[MO] Officer March turns to news station hoping it will help save her job

County Cop Shot In The Face Five Years Ago Could Lose Job
KTVI FOX 2 News St. Louis
Mandy Murphey
Tuesday, 09 Sep 2008
A St. Louis County police officer shot in the face by another County cop says she could be fired Wednesday, five years after she nearly died. March will face an internal affairs hearing Wednesday where she expects to lose her job. County police Officer Tom Zeigler shot Officer March in the face in March of 2003 in a car outside his apartment. The two were dating. A jury found Zeigler guilty of assault and he served two months in jail. Since then, Patti has endured more than 15 surgeries. She has a glass eye and numerous health problems. March claims she's being fired for having non consensual sex with Zeigler while on duty five years ago, something she admitted to in court, and issues over how she refers to her status as a police officer. March says, “I feel very betrayed. They showed up at the hospital and said all the right things. We're going to be here for you, you're always going to have a job here with St. Louis County. That's what I was told and what my family was told." She adds, “I'm going to lose everything. I'm going to lose my insurance. I still have surgeries to be done." St. Louis County police tell FOX 2 anything involving internal affairs is between the officer and the department.


County Police Recommend Firing of Injured Officer
KTVI FOX 2 News St. Louis
Mandy Murphy
10 Sep 2008
St. Louis County Police have recommended that Officer Patti March be fired. March made headlines five years ago when she was shot in the face by Tom Zeigler, another county police officer. Now March says the county wants to fire her for having sex with Zeigler on duty. That’s something she admitted in court 3 years ago. She says they also are firing her for currently referring to herself as a commissioned police officer. She is not commissioned but denies making the claims. March and her attorney spoke with FOX 2’s Mandy Murphy as they walked out of the hearing. Murphy asked what it would mean if March lost her job. “Basically it means that I'll have nothing,” she answered. “I won't be able to get my surgeries completed and get my eye fixed and all the remaining things that need to be done that the county police told me they would take care of me on." County police wont comment on matters involving internal affairs. March is appealing her termination.


I can't think of a better time to share blurbs from my notes:

JUN 7, 2004
ST. LOUIS MO CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT: "A WORLD OF HURT" ON POLICE
...THE ST. LOUIS METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT DOESN'T KEEP READILY AVAILABLE STATISTICS ON HOW MANY OFFICERS HAVE BEEN INVESTIGATED OR DISCIPLINED FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE WITHIN THEIR FAMILIES, ACCORDING TO A DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN. ST. LOUIS CIRCUIT ATTORNEY JENNIFER JOYCE SAYS HER STAFF RECALLS ELEVEN INSTANCES IN WHICH ST. LOUIS POLICE HAVE APPLIED FOR WARRANTS AGAINST THEIR OWN IN DOMESTIC-VIOLENCE CASES. IN FIVE OF THOSE CASES, PROSECUTORS DIDN'T PRESS CHARGES, AND STATE LAW PROHIBITS JOYCE FROM DISCUSSING THEM. IN FOUR OF THE OTHER SIX CASES, THE CHARGES WERE EITHER DROPPED OR THE DEFENDANTS WERE ACQUITTED OR RECEIVED SUSPENDED SENTENCES; AGAIN, STATE LAW MANDATES OFFICIAL SILENCE AND SEALED RECORDS...

JUN 26, 2004
COP ON COP - GRAND JURY STIFFENS CHARGE AGAINST EX COP ZEIGLER
...COMPANION CHARGES OF ARMED CRIMINAL ACTION AND COCAINE POSSESSION, BOTH FELONIES, AND MARIJUANA POSSESSION, A MISDEMEANOR, REMAIN UNCHANGED. OFFICIALS SAID THE DRUGS WERE FOUND IN ZEIGLER'S POSSESSION AFTER THE SHOOTING. HE HAS LEFT THE POLICE FORCE...

JAN 6, 2005
COP ZEIGLER SHOT COP MARCH IN FACE - JURY TIME
...AFTER HIS ARREST, ZEIGLER MADE INCRIMINATING STATEMENTS TO POLICE THAT DEFENSE ATTORNEY CHET PLEBAN HAS ALLEGED AT PREVIOUS HEARINGS WERE COERCED... DEFENSE ATTORNEY CHET PLEBAN IS CLAIMING MARCH DRUNKENLY AND ACCIDENTALLY SHOT HERSELF IN THE FACE WITH ZEIGLERS .40- CALIBER GLOCK SEMIAUTOMATIC PISTOL. MARCH SUFFERED SEVERE INJURIES INCLUDING THE LOSS OF HER LEFT EYE. ...THE POLICE REPORT IS SILENT ABOUT ZEIGLER'S DRUNKENNESS...

JAN 6, 2005
COP MARCH TELLS JURY ABOUT BEING SHOT - JURY TIME
...FIVE DAYS BEFORE THE SHOOTING AT ZEIGLER'S SPARSELY FURNISHED APARTMENT - HE WAS ESTRANGED FROM HIS WIFE - MARCH SAID ZEIGLER HANDCUFFED HER, SLAPPED HER, PUNCHED HER, NICKED HER THROAT WITH A RAZOR AND CUT HIS INITIALS INTO THE SKIN OF HER ABDOMEN. THOSE ACTIONS FRIGHTENED HER AND SHE DECIDED TO END THE RELATIONSHIP...

JAN 6, 2005
OOPS?
...ZEIGLER, SITTING IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT, TOOK HIS .40-CALIBER GLOCK SEMIAUTOMATIC PISTOL FROM A FANNY PACK AND FIRED 1 SHOT THAT STRUCK MARCH IN THE FACE. HE CALLED 911, CALLING IT A SUICIDE ATTEMPT, KELLER SAID. POLICE SAID ZEIGLER LATER ADMITTED THAT HE FIRED THE GUN, INSISTING IT WAS AN ACCIDENT... (THEN) ...ZEIGLER SAYS HE AND MARSH WERE USING A GUN AS A SEX PROP WHEN SHE WAS SHOT IN THE FACE...

JAN 10, 2005
UPDATE: COP-ON-COP ZEIGLER/MARCH TRIAL -
...MARCH UNDERWENT NINE OR 10 SURGERIES IN ALL, INCLUDING THE REMOVAL OF BULLET FRAGMENTS FROM HER BRAIN, THE REBUILDING OF HER FOREHEAD AND THE IMPLANTING OF A GLASS EYE...

JAN 13, 2005
UPDATE: COP-ON-COP ZEIGLER/MARCH VERDICT
...A JURY CONVICTED ST. LOUIS COUNTY POLICE OFFICER THOMAS ZEIGLER WEDNESDAY OF THE LESSER CHARGE OF SECOND-DEGREE ASSAULT IN THE SHOOTING OF FELLOW POLICE OFFICER AND LOVER PATRICIA MARCH... HAD ZEIGLER BEEN CONVICTED OF FIRST-DEGREE ASSAULT, HE WOULD HAVE FACED A MINIMUM OF 10 YEARS IN PRISON AND A MAXIMUM OF LIFE...

JAN 14, 2005
COP ZEIGLER TO GET NO JAIL TIME FOR SHOOTING PATRICIA?
......PROSECUTOR JOHN QUARENGHI URGED THE JURY TO GIVE ZEIGLER PRISON TIME TO SEND A MESSAGE TO OTHER POLICE OFFICERS THAT THEY NEED TO FOLLOW THE LAW...

JAN 20, 2005
STLTODAY ARTICLE: JURY URGES FINES, NOT PRISON
..."HE IS ONE OF THE BEST FRIENDS YOU COULD EVER HOPE TO HAVE, A GOOD CHRISTIAN AND A SUPER COP," GLADDEN TOLD THE JURY. ZEIGLER'S ATTORNEY... ASKED FOR MERCY IN THE PUNISHMENT PHASE THURSDAY. HE SAID ZEIGLER, THE FATHER OF A BOY AND A GIRL, WOULD BE UNABLE TO SUPPORT HIS CHILDREN IF HE WENT TO PRISON. HE SAID THE FELONY CONVICTIONS ALREADY PREVENT ZEIGLER - NO LONGER A COUNTY OFFICER - FROM WORKING ANYWHERE AS A POLICE OFFICER. "OBVIOUSLY, A POLICE OFFICER IN PRISON WITH PEOPLE HE PUT THERE IS NOT A GOOD MOVE," SAID PLEBAN, ADDING THAT THE DEFENDANT WOULD THEN UNFAIRLY SPEND HIS TIME IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT...

FEB 24, 2005
HE'S NOT IN JAIL?
...ZEIGLER, 31, TESTIFIED THAT HE GOT A PHONE CALL FROM MARCH SINCE HIS TRIAL LAST MONTH. HE ALLEGED SHE HARASSED HIM. JUDGE MELVYN W. WIESMAN DECIDED THAT ZEIGLER LACKED EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THE ALLEGATION AND REFUSED TO ISSUE AN ORDER. MARCH, 31, DID NOT ATTEND THE HEARING... SHE HAS HAD 10 OPERATIONS TO REMOVE BULLET FRAGMENTS FROM HER BRAIN, IMPLANT AN ARTIFICIAL EYE, AND REBUILD HER FACE...

MAR 4, 2005
COP ON COP - ZEIGLER FINED FOR SHOOTING OFFICER MARCH
...A JURY CONVICTED ST. LOUIS COUNTY POLICE OFFICER THOMAS ZEIGLER WEDNESDAY OF THE LESSER CHARGE OF SECOND-DEGREE ASSAULT IN THE SHOOTING OF FELLOW POLICE OFFICER AND LOVER PATRICIA MARCH... MARCH SURVIVED, AND HAS UNDERGONE 10 OPERATIONS TO REMOVE BULLET FRAGMENTS FROM HER BRAIN, TO REPLACE THE EYE SHE LOST WITH A GLASS ONE, AND TO REBUILD HER FACE...

DEC 17, 2005
COP-ON-COP DV SHOOTING - EX COP ZEIGLER UPDATE
...(OFFICER PATRICIA MARCH) HAS, AT LAST PUBLIC REPORT, HAD 10 OPERATIONS (THE FIRST ONE 14 HOURS LONG) TO "REMOVE BULLET FRAGMENTS FROM HER BRAIN, TO REPLACE THE EYE SHE LOST WITH A GLASS ONE, AND TO REBUILD HER FACE..." (SELAH.)

JAN 19, 2006
PREVIOUSLY-SHOT OFFICER PATRICIA MARCH REPORTS ANOTHER DV INCIDENT
STEVEN HAYES, 36, A ST. LOUIS FIREFIGHTER AND STEPSON OF FORMER ST. LOUIS CIRCUIT ATTORNEY DEE JOYCE-HAYES, HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH MISDEMEANOR DOMESTIC ASSAULT. HAYES WAS ARRESTED AFTER HIS GIRLFRIEND, ST. LOUIS COUNTY POLICE OFFICER PATRICIA MARCH, REPORTED THAT HE HAD PULLED HER HAIR, PUNCHED HER IN THE BACK AND TAKEN HER .40-CALIBER HANDGUN. THIS IS THE SAME PATRICIA MARCH WHO LOST AN EYE AND HAD MORE THAN 10 OPERATIONS AFTER SHE WAS SHOT IN THE FACE IN 2003, ALLEGEDLY BY HER FORMER LOVER AND THEN-FELLOW OFFICER, THOMAS ZEIGLER.