Dirty cop/fired trooper: Background

This is the follow-up I promised on drug-planting Florissant, MO cop James Cox and the Missouri State Highway Patrol corporal who got fired, basically for not turning him in.

The case started with a crooked St. Louis developer, William S. Stallings, who wanted Cox to plant drugs on his ex-girlfriend. Instead, an FBI agent impersonating the girlfriend busted up the scheme.

Cox is due out soon from federal prison, where he was sentenced to serve 14 months. The MHP trooper, Cpl. Charles Pleasant, just this week lost a Missouri Court of Appeals case upholding his firing.

• Developer Stallings is a one-time ATF agent who has since been convicted of real estate fraud a couple of times, and has done business with Sorkis Webbe Jr., son of a reputedly mob-connected St. Louis figure.
• Former Florissant PO James Cox is the son of former Missouri State Rep. Gerald Cox, now a bail bondsman, who was target of an alleged murder-for-hire scheme by a rival bondsman.
• The Florissant Police Department came under FBI investigation after another Florissant PO, Thomas Sexton, admitted under oath lying on a police report to justify a police chase in which an innocent motorist was killed. He said his police bosses made him do it.

Documents related to this case (all files are PDF):

Court papers:
2004-03-25: Charges against William S. Stallings Jr.
2004-07-09: Charges against James Cox
2004-12-10: Sentencing hearing of James Cox
2006-01-10: Appeals court upholds trooper's firing PDF

St. Louis Post-Dispatch coverage:
2005-01-23: William Stallings, convicted developer, starts over
2005-01-28: Suspect in chase feared return to prison
2005-02-06: FBI looking at Florissant PD
2005-12-24: State takes action against bondsman Virgil Jackson

Earlier posts:
Dirty cop/fired trooper: Update
A dirty cop and a fired state trooper

Comments

[jim]

it must be a slow news day. you do not have anymore news. why don't you do a story on the way the court of appeals made their decision. how the missouri highway patrol treat black officers different then white officers. you have white officers that can get charged with child molistation, highering prostitutes to attend a party, get into a bar fight. these white officers still work for the patrol and suppose to be protecting you.

[Crime Scene KC]

Dear jim,
I honestly don't know the race(s) of James Cox or Charles Pleasant. Stupid me, I guess - but it's not in any court document or any of the news coverage I've read.
I posted these documents because there's been lots of reader interest in this case.
Can you back up anything you said about the MHP? Call me, (816) 234-4366.

[Habbino]

Are you for real? Why is the first post on here trying to make a race issue out of something that has nothing to do with race. The local cop planted drugs, the MHP didn't report it. End of story. (I know nothing is that cut and dry, but this is pretty close) I'm glad to see news for a change where it doesn't say "black" or "white" in describing the people involved. If mainstream news would follow suit, we'd have less sensational coverage of the ignorant "Jesse Jackson" and "Jerry Falwell" types in the world.

[wilton henderson]

Why is race always the issue. it is never ever the act or the crime. it is okay for a cop to plant evidence if he or she is what race? what race?????? come on, stop the race crap.

[willy menders]

race is an issue because the White man makes it so. Blacks cannot dress without getting a warrant. why cannot you see the injustices that are flagrantly allowed. we need to address the issues. the black MHP officer was trying to keep his job and feed his family. a white MHP officer would be given a good conduct citation. Race is the end all be all.

[willy menders]

thanks for clearing that up. why did i not see that race thing from the beginning.

thanks again. wow" anyone understand that crap

[Anonymous]

Did anyone actually read the Courts' opinion? According to the Court Mr. Pleasant had no reason to think that Cox's request was anything but legitimate. When Cox asked Mr. Pleasant to plant drugs, Mr. Pleasant thought he was kidding!!!! And his response was "we don't do that."

It it is pretty clear Mr. Pleasant was fired because he embarassed the Patrol. Mr. Pleasant inadvertently got the Patrol caught up in a federal investigation. Mr. Pleasant had served this state for 19 years with an unblemished record! Considering that fact and the fact that the Missouri Highway Patrol is predominently a white male organization, you do have to wonder if Mr. Pleasant's race played a part in his dismissal or if it was just typical Patrol politics.

Sure there are bad cops out there Cox is a prime example. The bad cops should certainly do a lot more time in jail than 14 months! But, is Mr. Pleasant really a bad cop, I don't think so and I hope he appeals the courts' decision.

[Scott]

Race appears as a Non-Issue here, A Cop planting any false evidence is serious, another MHP/Cop not reporting or stopping this activity is actually worse, what is a COP paid to do respectively?

1)Protect the Public by Preventing Crime.
2)Arrest Criminals.

Cover-ups encourage crime, If any of this ever fails, the public is screwed and we are back to the Nasty Carnahan, 911, Cover-up Government years.

[jeff]

race was an issue. if you read the court of appeals decision. it says what they think does not matter. it was the way the law reads. it is not about if they agree with the supertindent. if you want to do a story why dont you do one about mshp discipline for black officers compaired to white officers. i guess that would not be a good story for youre headlines. you failed to say pleasant wanted to take a polygraph test and the patrol refused him. do you think that was odd. if they thought he was guilty why did they not give him the test

[jim]

why didn't the patrol give pleasant a lie detector test. i have been in police work for ten years and if they think a cop is dirty the first thing they do is give him or her a lie detector test. you do not say anything about pleasant testifying in front of a federal grand jury. you think if they thought he was a part of jim cox scheme he would have been indited as a conspirator. The i know several troppers and all of them do not agree with the decision. i can give you dates and times of different decisions the patrol has made when it comes to black and white.

The patrol tried to trump up charges to file in state court after thay could not get federal charges and they were refused by the prosecutor.

[yippee]

To Jim,

Are you a frickin' moron or what? You're obviously making up your post as you go along. You state you've been "in police work for ten years" but yet you spell the word "indicted" incorrectly. Your credibility takes a serious hit when you are unable to spell one of the most commonly used words of your supposed profession. Apparently, you're simply a conspiratorial jackass that fabricates facts in order to make race relations the root of all problems.

I agree with you yippie. This guy Jim definately is a moron. If he has been in police work for ten years, which I doubt, I feel sorry for the jurisdiction that has had to have put up with such a simple minded person. Views like his are what give cops a bad name. Black, white, yellow, or red if the patrolman didn't do his duty and report the incident then get rid of him!

[Crazyisn'tsocrazy]

Jim:

Put up or shut up. You say that you can provide information about Patrol decisions. Greg Reeves has an open invitation to all former and current officers to provide just such information. What do you have to back up your claim that the Patrol tried to get federal and state charges brought against Pleasant? He specifically asked you to call him. See above.

All you're doing is making rants and saying you can prove this or that. Do it. Your claim on the hookers - a trooper was fired for that; the child molester - the trooper was fired and sent to prison; the bar fight - the trooper was not even involved in the fight itself, but he was disciplined for not cooperating with St. Joe P.D.'s investigation - which no other citizen would be required to do. So now it's your turn - put up or shut up.

[jesse]

WOW! It's amazing how people write about things when they don't know the facts. Stallings and his girlfriend worked for the FBI to get a dirty cop from planting drugs. The truth was Cox approached Stallings about planting the drugs for his child custody case and instead of accepting he notified the FBI. Stallings actually has integrity and was awarded full custody of his child for a reason

[jj]

I feel so comfortable that this freak lives right next door to me. Bail Bondsman now. What a joke. I guess that is what he has reduced himself to. Jim, go back to Florissant where you belong.