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Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the couple infamously photographed defending their home from “Black Lives Matter” protesters in June of 2020, have agreed to plea deals in the case against them.
The couple previously pleaded not guilty and were to face trial on November 1st, 2021. However, on Thursday while in court for a pre-scheduled hearing, Judge David Mason approved the plea deals.
Mark McCloskey has agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor fourth-degree assault and pay a $750 fine while his wife, Patricia, agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor harassment and pay a $2,000 fine and a $10 donation to the crime victims fund. The judge denied their request to donate the firearms collected by police to a charity auction as historic artifacts, they will instead be destroyed, KPLR reported.
Judge Mason asked Mark McCloskey to acknowledge that his actions put others at risk. McCloskey responded “I sure did your honor,” reported KMOV4.
The couple was originally charged with two felonies, unlawful use of a weapon, and tampering with physical evidence.
(Video: KPLR)
Following the hearing, the McCloskeys, both attorneys. descended the court steps to face a barrage of questions from reporters.
“I’d do it again. Any time the mob approaches me, I’ll do what I can to put them in imminent threat of physical injury because that’s what kept them from destroying my house and my family,” Mark McCloskey stated.
He continued to say that the end result is what should have happened in the first place if the incident had not been politicized by local prosecutor, Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner.
Gardner was taken off the case after using it in fundraising emails before her August Democratic primary according to KMOV4. A judge ruled that Gardner had created an appearance of impropriety. She later went on to win her re-election campaign.
“They dropped all the weapons charges and they charged me with the lowest level of misdemeanor, which is something called assault four, which alleges that I purposely placed at least one other person in apprehension of immediate physical injury. I said, ‘Well, I guess I did. That was all point of the guns,’” Mark McCloskeys told Fox News via phone following the hearing.
Special prosecutor Richard Callahan wrote in a statement addressing the outcome: “This particular resolution of these two cases represents my best judgment of an appropriate and fair disposition for the parties involved as well as the public good. While not necessarily an exclusive list, some factors that I considered were the age and lack of a criminal record for the McCloskeys, the fact they initially called the police and the fact that no one was hurt and no shots were fired.”
Statement from special prosecutor Richard Callahan regarding guilty pleas today for Marc and Patricia McCloskey. pic.twitter.com/N0WoqqK8s9
— Joel Currier (@joelcurrier) June 17, 2021
Callahan concluded “that their conduct was a little unreasonable in the end.”
Mr. McCloskey looked on the bright side after the hearing’s closure saying: “The good news is we’re not in front of charges now, so I don’t have any problem getting myself another AR,” and added, “If we didn’t have somebody named George Soros in the world, we never would have been charged with anything.”
The incident occurred June 28, 2020, when the couple was photographed defending their home in Portland Place, a gated community, after “Black Lives Matter” rioters trespassed to get to the home of then-St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson’s house to call for her to resign.
The McCloskeys had several allies in conservative politicians. Former President Trump previously spoke out on their behalf against the charges, Governor Mike Parson committed to pardoning the McCloskeys if they were convicted and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt tried to get the case dismissed on the grounds of the Castle Doctrine which allows Missouri residents to defend their homes and property.
The couple became key voices in the fight for the Second Amendment in conservative circles. They spoke at CPAC this past summer. Mark McCloskey announced last month that he is running for U.S. Senate in Missouri.
Shortly after talking with reporters outside the court, he released a video on his campaign page which showed him holding an AR-15 while his wife holds a handgun. He explained that the charges against him were dropped “except for a claim that I purposely placed other people in ‘imminent fear’ of physical harm.”
“By God, I did,” McCloskey said. “And anytime they come to threaten me, I’ll do the same thing again and again and again.”
A year ago, the mob came to my door to attack my family— I backed them down
The mob came for me, the media attacked me & prosecutors tried to punish me for defending my family
They dropped all charges, except for a claim I instilled “imminent fear” in the mob
I’d do it again. pic.twitter.com/ECPsSwa2Iw
— Mark McCloskey (@mccloskeyusa) June 17, 2021
Kay Apfel is a writer for BizPac Review. A news junkie turned conservative politico, Kay currently resides in Washington, DC.
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