Did Prosecutor Richardson Mishandle Child Porn Case? Authorities Should Release Feltner Police Report

Ever since Fired Up broke Friday's news about the pornography charges pending against Kinder chief of staff Eric Feltner, capitol observers have been quick to point out the unusual manner in which the charges against Feltner have been handled.

Specific critiques have focused on Republican Cole County prosecutor Mark Richardson's course of action regarding the Feltner case.  Among the good questions that have been asked...

1. Why did Richardson wait so long before bringing charges?  The alleged offenses committed by Eric Feltner are ones which require the offender to register as a sex offender [RSMo. 589-400.1(2)] for purposes of protecting the children in Missouri's communities from predators.  By waiting as long as he did, Richardson effectively allows Feltner to wander the streets without registering for a period that continues, exposing children in our communities to needless risk.

 

2. Neighboring Boone County regularly brings felony charges against offenders who engage in certain activities as a part of the sting operations run by Mid-Missouri's cyber crimes task force.  Did the sting operation run by the Jefferson City Police Department attempt to lure Feltner into a meeting that might've resulted in felony child enticement charges?  Are the the police or prosecutor willing to make public the entire police report so the public can be sure Feltner wasn't charged leniently?

 

3. Was evidence against Feltner collected comprehensively?  Did law enforcement seek access to state computers used by Feltner that may have been used in online crimes, or was that duty of investigation left fully to Peter Kinder and the Blunt Office of Administration more than a year after the first offense was committed?  Richardson, it may be remembered, was responsible as a Cole County assistant prosecutor for seizing then-Secretary of State Judy Moriarty's state computers in connection with a misdemeanor election violation.  Yet in this instance, where child safety was at issue, he felt no compulsion to seize or even investigate state computers.  Odd.

 

4. Where was Feltner committing his crimes?  Kinder claims state computers in the Lieutenant Governor's office were not used, but Feltner's communications were presumably transmitted from Cole County, since that's where he was charged.  Since Feltner's home is in Columbia, questions about the site of the crime are only natural.  A release of the full police report, which likely contains IP information, could help clear up the confusion.

 

5. Who communicated with the Cole County Prosecutor or his office on Feltner's behalf regarding possible charges?  The public records make no mention of any attorney having ever entered an appearance on Feltner's behalf in this case.  Did anyone weigh in with Mark Richardson in hopes of reducing the seriousness of the charges or delaying their filing?

Fact is, Mark Richardson could answer the vast majority of these questions, and countless others, by simply making the full police report and record of the Feltner investigation available to the public.  And what reason could there be for not doing so if there is nothing to hide?