An Alabama police officer was arrested at a Disney World resort on a kidnapping charge after a 21-year-old man was found handcuffed in the back of his car following a house party in Mississippi.
Police Officer David Cunningham, 22, was off duty but wearing his Prichard PD badge when he was pulled over during a traffic stop.
Deputies with the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office discovered a 21-year-old man in the backseat of the patrol car who was handcuffed and they released him.
It all stemmed from an incident on May 24 when deputies responded to a shooting on Audubon Lakes Boulevard in Mississippi.
They discovered that the homeowner’s dog had been accidentally shot at a house party and the person who was allegedly responsible had left in the backseat of a Prichard Police vehicle.
An investigation revealed that Cunningham went to the home in his patrol unit after getting a phone call from the party. When he arrived, he saw the man arguing with the homeowner, so he handcuffed him, put him in the patrol car and left the scene.
A warrant was issued for Cunningham for kidnapping due to the cop being out of state with no enforcement powers and detaining an individual and removing him from the scene.
Cunningham was arrested at a Disney World Resort, according to his arrest affidavit obtained by FOX10.
He was charged with one felony count of kidnapping and his passenger, Kristin Allen of Gulfport, was charged with one felony count of hindering prosecution. Officials say she helped Cunningham with creating multiple versions of events to justify his unlawful actions and detention of the individual.
Allen was arrested on the warrant after turning herself in at the Harrison County Adult Detention Facility on June 2.
On June 3, Cunningham was arrested on a warrant by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Orlando, Florida. He will be held on a $500,000 bond upon extradition from Florida.
Pritchard Police released a statement this week, saying they are aware of Cunningham being involved in the incident and said they are “awaiting an investigative report from the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office to gain a clearer understanding of the circumstances.”
“It has been brought to our attention that Officer Cunningham was operating a city vehicle across state lines at the time of the incident, which is a potential violation of departmental policy.
“In response, our department has initiated an internal investigation to review all policies that may have been violated in connection with this situation.
“We take these matters seriously and are committed to ensuring full accountability and transparency throughout the process.”
