What did Kimberly Gardner do? Calls for Circuit attorney to resign intensify

Kimberly Gardner, the circuit attorney for St. Louis, is facing major backlash. This piece of news came after a motorist, Daniel Riley, crashed his car and injured a teenage girl, who is a volleyball player from Tennessee. According to reports, due to the accident, the girl lost both of her legs. It is also reported that Riley violated his bond more than 50 times but remained free.

Amidst the incident, Gardner is under the radar and has been receiving major calls to resign. On Thursday, Missouri Governor Mike Parson said that Kimberly Gardner should resign. While speaking with Fox 2, Parson said,

"There’s plenty of evidence right now that she is not doing what she needs to be doing as prosecutor of St. Louis City."

The governor further said,

"I believe that’s not just my opinion. When you look at a record that’s been consistent with violent crime in the area, this is nothing new. It’s just a matter that’s probably brought it up to the top."

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey also filed a writ of quo warranto to remove Kimberly Gardner from her position. He also claimed in the writ that she often neglected her duties as a circuit attorney.

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How did St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner react to calls for her resignation?

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner said that she has no plans to step down from her position. At a news conference outside her office, she spoke about the incident in which the teenager lost her legs. Gardner also defended the way she handled the case of offender Daniel Riley, who crashed the car.

Gardner explained how her office filed several requests to revoke Riley's bond, and she mentioned three occasions when her office did that, but the judges who were taking care of the case did not take enough cognizance of their requests.

In a statement, Kimberly Gardner said,

"While it is true my office could have done more, to say we did nothing is not only disingenuous, but is willfully ignorant of the reality of our court system."

She further said,

"And while I understand that politics will always play a role, my office will return to focusing on the important work that the people of the City of St. Louis elected me."

Kimberly Gardner is from the Democratic Party and is currently serving as the St. Louis City Circuit Attorney in Missouri. She assumed office on January 6, 2017, and then won the general election on November 3, 2020. Her current term will end on January 1, 2025. In the general election, she won by 96,432 votes.

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All you need to know about Daniel Riley and the teenager's accident case

According to reports, Janae Edmondson, the teenager who was met with a brutal accident, was visiting St. Louis with her family from Nashville, Tennessee, to participate in a volleyball tournament.

At the time of the accident, the family and Janae were walking in downtown St. Louis when a car collided with another vehicle, and the second vehicle ended up hurting Janae. It was reported that the car was being driven by Riley.