ST. LOUIS — Mark McCloskey, a lawyer who was pardoned alongside his wife for pointing guns at racial justice protesters outside their Central West End mansion in 2020, won’t be getting his guns or money back, a St. Louis judge ruled Wednesday.
McCloskey filed suit last year seeking the return of a Colt AR-15 rifle and a Bryco .380-caliber pistol that he and his wife, Patricia McCloskey, agreed to surrender when they pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges stemming from the confrontation with protesters on Portland Place. He also argued he should get a refund for the $872.50 they paid in fines a month before Gov. Mike Parson pardoned them in August 2021.
On Wednesday, Circuit Judge Joan Moriarty ruled the pardon had no bearing on the plea agreement.
“Plaintiff and his wife are required to follow through with their end of the bargain,” she wrote.
Mark McCloskey said he plans to appeal.
“We’ll see what the Court of Appeals has to say,” he said.
