Eric Greitens announces divorce two years after scandal, sexual misconduct allegations
Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens and former first lady Sheena Greitens are getting divorced, the couple announced on social media Saturday.
The announcement comes two years after Greitens resigned amid allegations of sexually violent misconduct during an extramarital affair, and months after Greitens began speaking publicly again, prompting speculation that he may run for governor in 2020.
The filing deadline in Missouri passed without Greitens announcing his candidacy.
“After much reflection, counsel, and prayer, we’ve made an amicable decision to end our marriage and move forward as co-parents who love our children,” the couple said in a statement. “For their sake, we ask for privacy and will not be commenting further on this private family matter.”
Sheena Greitens is an assistant professor of political science at the University of Missouri and the co-director of the Institute for Korean Studies at the university.
Greitens resigned in 2018 in the face of multiple scandals, including allegations that in 2015 he had photographed a woman while she was bound and naked in his basement without her consent. He was indicted with felony invasion of privacy in St. Louis, but the case was ultimately dropped, as was an unrelated felony computer tampering case.
Greitens admitted to having an extramarital affair, but he has always denied the claims of sexual coercion or violence.
The allegations against Greitens surfaced early in 2018, prompting calls for his resignation. The alleged victim testified to a Missouri House committee that her relationship with Greitens lasted a few months and involved both consensual and non-consensual encounters.
Greitens, she testified, threatened to make the explicit photos public if she ever told anyone about their encounter.
Saint Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner unexpectedly dropped the case against Greitens in May 2018, a week before the trial was set to start. The decision came as Greiten’s defense team planned to call Gardner as a witness in the case.
Weeks later, Greitens resigned while still asserting his innocence.
In June 2018, Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker declined to file charges against Greitens despite “probable cause” for sexual assault.
Greitens began speaking publicly again in February after he was fined $178,000 by the Missouri ethics commission for campaign finance violations.
Recently, he became involved in VirusRelief.US a non-profit organization seeking to secure personal protective equipment for first responders and health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Star’s Bryan Lowry and Jason Hancock contributed to this report.
This story was originally published April 11, 2020 at 10:59 AM.
