ST. LOUIS — As of mid-February, six prosecutors in the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office had more than 470 felony cases split between them – and now, there are only five.
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner’s Chief Trial Assistant Marvin Teer is resigning at the end of this month.
The I-Team filed a Sunshine request to see how many felony cases Teer and the five other remaining prosecutors have.
Teer had 19 as of Feb. 21, but the rest had between 73 and 117.
Prosecutors should have between 20 and 30 cases that are going to trial, according to Anders Walker, associate dean for research and engagement at St. Louis University’s School of Law.
“I think those are huge numbers,” he said. “It’s going to be very hard even without these people leaving to ever clear those cases.”
Gardner’s Office issued a statement regarding Teer’s departure but did not answer the I-Team’s questions about how many cases are assigned to prosecutors.
The statement read: “Judge Marvin Teer has been an invaluable leader at the CAO, and has led his team with integrity. Judge Teer will continue to be an asset to the office and as the office transitions his role, he will continue to provide support. We wish him the best as he transitions from our office to spend more time with his family.”
Here’s how the numbers break down among the remaining Assistant Circuit Attorneys, according to data the I-Team obtained from a records request to the courts:
- Assistant Circuit Attorney Nicholas Lake: 75
- Assistant Circuit Attorney Christopher Desilets: 109
- Assistant Circuit Attorney Natalia Ogurkiewicz: 117
- Assistant Circuit Attorney Nicholas Polta: 78
- Assistant Circuit Attorney Srikant Chigurupati: 73
- Chief Trial Assistant Marvin Teer: 19
The large caseloads are cited in a rare legal effort to remove Gardner from office. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has filed a quo warranto petition, accusing Gardner of failing to fulfill the duties of her office.
Bailey’s petition accuses Gardner of having more than 200 murder cases pending among five attorneys.
“So victims are waiting for justice, they might have to wait months, even years, and then people who are accused are waiting to be exonerated,” Walker said. “So everybody's in limbo and everybody loses if these cases don't get resolved.”
There is also a bill pending in the legislature that could take away her jurisdiction in St. Louis.
Walker said Gardner has options.
“The Circuit Attorney is in a very tough situation,” he said. “She has a judge that’s is about to review whether she can perform the basic functions of the office.
“If there's no one in the office, she's going to have a hard time explaining that she can do this. She needs help. She could ask for special prosecutors from the governor, that might help her. He might then agree not to sign the bill heading his way, which is going to strip her of her jurisdiction. So she's got it coming from all sides. She needs to move fast.”
Bailey's office sent more subpoenas to Gardner's senior staff members Friday, including Teer, First Assistant Circuit Attorney Serena Wilson-Griffin and Chief Warrant Officer Chris Hinckley as well as St. Louis Comptroller Darlene Green.
The Attorney General is seeking all documents related to Gardner's budget going back to her first day in office, Jan. 1, 2017, along with all payments to the Capes Sokol law firm or any other law firm on behalf of the Circuit Attorney's Office.
Bailey is also asking Teer for text messages, emails, voicemails, notes, records, correspondence and memos including those contained on all government-issued devices related to: staffing, efforts to retain and attract staff, defendant Daniel Riley, Defendant Brandon Campbell, defendant Andrea Straughter, Defendant Malik Ross as well as any contacts with any victims on any case between Jan. 1, 2017, and present.
The Attorney General is also asking Teer for any documents reflecting all complaints from victims all of them received between Jan. 1, 2021, through the present, and all correspondence he's had with Gardner, Wilson-Griffin and all employees, including judges, of the 22nd Judicial Circuit.
The Attorney General's Office is seeking much of the same information from Hinckley, but also copies of all procedures and policies for the warrant since Jan. 1, 2013, as well as any communication he's made related to the allegations within the petition against Gardner.
Bailey's office also sent subpoenas to the Regional Justice Information System Commission, which maintains a database of criminal records. The subpoena asks for a list of active warrant applications submitted by police departments to the Circuit Attorney's Office as well as any documents reflecting the number of active warrants.