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Crime & Courts

Former Missouri Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Abusing 18 Detainees

Marcellis Blackwell admitted in federal court to 18 counts of deprivation of rights involving sexual assault.

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 20, 2026, 8:59 a.m. ET
On August 10, 2026, Marcellis Blackwell, 36, of St. Louis, guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to 18 counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, specifically the right to bodily integrity, according to official records from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri. Blackwell, a former officer with the North County Police Cooperative, admitted to sexually assaulting 18 men between Nov. 8, 2022, and June 5, 2023. Official court records show all 18 counts involved abusive sexual contact, and fifteen involved the kidnapping of the victims. The assaults typically followed traffic stops or arrests. Sixteen of his victims were handcuffed at the time, and fifteen were taken to remote locations—including a high school and the back parking lot of Blackwell's department—after he deactivated his body-worn camera. On 13 occasions, Blackwell falsified reports by claiming that his body-worn camera had been active during his entire interaction with the arrestees. In one case, Blackwell detained two men after a traffic accident, groping one in the back seat of his police vehicle before taking the other victim to a remote location. According to official documents, the investigation began on June 4, 2023, when one of Blackwell's victims from the previous day contacted the North County Police Cooperative. As more victims came forward, the Federal Bureau of Investigation took over the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Krug and Jennifer Szczucinski are prosecuting the case. Blackwell is scheduled to be sentenced on November 24, where he faces up to 30 years in prison under the sentence requested by the U.S. Attorney's Office.

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  1. Version 120 Aug 2026, 12:59current

    First published.

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