A grand jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Wednesday returned a superseding indictment accusing a former officer with the North County Police Cooperative of sexually assaulting 19 men he had detained or arrested.
Marcellis Blackwell, 34, of St. Louis, was originally indicted in September. Wednesday’s indictment brings the total to 36 charges: 19 counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, specifically the right to bodily integrity, and 17 counts of altering records in a federal investigation.
The new indictment alleges that between Nov. 8, 2022, and June 5, 2023, Blackwell fondled the genitals of 19 alleged victims whom he had detained and/or restrained. Blackwell is also accused in the indictment of sodomizing one of the men with his finger, an act of aggravated sexual abuse. Furthermore, the indictment claims Blackwell’s conduct constituted the kidnapping of the alleged victims. An additional count of altering the records of another arrest increases the number of alleged/charged victims to 20.
FBI St. Louis has established a hotline for potential victims of Blackwell: (314) 589-2682.
The FBI investigated the case, following an initial investigation conducted by the North County Police Cooperative. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Krug is prosecuting the case.
