Probe sought into Missouri prosecutor's actions in Brown case

BY CAREY GILLAM
Fri Jan 16, 2015 4:52pm EST

(Reuters) - Four St. Louis-area activists are seeking a court-ordered investigation of the prosecutor who oversaw the grand jury that declined to indict a white police officer who killed black teenager Michael Brown last August.

The group filed a petition late Thursday asking the Missouri State Circuit Court to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch's conduct and possibly seek his ouster.

McCulloch has come under fire since his Nov. 24 announcement that a grand jury decided not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson for fatally shooting unarmed 18-year-old Brown on Aug. 9. The killing sparked months of protests around the country and has contributed to calls for new state and federal laws on police conduct.

Since the grand jury's decision, McCulloch has acknowledged that at least one witness whose account supported Wilson lied to the grand jury. Critics have charged that transcripts of the grand jury proceedings show the prosecutor's office favored witnesses supporting Wilson's version of events but challenged witnesses who did not support the officer's account.

[font size=1]-snip-[/font]