The couple also reportedly sued a synagogue near their home for placing beehives on their property to harvest honey for Rosh Hashanah celebrations. Mark McCloskey allegedly broke the beehives and the children in the synagogue cried the next day, the community`s rabbi told Post-Dispatch. Both McCloskeys were admitted to the Missouri bar in 1986. The couple practices together under the name McCloskey Law Center, focusing on cases of personal injury, medical malpractice and defective products. He added that the couple did not want their behavior to be distorted into an anti-Black Lives Matter message. In a statement, the couple`s attorney, Joel J. Schwartz, called the accusations „disheartening.” He said his clients, who are lawyers specializing in assaults, support freedom of expression. In court documents, senior disciplinary counsel Alan D. Pratzel cited the couple`s guilty pleas to the offenses stemming from the incident. In a statement on Monday, Gardner said: „It is illegal to wave weapons in a threatening manner against those participating in non-violent protests.” She said that if the McCloskeys were to complete a diversion program, „I think it would serve as a fair solution to that issue.” The couple`s lawyer, Al Watkins, said the McCloskeys exercised their right to bear arms because they feared protesters would cause damage to their personal property. A photo of the couple taken by United Press International photographer Bill Greenblatt received considerable attention and quickly became an internet meme.
[42] The McCloskeys themselves began using the image as a greeting card, but also sued Greenblatt; The couple said Greenblatt`s photo caused them „shame” and „humiliation” and demanded that ownership of the photo be transferred to them. [43] [44] The McCloskeys sued minor neighborhood issues, including accusing neighbors of violating neighborhood rules by allowing an unmarried gay couple to live there. The McCloskeys appealed all the way to the state Supreme Court. The court suspended Mark and Patricia McCloskey`s attorney licenses, but delayed the suspension and put both on probation for a year. The order means the couple can still practice, but the suspension will take effect if they violate their probation by violating other laws. St. Louis Circuit District Attorney Kim Gardner, who brought the charges against the McCloskeys, did not order the couple to surrender or be arrested. Instead, as part of Gardner`s reformist approach to reducing incarceration for minor crimes, she issued subpoenas, saying she would consider them for a diversion program that would allow charges to be dismissed if a counseling course or other tutoring course was completed.
The indictment carries a sentence of up to four years in prison. Mark McCloskey said Tuesday he was disappointed with the verdict, but pleased the court decided to put the couple on probation instead of suspending their licenses. The couple, Mark and Patricia McCloskey, were arrested Monday by St. Louis prosecutors on charges of unlawful use of a weapon for issuing a semi-automatic rifle „angry or threatening,” according to the lawsuit. The charge is a Class E felony punishable by up to four years in prison. „It is illegal to wave weapons in a threatening manner against those participating in peaceful protests,” she said in a statement. The McCloskeys have a long history of conflicts with others over private property, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which reviewed public documents last week for a report on the couple. St.
Louis District Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner said the couple had created a dangerous situation with „peaceful, unarmed protesters.” The judges agreed, writing that the couple „committed an offense involving moral upheaval” and should be punished. Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the St. Louis couple who pointed guns at protesters, have a long history of lawsuits against their neighbors, a lengthy St. Louis investigation has revealed. Louis Post-Dispatch. Gardner, a Democrat, said she would not seek jail time for the couple if convicted, but would try to get them into a diversion program such as community service. A St. Louis couple was indicted last month in a filmed episode that drew the attention of a divided nation, including President Trump, to protesters marching outside their home. The St. Louis couple, who walked out of their mansion in a gated community and pointed guns at protesters who walked past them last month, were charged Monday with a crime of illegal use of a firearm.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, defended the couple, saying in a radio interview that he would most likely forgive them and that „I don`t think they`re going to spend time in jail.” The McCloskeys, who have also sued their own property managers in the past, said they acted appropriately after a „mob” walked through the door of private development. „The only thing that kept the crowd from approaching the house was when I got that gun,” McCloskey said in an interview with NBC affiliate KSDK. „[It was] the only thing that stopped the flood.” On August 24, at the 2020 Republican National Convention, the couple made remarks in favor of the 2nd Amendment and Trump, and criticized Black Lives Matter protesters. [49] When asked about Mr. Parsons` comment about a possible pardon for the couple if convicted, Ms. Gardner replied, „At the moment, it`s still an open matter, so there was no desire for forgiveness.” The District Attorney of St. Louis, Kimberly Gardner, filed charges against the McCloskeys on July 20, 2020. This decision attracted national attention. [4] [5] [6] On June 17, 2021, the McCloskeys pleaded guilty: Mark to fourth-degree assault and Patricia to harassment. [7] [8] Mark was fined US$750, Patricia US$2,000 and her weapons used in the incident had to be returned and destroyed.
[7] In August 2021, both were pardoned by Missouri Governor Mike Parson. In February 2022, the Missouri Supreme Court indefinitely suspended the couple`s attorney licenses, but suspended the sentence and placed one year on probation.