1 charge against Bar:PM owner dropped 9 months after crash, 2nd charge still pending

ST. LOUIS — One of the charges against the owner of Bar:PM were dropped Monday, the owner's lawyer said.

Bar owner Chad Morris was charged with assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest after a police vehicle crashed into the building last December. Attorney Javad Khazaeli said the resisting arrest charge was dropped Monday when prosecutors elected not to proceed with the charge.

A court spokesperson confirmed that the charge was dropped, saying "the evidence did not support the charges."

Khazaeli previously said all charges were dropped, including the assault charge, but later said it was unclear if the assault charge was dropped. The circuit attorney's office said the assault charge is still pending.

The next court hearing is scheduled for Oct. 25.

The case is related to an incident on Dec. 18 at Bar:PM, a well-known gay bar on South Broadway, where a police SUV crashed into the building's façade.

After conflicting reports, police said another officer was distracted by using his police radio while driving. Surveillance video shows a police SUV driving at high speed and running stop lights before losing control and crashing into the building.

Within minutes of the crash, James Pence, one of the owners of the gay bar, had been handcuffed; Chad Morris, his partner, was arrested and later charged with a misdemeanor after an alleged physical altercation with one of the responding officers. 

Earlier this month, St. Louis police confirmed that one of the officers at the center of the crash was no longer employed with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Wallace was the officer who arrived on the scene after the Bar:PM crash and arrested bar owner Chad Morris. 

Wallace is facing a lawsuit from Morris' partner and bar co-owner James Pence in connection with the Bar:PM incident and another lawsuit from Richard Hopkins III for a previous incident at the St. Louis City Justice Center.

There is also a lawsuit for a 2019 case on South Broadway, which accused Wallace of arresting a man out of retaliation and shattering his clavicle, left proximal tibia and fibula after an arrest. This case was settled earlier this year.

Editor's note: A previous version of this story said both charges were dropped. This story has been updated to correct that information.