A former St. Louis, Missouri, area police officer was accused this week in a federal indictment of groping eight men he’d handcuffed and sexually abusing one of them, prosecutors said Thursday.
Marcellis Blackwell, 34, of St. Louis, was indicted on 21 felony counts Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri said.
Blackwell was an officer for the North County Police Cooperative. He was arrested on a state charge in June on an allegation that he sodomized a man with a finger, NBC affiliate KSDK of St. Louis reported.
The federal indictment includes that allegation, and it also alleges that Blackwell groped the genital areas of eight men he’d handcuffed or detained, including the victim in the state case.
Get top local stories in Philly delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia's News Headlines newsletter.
Blackwell has pleaded not guilty in the state case, court records show. He has not had a first appearance or entered a plea in the federal case, according to online court records.
Read the full story on NBCNews.com here.
