From The Tribune staff reports
ODENVILLE — Odenville Police Chief Glenn Walton said that the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) is investigating the complaint against an officer but cannot comment further on the incident.
Clint Howard of Moody is the owner of Lucky’s Audio and Accessories LLC and Lucky’s Automotive Sales and said that he was driving home from a night with friends in one of the newer vehicles from his lot that did not have a tag. Howard explained that the tag for the vehicle was ordered out of Montgomery prior to the incident.
He was driving through Odenville when he was pulled over by an Odenville Police Officer on Wednesday, May 4, around 11:30 p.m.
“As the officer walks up, I asked him, ‘was I speeding or something,’ because I really didn’t understand other than the tag why he was pulling me over,” Howard said.
Howard said when the officer said the vehicle didn’t have a tag, Howard cursed and told the officer he could show him the information proving the tags were ordered.
“He freaked out and said that I was getting aggressive,” Howard said. “He tried to jump through the window and snatch my phone from me when I went to video because they started talking about me getting out and handcuffing me”
He explained when he told the officer he hadn’t done anything to receive this reaction, Howard said the officer responded by saying “you were overly aggressive.”
“After he tries to reach for my phone, he yanks the door open, and they go to snatch me out of the car,” Howard said. “I’m telling him, ‘hey, please be careful with my right shoulder. I got surgery on Monday.’ As they snatched me out of the car, they twisted my arm up and popped my arm out of the socket.”
Howard explained that several officers showed up during the incident, and he was given a field sobriety test.
“Then they tried to say I was drunk, and I blew a 0.00,” Howard said. “They put me through a battery of tests, and I’m like, ‘Man, I’m really not built to do these. Maybe when I was a young kid, I could do these tests for you.'”
After he took the breathalyzer test, Howard said another officer tried to explain the background behind the situation. Howard stated the officer said that people were stealing cars from the auction in Moody and that’s why the officers acted in that manner.
“I’ve already been to the ER and I’ve already filed a citizen complaint with the chief of Odenville,” Howard said.
The Trussville Tribune has reached out to ALEA for a comment but has not received a response at the time of publication.