Months after Mark and Patricia McCloskey went viral for waving their guns at Black Lives Matter protesters outside their home, the couple has now been indicted by a grand jury in St. Louis on Tuesday, the Associated Press reports.
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner charged the couple with felony unlawful use of a weapon in July. The grand jury added the charge of tampering with evidence Tuesday, though it was not explained why this additional charge was added.
"Once all the facts are out, it will be clear the McCloskeys committed no crime whatsoever," Joel Schwartz, their attorney, told KMOV-TV. "Frankly because the grand jury is not an adversarial process and defense counsel are not allowed in there and I have no idea what was stated to the grand jury and what law was given to the grand jury."
Mark McCloskey spoke to reporters after appearing in court, asking why no protesters were charged in the incident. "They broke down our gate, they trespassed on our property. Not a single one of those people are now charged with anything," McCloskey said, according to KMOV-TV. "We’re charged with felonies that could cost us four years of our lives and our law license."
Nine individuals protesting that day were charged with misdemeanor trespassing at some point, but those charges were eventually dropped.
The incident drew attention from Republicans — including President Donald Trump, who defended the McCloskeys. Missouri Governor Mike Parson, also a Republican, said he would pardon the couple "without a doubt" if they end up convicted. The McCloskeys were featured speakers at August's Republican National Convention.
