An Alabama police officer, 22-year-old David Cunningham, was arrested at a Disney World resort in Florida on kidnapping charges. Allegedly, Cunningham handcuffed a man at a Mississippi party and placed him in his squad car despite having no authority to do so.
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According to public records from the Orange County Corrections Department, Cunningham was arrested on Tuesday, June 3. Fox 10 reports that the arrest took place at Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.
Cunningham was taken into custody as a result of a warrant issued for his arrest in connection with a May 24 incident that took place in Harrison County, Mississippi.
According to The Independent, deputies responded to a shooting at the time at an Audubon Lakes Boulevard residence. Reportedly, the homeowner’s dog had been shot by a 21-year-old suspect. However, the suspect had left in a Prichard Police vehicle.
Moments later, Harrison County Sheriff’s Office deputies conducted a traffic stop and found the 21-year-old on the back of a patrol car, handcuffed. Allegedly, Cunningham had put him in the patrol car after receiving a call about the incident. He was wearing his Prichard PD badge and had his weapon at the time, but was off duty.
Arrested And Charged
The 21-year-old suspect was released by the deputies, but Cunningham was not arrested at the time.
However, a warrant was eventually issued for Cunningham for kidnapping. Allegedly, the 22-year-old officer was outside of his home jurisdiction, as he was in a completely different state. This means that he had no enforcement powers at the time he allegedly handcuffed the suspect.
As a result, David Cunningham was charged with one count of kidnapping. He is being held on a $500,000 bond at a Florida jail, awaiting extradition to Mississippi.
Alongside Cunningham and the 21-year-old man who was handcuffed, a woman named Kristin Allen was sitting in the passenger’s seat. Allen was charged with hindering prosecution. Allegedly, she helped Cunningham with making up different versions of the event to help cover up his alleged crime. She turned herself in on June 2.
As per WJTC, the Prichard Police Department has begun an internal investigation. They will determine whether Cunningham violated department policies during the May 29 incident.