A former St. Louis Police Lieutenant has been convicted after he arrested a former Pine Lawn mayoral candidate. The arrest he did at that time had no cause.
In a report by CBS, the Department of Justice said that the former police lieutenant identified as Steven Blakeney ordered a person to say that the former mayoral candidate, Nakisha Ford, stole a campaign poster from a local business. Blakeney is now facing one count each of conspiracy against rights, deprivation of rights under color of law and falsification of records.
Fox reported that the 35-year-old's false arrest happened last March of 2013 when Blakeney was still working for the Pine Lawn police force. Witnesses said that Blakeney ordered someone to falsely report the stealing and arranged for the candidate to be arrested. Another witness added that he helped frame Ford, who was running against Sylvester Caldwell at that time.
Caldwell won re-election during the voting.
The charges against Blakeney carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and/or a fine that could reach as high as $250,000, Washington Times reported. As for the actual sentence, a judge is to consider first the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide the recommended sentencing ranges.
The case of Blakeney was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Assistant United States Attorneys Reginald Harris and Jennifer Winfield handled the case.
As for Caldwell, his trial regarding the case ended when he agreed to plead guilty. He also resigned as the mayor of the town and was sentenced to around three years in prison.
Aside from Ford, former Pine Lawn Mayor Adrian Wright also sued the city and alleged that he was also falsely arrested for traffic violations. This is also linked to the smear campaign orchestrated by Caldwell. The charges against Wright were dropped but his lawsuit continues.
Blakeney will be sentenced on May 4.
