ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — A St. Louis County grand jury indicted two former corrections officers for assaulting inmates while on duty at the St. Louis County Jail.
Justin Mohler, 37, was indicted for third-degree assault, which is a Class E felony. The indictment states on July 17 of last year, Mohler knowingly caused physical injury to the victim by punching him in and around the face and neck.
Kurtis Bromeier, 37, was indicted for fourth-degree assault. The indictment states on June 1 of last year, Bromeier struck the victim in the head, causing physical pain. It also states the victim had a disability and the officer knowingly caused physical contact with him in a way that a reasonable person, who doesn’t have a disability, would consider offensive and provocative.
“Corrections officers have extremely stressful and difficult jobs, and their work is essential and integral to criminal justice and the work prosecutors do,” said St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell. “But corrections officers are not above the law, and the grand jury agreed that the actions of these two men should be charged as criminal assault.”
These incidents were investigated and are being prosecuted by the Conviction and Incident Review Unit in the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, which is an independent unit that investigates and prosecutes official misconduct.
"The jail does have surveillance and camera systems, which is so important so these things are captured when they do happen," said Dana Mulhauser, who is part of the unit in St. Louis County. "Sometimes things are brought to our attention because members of the public, victims of crime or their family comes to us."
Mulhauser could not comment on specifics of the case and could only speak generically and about the unit - which she said is vital.
"Accountability is so important and people doing their job in professional ways are important," she said. "One of the most important things it says about us as a society is how we take care of the people we take into custody."
Mulhauser did say that this was the first case her office has prosecuted involving St. Louis County jail workers.