Attorney General Hanaway Adds Another Count To St. Louis Sheriff Montgomery Removal Proceedings

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Today, Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway announced her Office plans to add another count to the quo warranto case seeking to remove Alfred Montgomery from public office. This count demonstrates that as Montgomery remains in jail he is unable to fulfill his responsibilities as sheriff.

“The fact remains; it is impossible for Montgomery to fulfill his duties while he is incarcerated miles outside of the city he is supposed to protect,” said Attorney General Hanaway. “He has failed citizens, detainees, and his own staff for far too long. We are adding a new count to our case asking the Court to permanently remove him from the office he has so blatantly forfeited. St. Louis has a bright future ahead and it isn’t with Montgomery as sheriff.”

This case highlights a systemic pattern of corruption, neglect, and abuse of authority that has eroded public trust in law enforcement operations in the City of St. Louis.

The Attorney General’s Office first demanded Sheriff Montgomery’s resignation in June 2025 following credible reports of corruption, financial mismanagement, and workplace instability. When he refused, the Office filed a 90-page petition for a writ of quo warranto outlining six counts of misconduct, including unlawful arrests of private citizens, failure to transport inmates for critical medical care, misuse of taxpayer resources for personal benefit, and reckless spending of public funds. The court has since temporarily removed Montgomery from office until final resolution of the quo warranto case.

Total counts in the writ of quo warranto case against Alfred Montgomery:

• NEW: Montgomery violated § 106.220 by failing to personally devote his time to the performance of the duties of the office of the sheriff of the City of St. Louis.
• Montgomery ordered deputies to handcuff and detain a deputy commissioner of the St. Louis City Justice Center without authority, violating state law and her civil rights.
• Montgomery is accused of illegally arresting a lawfully licensed private security guard and seizing the individual’s firearm, despite lacking any legal authority to make arrests to deprive citizens of their protected constitutional rights.
• Montgomery refused to carry out his legal duty to ensure detainees received medical treatment, failing to provide required transports more than sixty times during his first seven months in office, despite clear guidance from prior sheriffs, the City Councilor, and the Board of Aldermen that the Sheriff’s Office bears that responsibility.
• Montgomery used on-duty deputies and taxpayer-funded vehicles to transport and supervise his children, a clear violation of Missouri’s prohibition on deriving personal benefit from public office under § 105.452.
• Montgomery willfully or fraudulently violated an official duty by mismanaging the finances and creating an increasing monetary deficit for the Sheriff’s Office.

Under Missouri law, the Attorney General is authorized to file a petition for a writ of quo warranto to remove an official who has unlawfully held office or forfeited it through willful neglect, abuse of duty, or misconduct. Today’s supplemental petition reaffirms Attorney General Hanaway’s commitment to rooting out government corruption and upholding the rule of law in Missouri.

The supplemental pleading can be read here.