Ankle monitors alert ‘every 15 seconds’ but violent crime still happens

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – Within a year, two horrific and separate crimes stunned St. Louis, with both of the suspects out on bond at the time and assigned an ankle monitor.

There’s no way to predict who will break the law, if a judge releases a defendant on bond with or without an ankle monitor, or if the decision will backfire like it allegedly did in two separate cases involving two separate judicial circuits in the St. Louis area.

While St. Louis County Justice Services was not monitoring the two suspects, officials opened the doors to the facility and the ankle monitoring program.

St. Louis County Probation Case Manager Lawson Burgess has been with Justice Services for a little more than three months now. He came from the private sector and said he finds the opportunity fulfilling because public safety is always the priority, not profit.

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“If you’re in violation, every 15 seconds, the system will ping a point,” Burgess said.

Burgess monitors 13 people wearing a GPS ankle monitor. He’s the first to know and the first to alert the court and prosecutor if someone is in violation.

“I will let them know the time they left, where they were supposed to be, or entered where they weren’t supposed to be,” Burgess said. “Addresses they went to, what time they returned and the duration of time they were in violation.”

Burgess said he will repeatedly follow up with the court, too, after notifying the judge and prosecutor.

“I will check up within seven days if they don’t do anything. I understand sometimes things fall through the cracks, but I try to make sure I can let everyone know who needs to be notified,” he said.

Since 2022, St. Louis County Justice Services has monitored 142 defendants.

“There’s definitely repeat offenders,” Burgess said. “It’s almost a daily occurrence, if not biweekly. I would say the majority go without violation.”

St. Louis County Justice Services Deputy Director of Administration Randy Holman said most of the violations are generally user errors and usually relate to the device’s battery dying.

“In the event there is a violation, we get a report the very next morning. We’re immediately notifying the prosecutor’s office as well as the courts,” Holman said.

The county is one of several options when it comes to ankle monitoring for defendants in the 21st Judicial Circuit. Those under Burgess’ watch typically have a public defender and the monitoring service is free throughout the county.

In other instances, defendants go to a private company for monitoring, paying between $10 and $12 per day, according to a county document obtained by the FOX Files.

Months before Joshua Harris died in his Clayton driveway, a judge ordered Trenell Johnson, 18, to wear a GPS ankle monitor. Johnson was released on a $30,000 bond with 10% authorized, after allegedly taking police on a pursuit and pointing a gun at detectives, according to court records.

Court records reveal Johnson failed to abide by the rules of his GPS monitor. FOX 2 was told the battery had died.

Johnson was later arrested and charged in Harris’ death. Major Case Squad detectives said Harris was shot to death after he confronted a group of people, including Harris, allegedly breaking into his car.

St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell said last month they were not officially told about the dead device because it was filed as a pre-trial assessment with the court and not as a GPS Violation Alert.

“We were not CC’d or notified of that particular letter,” Bell told reporters.

The FOX Files wanted to know more. Why was the information about a dead battery filed this way? Why was a notification not sent at a higher level? After all, Burgess said if it’s on his watch, a dead battery is considered a violation alert and not a pre-trial assessment.

“As long as you get a full charge, you have at least 24 hours of battery (life),” Burgess said. “If it goes dead for one minute, that’s a violation.”

Again, for the record, Burgess and the county were not tracking Johnson. The FOX Files tried to talk with a monitoring company. The CEO repeatedly ignored our request for comment, despite numerous calls and emails.

A spokesperson for the 21st Judicial Circuit, which represents mostly St. Louis County, said it’s unknown how many people are actually on a GPS ankle monitor.

In a different case, involving the 22nd Judicial Circuit in the City of St. Louis and a totally different ankle monitoring company, Daniel Riley allegedly ran over Tennessee volleyball player Jenae Edmundson. The high schooler lost both her legs.

The crash happened in February 2023 while Riley was out on bond and repeatedly violating the conditions of his GPS ankle monitor.

Court records reveal Riley violated the rules of his ankle bracelet at least 30 times, ten of which involved a dead battery.

A spokesman for the 22nd Judicial Circuit, which is the City of St. Louis, said 372 people are on an ankle monitor as of December 1. The court official said the circuit has covered the cost of monitoring for about 75% of defendants.

Both of these incidents, which happened in less than a year, have left doubt for victim advocates.

“From a victim’s message, it doesn’t send a comforting message,” Crime Victim Center Director of Youth Services and Outreach Kat Cocivera said.

The FOX Files found two additional cases where the judge ordered the defendant to wear a GPS ankle monitor.

Last month, a judge ordered a 44-year-old homeless man to wear a GPS ankle monitor after police said he broke into Northview Village Nursing Home. The man never showed up for his ankle monitor to be installed. A new warrant has been issued for his arrest.

Pierre Kirkwood, 53, is accused of shooting his wife. Prosecutors said Kirkwood laughed at his ankle monitor installation and claimed he’d violated his ankle monitor multiple times.

“I had a bumpy ride coming out the door,” Kirkwood said.

The judge gave him one more chance before throwing him back in jail because he has not violated his monitor since December 8.

Back inside the St. Louis County Justice Center, Holman said it’s a balancing act to reduce the jail’s population while keeping public safety a top priority.

“From an operational standpoint and jail management, it’s extremely difficult,” Holman said. “We face the same workforce issues like every business is facing.”

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