By Brian Brant
(ST. LOUIS) The St. Louis couple who shot to prominence after waving guns at protestors during last summer's Black Lives Matter demonstrations pleaded guilty on Thursday to misdemeanor charges and agreed to give up the guns they used during the confrontation.
The Washington Post reports Patricia McCloskey pleaded guilty to misdemeanor harassment and was fined $2,000. Her husband, Mark McCloskey, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor fourth-degree assault and was fined $750. Both will not face any jail time.
Although originally facing time in prison after being indicted by a grand jury for felony charges on unlawful use of a weapon and evidence tampering, special prosecutor Richard Callahan opted for lesser charges.
On Thursday, Callahan said in a statement he considered “the age and lack of a criminal record for the McCloskey’s, the fact they initially called the police, and the fact that no one was hurt and no shots were fired" in his decision.
The infamous incident in front of the McCloskey’s mansion in June 2020 came after protestors marched to Democratic Mayor Lyda Krewson's home.
The pair touted themselves as conservative defenders against “the liberal mob," becoming GOP figures, even speaking at the 2020 Republican National Convention.
Mark McCloskey announced that he was running for U.S. Senate as a Republican in the state.
He continued to defend his actions to the protestors in a statement on Thursday.
“The prosecutor dropped all charges against me, except for a claim that I put other people in imminent fear of physical harm,” he said. “That’s exactly what I did, that’s what the guns were for. And any time the mob comes and threatens me, I’ll do the same thing again to protect my family.”