MO AG’s Office To Remove Benton County Treasurer Following Child Sex Charges

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is taking aim at the immediate removal of Benton County Treasurer Richard Renno from office.

Bailey’s office has filed a petition outlining gross misconduct and violations of Missouri law which render Renno as unfit to continue serving in public office.

The 62-year-old Renno was charged in June with one count of enticement or attempted enticement of a child under the age of 15 and one count of sexual misconduct also involving a child under the age of 15. The probable cause statement alleges that Renno would use a Grindr social media app to solicit sex from young men.

A preliminary order has already been requested to temporarily bar Renno from performing any official duties or entering the Treasurer’s Office.

Renno is next scheduled to be in court for a preliminary hearing on September 22.

Full Release:

Today, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced that his Office has filed a petition of quo warranto to immediately remove Benton County Treasurer Richard Renno from office. The petition outlines gross misconduct and violations of Missouri law that render him unfit to continue serving in public office. Attorney General Bailey is asking the Court to issue a permanent order removing Renno from office and prohibiting him from exercising the powers of the treasurer’s role.

“When a public official can’t even continue to show up for work because they have been arrested for sex crimes, I will take immediate and permanent action,” said Attorney General Bailey. “Individuals sexually preying on children must be held accountable and removed from public office. The people of Benton County deserve better, and I will use every legal tool at my disposal to hold corrupt officials accountable and restore public trust.”

Attorney General Bailey’s petition lays out alarming allegations against Renno, including:

• Being jailed during regular business hours while facing two felony charges, including attempted enticement of a child and sexual misconduct with a minor under the age of 15;
• Sending a message on the dating app Grindr to a minor while on taxpayer time;
• Violating his statutory obligation to be present in the office during business hours, as required under § 54.100, RSMo;
• Forfeiting his office under § 106.220, RSMo, due to willful neglect of duty and criminal behavior.

As the sole employee in his office, Renno’s absences, combined with his misuse of work hours to send a message to an underage boy on the dating app Grindr, constitute a complete abandonment of his responsibilities. According to the filing, Renno used the dating application Grindr to engage in sexually explicit conversations and shared graphic images with an individual he believed to be an underage boy. The petition states that Renno continued the conversation even after the individual explicitly identified themselves as 14 years old and Renno expressed a sexual interest in minors.

These actions amount to a clear forfeiture of office under Missouri law. The Attorney General is authorized to bring a writ of quo warranto to remove any official who unlawfully holds office or forfeits it through willful neglect, misconduct, or abuse of duty. The Missouri General Assembly specifically authorized this action for officeholders who fail to perform their duties, violate criminal laws, or engage in fraudulent or negligent conduct. This powerful legal mechanism exists to protect the public and preserve the integrity of public service.

Attorney General Bailey took action because the Benton County Prosecutor, whose duties include removal actions, holds a legal obligation to represent local officials. Due to these legal duties, the prosecutor could not proceed with a removal. Additionally, under Missouri law, the Benton County Commission has no authority to remove an elected county treasurer. With no lawful mechanism at the local level to address this crisis, the next legal step was for the Attorney General’s Office to step in.

A preliminary order has already been requested to temporarily bar Renno from performing any official duties or entering the Treasurer’s Office. However, given the seriousness of the allegations and the undeniable breach of public trust, the Attorney General is also pursuing a permanent and immediate writ of quo warranto to formally and irrevocably remove Renno from office. Temporary removal is not enough when an elected official has so clearly forfeited the right to serve. The people of Benton County deserve the assurance that this individual will never again abuse the powers of public office.

“By abandoning his office, engaging in criminal conduct during work hours, and spending taxpayer time soliciting what he believed to be a minor, Respondent has forfeited the right to serve the people of Benton County and must be removed,” the petition states.

“The people of Missouri expect their leaders to serve honorably,” concluded Attorney General Bailey. “There is no place in public service for child sex predators. We will continue to act decisively whenever an elected official abuses their power or abandons their post.”

Attorney General Bailey reminds the public that the charges against Renno are allegations and, as in all criminal cases, the defendant is presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty in a court of law.

The full petition of quo warranto can be read here.