ST. LOUIS (AP) — Two police officers from Missouri have been indicted this week on separate but strikingly similar charges. Both are accused of pulling over women and unlawfully searching their phones for nude photographs.
The first indictment was issued against David McKnight, a former officer with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, on Tuesday. The following day, another indictment was handed to Julian Alcala, a former officer in Florissant, Missouri. Although these cases are unrelated, they share alarming allegations. Both officers face federal charges for violating the civil rights of numerous women and for tampering with evidence.
David McKnight, 39, was accused of targeting nine women between September 2022 and August 19, 2023. According to his indictment, he typically would stop a woman for a minor traffic violation and then claim he needed to inspect her phone to verify her identity or insurance information. During these unauthorized searches, he would photograph explicit images he discovered using his own phone.
McKnight’s activities came to an end when patrol investigators arrested him on August 21. He resigned from his position just five days later. Capt. Scott White of the patrol noted via email that patrol members are expected to adhere to high ethical standards and will be held accountable if these standards are not met.
During a court appearance on Thursday, McKnight pleaded not guilty to the charges, and inquiries were made on Friday with his legal representative.
The second indictment was against Alcala, 29, who is accused of similar misconduct involving 20 women between February 6 and May 18, with five incidents occurring on a single day. Alcala allegedly confiscated women’s phones under the pretense of needing to verify insurance and registration details. Similar to McKnight, he is accused of looking for and taking pictures of nude images found on the phones he searched.
In addition to this, Alcala reportedly located a video on one victim’s phone and transferred it to his own device. As of now, Alcala does not have a publicly listed lawyer, nor could any phone number for him be located. He is also facing four lawsuits filed against him and the city of Florissant, a suburb of St. Louis.
Having joined the Florissant police department in January 2023, Alcala resigned in June while under investigation by the FBI. The police department released a statement expressing their dismay at his actions, emphasizing that they represent a severe betrayal of the values they uphold and do not reflect the professionalism of the department’s committed officers.
“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,” the Florissant police stated. “We recognize the gravity of this breach of trust and its impact on our community.”
