Osage Beach Facing Federal Lawsuit In Panhandling Case

The City of Osage Beach has been named in a federal lawsuit over its ordinance dealing with panhandling.

At issue is a homeless couple identified as Jackie and Brittany Pugh who were approached by a city police officer on August 23, 2024, informing them they needed to stop begging or they could be cited or arrested.

The Pugh’s offered to move down the street to a different location which the officer reportedly agreed to before coming back the next day saying ordinance prohibited panhandling in groups of two or more. The Pugh’s then offered to do their panhandling separately but the officer told them he still couldn’t allow that because he knew they were together.

The lawsuit filed on Tuesday in the U.S. District court for the Western District of Missouri claims that the Pugh’s were “passively” begging and not initiating any contact with drivers passing by and that the city’s ordinance is unconstitutional under the First and Fourteenth Amendments.

The lawsuit is also for the ordinance to be declared unconstitutional and for damages to be awarded.