Former police chief pleads guilty in civil rights case

A former Marble Hill, Missouri police chief pled guilty in federal court Thursday to a federal misdemeanor of depriving a woman of her civil rights.

According to Marc Tragesser's guilty plea agreement, Tragesser entered a woman's home acting under color of law and said he was there to take custody of her children under a false claim he had a court order.

Tragesser originally faced a felony civil rights charge after his indictment last February.

On Nov. 25, 2018, Tragesser went to a Marble Hill residence and demanded to speak with a woman identified in court documents as "K.N.C." who temporarily lived in the house.

When the homeowners said K.N.C. was not there, Tragesser threatened to arrest them for obstruction of justice.

Tragesser was accompanied by the paternal grandmother of K.N.C.'s children who Tragesser said was there to retrieve some of her son's property. She then took property from the residence, some of which did not belong to her son, according to court documents.

Tragesser returned later that evening and announced he was there to take custody of K.N.C.'s children under the false claim that he had a court order to do so, his guilty plea stated.

K.N.C. asked to see the court order. Tragesser responded by shoving K.N.C. against a wall.

His force dislodged K.N.C.'s eyeglasses and caused injury to her head and shoulder, according to court documents.

Tragesser then placed K.N.C. in handcuffs and detained her in the back of his police vehicle where she remained for 90 minutes. He also arrested K.N.C.'s boyfriend after accusing him of kidnapping K.N.C.'s children.

Tragesser agreed to release K.N.C. if she agreed to relinquish custody of her children to their paternal grandmother, who had no custodial or visitation rights to the children.

Despite several requests, Tragesser refused to show K.N.C. a court order or any other document that would require K.N.C. to relinquish her children to their paternal grandmother.

K.N.C.'s mother took the children to their paternal grandmother and K.N.C. did not see her children again until March 2019.

Tragesser has a sentencing hearing set for May 24.