ST. LOUIS — Two more attorneys are resigning from St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner’s office, according to sources familiar with their departures.
Assistant Circuit Attorney Adam Field, was assigned to the General Felonies Unit, and Kiersten Heiman, was assigned to the Misdemeanor Unit, according to payroll documents provided to 5 On Your Side by the Circuit Attorney’s Office. Field's last day is May 19, according to the sources.
This leaves 20 attorneys in the Circuit Attorney’s Office overall.
By comparison, St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell employs about 70 attorneys. Sources familiar with their departures also confirm Field and Hieman have been hired by Bell's office post resignations from Gardner's office.
There is only one prosecutor currently assigned to the Violent Felonies Unit that has more than 500 cases alone.
The exodus from Gardner's office is among the reasons why Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has filed a lawsuit to remove Gardner from office.
Since February, five of the six prosecutors assigned to the Violent Felonies Unit have resigned. Those former prosecutors are also still listed as the attorney of record on 12 jury trials scheduled for the next two weeks.
Presiding Judge Elizabeth Hogan wrote a letter to Gardner this week asking who will be assigned to those cases.
Gardner's response to Hogan's letter was, "Judge Hogan, I have received your letter on upcoming trials. As you know, the Circuit Attorney’s Office is currently working on these matters."
Gardner's spokeswoman has previously told 5 On Your Side the office does not comment on personnel matters, but stated Monday:
"The backbone of the Circuit Attorney’s Office are the hardworking men and women who review and issue cases on a daily basis. While we have had some high profile departures, the office continues to seek justice for the people of the City of St. Louis. The CAO has made adjustments to the workload to ensure all cases are covered, and is actively recruiting talented attorneys. The prosecutor’s office continues to be an excellent training ground for those seeking experience in the criminal justice system, and we continue to receive resumes from qualified attorneys. Despite constant criticism and scrutiny, the team continues to pull together to serve the City of St. Louis under the leadership of Circuit Attorney Gardner."