Wednesday, August 12, 2026 - A former North County Police Cooperative officer has admitted to s£xually ass@ulting 18 men after detaining or arresting them.
Marcellis Blackwell, 36, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty in
U.S. District Court in St. Louis to 18 counts of deprivation of rights under
color of law, namely the right to bodily integrity. All of the counts involved
abusive sexual contact and fifteen involved the kidnapping of the victims.
As part of his plea agreement, Blackwell admitted that
between Nov. 8, 2022, and June 5, 2023, while working as an officer with the
North County Police Cooperative, he s£xually assaulted 18 men. The assaults
typically followed traffic stops or arrests.
In one case, Blackwell detained two men after a traffic
accident, groping one in the back seat of his police vehicle before taking his
other victim to a remote location.
Sixteen of his victims were handcuffed at the time. Fifteen
were taken to a remote location, including a high school and the back parking
lot of Blackwell’s department, after he deactivated his body-worn camera. On 13
occasions, Blackwell falsified reports by claiming that his body-worn camera
had been active during his entire interaction with the arrestees.
The investigation began on June 4, 2023, when one of
Blackwell’s victims from the previous day contacted the North County Police
Cooperative. As more victims came forward, the FBI took over the investigation.
Blackwell is scheduled to be sentenced on November 24. The
U.S. Attorney’s Office will request a sentence of 30 years in prison.
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