switched his longtime allegiance from fellow Democrat and St. Louis County Executive ] to support Dooley's challenger in the Democratic primary for county executive, ], stating that Dooley oversaw too much corruption in the county.<ref name=STLToday.Dooley>{{cite web |author=Christine Byers and Steve Giegerich |title=St. Louis County prosecutor pulls his support of Dooley in next election |date=October 10, 2013 |accessdate=September 20, 2014 |website=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |url=http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/st-louis-county-prosecutor-pulls-his-support-of-dooley-in/article_f53113e9-c09b-5ec0-be4f-623fa65dc545.html |archive-url= |archive-date= |deadurl=no}}</ref> With help from television ads from McCulloch, Stenger won over Dooley in the Aug. 5, 2014 primary by a landslide. | In 2013, McCulloch publicly switched his longtime allegiance from fellow Democrat and St. Louis County Executive ] to support Dooley's challenger in the Democratic primary for county executive, ], stating that Dooley oversaw too much corruption in the county.<ref name=STLToday.Dooley>{{cite web |author=Christine Byers and Steve Giegerich |title=St. Louis County prosecutor pulls his support of Dooley in next election |date=October 10, 2013 |accessdate=September 20, 2014 |website=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |url=http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/st-louis-county-prosecutor-pulls-his-support-of-dooley-in/article_f53113e9-c09b-5ec0-be4f-623fa65dc545.html |archive-url= |archive-date= |deadurl=no}}</ref> With help from television ads from McCulloch, Stenger won over Dooley in the Aug. 5, 2014 primary by a landslide. | ||
| ===Michael Brown=== | |||
| {{main|Shooting of Michael Brown}} | |||
| McCulloch chose to have a ] decide if charges should be brought against Darren Wilson, a ] police officer, in the death of Michael Brown.<ref name=NYT.Objectivity/> On {{nowrap|November 24}}, McCulloch reported that the grand jury reached a decision in the case and elected not to indict Wilson.<ref name=CNN.Fires>{{cite web |first=Moni |last=Basu |first2=Holly |last2=Yan |first3=Dana |last3=Ford |title=Fires, chaos erupt in Ferguson after grand jury doesn't indict in Michael Brown case |date=November 25, 2014 |accessdate=November 26, 2014 |website=CNN |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2014/11/24/justice/ferguson-grand-jury/ |archiveurl=//web.archive.org/web/20141202204603/http://edition.cnn.com/2014/11/24/justice/ferguson-grand-jury/ |archivedate=December 2, 2014 |deadurl=no}}</ref> | McCulloch chose to have a ] decide if charges should be brought against Darren Wilson, a ] police officer, in the death of Michael Brown.<ref name=NYT.Objectivity/> On {{nowrap|November 24}}, McCulloch reported that the grand jury reached a decision in the case and elected not to indict Wilson.<ref name=CNN.Fires>{{cite web |first=Moni |last=Basu |first2=Holly |last2=Yan |first3=Dana |last3=Ford |title=Fires, chaos erupt in Ferguson after grand jury doesn't indict in Michael Brown case |date=November 25, 2014 |accessdate=November 26, 2014 |website=CNN |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2014/11/24/justice/ferguson-grand-jury/ |archiveurl=//web.archive.org/web/20141202204603/http://edition.cnn.com/2014/11/24/justice/ferguson-grand-jury/ |archivedate=December 2, 2014 |deadurl=no}}</ref> | ||
Revision as of 08:13, 12 December 2014
Robert P. McCulloch is the Prosecuting Attorney for St. Louis County, Missouri, a post he has held since 1991. A Democrat, he has historically had bipartisan support as a popular prosecutor and has won re-election in 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014, often unopposed but by wide margins when he has had an opponent.
Education and early career
After attending law school at Saint Louis University, McCulloch served as a clerk for Missouri Appeals Court judge Joseph G. Stewart. McCulloch was an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney from 1978 to 1985. He worked in private practice until 1991, when he was elected to the post of Prosecuting Attorney. McCulloch was president of the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys and a board member of the National District Attorneys Association.
Tenure as D.A.
Just after he first took office in the early 1990s, McCulloch prosecuted Axl Rose of the band Guns N’ Roses on charges related to the Riverport Riot in which 40 concert attendees and 25 police officers were injured. McCulloch charged Rose with misdemeanor assault and property damage for allegedly hitting a security guard, hurting three concertgoers and damaging a dressing room at Riverport Amphitheatre. McCulloch made headlines when he pursued Rose across the country to serve an arrest warrant in the case, before Rose finally turned himself in and agreed to a plea deal.
In 2000, in the so-called "Jack in the Box" case, two undercover officers, a police officer and a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officer, shot and killed two unarmed black men in the parking lot of a Jack in the Box fast-food restaurant in Berkeley, Missouri. In 2001, the officers told a grand jury convened by McCulloch that the suspects tried to escape arrest and then drove toward them; the jury declined to indict. McCulloch told the public that every witness had testified to confirm this version, but St. Louis Post-Dispatch journalist Michael Sorkin reviewed the previously secret grand jury tapes, released to him by McCulloch, and found that McCulloch's statement was untrue: only three of 13 officers testified that the car was moving forward. A subsequent federal investigation found that the men were unarmed and that their car had not moved forward when the officers fired 21 shots; nevertheless, federal investigators decided that the shooting was justified because the officers feared for their safety. McCulloch also drew controversy when he said of the victims: "These guys were bums." The two men killed, Earl Murray and Ronald Beasley, had prior felony convictions on drug and assault charges.
During the 2008 Presidential campaign McCulloch endorsed Democratic candidate Barack Obama. He was accused by some Republicans of abuse of power for being a member of the Barack Obama Truth Squads in Missouri. McCulloch defended his participation, calling the notion he was trying to criminalize political speech "nonsense."
In 2013, McCulloch publicly switched his longtime allegiance from fellow Democrat and St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley to support Dooley's challenger in the Democratic primary for county executive, Steve Stenger, stating that Dooley oversaw too much corruption in the county. With help from television ads from McCulloch, Stenger won over Dooley in the Aug. 5, 2014 primary by a landslide.
McCulloch chose to have a grand jury decide if charges should be brought against Darren Wilson, a Ferguson, Missouri police officer, in the death of Michael Brown. On November 24, McCulloch reported that the grand jury reached a decision in the case and elected not to indict Wilson.
Personal life
McCulloch is the son of a St. Louis police officer who was killed in the line of duty while searching for a fleeing kidnapper when McCulloch was 12 years old. When he was in high school, McCulloch lost a leg to cancer.
McCulloch and his wife Carolyn have four children.
References
- ^ "St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney". Retrieved September 20, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - "Testimony of The Honorable Robert McCulloch" (PDF). 2003-09-17. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
- ^ Nicholas J.C. Pistor and Joe Holleman (August 16, 2014). "St. Louis prosecutor has faced controversy for decades". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Robles, Frances (August 20, 2014). "St. Louis County Prosecutor Defends Objectivity". New York Times. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - Cite error: The named reference
STLToday.Petitionswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - http://www.nationalreview.com/campaign-spot/8699/missouri-prosecutors-sheriffs-target-anyone-who-lies-about-barack-obama
- http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2008/09/attacking-obama/
- Christine Byers and Steve Giegerich (October 10, 2013). "St. Louis County prosecutor pulls his support of Dooley in next election". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved September 20, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - Basu, Moni; Yan, Holly; Ford, Dana (November 25, 2014). "Fires, chaos erupt in Ferguson after grand jury doesn't indict in Michael Brown case". CNN. Archived from the original on December 2, 2014. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - Paul Brown (April 19, 2012). "Persons of Interest: Bob McCulloch". Ladue News. Retrieved September 20, 2014.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)