Aldridge calls on Gardner to reflect in wake of Edmondson tragedy

Lawmaker calls circuit attorney’s statement ‘tone-deaf’

Rep. Rasheen Aldridge (MOHDC)

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — State Rep. Rasheen Aldridge, D-St. Louis, called for accountability from Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner after her office released a defensive statement about a car wreck in St. Louis City that disabled a teenager from Tennessee.

Doctors had to amputate both of 17-year-old Janae Edmondson’s legs after she was pinned in the accident. Edmondson was in town for a volleyball tournament and had just been accepted to the University of Tennessee Southern on a volleyball scholarship. She remains hospitalized.

Gardner has faced criticism because the unlicensed driver who allegedly caused the accident was out on bond for a robbery case from August of 2020. FOX2 reports that the suspect, who is currently being held without bond, “violated his GPS monitoring device 51 times, including 10 times in the last month.” She also faced further criticism for releasing a statement widely derided by the St. Louis community.

“As elected officials, we owe it to the people we serve to take responsibility and own our mistakes when our negligence leads to these kinds of tragedies,” Aldridge said. “I’m disappointed in Circuit Attorney Gardner’s tone-deaf response that focuses more on herself than the young woman whose life has been irrevocably changed. I hope she reflects on what her office did wrong and how she can do better in the future so others can visit our great city safely.”

Aldridge offered a point of personal privilege and a moment of silence and reflection Wednesday morning for Ms. Edmondson and her family on the House floor.