Tag Archives: Missouri

No scruples or shame: Fired St. Louis DA abdicated her duties

Democrats have absolutely no shame. None at all.

Fired St. Louis DA (backed by George Soros) Kim Gardner is proof of that.

Former St. Louis DA Kim Gardner

From the Daily Mail:

St Louis’ former DA took nursing classes during her taxpayer-funded working hours before being fired over soaring crime.  

Former Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, who was backed by progressive billionaire George Soros, spent 34.5 days attending classes at St Louis University in Missouri over two years instead of doing her public sector job. That’s according to a state audit released on Tuesday by State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick in a damning 71-page report.

The review also found widespread staff turnover, misuse of public funds and a large drop in the number of cases filed, referred and closed before she resigned in 2023.

Gardner quit after Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey took steps to remove her from office after she let too many cases, including homicide, go unpunished. 

She told auditors she had been pursuing a family nurse practitioner post-master’s certificate ‘to improve the office and bring mental health awareness’ to the office.

Other issues cited in the audit include $58,000 being spent on flowers, a DJ, car detailing, an office picnic, a chili cookout and her own legal expenses. Auditors also found difficulty in obtaining information from her office while she was in charge. 

Employees denied or delayed requests by auditors for two years until they had to respond due to court subpoenas.  The audit said that ‘full access to documents, personnel, and the office itself was only given after the new administration took over’. 

An additional $1.9 million was found to have been used to pay contracts for outside legal representation, new software, consultants, and office equipment.

She told auditors that some of the purchases, which also included $5,180 at a bar and grill and $2,585 in pizza were to ‘boost morale’, according to the St. Louis Dispatch.

Under her watch, murder in St. Louis hit a 50-year high and the city saw fewer and fewer felonies prosecuted.

Read the whole story here.

None of this should shock any one. Garner was crooked from day one. One look at the long list of controversies on her Wikipedia page should tell you how rotten she was.

Dont hold your breath that she’ll be held to account for her reckless actions. In October of last year, Gardner was accused of misappropriation of funds by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. In a pretrial diversion agreement, Gardner formally admitted to the misappropriation of funds, agreed to remain crime-free for a period of 18 months, reported to a pre-trial services officer, and has to repay the misappropriated funds.

Sure is good to be a demorat.

DCG

Crime in Missouri: St. Louis frees hit & run driver who killed mom and daughter

St. Louis, Missouri has had a democrat mayor since 1949.  The previous Soros-backed district attorney, Kim Gardner, finally resigned in May 2023 after a serial criminal who had violated house arrest 51 times caused a teenage girl to lose both of her legs. Read that whole story here.

Yet since Gardner’s departure, criminals are still able to roam free in St. Louis. Example:

St Louis driver, 22, who killed two Drake fans in horror crash as they left concert is FREED on $20k bail

Victims Laticha Bracero and her daughter Alyssa Cordova

From The Daily Mail:

Horrific surveillance footage captured the moment a mom and daughter were fatally ran down by a speeding motorist running a red light – who has since been released on bail.

Laticha Bracero, 42, and her daughter Alyssa Cordova, 21, were leaving a Drake concert in St. Louis, Missouri on February 14 when driver Monte Henderson, 22, allegedly plowed into them at the intersection. Two other teen girls and a 61-year-old woman were also injured in the crash, which saw Henderson collide with several other vehicles as he blew through the lights. 

Free on bail: Perp Monte Henderson

Police say he was speeding at over 70mph when he allegedly caused the tragedy.

However, Judge Annette Llewellyn ignored a probable cause statement arguing he is a danger to the community, allowing him to be freed on a $20,000 bail, according to STL Today

Judge Annette Lewellyn

Reported court records showed he was freed on Friday morning after posting 10 percent of his $200,000 bondHe is facing two counts of involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action in the deaths of the mother and daughter

Cops say he blew through the stop lights on Olive Street in the center of the city, with the footage showing the red light at the same time he sped past the intersection in his Jeep Grand Cherokee. He was seen travelling at a high rate of speed before initially colliding with the front bumper of another car, which led him to careen into Bracero and Cordova. 

Bracero was pronounced dead at the scene, and Cordova died shortly after being rushed to hospital, police said.” 

Read the whole tragic story here.

Just another reason to avoid large, democrat-run cities that favor defunding their police. And cities with Soros-backed district attorneys who coddle criminals. Your life may depend upon it.

DCG

If you haven’t been there: A visit to the Gateway Arch

The Gateway Arch (or St. Louis Arch, as many call it) is a magnificent structure located in St. Louis, Missouri. It is also called the “Gateway to the West.”

It was built in 1963-65 and is a monument to Thomas Jefferson and his ideas for America’s westward expansion. The Arch is the tallest man-made structure in the Western Hemisphere, standing 630 feet high. It was designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen in 1947 and cost $13 million. The monument opened to the public on June 10, 1967.  It is located at the site of St. Louis’s founding on the west bank of the Mississippi River.

Some fun facts about the monument:

  • The arch’s two legs were built separately, and if their measurements were off by as little as 1/64th of an inch, they would not have been able to join at the top.
  • The arch is tall as it is wide.
  • The insurance company for the project predicted that 13 workers would die during construction. No one died during construcction.
  • Due to security concerns, presidents aren’t allowed to go to the top—except President Eisenhower (who signed the order for construction of the monument).

Read more about the Gateway Arch design here.

I visited the Gateway Arch back in the 90s. I’m not a big fan of heights yet you have to visit this monument if you go to St. Louis! The scariest part? The tram to the top.

The tram is a “one-of-a-kind” invention created by Dick Bowser.  You step (and duck your head) into what looks like an egg shell design (they call it a capsule). If you are not a fan of tight spaces this is not for you! Read about the design of the tram system here and see what the ride up to the top of the arch looks like:

When you get to the top, here’s the spectacular views: (start at 4:50 mark; there’s more tram ride up before that, if interested):

If you haven’t been there, enjoy the virtual visit!

DCG