A St. Louis judge denies ousted Sheriff Alfred Montgomery’s request for a new trial 29%
By Chad Davis0% Brian Munoz0%
4/17/2026, 8:51:01 PM
BS Summary: This article contains 11 faulty reasoning types, including Appeal to Authority, Biased Writer Voice, and Availability Heuristic, with Negativity Bias as the most egregious example at 16.9% saturation with 80 hits. Analysis detected 390 faulty-reasoning hits from 474 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 39.4% and a BS Rank of 29% (15,114 of 21,180 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 71.40% of the article peer group.
Ousted St.
Louis Sheriff Alfred Montgomery will not get another trial, retired Circuit Judge Steven R.
Ohmer ruled Friday.
The decision is the latest in the monthslong civil saga between the embattled former sheriff and Missouri.
In December, Ohmer removed Montgomery from office after the state brought a quo warranto against Montgomery that included six arguments for why the then-sheriff should be taken out of office.
The judge said two of the charges merited Montgomery’s ouster: having then-acting jail commissioner Tammy Ross handcuffed and disarming former sheriff’s deputy Darryl Wilson.
Ohmer said those actions went beyond the sheriff’s legal duties.
Montgomery, who is in jail awaiting a separate federal trial, asked for a new trial in January, saying he should be partially removed from office instead.
Lawyers for the former sheriff proposed that Montgomery remain in office in a limited capacity, including not being involved in internal affairs and criminal investigations.
Montgomery’s lawyers also asked Ohmer to decide if the former sheriff had the authority to enforce general criminal law in the Ross and Wilson incidents.
But Friday's ruling did not appear to clarify that question.
The former sheriff was jailed last October after a federal judge ruled Montgomery violated his bond by using a burner phone to allegedly harass witnesses after being placed on house arrest.
Ohmer appointed Judge Christopher E.
McGraugh to pick Montgomery’s replacement, naming former Police Chief John Hayden Jr. as interim sheriff.
Ohmer was brought out of retirement to rule on the removal suit.
A date for Montgomery’s federal trial has not been set.
Montgomery’s tenure has been marked by other disputes, including having former sheriff’s deputy Anthony Kirchner roll a pair of golden dice in order to keep his job and accusations of financial mismanagement.
Montgomery also faces a slew of other legal troubles, including additional lawsuits from Wilson, Kirchner and one from Ross that was recently settled for roughly $50,000, according to records obtained by STLPR.
In a statement following the ruling, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said the staff is working to rebuild trust with the community.
“Interim Sheriff John Hayden is delivering on his promise to the people of St.
Louis — restoring public trust, enhancing court safety, ensuring efficient prisoner transport, and elevating professionalism throughout the agency,” wrote John Gieseke, the sheriff’s chief of staff and spokesperson.
“His commitment to fiscally responsible management and clear, consistent policies will continue to reflect a new standard of excellence for the City of St.
Louis Sheriff’s Office.”
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway celebrated the decisions.
"Our office will continue using the full force of the law to hold misconduct in public office accountable," she wrote in a statement.
This story has been updated with a statement from Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway.
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