Missouri police officers accused of taking nude photos from women's phones during traffic stops: "Complete betrayal"
Two Missouri police officers were indicted separately this week and accused of similar crimes - pulling over women and searching their phones to find nude photos, federal prosecutors said.
The indictments of former Missouri State Highway Patrol officer David McKnight on Tuesday and former Florissant, Missouri, officer Julian Alcala on Wednesday were unrelated but the indictments spelled out similar allegations. Both men face federal charges accusing them of depriving the rights of several women and destroying evidence.
McKnight, 39, victimized nine women between September 2023 and Aug. 19, his indictment said. Typically, according to the indictment, he would pull over a woman for a traffic violation and tell her he needed to look at her phone to either verify her identity or confirm insurance coverage.
McKnight searched the phones and used his own phone to photograph nude pictures he found, the indictment said.
McKnight was arrested by patrol investigators on Aug. 21 and resigned five days later, patrol Capt. Scott White said in an email.
White declined to discuss McKnight's case but said patrol employees "are held to high standards and if it is determined that those standards were not met, they are held accountable."
McKnight pleaded not guilty during a court appearance on Thursday. Messages were left Friday with his lawyer.
"These allegations are being taken very seriously, and we'd 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.
Alcala, 29, was accused of crimes involving 20 women between Feb. 6 and May 18. Five of the alleged crimes happened on the same day.
Alcala confiscated phones from women under the auspices of confirming insurance coverage and vehicle registration, the indictment said. Like McKnight, he was accused of searching the phones for nude photos and then using his own phone to take pictures.
The indictment said Alcala also found a video on one victim's phone and texted the video to his own phone.
Multiple victims of Alcala have filed lawsuits, CBS affiliate KMOV reported.
Former Florissant officer charged with stealing nude photos of women during traffic stops @KMOV https://t.co/8o3YBaqOSl
— David Amelotti (@DavidAmelottiTV) November 14, 2024
"What you did to me and these other females, how you overused your power as a police officer to do these things to make these women feel this way, you should be disgusted in yourself," one victim told the station.
Alcala doesn't yet have a listed attorney. No phone listing for him could be found. He also is named in four lawsuits filed against him and the city of Florissant, a St. Louis suburb.
Alcala was with the Florissant department since January 2023. He resigned in June amid an FBI investigation.
"We are disgusted at this behavior, which is a complete betrayal of the values we uphold and in no way reflects the professionalism and integrity of our dedicated officers," Florissant police said in a statement. "We recognize the gravity of this breach of trust and its impact on our community."
Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or via tips.fbi.gov.
"If you feel uncomfortable about your encounter with law enforcement, please don't hesitate to go to that department after the fact to report what happened," Special Agent in Charge Ashley T. Johnson of the FBI St. Louis Division said in a statement. "If you feel your civil rights have been violated, contact the FBI. Investigating criminal conduct by a law enforcement officer is among our top priorities."