Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the St. Louis couple who defended their property against a tresspassing mob last summer, pleaded guilty Thursday to misdemeanor charges and agreed to give up the guns they used during the incident.
Video and photographs of rifle-wielding Mark McCloskey and pistol-toting Patricia McCloskey in front of their home on June 28 captured the attention of the country, including President Donald Trump, who spoke out in defense of the couple.
The McCloskeys became a household name and drew admiration from law-abiding Americans who saw them as responsible homeowners exercising their Second Amendment-protected rights as a swarm of Black Lives Matter protesters broke down an iron gate and ignored a “No Trespassing” sign on their private street. After seeing the violence occurring nationwide after the death of George Floyd, which included burning buildings and violent attacks, the McCloskeys, feeling threatened, grabbed firearms and stood at the front of their home to ward off the mob. Thankfully, the they never needed to shoot their guns.
The “woke” Left, including white supporters of the “racial justice” movement who eagerly kneel to the “oppressed” Marxists from BLM, however, saw the “privileged” white couple as overly aggressive toward black protesters who were marching through the community to the home of Democratic then-Mayor Lyda Krewson amid the nationwide protests. By the time of the incident, St. Louis protests had already turned violent, and brought havoc and destruction to the city, with a couple of police officers shot.
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The McCloskeys were indicted by a grand jury in October on charges of unlawful use of a weapon and evidence tampering, both felonies, and could have gone to jail if convicted. At the same time, nine people involved in the protest were charged with misdemeanor trespassing, but the charges were quickly dropped by the city counselor’s office.
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, who charged the couple in July, was removed as the prosecutor by Circuit Judge David Mason after citing the case in campaign fundraising e-mails. A lawyer for the McCloskeys, Joel Schwartz, argued that Gardner’s action indicated legal prejudice and a political motive to her prosecution.
Mason appointed special prosecutor Richard Callahan, who opted to agree to reduced charges. On Thursday, Mark McCloskey pleaded guilty to one count of misdemeanor fourth-degree assault. His wife pleaded guilty to second-degree harassment, also a misdemeanor.
On Thursday, Callahan said in a statement that, accepting the couple’s pleas, he considered several factors, including “the age and lack of a criminal record for the McCloskey’s, the fact they initially called the police, and the fact that no one was hurt and no shots were fired.”
“The protestors on the other hand were a racially mixed and peaceful group, including women and children, who simply made a wrong turn on their way to protest in front of the mayor’s house,” Callahan continued, adding that there was no evidence that any of the protesters were armed.
Mark McCloskey was ordered to pay a $750 fine while Patricia McCloskey was ordered to pay $2,000. The couple’s guns, seized after their initial arrests last year, will be destroyed, even though McCloskey’s attorney asked in court for the judge to allow his rifle to be donated to a charity auction.
“The good news is we’re not in front of charges now, so I don’t have any problem getting myself another AR,” McCloskey said.
In a statement Thursday, Mark McCloskey unapologetically defended his reaction to an angry mob that threatened his family and home. “The prosecutor dropped all charges against me, except for a claim that I put other people in imminent fear of physical harm,” he said. “That’s exactly what I did, that’s what the guns were for. And any time the mob comes and threatens me, I’ll do the same thing again to protect my family,” he said.
Missouri Republican Governor Mike Parson said he would pardon the couple if they were convicted, arguing that “a mob does not have the right to charge your property. They had every right to protect themselves.” Mark McCloskey announced in May that he’s running for U.S. Senate in 2022. “America is at a crossroads. Do we want to preserve our traditions and our way of life, or do we want the cancel culture mobs to destroy everything we’ve built?” he said in the announcement last month.
