Soros-backed St. Louis prosecutor hit with new negligence, potential misconduct complaints

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner, a Democrat whose campaign received donations from megadonor George Soros, is facing new complaints of potential misconduct and negligence as she already is battling the Missouri attorney general's efforts to compel her resignation.

While Missouri Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey began removal proceedings against Gardner in February over her mishandling of numerous cases, she is under renewed scrutiny for her actions over the past week.

A St. Louis judge sanctioned Gardner's office earlier in the week for delaying evidence related to a double homicide case, according to local NBC affiliate KSDK. Alex Heflin, 23, had been held without bond since January after he was charged with two second-degree murder counts and armed criminal action, but the charges were reduced to voluntary and involuntary manslaughter. 

The judge in that case sided with Heflin's attorneys who filed a motion accusing Assistant Circuit Attorney Alex Polta of not turning over necessary evidence as required. 

Heflin's trial was pushed from April 17 to June 12, and the suspect was released on GPS monitoring.

Gardner's office said it "is dedicated to doing everything in its power to hold the defendant accountable."

The office on Wednesday pushed back another trial by months as well. For the second time, prosecutors dismissed and refiled charges against two men accused of killing a father and his 7-year-old daughter, according to CBS affiliate KMOV. The trial was set to begin next week but was dropped because prosecutors were reportedly not ready for the case.

Gardner's office blamed law enforcement for issues in the case.

"Receiving evidence from law enforcement agencies in a timely manner is critical to the prosecution of all our cases. In this case, the [Circuit Attorney's Office] was not provided evidence in a timely manner due to acknowledged staffing challenges at the police department," the agency said. 

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department said Gardner's claims are "not accurate, in our estimation" and that the two Missouri agencies "must work together to seek justice and hold criminals accountable."