The Rev. B.T. Rice, first-vice president of the St. Louis County NAACP, called it an “unfortunate setback.” He added, “This doesn’t speak well for trying to make sure that racism is eradicated and erased.”

The city’s NAACP chapter found that “hundreds of African-Americans were stopped and arrested,” said its president, Adolphus Pruitt.

He said the department faces a dilemma: “Did he do it? And if he did, then I’m extremely confused as to why they think he should be an officer in any department. If he did not, then we have six or seven officers who swore that he did and they need to be removed. You can’t have it both ways.”

FAVORS, PRESSURE, ‘LAKE HOUSE’

Flynn’s report says Officer Russ Bono told a lieutenant that he was “upset with all of the ‘stuff’ that was getting way out of control and he felt Sgt. O’Neil stabbed them in the back by dragging them into this mess and that it was all (expletive).”

Flynn also notes that at least two officers felt “pressured,” by county attorneys to testify against Hayes. In one case, former officer Gregory Van Mierlo testified that County Counselor Lorena Merklin Von Kaenel used meetings on an unrelated civil case against him to “question and/or influence them with regard to the Hayes case.”