P.O. Box 300464
St. Louis, Missouri 63130
www.mofreedom.org
(314) 604-6621
MEDIA ADVISORY EVENT:
PRESS CONFERENCE: Brent Stafford to Plead Not Guilty to Bogus Criminal Trespass Charges Resulting from St. Charles County Republican Caucus
TIME/PLACE:
9:00 a.m., Tuesday, June 19, 2012 St. Peters Justice Center, Outside — Northeast Corner 1020 Grand Teton Drive St. Peters, Missouri 63376
PARTICIPANTS:
Dave Roland, Director of Litigation, Freedom Center of Missouri Brent Stafford, Chairman of St. Charles County Republican Caucus
CONTACT:
Dave Roland, Director of Litigation, (314) 604-6621
SUMMARY: Tomorrow morning in St. Peters, Brent Stafford and his attorney, Dave Roland of the Freedom Center of Missouri, will speak to the press about the criminal charges St. Peters is pursuing against Mr. Stafford and why these charges threaten all citizens’ constitutional freedoms. Stafford will then plead “not guilty” to the bogus trespassing charges that the city has leveled against him. On the morning of March 17, 2012, Brent Stafford expected to be elected as the chairman of the St. Charles County Republican Caucus. Instead, Stafford’s political rivals ignored parliamentary procedure, blocking his election and improperly adjourning the caucus. Intent on following proper procedure, Stafford started to reorganize the caucus outside the Francis Howell North High School gymnasium. As he was giving instructions to a peaceful assembly of citizens, police officers placed Stafford under arrest, although they did not at that time tell him why he was being arrested. Video of the assembly and arrest is available at: http://youtu.be/PRVi1m9BnXI?t=5m40s. The police eventually claimed that Stafford had been “trespassing,” although the gathering took place on school grounds that were open to the public and the police did not arrest any of the scores of other people gathered outside of the school. The Freedom Center of Missouri is a non-profit, non-partisan constitutional litigation center that defends the freedom of expression and the right of peaceable assembly. In its defense of Mr. Stafford the Freedom Center intends establish that the U.S. and Missouri Constitutions do not permit law enforcement officials to break up a peaceable political gathering on public property by selectively arresting the leader of the assembly. ###