Police Officer Admits to Sexually Abusing 18 Men While They Were in His Custody

A former officer with the North County Police Cooperative has confessed to sexually assaulting 18 men after detaining or arresting them.

Marcellis Blackwell, 36, from St.

Louis, pleaded guilty in the U.S.District Court in St.Louis to 18 charges of depriving others of their rights while acting under the color of law, specifically the right to bodily integrity.All charges involved abusive sexual contact, and fifteen of them involved the kidnapping of the victims.

As part of his plea agreement, Blackwell admitted that between November 8, 2022, and June 5, 2023, while working as an officer with the North County Police Cooperative, he sexually assaulted 18 men.

The assaults usually occurred after traffic stops or arrests.

In one instance, Blackwell detained two men following a traffic accident, groping one in the back seat of his police vehicle before taking the other victim to a remote location.

Sixteen of his victims were handcuffed during the incidents.

Fifteen were taken to a remote location, including a high school and the back parking lot of Blackwell’s department, after he turned off his body-worn camera.On 13 occasions, Blackwell falsified reports by claiming his body-worn camera had been active throughout the entire interaction with the arrestees.

The investigation started on June 4, 2023, when one of Blackwell’s victims from the previous day reported the incident to the North County Police Cooperative.

As more victims came forward, the FBI took over the case.

Blackwell is set to be sentenced on November 24.

The U.S.Attorney’s Office will be asking for a 30-year prison sentence.