Missouri – A former Missouri police officer has admitted to a pattern of abuse that prosecutors say involved 18 men, most of them handcuffed and many taken away from public view after routine traffic stops or arrests.
The case against Marcellis Blackwell, 36, of St. Louis, spans just seven months, but federal prosecutors described repeated encounters in which police authority was used to isolate detainees, disable body-camera recording and commit sexual assaults.
Blackwell pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to 18 counts of deprivation of rights under color of law. Each count involved abusive sexual contact, while 15 also involved the kidnapping of victims…