Two Missouri police officers were separately indicted this week on similar charges for pulling a woman over and searching her cell phone for nude photos.
Former Missouri State Highway Patrol officer David McKnight was indicted on Tuesday, and former Florissant, Missouri, police officer Julian Alcala was indicted on Wednesday, although they are unrelated, but the indictment contains similar charges. was detailed. Both men are facing federal charges for depriving several women of their rights and destroying evidence.
According to the indictment, McKnight, 39, victimized nine women between September 2023 and August 19. The man would typically stop the woman for a traffic violation and tell her he needed to see her cell phone to verify her identity and check her insurance coverage, according to the indictment.
According to the indictment, McKnight searched the cellphone and took nude photos of himself with his cellphone.
McKnight was arrested by Patrol agents on Aug. 21 and resigned five days later, Patrol Lt. Scott White said in an email.
White declined to discuss McKnight's case, but said patrol officers are “held to high standards and will be held accountable when those standards are not met.” Ta.
McKnight pleaded not guilty in court Thursday. A message was left with his attorney Friday.
Alcala, 29, is accused of crimes involving 20 women between February 6 and May 18, five of which occurred on the same day.
According to the indictment, Alcala seized the woman's cell phone to verify insurance coverage and vehicle registration. Like McKnight, he was also accused of searching his cell phone for nude photos and then using his own cell phone to take the photos.
According to the indictment, Alcala found the video on one of the victims' cellphones and texted the video to his own cellphone.
Alcala does not yet have an attorney listed. No list of his phone numbers was found. He is also named in four lawsuits filed against him and the city of Florissant, a St. Louis suburb.
Alcala had been with the Florissant department since January 2023, but resigned in June following an FBI investigation.
“We are disgusted by this behavior. It is a complete betrayal of the values we stand for and is in no way reflective of the professionalism or integrity of our dedicated police officers,” Florissant Police said in a statement. Ta. “We recognize the gravity of this breach of trust and its impact on our community.”
