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Wesley Bell

February 02, 2023

Wesley Bell is an American attorney, former public defender, former municipal prosecutor and judge, former municipal prosecutor and former city council member for Ferguson, Missouri. Currently, Bell holds the office of Prosecuting Attorney for St. Louis County, Missouri.[2] In a major upset, he soundly defeated long-time yet controversial county prosecutor Bob McCulloch in the August 2018 Democratic primary election.[1] Bell became the first black county prosecuting attorney in St. Louis County history when he took office in January 2019.[3]

Wesley Bell
Bell in 2014
Prosecuting Attorney of St. Louis County
Assumed office
January 1, 2019
Preceded byBob McCulloch
Personal details
Born1974/1975 (age 47–48)[1]
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Education

Early life

Bell was raised in North St. Louis County, Missouri. He is the son of a police officer father and civil servant mother. Bell is a graduate of Hazelwood East High School, Lindenwood University, and University of Missouri School of Law.[4]

Career

After graduating from law school, Bell worked as a St. Louis County public defender. He later joined the faculty of Florissant Valley Community College as a professor in the criminology department. Additionally, he also was appointed to be a municipal court judge in Velda City and municipal prosecutor in Riverview. While working as a municipal judge in Velda City, Bell was sued by Arch City Defenders, a local nonprofit, for running an illegal bail system.[5] In 2015 during the Ferguson Protests he was elected to the city council with strong support from some activists. During his time on the council he helped to implement the consent decree to reform the city’s criminal justice system through both police and court reform.[6]

Running for the county prosecutor race on a platform of community based policing, assigning special prosecutors in homicides by police, pledging to never seek the death penalty, reforming cash bail/bond and never using it for low-level offenses, expanding diversion programs and the county’s drug courts, and promoting equitable due process, he received significant support from local and national activists and advocacy groups.[1][3][7]

Prosecutor-elect

In December 2018, a month before Bell took office, the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Office attorneys and investigators voted to join the St. Louis Police Officers Association (SLPOA) a chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police which represents police officers in a neighboring jurisdiction.[8] This decision elicited immediate criticism,[9][10] including accusations of a conflict of interest. Concerns were raised both locally[11] and nationally,[12] and by the Ethical Society of Police (ESOP), which is composed of, predominantly black, active and retired law enforcement officers.[13] However, at least some of the employees’ concerns seemed to be justified after Bell terminated three veteran prosecutors within hours of beginning his term.[14] These terminated employees were later paid $170,000 by St. Louis County to settle their wrongful termination claims.[15]

County prosecutor

Bell Plan

On January 8, 2019, Bell released details of his “Bell Plan.” This plan prioritized working to reduce the St. Louis County jail population to give more resources to combating violent crime.

Marijuana decriminalization

In his first hours in office, Bell ordered his assistant prosecutors not to prosecute marijuana cases under 100 grams without evidence of distribution of the drug. However, he will still prosecute marijuana cases where the person possessing the marijuana is armed with a weapon. They will also not seek warrants on cases which solely involve the possession of marijuana.[16]

Child support

Additionally, during his first days in office Bell elected to stop prosecuting criminal child support cases.[17] This led to concerns that he was allowing non-supporting parents to evade their financial obligations to their children.[18] Bell responded that he was trying to ensure that people would not face criminal charges for being unable to pay and that such charges made it harder for debtors to pay their child support.[17] Bell also stated that he was bringing St. Louis County into line with the rest of the State of Missouri. At the same time it emerged that Tim Swope, Bell’s Director of Operations, owed nearly $19,000.00 in back child support himself.[17]

Death penalty

Bell campaigned on a platform of opposition to the death penalty. In November 2018, prior to Bell taking office, Thomas Bruce, a resident of Jefferson County, Missouri, allegedly entered Catholic Supply, a religious goods store in west St. Louis County and ordered three women there to perform deviant sexual acts on him. According to the charges, when one of the women refused to do so he shot her in the head, killing her.[19] There was a major public outcry for Bell seek the death penalty for Bruce, but Bell refused, keeping his campaign promise.[20] Former St. Louis police chief Tim Fitch has urged Bell to turn the case over to federal prosecutors so that they can seek the death penalty. However, the family of the victim supported Bell’s decision not to seek the death penalty.[21]

Officer-involved shootings

In April 2019, police with the city of Ladue, a St. Louis municipality, were called to a disturbance at a local grocery store.[22] The disturbance allegedly involved a woman shoplifting and fighting with store employees.[23] The Ladue police officer, a white female, confronted the alleged shoplifter, a black female, and the woman fought with the officer and ran from her.[22] The police officer then shot her, claiming she intended to use her taser instead.[23] Bell, reversing the trend over the past several years, charged the police officer with felony assault in the second degree.[22]

However, in another case in August 2019, at the St. Louis Galleria Mall, a man named Terry Tillman was shot and killed after being chased by a police officer.[24] According to police, Tillman was carrying a pistol with an extended magazine inside the mall, a no-gun zone. Police also said that a shopper alerted a police officer who went to stop Tillman. When approached, Tillman took off and the officer chased him. During this chase several other police officers joined the pursuit which took Tillman and officers onto an adjacent parking lot. At some point Tillman was shot after police said he allegedly made a threatening movement in their direction.[25] However, activists in St. Louis later claimed the police planted the gun on Tillman after shooting him and that shooting Tillman was an extreme overreaction on the part of police.[26] Bell was one of the first people at the scene and promised a transparent investigation.[24] However, after nearly a year and a half, in December 2020, Bell announced he would not charge the officer.[27] Bell blamed the delay on being unable to obtain video due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a police report released by Bell’s office indicated that Bell’s office had the video on November 29, 2019.[28]

Controversies

Reopening the Michael Brown shooting case

After his win against incumbent Bob McCulloch, many of his supporters, including Howard University law professor Justin Hansford, called on Bell to reopen the investigation into the death of Michael Brown.[29] While Bell initially promised to address the issue before his inauguration, it took him nearly 18 months to do so.[30] Bell ultimately found, like his predecessor Bob McCulloch and the Obama DOJ, that there was no probable cause to charge Darren Wilson with murder or manslaughter.[31] This decision was met with anger from his supporters and Michael Brown's family who accused Bell of conducting an incomplete investigation.[32] The St. Louis Post Dispatch, a local paper of record, was also critical of Bell for his apparent disappointment expressed at a press conference, in not being able to indict Wilson.[33]

Sex discrimination lawsuit

On October 29, 2020, one of Bell's assistant prosecutors filed a lawsuit under Missouri's Human Rights Act claiming that Bell had fired her and forced out five other female attorneys in favor of male employees. The lawsuit further alleged that Bell had created a hostile work environment for female attorneys at the office. Bell responded by claiming that the prosecutor's attorney was irresponsibly and unethically attempting to litigate his case in the media.[34]

Allegations of politically-motivated prosecutions

In October 2019, Bell charged Dawan Ferguson with two counts of statutory rape and two counts of statutory sodomy and child molestation. The allegations stem from the disappearance of Ferguson’s son Christian in 2003.[35] Ferguson’s public defender filed a motion to dismiss the case, arguing that the case was politically-motivated. She cited Ferguson’s ex-wife working for Bell’s campaign for prosecutor and donating money to Bell as proof of this assertion.[36]

Use of government resources

Bell has also been criticized for his use of government resources while in office. In June 2019, KSDK, a local news outlet, reported that Bell had amassed nearly $800 in parking tickets for parking in no-parking zones and in front of fire hydrants outside of his office, despite the fact that he was provided with a parking space.[37] Bell’s chief of staff, Sam Alton, responded that it was "too tedious" to cross the street to the parking garage.[38] Bell later paid off the parking tickets using his own money.[38]

In August 2019, it emerged that Bell had hired a former campaign worker as a paid intern with the office. In that position she earned more than many of the career staff employees and legal interns. While Bell refused to be interviewed about the subject, his office responded that she was responsible for community engagement projects. The intern was also observed accompanying Bell to many social and community events.[39]

In October 2019, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch conducted an investigation into Bell’s expenditures during the first ten months in office. The investigation uncovered that Bell had spent over $30,000 in government funds on travel and food during his first ten months in office. This included an $816 dinner at an expensive Miami steakhouse and a $300 meal at a Lake of the Ozarks steakhouse. In addition to food and travel, the Post-Dispatch determined that Bell had spent over $8,000 of taxpayer dollars on new office furniture, blinds, and an espresso machine for his office.[40] Furthermore, the Post-Dispatch also reported on Bell’s efforts to hide details of his spending, such as omitting thousands of dollars of charges from requested records, charging the Post to provide requested documents, reimbursing expenditures only after records requests for those expenditures were made, and being nonresponsive to sunshine requests. This was criticized as inconsistent with Bell’s campaign promises to be a transparent administration.[41] Under pressure from his supporters, Bell ultimately apologized for this scandal and vowed to spend taxpayer money more appropriately in the future.[42][43]

References

  1. ^ a b c Ferner, Matt (August 7, 2018). "St. Louis Voters Oust Prosecutor Who Didn't Bring Charges In Cop Killing Of Michael Brown". Huffington Post. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  2. ^ Jordan, Sandra (November 6, 2018). "Victory night for Wesley Bell, former Ferguson councilman makes history as first black St. Louis County Prosecutor". St. Louis American.
  3. ^ a b Levitz, Eric (August 8, 2018). "Progressive Reformer Ousts St. Louis Prosecutor Who Didn't Charge Cop in Michael Brown Case". The Daily Intelligencer. New York (magazine). Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  4. ^ Allen, Ron; Noble Jones, Brittany (August 10, 2018). "Game changer: Wesley Bell ousts Bob McCulloch for prosecutor in St. Louis County". NBC News. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  5. ^ Reilly, Ryan J.; Stewart, Mariah (April 6, 2015). "Judge In Tiny City Facing Lawsuit Over Its 'Illegal' Bail System Is Running For Ferguson City Council". HuffPost. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  6. ^ "Vote Wesley Bell". (Wesley Bell campaign website). Friends of Wesley Bell. 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  7. ^ Stockman, Farah (August 8, 2018). "In Ferguson, a New Prosecutor 'Gives Us Hope' 4 Years After Shooting". The New York Times. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  8. ^ Salter, Jim (December 18, 2018). "Activists concerned by prosecutors joining police union". Associated Press.
  9. ^ Jaco, Charles (December 19, 2018). "Staff prosecutors joining police union sends Wesley Bell a message". St. Louis American.
  10. ^ Jones, Tishaura O. (December 17, 2018). "Fear of black leadership in St. Louis". St. Louis American.
  11. ^ Messenger, Tony (December 16, 2018). "Messenger: St. Louis County prosecutors seek to join police union before Wesley Bell takes over". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
  12. ^ Balko, Radley (December 17, 2018). "A reformer won the election for St. Louis County DA. But his future subordinates might join the police union". The Washington Post.
  13. ^ Lacy, Akela (December 20, 2018). "Before Criminal Justice Reformer Is Even Sworn In, St. Louis Prosecutors Have Joined a Police Union". The Intercept. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  14. ^ "Wesley Bell, new St. Louis County prosecutor, fires some staff". KMOV.com. Associated Press. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  15. ^ Currier, Joel. "Third prosecutor forced out by Wesley Bell gets $70,000 settlement with St. Louis County". stltoday.com. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  16. ^ Wicentowski, Danny (January 14, 2019). "St. Louis County will stop prosecuting marijuana possession under 100 grams". The Riverfront Times. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  17. ^ a b c Long, Jacob (January 4, 2019). "Top staffer for Wesley Bell owes ex-wife thousands in back due child support". KSDK.
  18. ^ Choat, Brad (January 6, 2019). "New St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell Urging Patience". KMOX Radio. KMOX. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  19. ^ Byers, Christine; Benchaabane, Nassim; Hollinshed, Denise; Holleman, Joe (November 22, 2018). "Jefferson County man charged with murder, sex crimes in Catholic Supply store attack". St. Louis Post Dispatch.
  20. ^ Long, Jacob; Cole, Ashley. "Wesley Bell won't seek death penalty in Catholic Supply murder". KSDK. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  21. ^ Byers, Christine (November 28, 2018). "Death penalty should be on the table for Catholic Supply killer, former police chief says". The St. Louis Post Dispatch. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  22. ^ a b c Rivas, Rebecca (May 1, 2019). "Bell charges cop in shooting at Ladue Schnucks". The St. Louis American. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  23. ^ a b Byers, Christine; Currier, Joel (May 2, 2019). "Ladue officer charged with assault in 'reckless' shooting of shoplifting suspect at Schnucks". The St. Louis Post Dispatch. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  24. ^ a b Schrappen, Colleen (August 31, 2019). "Police fatally shoot man near St. Louis Galleria mall". The St. Louis Post Dispatch. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  25. ^ Benchaabane, Nassim; Currier, Joel (September 4, 2019). "Man shot near Galleria had raised his gun toward officer, police say". The St. Louis Post Dispatch. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  26. ^ Rivas, Rebecca (November 25, 2019). "Citizen video seems to show police planting gun". The St. Louis American. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  27. ^ American, Dana Rieck Of The St Louis. "Officer not charged in fatal Galleria shooting, victim's family requests video not be released". St. Louis American. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  28. ^ Tillman Police Report Redacted (December 9, 2020). "Tillman Police Report Redacted". Retrieved December 9, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  29. ^ Hansford, Justin (August 10, 2018). "Reopen the Michael Brown investigation". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  30. ^ Patrick, Robert (August 10, 2018). "Wesley Bell will soon address calls for reinvestigation of Michael Brown's death, his spokeswoman says. Bell ultimately decided not to file any charges even though eye witness testimony from third parties were in agreement that Brown had his hands in the air and was not a threat when he was murdered". The St. Louis Post Dispatch. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  31. ^ Currier, Joel. "St. Louis County prosecutor reopened Michael Brown shooting case but won't charge Darren Wilson". STLtoday.com. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  32. ^ American, Chris King Of The St Louis. "Lezley McSpadden says Wesley Bell did not do a 'proper investigation'". St. Louis American. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  33. ^ The Editorial Board. "Editorial: New investigation, same disappointing result for Michael Brown's family". STLtoday.com. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  34. ^ Currier, Joel. "Former prosecutor accuses Wesley Bell of racial, gender and age discrimination". STLtoday.com. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  35. ^ Currier, Joel (October 24, 2019). "St. Louis County prosecutors file sex charges against man accused of killing disabled son in 2003". The St. Louis Post Dispatch. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  36. ^ Currier, Joel (October 23, 2019). "St. Louis County man accused of killing disabled son in 2003 stays in jail; prosecutors plan more charges". The St. Louis Post Dispatch. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  37. ^ Long, Jacob (July 15, 2019). "Using taxpayer-funded SUV, Wesley Bell racks up hundreds of dollars in unpaid parking tickets". KSDK. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  38. ^ a b Long, Jacob (August 7, 2019). "Wesley Bell surrenders fight to avoid paying hundreds of dollars in parking tickets on government-funded SUV". KSDK. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  39. ^ Trager, Lauren (August 27, 2019). "Whistleblower says controversial hire in STL Co. Prosecutor's Office is 'slap in the face to the career professionals'". KMOV. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  40. ^ Currier, Joel (October 28, 2019). "Lobster, ribeye: Prosecutor Wesley Bell's office has charged $30,000 in meals, travel to St. Louis County credit cards". The St. Louis Post Dispatch. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  41. ^ The Post Dispatch Editorial Board (October 27, 2019). "Editorial: Bell's lavish meals, travel aren't a good fit for a self-proclaimed reformer". The St Louis Post Dispatch. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  42. ^ The St. Louis American Editorial Board (October 31, 2019). "Wesley Bell needs to clean up the mess he made". The St. Louis American. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  43. ^ Bell, Wesley (November 5, 2019). "I cannot allow my missteps to undermine our mission". The St. Louis American. Retrieved February 22, 2020.

External link

  Media related to Wesley Bell at Wikimedia Commons

February 02, 2023
wesley, bell, american, attorney, former, public, defender, former, municipal, prosecutor, judge, former, municipal, prosecutor, former, city, council, member, ferguson, missouri, currently, bell, holds, office, prosecuting, attorney, louis, county, missouri, . Wesley Bell is an American attorney former public defender former municipal prosecutor and judge former municipal prosecutor and former city council member for Ferguson Missouri Currently Bell holds the office of Prosecuting Attorney for St Louis County Missouri 2 In a major upset he soundly defeated long time yet controversial county prosecutor Bob McCulloch in the August 2018 Democratic primary election 1 Bell became the first black county prosecuting attorney in St Louis County history when he took office in January 2019 3 Wesley BellBell in 2014Prosecuting Attorney of St Louis CountyIncumbentAssumed office January 1 2019Preceded byBob McCullochPersonal detailsBorn1974 1975 age 47 48 1 St Louis Missouri U S Political partyDemocraticEducationLindenwood University BA University of Missouri JD Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2 1 Prosecutor elect 2 2 County prosecutor 2 2 1 Bell Plan 2 2 2 Marijuana decriminalization 2 2 3 Child support 2 2 4 Death penalty 2 2 5 Officer involved shootings 2 3 Controversies 2 3 1 Reopening the Michael Brown shooting case 2 3 2 Sex discrimination lawsuit 2 3 3 Allegations of politically motivated prosecutions 2 3 4 Use of government resources 3 References 4 External linkEarly life EditBell was raised in North St Louis County Missouri He is the son of a police officer father and civil servant mother Bell is a graduate of Hazelwood East High School Lindenwood University and University of Missouri School of Law 4 Career EditAfter graduating from law school Bell worked as a St Louis County public defender He later joined the faculty of Florissant Valley Community College as a professor in the criminology department Additionally he also was appointed to be a municipal court judge in Velda City and municipal prosecutor in Riverview While working as a municipal judge in Velda City Bell was sued by Arch City Defenders a local nonprofit for running an illegal bail system 5 In 2015 during the Ferguson Protests he was elected to the city council with strong support from some activists During his time on the council he helped to implement the consent decree to reform the city s criminal justice system through both police and court reform 6 Running for the county prosecutor race on a platform of community based policing assigning special prosecutors in homicides by police pledging to never seek the death penalty reforming cash bail bond and never using it for low level offenses expanding diversion programs and the county s drug courts and promoting equitable due process he received significant support from local and national activists and advocacy groups 1 3 7 Prosecutor elect Edit In December 2018 a month before Bell took office the St Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Office attorneys and investigators voted to join the St Louis Police Officers Association SLPOA a chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police which represents police officers in a neighboring jurisdiction 8 This decision elicited immediate criticism 9 10 including accusations of a conflict of interest Concerns were raised both locally 11 and nationally 12 and by the Ethical Society of Police ESOP which is composed of predominantly black active and retired law enforcement officers 13 However at least some of the employees concerns seemed to be justified after Bell terminated three veteran prosecutors within hours of beginning his term 14 These terminated employees were later paid 170 000 by St Louis County to settle their wrongful termination claims 15 County prosecutor Edit Bell Plan Edit On January 8 2019 Bell released details of his Bell Plan This plan prioritized working to reduce the St Louis County jail population to give more resources to combating violent crime Marijuana decriminalization Edit In his first hours in office Bell ordered his assistant prosecutors not to prosecute marijuana cases under 100 grams without evidence of distribution of the drug However he will still prosecute marijuana cases where the person possessing the marijuana is armed with a weapon They will also not seek warrants on cases which solely involve the possession of marijuana 16 Child support Edit Additionally during his first days in office Bell elected to stop prosecuting criminal child support cases 17 This led to concerns that he was allowing non supporting parents to evade their financial obligations to their children 18 Bell responded that he was trying to ensure that people would not face criminal charges for being unable to pay and that such charges made it harder for debtors to pay their child support 17 Bell also stated that he was bringing St Louis County into line with the rest of the State of Missouri At the same time it emerged that Tim Swope Bell s Director of Operations owed nearly 19 000 00 in back child support himself 17 Death penalty Edit Bell campaigned on a platform of opposition to the death penalty In November 2018 prior to Bell taking office Thomas Bruce a resident of Jefferson County Missouri allegedly entered Catholic Supply a religious goods store in west St Louis County and ordered three women there to perform deviant sexual acts on him According to the charges when one of the women refused to do so he shot her in the head killing her 19 There was a major public outcry for Bell seek the death penalty for Bruce but Bell refused keeping his campaign promise 20 Former St Louis police chief Tim Fitch has urged Bell to turn the case over to federal prosecutors so that they can seek the death penalty However the family of the victim supported Bell s decision not to seek the death penalty 21 Officer involved shootings Edit In April 2019 police with the city of Ladue a St Louis municipality were called to a disturbance at a local grocery store 22 The disturbance allegedly involved a woman shoplifting and fighting with store employees 23 The Ladue police officer a white female confronted the alleged shoplifter a black female and the woman fought with the officer and ran from her 22 The police officer then shot her claiming she intended to use her taser instead 23 Bell reversing the trend over the past several years charged the police officer with felony assault in the second degree 22 However in another case in August 2019 at the St Louis Galleria Mall a man named Terry Tillman was shot and killed after being chased by a police officer 24 According to police Tillman was carrying a pistol with an extended magazine inside the mall a no gun zone Police also said that a shopper alerted a police officer who went to stop Tillman When approached Tillman took off and the officer chased him During this chase several other police officers joined the pursuit which took Tillman and officers onto an adjacent parking lot At some point Tillman was shot after police said he allegedly made a threatening movement in their direction 25 However activists in St Louis later claimed the police planted the gun on Tillman after shooting him and that shooting Tillman was an extreme overreaction on the part of police 26 Bell was one of the first people at the scene and promised a transparent investigation 24 However after nearly a year and a half in December 2020 Bell announced he would not charge the officer 27 Bell blamed the delay on being unable to obtain video due to the COVID 19 pandemic However a police report released by Bell s office indicated that Bell s office had the video on November 29 2019 28 Controversies Edit Reopening the Michael Brown shooting case Edit After his win against incumbent Bob McCulloch many of his supporters including Howard University law professor Justin Hansford called on Bell to reopen the investigation into the death of Michael Brown 29 While Bell initially promised to address the issue before his inauguration it took him nearly 18 months to do so 30 Bell ultimately found like his predecessor Bob McCulloch and the Obama DOJ that there was no probable cause to charge Darren Wilson with murder or manslaughter 31 This decision was met with anger from his supporters and Michael Brown s family who accused Bell of conducting an incomplete investigation 32 The St Louis Post Dispatch a local paper of record was also critical of Bell for his apparent disappointment expressed at a press conference in not being able to indict Wilson 33 Sex discrimination lawsuit Edit On October 29 2020 one of Bell s assistant prosecutors filed a lawsuit under Missouri s Human Rights Act claiming that Bell had fired her and forced out five other female attorneys in favor of male employees The lawsuit further alleged that Bell had created a hostile work environment for female attorneys at the office Bell responded by claiming that the prosecutor s attorney was irresponsibly and unethically attempting to litigate his case in the media 34 Allegations of politically motivated prosecutions Edit In October 2019 Bell charged Dawan Ferguson with two counts of statutory rape and two counts of statutory sodomy and child molestation The allegations stem from the disappearance of Ferguson s son Christian in 2003 35 Ferguson s public defender filed a motion to dismiss the case arguing that the case was politically motivated She cited Ferguson s ex wife working for Bell s campaign for prosecutor and donating money to Bell as proof of this assertion 36 Use of government resources Edit Bell has also been criticized for his use of government resources while in office In June 2019 KSDK a local news outlet reported that Bell had amassed nearly 800 in parking tickets for parking in no parking zones and in front of fire hydrants outside of his office despite the fact that he was provided with a parking space 37 Bell s chief of staff Sam Alton responded that it was too tedious to cross the street to the parking garage 38 Bell later paid off the parking tickets using his own money 38 In August 2019 it emerged that Bell had hired a former campaign worker as a paid intern with the office In that position she earned more than many of the career staff employees and legal interns While Bell refused to be interviewed about the subject his office responded that she was responsible for community engagement projects The intern was also observed accompanying Bell to many social and community events 39 In October 2019 the St Louis Post Dispatch conducted an investigation into Bell s expenditures during the first ten months in office The investigation uncovered that Bell had spent over 30 000 in government funds on travel and food during his first ten months in office This included an 816 dinner at an expensive Miami steakhouse and a 300 meal at a Lake of the Ozarks steakhouse In addition to food and travel the Post Dispatch determined that Bell had spent over 8 000 of taxpayer dollars on new office furniture blinds and an espresso machine for his office 40 Furthermore the Post Dispatch also reported on Bell s efforts to hide details of his spending such as omitting thousands of dollars of charges from requested records charging the Post to provide requested documents reimbursing expenditures only after records requests for those expenditures were made and being nonresponsive to sunshine requests This was criticized as inconsistent with Bell s campaign promises to be a transparent administration 41 Under pressure from his supporters Bell ultimately apologized for this scandal and vowed to spend taxpayer money more appropriately in the future 42 43 References Edit a b c Ferner Matt August 7 2018 St Louis Voters Oust Prosecutor Who Didn t Bring Charges In Cop Killing Of Michael Brown Huffington Post Retrieved August 28 2018 Jordan Sandra November 6 2018 Victory night for Wesley Bell former Ferguson councilman makes history as first black St Louis County Prosecutor St Louis American a b Levitz Eric August 8 2018 Progressive Reformer Ousts St Louis Prosecutor Who Didn t Charge Cop in Michael Brown Case The Daily Intelligencer New York magazine Retrieved August 28 2018 Allen Ron Noble Jones Brittany August 10 2018 Game changer Wesley Bell ousts Bob McCulloch for prosecutor in St Louis County NBC News Retrieved August 28 2018 Reilly Ryan J Stewart Mariah April 6 2015 Judge In Tiny City Facing Lawsuit Over Its Illegal Bail System Is Running For Ferguson City Council HuffPost Retrieved September 3 2020 Vote Wesley Bell Wesley Bell campaign website Friends of Wesley Bell 2018 Retrieved August 28 2018 Stockman Farah August 8 2018 In Ferguson a New Prosecutor Gives Us Hope 4 Years After Shooting The New York Times Retrieved August 18 2018 Salter Jim December 18 2018 Activists concerned by prosecutors joining police union Associated Press Jaco Charles December 19 2018 Staff prosecutors joining police union sends Wesley Bell a message St Louis American Jones Tishaura O December 17 2018 Fear of black leadership in St Louis St Louis American Messenger Tony December 16 2018 Messenger St Louis County prosecutors seek to join police union before Wesley Bell takes over St Louis Post Dispatch Balko Radley December 17 2018 A reformer won the election for St Louis County DA But his future subordinates might join the police union The Washington Post Lacy Akela December 20 2018 Before Criminal Justice Reformer Is Even Sworn In St Louis Prosecutors Have Joined a Police Union The Intercept Retrieved December 21 2018 Wesley Bell new St Louis County prosecutor fires some staff KMOV com Associated Press Retrieved February 3 2020 Currier Joel Third prosecutor forced out by Wesley Bell gets 70 000 settlement with St Louis County stltoday com Retrieved February 3 2020 Wicentowski Danny January 14 2019 St Louis County will stop prosecuting marijuana possession under 100 grams The Riverfront Times Retrieved February 22 2020 a b c Long Jacob January 4 2019 Top staffer for Wesley Bell owes ex wife thousands in back due child support KSDK Choat Brad January 6 2019 New St Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell Urging Patience KMOX Radio KMOX Retrieved January 7 2020 Byers Christine Benchaabane Nassim Hollinshed Denise Holleman Joe November 22 2018 Jefferson County man charged with murder sex crimes in Catholic Supply store attack St Louis Post Dispatch Long Jacob Cole Ashley Wesley Bell won t seek death penalty in Catholic Supply murder KSDK Retrieved February 8 2020 Byers Christine November 28 2018 Death penalty should be on the table for Catholic Supply killer former police chief says The St Louis Post Dispatch Retrieved February 22 2020 a b c Rivas Rebecca May 1 2019 Bell charges cop in shooting at Ladue Schnucks The St Louis American Retrieved February 22 2020 a b Byers Christine Currier Joel May 2 2019 Ladue officer charged with assault in reckless shooting of shoplifting suspect at Schnucks The St Louis Post Dispatch Retrieved February 22 2020 a b Schrappen Colleen August 31 2019 Police fatally shoot man near St Louis Galleria mall The St Louis Post Dispatch Retrieved February 22 2020 Benchaabane Nassim Currier Joel September 4 2019 Man shot near Galleria had raised his gun toward officer police say The St Louis Post Dispatch Retrieved February 22 2020 Rivas Rebecca November 25 2019 Citizen video seems to show police planting gun The St Louis American Retrieved February 22 2020 American Dana Rieck Of The St Louis Officer not charged in fatal Galleria shooting victim s family requests video not be released St Louis American Retrieved December 10 2020 Tillman Police Report Redacted December 9 2020 Tillman Police Report Redacted Retrieved December 9 2020 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Hansford Justin August 10 2018 Reopen the Michael Brown investigation The Washington Post Retrieved February 22 2020 Patrick Robert August 10 2018 Wesley Bell will soon address calls for reinvestigation of Michael Brown s death his spokeswoman says Bell ultimately decided not to file any charges even though eye witness testimony from third parties were in agreement that Brown had his hands in the air and was not a threat when he was murdered The St Louis Post Dispatch Retrieved February 22 2020 Currier Joel St Louis County prosecutor reopened Michael Brown shooting case but won t charge Darren Wilson STLtoday com Retrieved August 20 2020 American Chris King Of The St Louis Lezley McSpadden says Wesley Bell did not do a proper investigation St Louis American Retrieved August 20 2020 The Editorial Board Editorial New investigation same disappointing result for Michael Brown s family STLtoday com Retrieved August 20 2020 Currier Joel Former prosecutor accuses Wesley Bell of racial gender and age discrimination STLtoday com Retrieved October 30 2020 Currier Joel October 24 2019 St Louis County prosecutors file sex charges against man accused of killing disabled son in 2003 The St Louis Post Dispatch Retrieved February 22 2020 Currier Joel October 23 2019 St Louis County man accused of killing disabled son in 2003 stays in jail prosecutors plan more charges The St Louis Post Dispatch Retrieved February 22 2020 Long Jacob July 15 2019 Using taxpayer funded SUV Wesley Bell racks up hundreds of dollars in unpaid parking tickets KSDK Retrieved February 22 2020 a b Long Jacob August 7 2019 Wesley Bell surrenders fight to avoid paying hundreds of dollars in parking tickets on government funded SUV KSDK Retrieved February 22 2020 Trager Lauren August 27 2019 Whistleblower says controversial hire in STL Co Prosecutor s Office is slap in the face to the career professionals KMOV Retrieved February 22 2020 Currier Joel October 28 2019 Lobster ribeye Prosecutor Wesley Bell s office has charged 30 000 in meals travel to St Louis County credit cards The St Louis Post Dispatch Retrieved February 22 2020 The Post Dispatch Editorial Board October 27 2019 Editorial Bell s lavish meals travel aren t a good fit for a self proclaimed reformer The St Louis Post Dispatch Retrieved February 22 2020 The St Louis American Editorial Board October 31 2019 Wesley Bell needs to clean up the mess he made The St Louis American Retrieved February 22 2020 Bell Wesley November 5 2019 I cannot allow my missteps to undermine our mission The St Louis American Retrieved February 22 2020 External link Edit Media related to Wesley Bell at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Wesley Bell amp oldid 1136980598, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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