St. Louis judge to appoint special attorney in contempt case against Soros-backed prosecutor

A judge said he will appoint a special prosecutor to create a contempt case against St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner, a progressive prosecutor whose campaign was supported by Democratic megadonor George Soros.

Judge Michael Noble said late last week that the special prosecutor is being appointed after Gardner and her assistant, Christopher Desilets, did not show up to court for an assault case. The judge also said that evidence suggested the duo were guilty of indirect criminal contempt because Desilets did not appear for a trial or a later hearing, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Friday.

"It appears that Ms. Gardner has complete indifference and a conscious disregard for the judicial process," Noble said. 

Gardner, who did not appear for the hearing with Noble, sent a deputy, Rob Huq, who was unable to answer many of the judge's questions about the contempt allegations. Michael Downey, Gardner's attorney, was also at the hearing, but he declined to comment afterward.

Gardner has faced ethical issues for years, but the problems reached a new high earlier this year when Missouri Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey called for her removal following an incident in which a man who did not have a driver's license and was accused of violating bond conditions more than 100 times ended up hitting with a speeding vehicle a 16-year-old volleyball player who was visiting St. Louis, and who lost both of her legs as a result.

Gardner was also hit with new negligence and potential misconduct complaints earlier this month.

Madeleine Hubbard is an international correspondent for Just the News. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram.