LADUE, Mo. — Former Ladue Police officer Julia Crews has agreed to have her law enforcement license placed on probation seven years after she shot a shoplifting suspect in the back, First Alert 4 reported.
The Missouri Department of Public Safety reached a consent-to-discipline agreement with Crews following a complaint it filed against her in 2024, according to the report.
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The 2019 incident began when Crews was called to the scene of a reported shoplifting, First Alert 4 reported. Crews spoke with the suspect, Ashley Fountain, for several minutes before Fountain fled on foot.
As Crews pursued her, she drew her gun and shot Fountain in the back. Crews has maintained that she intended to deploy her TASER and thought she had it in her hand when she fired the gun.
Through an agreement with Fountain, assault charges against Crews were dismissed in 2021, First Alert 4 reported. Crews resigned from the Ladue Police Department following the incident.
She was hired by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office in 2022 and serves as a court bailiff. Her probation will still allow her to serve in that role.
“We support the Director’s decision and believe the discipline is appropriate considering all the circumstances. Julia continues to be a valued employee,” Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak stated.
The terms and length of the probation are not public record, a Department of Public Safety spokesperson told First Alert 4.
