Editor's note: This report includes descriptions of assault.
An ex-St. Louis deputy sheriff has been charged with sexually assaulting a detainee at the City Justice Center while on duty, according to court documents. The assault report led to a confrontation between St. Louis Sheriff Alfred Montgomery and the acting deputy commissioner of the jail in February.
James Short, 26, was charged with two counts of sexual conduct in the course of public duty after he allegedly placed his genitals in a female detainee’s mouth and hand on Jan. 8, according to a probable cause affidavit filed by St. Louis police officer Joseph Kerth. The officer stated he believes Short poses a danger to the community.
“The defendant in this matter is alleged to have engaged in conduct that would constitute an abuse of authority and a violation of the public’s trust,” said St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore in a statement. “We will always seek to hold those who abuse positions of authority accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
In the aftermath of the report, controversy deepened in the sheriff’s office.
The day after Montgomery was informed of the accusation, he sought to interview the detainee who was being held at the city jail. Acting Commissioner Tammy Ross reportedly prevented him and other staff from speaking with the detainee. Montgomery then ordered his staff to handcuff Ross.
Ross has since filed a lawsuit against Montgomery, accusing the sheriff of false imprisonment, battery and civil rights violations.
Short was hired by the St. Louis Sheriff’s Department under former Sheriff Vernon Betts but then submitted his resignation on Feb. 3 — nearly two weeks before the allegations became public, according to Sheriff’s Department spokesperson John Gieseke.
“The day the crime was reported to CJC technically would’ve been Short’s last day of work, due to the long President’s Day weekend,” Gieseke said. “The Sheriff’s Office was notified of the incident on February 13, and the deputy was immediately terminated.”
In a separate and unrelated case, Short is facing a child endangerment charge in St. Louis County. Court records state his 2-year-old nephew accidentally shot himself in the abdomen with Short’s department-issued firearm — one that sheriff’s office officials said should have been in a gun safe.
This story has been updated with the specific charges against James Short.
