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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
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 that 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.
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, 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.
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 had been 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.”
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