Attorney General Chris Koster said Friday that he had received a request from Dooley to assume responsibility for the Ferguson case. But, Koster said, “state law provides no authority for the attorney general or the governor to remove or transfer a criminal case from an elected county prosecutor.”

By law, a court can appoint a special prosecutor when the county prosecutor is related to the defendant or has another conflict of interest, such as by having represented someone involved in the case.

A prosecutor also can ask the state for help handling the case. The governor then could appoint the attorney general to provide investigative and prosecutorial assistance. But the local prosecutor would retain decision-making authority over the case, Koster said.

When Nixon was attorney general, he sought more authority for the attorney general to bring criminal charges. However, the Legislature rejected his attempts.

Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd said in an interview that he saw no way that McCulloch could be bumped from the case without his consent.