Hailey
In the early hours of December 18, 2023, an SUV belonging to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD) collided with the front of the bar known as Bar:PM, located in the Carondelet neighborhood.
The bar is co-owned by Chad Morris and his husband, James Pence.
Immediately after the crash, the police took control of the scene; Pence was handcuffed and Morris was arrested on allegations that he assaulted a responding police officer.
The officers in the SUV claimed that the driver swerved to avoid a dog in the road; subsequent evidence and video footage later challenged that version, suggesting distraction while adjusting the in-car radio.
Key Facts & Figures
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Bar name | Bar:PM |
| Owners | Chad Morris & James Pence |
| Incident date | December 18, 2023 |
| Location | Carondelet neighborhood, St. Louis, Missouri |
| Initial charges against Morris | Felony assault + resisting arrest (later reduced) |
| Final charge pending | Misdemeanor assault (4th-degree) |
| Time to dismissal | ~22 months (from Dec 2023 to Oct 2025) |
| Judge | Circuit Judge Rochelle Woodiest |
| Reason for dismissal | Motion by defense; evidence/discovery issues with prosecution |
How the Legal Process Unfolded
- After the crash, Morris was arrested and charged with felony assault and resisting arrest following police allegations he hit an officer in the chest.
- The resisting arrest count was dropped by prosecutors in 2024, leaving only a misdemeanor assault charge.
- In August 2025, defense attorneys raised substantial concerns about discovery violations, including the prosecution’s failure to turn over officers’ text messages, internal evaluations and other relevant records. The judge signalled concern about these lapses in court hearings.
- On October 31, 2025, Judge Woodiest granted the defense’s motion to dismiss the remaining charge, effectively ending the criminal case against Morris. With this ruling, Morris leaves court without a conviction or plea.
Implications of the Dismissal
- For Morris and Pence: The dismissal removes the legal cloud over Morris, enabling them to focus on business recovery and any civil claims they may pursue.
- For the police department: The case highlights scrutiny of protocols around officer-involved crashes, including why the officers in the SUV were not subjected to toxicology testing, and how internal evidence was managed.
- For the wider public: The matter raises questions about transparency, accountability and how law-enforcement responses are managed in incidents where officers themselves may be at fault yet civilians are the ones arrested.
What’s Next?
- Morris and Pence may move forward with civil litigation to recover property damage, reputational harm or other losses stemming from the crash and arrest. The criminal dismissal does not prevent civil action.
- The SLMPD and municipal authorities may face calls for policy reform to ensure clearer procedures for officer-involved crashes, evidence disclosure, and third-party accountability.
- The incident may continue to shape public discussion of law-enforcement conduct in St. Louis and elsewhere, particularly in communities historically distrustful of police-civilian interactions.
The dismissal of charges against Chad Morris closes a chapter in a case that began with a police SUV crashing into his bar and escalated to criminal charges against him.
With all charges now dropped, Morris is free from any criminal liability in the matter, while the underlying issues around police procedure, evidence handling and public accountability remain very much alive.
For the bar owners, the focus now likely shifts to rebuilding and deciding whether to pursue civil remedies. For St. Louis and the SLMPD, the episode may serve as a catalyst for change in how officers are held to account when their own actions trigger serious incidents.