By Erika Hernandez
Nov 17, 2024, 7:37 PM EST
Federal prosecutors reported thate two Missouri police officers were charged separately this week and accused of similar crimes: stop women and search their phones to find nude photos.
The allegations against former Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper David McKnight on Tuesday and former Florissant, Missouri, Trooper Julian Alcala on Wednesday were unrelated but similar. Both men face federal charges accusing them of depriving the rights of several women and destroying evidence.
McKnight, 39, abused nine women between September 2023 and August 19. Typically, according to the indictment, he would pull a woman over for a traffic violation and tell her he needed to look at her phone to verify her identity or confirm insurance coverage.
The officer searched the phones and used his own cell phone to photograph nude images he found, according to the indictment.
McKnight was arrested by patrol investigators on Aug. 21 and resigned five days later, patrol Capt. Scott White said in an email. He pleaded not guilty during a court appearance Thursday.
“These allegations are being taken very seriously and we would like to encourage anyone who believes they had a concerning interaction with McKnight to contact the FBI,” U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming said in a statement cited by CBS News.
Alcalá, 29, was accused of crimes involving 20 women between February 6 and May 18. Five of the alleged crimes occurred on the same day.
Alcala confiscated the women’s phones under the pretext of confirming insurance coverage and vehicle registration. Like McKnight, he was accused of searching phones for nude photos and then using his own phone to take photographs.
Prosecutors say Alcala also found a video on a victim’s phone and texted the video to his own phone.
Several Alcalá victims have filed lawsuits, CBS affiliate KMOV reported.
Alcalá had been with Florissant’s department since January 2023. He resigned in June amid an FBI investigation.
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