BONNE TERRE, Mo. — A former Kirkwood dentist accused of threatening three St. Louis County judges involved in his 2013 divorce and child custody dispute was arrested after a three-hour armed standoff with officers in Bonne Terre on Wednesday.
The St. Louis County Circuit Court said in a Thursday press release that 51-year-old Jeffrey D. Reuter is charged with three felony counts of interfering with a judicial officer. Federal weapons charges are pending.
According to the release, Reuter hand-delivered "anti-government manifestos" to the homes of three St. Louis County judges on Dec. 7, demanding they give him $2.5 million, grant him shared custody of his daughter, vacate previous judgments against him, purge cases involving him from state files and write an apology to his daughter.
“Failure to satisfy these demands will compel me to take pre-emptive, defensive measures against … further unlawful conduct on your part,” the release said Reuter wrote. “You have until midnight, Dec. 31, 2019 to comply… Be advised … immunity is not available to you this go-around.”
The circuit court said Reuter delivered the manifestos shortly before an order of protection from his ex-wife was set to expire. The order of protection prohibited him from being within 1,000 feet of her, having contact with their daughter or owning a gun.
During the divorce and custody battle, the circuit court said Reuter shut down his dental practice, let his house go into foreclosure, stopped paying his taxes and didn't register his vehicle. He was found in contempt of court in 2017 for not paying more than $20,000 in child support and medical expenses and stalking and threatening to kill his ex-wife.
The three-hour armed police standoff in Bonne Terre ensued when police tried to serve him a warrant, the release said.
All St. Louis County Circuit Court judges have recused themselves from hearing Reuter's case, and it and other pending domestic matters have been assigned to a judge from another circuit.
Reuter's bond was set at $150,000 cash.
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