by Eric Lendrum
Missouri Governor Mike Parson (R-Mo.) issued a pardon for the St. Louis couple that successfully defended their home from far-left terrorists last year, after local prosecutors had sought to charge them with a crime, according to ABC News.
Governor Parson made the announcement on Tuesday, following up on a promise he had made previously to pardon Mark and Patricia McCloskey if they were charged. The couple, who are both lawyers, responded to a mob of rioters storming into their gated suburb by standing outside their house with firearms, with Mark wielding a rifle and Patricia holding a handgun. The incident took place in June of last year, at the height of the race riots that burned numerous cities across the country.
After the mob broke through a gate that led into the neighborhood and began shouting violent threats at the various homes in the area, the McCloskeys stood their ground and ordered the mob to leave. The incident was captured on video and went viral, with the McCloskeys being hailed as heroes for standing up to a mob that vastly outnumbered them.
Nevertheless, Kim Gardner, the far-left Circuit Attorney for St. Louis, sought to press charges against the couple for their act of self-defense. Gardner, who was financially backed by far-left billionaire George Soros, charged them with unlawful weapon use, fourth-degree assault, and second-degree harassment, leading to criticisms of political bias in her decision to pursue charges.
The McCloskeys responded by taking Gardner to court, arguing before a judge that Gardner used her prosecution of the case for political gain, which included her re-election campaign citing the case in fundraising emails before and after filing the charges. Judge Thomas Clark ultimately sided with the McCloskeys and removed Gardner from the case, a decision that was upheld by the Missouri Supreme Court. The case was then handed over to special prosecutor Richard Callahan.
Despite Gardner’s removal, the McCloskeys ultimately pleaded guilty to several of the charges, with Mark pleading guilty to the assault charge, and Patricia pleading guilty to the harassment charge, both misdemeanors. They were ordered to surrender their weapons to the authorities, and to pay fines of $750 from Mark and $2,000 from Patricia. As a result of the plea, all other charges were dropped.
Mark has continued to defend their actions, saying that he would do the same thing again, and has become an outspoken critic of Black Lives Matter and other far-left movements. McCloskey is currently running for the Republican nomination for the open seat in the United States Senate in Missouri, being vacated next year by retiring Senator Roy Blunt (R-Mo.).
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Eric Lendrum reports for American Greatness.
Photo “Mike Parson” by Office of Missouri Governor CC BY-SA 2.0.
