To protect residents from St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner’s “willful neglect,” Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed a quo warranto petition seeking to remove her from office.
The move comes after he gave her the choice of resigning or facing “immediate removal proceedings.”
Bailey’s decision comes after a teenager was run-down by a “dangerous gunman” who never should have been out, resulting in both of the victim's legs getting amputated.
On February 18, 2023, Janae Edmonson, a sixteen-year-old athlete, was walking back to her hotel in downtown St. Louis when she was run down by a speeding vehicle and lost both her legs. One was severed, and the other maimed. Ms. Edmonson survived the crash due to her father’s quick action and emergency medical training, but both of her legs were amputated.
The driver of the speeding vehicle, Daniel Riley, should never have been in that car. He is a dangerous gunman who should have been in jail. In 2020, the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office charged Riley with First Degree Robbery and Armed Criminal Action for stealing a firearm from a victim at gunpoint. The Circuit Attorney dismissed and refiled that case on July 18, 2022, but not before Riley- who was out on bond- earned 54 separate violations for failing to comply with the pre-trial bond conditions. After the Circuit Attorney refiled the case, Riley earned 50 more violations. The Circuit Attorney never filed a motion to revoke Riley’s bond.
The quo warranto points out that Ms. Edmonson’s injuries are the direct result of years of willful neglect from Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner. As the Circuit Attorney, Respondent is morally, ethically, and legally responsible for the conduct of her office. For years, the Circuit Attorney’s Office has failed to (1) prosecute cases to resolution, (2) has failed to inform and confer with victims, and (3) has failed to even review and file cases submitted by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. (Office of the Missouri Attorney General)
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“As Attorney General, I want to protect the people of St. Louis, and that includes ensuring prosecutors protect the public,” Bailey, a Republican, said in a statement. “We gave Circuit Attorney Gardner the chance to do the right thing and resign, she has refused to do so, and my office filed a quo warranto at 12:01 PM to remove her from office immediately.”
As Attorney General, I want to protect the people of St. Louis, and that includes ensuring prosecutors protect the public.
— Attorney General Andrew Bailey (@AGAndrewBailey) February 23, 2023
We gave Circuit Attorney Gardner the chance to do the right thing and resign, she has refused to do so, and my office filed a quo warranto at 12:01 PM to remove her from office immediately.
— Attorney General Andrew Bailey (@AGAndrewBailey) February 23, 2023
Missouri Republicans welcomed the effort.
Kim Gardner is a Soros-funded criminal.
— Eric Greitens (@EricGreitens) February 23, 2023
I’m glad to see Republicans are finally taking action.
Kim Gardner does not belong in the Circuit Attorney’s office. She belongs in a jail cell.pic.twitter.com/7cI2HlD9SN
Gardner pushed back against the move to remove her, calling it "voter suppression."
"The attorney general, as others, use this unfortunate incident and tragic happening to this young lady as a political stunt of an unelected individual," she said. "This is nothing more than voter suppression, which we've seen on a national level as well as in the state of Missouri."
She added: "While it is true my office could have done more, to say we did nothing is not only disingenuous, but is willfully ignorant of the reality of our court system."
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