Former Florissant Police Officer Accused of Searching 20 Women’s Phones

ST. LOUIS - A former Florissant, Missouri police officer was indicted by a grand jury Wednesday and accused of unlawfully searching 20 women's cell phones to find nude pictures.

The grand jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis indicted Julian Alcala, 29, with one count of destroying records in a federal investigation and 20 counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, namely the right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure.

The indictment accuses McKnight of searching the cell phones of the 20 women between Feb. 6, 2024, and May 18, 2024. McKnight took possession of their cell phones under the auspices of confirming their insurance coverage or vehicle registration, searched the phones for nude pictures and then took photos of the pictures with his personal cell phone, the indictment alleges. The indictment also says Alcala found a video on one victim's phone and texted that video to his phone before attempting to delete evidence of the text.

Alcala is the second former law enforcement officer to be indicted on similar charges this week.

David McKnight, 39, was indicted Tuesday by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau with one count of destroying records in a federal investigation and nine counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, namely the right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure. The indictment accuses McKnight of searching the cell phones of nine women between Sept. 1, 2023, and August 19, 2024.

Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.

"If you feel uncomfortable about your encounter with law enforcement, please don't hesitate to go to that department after the fact to report what happened," said Special Agent in Charge Ashley T. Johnson of the FBI St. Louis Division. "If you feel your civil rights have been violated, contact the FBI. Investigating criminal conduct by a law enforcement officer is among our top priorities."

Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or via tips.fbi.gov.

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Krug is prosecuting the case.