Police chief going to prison after lying to Missouri mom and taking her kids, feds say
Years after authorities say a Missouri police chief lied to a mom about a court order and took her children away, the 55-year-old man is headed to prison.
Marc F. Tragesser, the former Marble Hill chief of police, was sentenced to nine months in federal prison after he was accused of using excessive force while detaining the mother during a 2018 custody dispute, according to a June 8 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.
Tragesser pleaded guilty to a civil rights charge — deprivation of rights under color of law — in January, McClatchy News reported at the time.
Authorities say the then police chief had gone to the home where the mother was living on Nov. 25, 2018 and lied about a court order supposedly allowing the children’s grandmother to take custody. The grandmother’s son shared children with the woman identified as K.N.C., according to court records.
“When the woman asked to see a copy of the court order, Tragesser shoved her against the wall, knocking off her eyeglasses, and then handcuffed her,” according to the news release. Court records show her boyfriend was also arrested on a “kidnapping” charge.
The chief detained K.N.C. in his patrol vehicle, records state, and he demanded she give up custody of her kids to someone “who had no legal right to custody.”
She was detained for 90 minutes in the patrol car and only released when she agreed to give her kids to their grandma, officials said. That was the last time the mom saw her kids until March 2019.
Defense attorney Charles Banks said the chief “was trying to do the right thing, but he did it in the worst manner.”
“Mr. Tragesser served over 18 years in the U.S. Military, and he served over 15 years in law enforcement,” he said in a statement to McClatchy News. “This case stemmed from Marc’s serious error in deciding how to enforce a custody agreement back when he was a police officer.
“Recognizing this, he left law enforcement, and he is now dedicated to serving his community in other ways,” Banks’ statement continued. “We are disappointed with the sentence and disagree that a term of imprisonment is appropriate in this case. But Mr. Tragesser nevertheless respects the Court and its order, and he is looking forward to putting this behind him.”
Marble Hill is about 115 miles south of St. Louis.
This story was originally published June 9, 2022 at 9:31 AM with the headline "Police chief going to prison after lying to Missouri mom and taking her kids, feds say."