A federal grand jury has indicted St. Louis Sheriff Alfred Montgomery over his handcuffing of then-acting jail boss Tammy Ross last February.

The charge is for “ deprivation of rights under color of law ,” according to the indictment unsealed on Thursday afternoon. The U.S. Department of Justice describes the offense as an incident in which federal, state or local officials deprive someone of their constitutional rights while purportedly acting in their official duties.

In Montgomery's case, the DOJ said the charge is punishable by up to one year in prison, a fine of up to $1,000 or both prison and a fine.

St. Louis’ sheriff has already had his arraignment and first appearance, according to federal court records. Montgomery waived his right to have the indictment read and was re

See Full Page