ST. LOUIS – St. Louis judges and a special court committee are demanding answers from the city’s sheriff about a long-collected fee, to the point that Missouri’s Attorney General may get involved.
An astonishing discovery was brought to attention in a special meeting on the top floor of the civil courts building. St. Louis judges and committee members could find no evidence they’ve ever approved a court-related fee that’s been collected for more than 30 years.
“I was stunned,” Rick Burrows, private investigator and process server, said. “They went all the way to 1992 to the present. You’re talking 31 years of Court En Banc meeting minutes, and no fees were ever approved.”
The court wants answers about the $500 training fee the sheriff charges to take a process server training course. While they agreed on the value of a training class, they are looking into whether the amount of money is reasonable.
The committee is now drafting a letter to Sheriff Vernon Betts, asking him to explain the fees. When first asked about the fee last year, he said he would look into it.