The lawyer couple who pointed guns at BLM protesters pleaded not guilty to two felony charges.
Patricia, 61, and Mark McCloskey, 61, gained national attention in June after they were filmed aiming their weapons at Black Lives Matter demonstrators outside their mansion in St. Louis.
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner said in a statement that the couple each face a count of unlawful use of a weapon and a count of tampering with evidence.
The McCloskeys were indicted by a grand jury and they are scheduled to appear in court on October 28.
The class E felony charges are punishable by up to four years behind bars and a fine up to $10,000.
Joel Schwartz, the couple’s attorney, accused Gardner of politicizing the case. “I am confident that the Court will see that the Circuit Attorney has created, at a minimum, the appearance of impropriety, which casts serious doubt upon the fairness of the proceedings,” he added.
“Finally, I look forward to receiving and reviewing the discovery/reports in order to understand how the Circuit Attorney intends to support these allegations against the McCloskeys and disrupting their lives.”
Gardner replied in an email, writing: “As in all cases prosecuted by the Circuit Attorney Office, we seek justice on behalf of the people of the city of St. Louis that ensures fairness while protecting the due process rights of the accused.”
The viral videos shared in June show Patricia McCloskey carrying a handgun and Mark McCloskey holding a long rifle as BLM protesters walked outside their mansion.
Mark said to CNN in July that he was ‘in imminent fear they (demonstrators) would run me over, kill me.”
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Replaced!