A St. Louis couple facing two counts of felony weapons charges pleaded not guilty during a brief hearing on Wednesday morning.
Mark and Patricia McCloskey entered the not guilty plea on charges alleging the unlawful use of a weapon and tampering with evidence. Each charge against the couple carries a maximum punishment of four years in jail and a fine of $10,000.
The hearing today was a follow-up to an indictment filed against the couple on Oct. 6 by a St. Louis grand jury stemming from an incident on June 18 where the couple was videotaped pointing weapons at a group of protesters outside their home.
Mark McCloskey, an attorney by trade, expressed outrage following the Oct. 6 indictment, stating that it was him and his wife who were the actual victims of the event.
“Every single human being that was in front of my house was a criminal trespasser,” McCloskey said. “They broke down our gate. They trespassed on our property. Not a single one of those people is now charged with anything. We’re charged with felonies that could cost us four years of our lives and our law licenses.”
Joel Schwartz, attorney for the McCloskeys, has accused St. Louis circuit attorney Kim Gardner of politicizing the prosecution and noted that Gardner has highlighted the case in her reelection bid.
But Gardner has remained steadfast in her advancement of the case. In August, the circuit attorney told liberal-leaning Mother Jones that the McCloskeys had chosen “to stoke the racial fear and divide in a community for no reason.”
The case now proceeds to pretrial motions on Oct. 28. Regardless of the verdict, the McCloskey’s have several high-powered Republicans in their corner who are likely to keep the couple from facing any time in prison.
Following the hearing today, Schwartz said President Trump “semi-frequently” calls the couple, and Missouri Gov. Mike Parsons has previously stated he will pardon the McCloskeys if it comes to that.
“We’ll let it play out and see how this all comes out in the courts, but I stand by what I said,” Parsons said.
