ST. LOUIS — Many supporters of the St. Louis Circuit Attorney are remaining steadfast amidst growing criticism against Kim Gardner.
"It's the voters' responsibility, we put her there," Jimell Dobey, a resident and business owner said. "We put (Gardner) in there for a purpose. It's a passion for her to even want to be in that job. It's just not one person's problem, it's a lot of people's problem."
Attorney Jerryl Christmas is a former prosecutor with 20 years of experience in the courtroom. He backs Gardner and says others in the judicial process need to share the blame for allowing Daniel Riley, an armed robbery suspect, to break his house arrest bond agreement multiple times.
On Saturday night, Riley crashed a vehicle in downtown St. Louis. The crash pinned 17-year-old Janae Edmondson, severely injuring her. Her legs had to be amputated. Edmonson was a multi-sport athlete and high school musician before the crash.
"Everybody doesn't have the same responsibility, that's why you have to educate the people on the law," Christmas said. "Kim has no control over bonds, only the court, the judiciary has control over bonds."
Congresswoman Cori Bush, a longtime ally of Gardner's, issued a statement Friday blaming the "system" for failures.
"We must reject disingenuous, misogynistic, and racist calls by state officials to circumvent the will of St. Louisans who have entrusted democratically elected local officials to oversee and implement public safety," Bush's statement read.
Many have called the case emblematic of the dysfunction in Gardner's office in St. Louis. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed legal proceedings to remove Gardner from office.
5 On Your Side found discrepancies in Gardner's timeline of when her office asked for a tougher bond agreement from judges.
On December 12, 2021 Gardner's office said they asked for a bond revocation. The courts are closed on Sundays.
There were other times when Gardner's office claimed they asked for a tougher bond agreement, court records don't support those claims.