St. Louis Sheriff Alfred Montgomery, already facing federal charges, found himself behind bars Tuesday after a judge determined house arrest could no longer restrain his alleged attempts to intimidate witnesses. Montgomery is now facing fresh federal charges of witness tampering and retaliation, with prosecutors claiming he used a burner phone to try and sway witnesses—even while he was supposed to be confined at home for an earlier civil rights case, per WJBK. He was indicted Aug. 28 on accusations that he illegally detained the city's acting jail director after she declined to grant him access to a rape victim for an interview, per St. Louis Magazine and the St. Louis American.
Troubles piled up as prosecutors accused the sheriff of firing employees who sat for depositions. He was allegedly recorded saying certain employees "definitely gotta go" and threatening to knock a person out "with one punch." Prosecutors have also accused the sheriff of being less than honest about his marijuana use and the actual number of firearms in his house—Montgomery reportedly said he had five, but court officials counted 14. "I fear you are going to continue to cause these problems," Judge John M. Bodenhausen said Tuesday in ordering him to jail just a week after allowing Montgomery to stay in office under house arrest.
Montgomery's legal team insists he's not guilty, with defense attorney Justin Gelfand promising to appeal the decision. Retired Judge David Mason, acting as counsel for the sheriff's office, also vouched for Montgomery's innocence and criticized the process behind the allegations. Meanwhile, Mayor Cara Spencer and St. Louis Board of Aldermen President Megan Green called for Montgomery's resignation. Col. Yosef Yasharahla, a close friend of Montgomery, has since been named interim sheriff "until further notice," according to a statement posted on the sheriff's Facebook page.