Police Officer Arrested at a Disney Resort and Charged in Connection with a Kidnapping
David Cunningham, 22, allegedly handcuffed and detained a man at a house party in Mississippi in May — a state and jurisdiction where he had no official police authority
Mississippi police issued a warrant for Cunningham's arrest, and he was located in Florida on June 3 and charged with one felony count of kidnappingA police officer was arrested at a Disney resort in Florida on accusations of kidnapping, per multiple reports and public arrest records.
David Cunningham, 22, of Mobile, Ala., was arrested in Orange County, Fla., on Tuesday, June 3, per Orange County Corrections Department public records.
Cunningham was taken into custody in Florida after a warrant was issued for his arrest following a May 24 incident in Harrison County, Miss., per The Independent. He was charged with one felony count of kidnapping.
According to the outlet, the Alabama police officer handcuffed a 21-year-old man at a house party in Mississippi and put him in the back of his squad car — despite the fact that Cunningham had no official authority outside of his home municipality of Prichard, Ala.
Cunningham allegedly handcuffed the man and put him in his Prichard County Police Department car after the man allegedly shot the homeowner's dog during a 'recreational gunfire' display, according to the Harrison County Sheriff's Office (HSCO), per local news outlet WKRG.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
Cunningham allegedly then drove away from the party with the 21-year-old man handcuffed in his backseat and was stopped by the HSCO during a traffic stop shortly thereafter, per the outlet. Cunningham had his Prichard Police badge and weapon on him, according to authorities, WKRG reported.
While Cunningham was not detained at the time, a warrant was later issued for his arrest by the HSCO, which determined he had unlawfully detained the other man and that his actions technically constituted kidnapping, per WKRG.
The HSCO also put out a warrant for Kristin Allen, a passenger who was riding with Cunningham at the time, whom they say helped create and recount different versions of events to authorities and hindered prosecution, per the outlet.
Cunningham was ultimately located and arrested at a Disney resort on June 3. Allen turned herself in to authorities in Mississippi on June 2, according to WKRG.
The Prichard County Police Department — Cunningham's employer at the time of the May incident — released a statement regarding Cunningham's arrest, Fox 10 reported. In the statement, they claim that they became aware of Cunningham's involvement in the out-of-state incident on June 2.
'We are currently 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,' the statement reads, per Fox 10.
'In response, our department has initiated an internal investigation to review any and 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,' the police department added.
PEOPLE reached out to the Prichard Police Department, Harrison County Sheriff's Office and Orange County Sheriff's Office for comment on Saturday, June 7, but did not receive an immediate response.
According to WJTV, Cunningham is currently being held in Florida on a bond of $500,000 and is awaiting extradition to Mississippi.
Read the original article on People
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
26 minutes ago
- CNN
DC residents feel less safe after Trump takeover: poll
Roughly 8 in 10 Washington, DC, residents oppose President Donald Trump ordering the federal government to take control of the city's police department as well as his deployment of the National Guard and FBI to patrol the city, a new Washington Post-Schar School poll finds. Notably, more than half of those living in the capital city have noticed the increased federal presence and 61% of those people feel less safe as a result of Trump's action. The figures go against the narrative Trump and other top administration officials have touted about the impact of the federal takeover. 'We went from the most unsafe place anywhere to a place that now people, friends are calling me up, Democrats are calling me up, and they're saying, 'Sir, I want to thank you. My wife and I went out to dinner last night for the first time in four years, and Washington, DC, is safe. And you did that in four days,'' Trump said at the White House on Monday. Overall, a 79% majority of DC residents oppose Trump's order, according to the survey, with just 17% supportive of the decision. Most, 69%, say they're strongly opposed. DC residents say, 65% to 20%, that they don't think Trump's actions will reduce the amount of violent crime in the city. By contrast, majorities say they think increased economic opportunities in poor neighborhoods (77%), stricter national gun laws (70%), an increased number of Metropolitan Police officers patrolling communities (63%) and using outreach workers to resolve disputes (57%) would help to reduce violent crime. Trump, who was supported by just over 6% of DC voters in last year's presidential election, remains broadly unpopular in the District, the poll finds, with his overall job approval rating now standing at just 15% among all residents. The poll also finds a significant shift in DC residents' attitudes toward crime since this spring, perhaps reflecting the changing political context of the question — just 31% now describe crime as an extremely or very serious problem in the District (down from 50%) and a 54% majority say they believe the problem of crime in the city is improving (up from 29%). Among the 35% of residents who say they, a family member, or a close friend has been a victim of crime in the past five years, support for Trump's actions stands at 34%, compared with 8% support among those who do not know a recent crime victim. About half of residents say Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser should be doing more to oppose Trump, with 30% saying she is handling things about right and 12% that she should be more supportive. A 71% majority also say DC police should not help the federal government much or at all to deport undocumented immigrants living in the city. Local police officers have been seen participating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement checkpoints over the past week. Bowser's rating stands at 53%, unchanged from a May survey, with 54% saying that DC police are doing a good or excellent job. The Washington Post-Schar School poll was conducted August 14-17 and surveyed 604 DC residents through a combination of live phone interviews and online surveys. Results for the full sample have a margin of error of +/- 4.1 percentage points.
CBS News
26 minutes ago
- CBS News
Court revives lawsuit alleging South Florida city's zoning restrictions on gun shop's operations violates state law
A divided appeals court Wednesday revived a lawsuit that alleges a South Florida city's zoning restrictions on where a gun shop could operate violated a state law that prevents local regulation of firearms. A three-judge panel of the 4th District Court of Appeal, in a 2-1 decision, overturned a circuit judge's ruling in favor of Dania Beach and said a jury should decide whether the city's zoning ordinances were designed to restrict the sale of firearms. The case involves a decades-old law that largely gives the state control over gun regulations and prevents local governments from passing their own measures. The law includes an exception for zoning ordinances that "encompass firearms businesses along with other businesses" — but those ordinances cannot be designed to restrict or bar sales of guns. Florida Custom Guns, LLC., a gun shop that does business as Affluent Arms, and the gun-rights group Florida Carry, Inc., filed the lawsuit after city code-enforcement officials cited the shop for operating in a zoning district where such businesses were prohibited, according to Wednesday's ruling. The city said gun shops were allowed in two other zoning districts reserved for businesses such as thrift shops, liquor stores and warehouses. The lawsuit alleged that the city approved the gun-shop zoning restrictions to restrict or prevent sales of firearms, in violation of the state law. But the city argued that it also doesn't allow other types of businesses — such as check-cashing stores, pawn shops, flea markets, drug or alcohol treatment facilities, funeral homes and lumber stores — in the zoning district where the gun shop was prohibited, according to Wednesday's ruling. A circuit judge granted summary judgment to the city, short-circuiting a potential trial. But in overturning that decision Wednesday, the appeals-court majority said given the "zoning ordinances' alleged cause-and-effect upon the retailer's firearms business, and upon firearms businesses generally, a factual dispute exists for a jury to decide" whether the zoning ordinances were designed to restrict firearms sales. "In effect, the defendants (Dania Beach and city officials) contend that as long as the zoning ordinances treat several other businesses in an arguably unfavorable manner, the zoning ordinances may treat firearms businesses in the same unfavorable manner. Not so," said the majority opinion, written by Judge Jonathan Gerber and joined by Judge Alan Forst. But Judge Martha Warner dissented, writing that city officials "provided evidence of the original enactment of the ordinances as part of a rewrite of the entire zoning code, and supported their position with attorney general opinions concluding that zoning ordinances limiting firearm activity in certain zoning districts along with other businesses did not run afoul of the statute." "I would also point out that the plaintiff must prove the purpose of the zoning ordinances was to prohibit the sale, etc. of firearms. … That the effect of the ordinances limited firearm sales would not necessarily prove their purpose," Warner wrote.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Scottish Labour MSP Colin Smyth arrested and charged over indecent images
MSP Colin Smyth has been arrested and charged in connection with possession of indecent images, prompting his suspension from Scottish Labour. The South Scotland MSP was arrested on Tuesday and is due to appear in court at a later date. He was first elected as an MSP in 2016 and returned to Holyrood again at the 2021 election. The Scottish Parliament website now lists him as an Independent. A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: 'On Tuesday, August 5, 2025, officers executed a warrant at a property on Marchfield Avenue, Dumfries. 'A 52-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection with possession of indecent images. He is due to appear at Dumfries Sheriff Court at a later date.' A spokesman for Scottish Labour said: 'The whip has been removed from Colin Smyth MSP, pending an investigation. 'We cannot comment further on this matter while the investigation is ongoing.' It is understood the MSP was administratively suspended by Labour after the party became aware of the police investigation.
