St. Louis Sheriff Vernon Betts says he's denying his successor help with transition of power

St. Louis Sheriff Vernon Betts and his successor, Sheriff-elect Alfred Montgomery, just can't get along.

After a contentious primary, Montgomery alleges that Betts is blocking his efforts to transition into office before his official swearing-in on Jan. 1. In addition, Montgomery says communication with Betts' office has been sporadic and Betts won't speak with him directly.

Montgomery said his administration must be allowed to begin the transition process in order to learn the office's recordkeeping system, hire additional sheriff's deputies and ensure the 22nd Judicial Circuit doesn't have a lapse in safety.

"As I look at it, Democrat Biden and Republican Trump are transitioning their office," Montgomery said. "If they can do it, why can't two Democrats in the local city do it as peacefully as the presidency?"

Montgomery, a 27-year-old Democrat, captured nearly 86% of the vote in the general election, defeating Libertarian candidate Joy Denise Dabney. In August, Montgomery narrowly unseated Betts in the Democratic primary after a tumultuous race that led to a recount , bitter verbal jabs and threats of violence.

The St. Louis Sheriff's Office is responsible for the security of the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court and the transportation of prisoners between the courts and detention facilities. In addition, the office serves court papers and eviction notices, carries out land tax sales and issues concealed carry permits.

Montgomery had worked as a deputy in the sheriff's office in 2019 before Betts fired him when he announced his run for sheriff. Montgomery lost against Betts in the 2020 Democratic primary. Notably, Betts was also fired as a deputy sheriff in 2011 when he announced a run against then-longtime Sheriff James W. Murphy.

Betts insists Montgomery has no official role in the St. Louis Sheriff's Department until he officially takes the helm in January, and he is not interested in speaking to Montgomery ahead of that date.

"I'm the sheriff until December the 31st," he said. "There's nothing to talk about."

Transition precedents

There's no local or state law that requires a transition for the sheriff's office — it's more of a best practice.

"It's fairly common simply because of the need or desire to make government function as effectively as possible," said David Kimball, University of Missouri-St. Louis political science professor. "[It shows] respect for the democratic process, that you acknowledge the person that won the election and try — in a small way — to help them start ... their term."

Some elected officials say the community can be detrimentally impacted without a smooth transition.

In 2020, Republican attorney Joe Cervantez unseated incumbent Democrat Mike Carr to serve as the southern Illinois-based Jackson County's top prosecutor. But Cervantez said Carr completely emptied the offices and refused to speak to him about pending cases.

"It put me back several months," said Cervantez, who has served in the seat for the past four years. "When I look back, there are still things that could have been explained [to me] a little better that I was trying to figure out even a year or two into my term."

Cervantez is awaiting the result of his race against Democratic opponent Marsha Cascio-Hale. The two are in a deadlock : Each has exactly 10,805 votes. The race will likely come down to a final tally of mail-in and provisional ballots.

If he is not reelected, Cervantez said he'll work with Cascio-Hale on a seamless transition between administrations.

"There's something bigger than the elected office and the position," he said. "When you get a good transition, you can start from the very beginning ahead and you're not wasting time."

The conflict

Montgomery claims Betts has barred him from the Civil Courts Building, which holds the sheriff's office. He said getting in early would help his team get familiar with the office's daily operations.

In an Aug. 26 voicemail obtained by St. Louis Public Radio, a captain informed Montgomery that Betts would not "entertain the idea of anyone coming in" until after the November election. But Montgomery said nothing has changed since the election.

"We don't want to start on Day 1 not knowing what we're doing," Montgomery said. "We don't want to go in blindfolded."

Montgomery plans to raise the base salary for sheriff's deputies to $42,000, which he says requires reviewing employment records in the building. Government employee pay is public information, but Montgomery said there are no comprehensive records of deputies' pay online.

However, courthouse security has stopped Montgomery and his team from entering the building to look up records. He said the sheriff's office staff said a court injunction prevented Montgomery from entering but could not provide the documents.

Betts told STLPR that no such injunction was ever filed and said he never blocked Montgomery from entering the building, pointing to a walk-through of the courthouse on Thursday that Montgomery attended. The incoming sheriff confirmed his visit.

"His lies are so fantastic," Betts said, alleging Montgomery was "psychotic" and a "pathological liar." "Montgomery, you've been in the building a million times. What are you talking about?"

Betts criticized the incoming sheriff's appearances in the building, saying they create tension among the staff. He said Montgomery should keep a low profile — as Betts said he did after he won his 2016 election when Sheriff Murphy retired.

"Mr. Montgomery goes in and out of the civil court building like he's the sheriff," he said. "I got some enemies walking around here — and he knows that — and they're on his side."

Betts admits there could be some benefits in a transition process but alleges Montgomery harassed him during the primary. "I would be willing to sit down with Mr. Montgomery if Mr. Montgomery was a nice fella," he said. "But Mr. Montgomery has dragged my name through the mud."

Montgomery rebuts those claims, and Betts did not provide STLPR any proof of harassment.

"Mr. Montgomery has lied from the beginning about everything there is to lie about as it relates to him becoming the sheriff of the City of St Louis," Betts said. "He's a pathological liar. He's a troublemaker, and you'll see — the City of St. Louis is going to get what they asked for."

Montgomery hopes Betts will have a change of heart and work with his team on a smooth transition. If not, he fears his office and the community will feel the consequences.