ST. LOUIS — Judge Michael Noble issued another order calling the conduct of St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner into question about a week before he issued an order charging Gardner and one of her assistant prosecutors in contempt from his bench.
Noble denied a motion from St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner’s Office on April 20 to disqualify Noble from a domestic violence case after the prosecutor on the case told Noble she did not sign the document even though it includes her electronic signature.
Assistant Circuit Attorney Sydney Beecher apologized to Noble and told him she did not file the motion to disqualify him from the case -- someone else in her office did, according to Noble’s order.
Records show Assistant Circuit Attorney Faris Mustafa filed the motion to disqualify Noble from the case on April 19 at 7:15 p.m. – about three hours after Mustafa withdrew from the case, according to Noble’s order.
“The ACA whose name appears on the pleading stated to the court she did not file it or authorize anyone else to file it on her behalf,” according to Noble’s order.
Prosecuting and defense attorneys can file motions to disqualify judges for any number of reasons. It's a trial strategy.
“This filing for blanket disqualification of a judge was made in the same manner and form as has been done in this Circuit for decades in previous administrations," a spokesperson for Gardner's office told 5 On Your Side Friday evening. "Any suggestion that someone forged a name is patently false.”
On Thursday, Noble found enough evidence to proceed to a contempt hearing involving Gardner and another one of her assistant prosecutors, Chris Desilets. He called Gardner’s office, “a rudderless ship of chaos.”
This is not the first time prosecutors in Gardner’s office have seen their signatures added to documents without their knowledge.
Kim Arshi began maternity leave on May 10, 2021. The I-Team reported then that someone put her digital signature on at least 20 homicide cases after her leave began.
No one from Gardner’s office showed up for three hearings on one of her homicide cases, which led to the release of a homicide suspect without notification to the victim’s family.
Arshi then resigned.
The domestic violence case at the center of the motion to disqualify Noble occurred on April 2 at an apartment along South Grand Boulevard.
Rodney Price, 25, was charged with four counts of domestic assault after the victim told police he strangled her, causing her to lose consciousness, struck her numerous times on her torso, head, arms and legs and dragged her by her hair across the carpet causing her to develop rug burns on her knee and foot. Part of the attack was captured on a voicemail recording, according to court documents.
In a separate incident in November, the victim told police Price slapped her, pushed her to the ground and threw something at her. Price admitted to police he threw a hairbrush at the victim, which cut her face and required stitches, according to the documents.
