More than one Missouri officer accused of pulling over women, searching phones for nude pictures

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Two Missouri police officers were indicted separately this week and accused of similar crimes — pulling over women and searching their phones to find nude photos.

The indictments of former Missouri State Highway Patrol officer David McKnight on Tuesday and former Florissant, Missouri, officer Julian Alcala on Wednesday were unrelated, but the indictments spelled out similar allegations. Both men face federal charges accusing them of depriving the rights of several women, and destroying evidence.

A July 2021 release from the Highway Patrol says McKnight, 39, of Sikeston had been appointed to Troop E, Zone 7, covering Mississippi, New Madrid and Scott counties. The release said McKnight is a graduate of Scott County Central High School and had formerly worked as a patrol officer for Sikeston Department of Public Safety.

McKnight victimized nine women between September 2023 and Aug. 19, his indictment said. Typically, according to the indictment, he would pull over a woman for a traffic violation and tell her he needed to look at her phone to either verify identity or confirm insurance coverage.

David McKnight

McKnight searched the phones and used his own phone to photograph nude pictures he found, the indictment said.

McKnight was arrested by patrol investigators on Aug. 21 and resigned five days later, patrol Capt. Scott White said in an email.

White declined to discuss McKnight's case but said that patrol employees “are held to high standards and if it is determined that those standards were not met, they are held accountable.”

McKnight pleaded not guilty during a court appearance on Thursday. Messages were left Friday with his lawyer.

Alcala, 29, was accused of crimes involving 20 women between Feb. 6 and May 18. Five of the alleged crimes happened on the same day.

Alcala confiscated phones from women under the auspices of confirming insurance coverage and vehicle registration, the indictment said. Like McKnight, he was accused of searching the phones for nude photos, then using his own phone to take pictures.

The indictment said Alcala also found a video on one victim's phone and texted the video to his own phone.

Alcala doesn't yet have a listed attorney. No phone listing for him could be found. He also is named in four lawsuits filed against him and the city of Florissant, a St. Louis suburb.

Alcala had been with the Florissant department since January 2023. He resigned in June amid an FBI investigation.

“We are disgusted at this behavior, which is a complete betrayal of the values we uphold and in no way reflects the professionalism and integrity of our dedicated officers," Florissant police said in a statement. “We recognize the gravity of this breach of trust and its impact on our community.”

For more background on McKnight, here is the Southeast Missourian's original story.

This story has been updated by the Southeast Missourian.