Lowell Police Body Cam Footage Conflicts with Opossum Complaint
A West Michigan resident's complaint against law enforcement appears to be inaccurate after body camera footage is released.
A local man found two opossums lying in the middle of the road around Midnight last Wednesday Night. The man stopped his vehicle and activated his hazard lights in a way that shielded the critters from being hit while he figured out how to safely move them. Opossums are known for "playing possum." It was unclear if they were alive and injured or if they were dead. That's when a Lowell Police officer pulled up to assist. The man that originally pulled over to help the opossums was apparently not happy with his interaction with law enforcement according to WZZM,
Myers filed a complaint against the officer, accusing the officer of cursing at him. Myers also alleges the officer kicked the baby opossum three times before carrying it off to the side of the road.
That complaint took off on social media and had a life of its own. If I'm being honest, the backlash would be warranted if the man's account of what happened could be verified. However, when the Lowell Police Department released body camera footage from the incident, it did not line up with the complaint at all. You can see that footage below.
I can understand why the local resident pulled over and blocked the critters from traffic, but, I can also understand why the officer wasn't thrilled with the man blocking the roadway. This could have caused a much more serious accident. The video does show the officer making an off-color comment about "drop-kicking" the opossums however, the officer did not appear to curse at the man nor did he kick the animals.
The Lowell Police Department found no wrongdoing in the incident but did pass the complaint on to the Kent County Prosecutor in order to dot their i's and cross their t's.