17 residents of Gerald sue over fake DEA agent

By Robert Patrick
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
05/18/2008

Police chief, 2 officers have been fired as a result of the incident, in which residents said they were threatened and suffered damage.

Seventeen current or former residents of the Franklin County town of Gerald have filed suits alleging that that their arrests were illegal because a fake federal agent helped make them.

The civil rights suits, filed last week in federal court in St. Louis, come after the arrest of a 36-year-old man accused of duping Gerald officials into believing that he was a federal agent on loan from the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The man conducted drug raids and made arrests, authorities said last week. The police chief and two officers have been fired over the incident.
The suits allege that the fake agent, identified as William Jakob of Washington, and Gerald police officers burst into their homes in April and May, made arrests, damaged their personal property and took money.

One suit says that some of those arrested had guns placed to their heads.

The suits name city officials, police and Jakob as defendants and say that officials and police should have better verified Jakob's identity.

Jakob has not been charged.

A suit filed Thursday by six defendants did not specify the damages sought.

A suit filed Friday seeks $11 million for each of the 11 plaintiffs.

rpatrick@post-dispatch.com | 314-621-5154

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