Sex video confirmed to involve former St. Louis County executive’s chief of staff

Published: Jun. 30, 2022 at 7:10 PM CDT
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ST. LOUIS (KMOV) - The Missouri State Highway Patrol is investigating a sex video that was recorded by the former chief of staff for St. Louis County Executive Sam Page, Calvin Harris. The woman in the video did not know she was being recorded according to her attorney, Grant Boyd.

“The victim did not know she was being recorded, did not consent to any recording and certainly did not consent to any dissemination of any recording,” he said.

On Wednesday, St. Louis County Councilman Mark Harder revealed that he’d been emailed a video of a county employee having sex in the office, apparently on the 9th floor of the county government headquarters in Clayton. Harder turned over the video to the Clayton Police Department, which asked the Missouri State Highway Patrol to take over the investigation.

Attorney Travis Noble is representing Harris and told News 4 the sexual encounter was consensual and that the woman had seen the cellphone that was being used to record the encounter.

“I don’t know that there are any criminal consequences because I don’t believe a crime has been committed. I believe the circumstances are, one, that she did know that it was being videoed and he didn’t disseminate it to anybody,” said Noble.

Page’s spokesman, Doug Moore, released a statement Thursday afternoon regarding the incident.

“It is reprehensible that a video was taken and circulated without the woman’s consent. And it’s reprehensible that it was passed hand-to-hand among politicians. The Highway Patrol is investigating to determine what crimes occurred. Our office first learned of this on Wednesday.”

Harris had only been in his position with the Page administration since January. He abruptly announced his resignation on the same day Harder revealed he had been sent a video of a sexual encounter. Harris, however, cited the death of a close relative and an upcoming family relocation as the reasons why he resigned.

County Council Chairwoman Rita Heard-Days said she thought it was unconscionable and unprofessional for a county employee to have sex in the workplace.

“It’s not a good look for St. Louis County and it’s very sad, very sad,” she said.

In 2019 the Missouri legislature passed a law to protect people from being recorded during sex without giving their approval. Matthew Huffman is the chief of public affairs for the Missouri Coalition against Domestic and Sexual Violence.

“If you are someone who took a picture or a video of a sexual nature without that other person’s informed consent and knowledge, then this is now a criminal offense,” said Huffman.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol said its investigation is ongoing. An independent unit within the St. Louis County Prosecutor’s Office that handles cases involving public officials, the Conviction and Incident Review Unit, is participating in the investigation.