Police body camera footage from May and released last week shows an officer approaching the man, Michael Jennings, who tells the officer he was asked to water the flowers while a neighbor is gone. In the video that has since gone viral, Jennings, of Childersburg, Ala., is asked by the officer what he is doing at home and whose car is in the driveway. He says it’s the neighbor’s vehicle and identifies himself as “Pastor Jennings” without being asked. Jennings tells the officer, “I’m supposed to be here. I’m Pastor Jennings. I live across the street.” An officer replies, “Are you Pastor Jennings?” And he answers: “Yes, I take care of their house while they are away, I take care of their flowers.” The officer then asks Jennings for ID and Jennings says he won’t give the officer any ID. Less than a minute and a half later, as Jennings tries to make a call on his phone, officers handcuff him, the body camera video shows. Officers in the video later speak with the neighbor who called 911, who has not been named. “They’re friends, and they went out of town today, so he could be watering their flowers, and it could be totally normal,” he tells the officers about Jennings and the homeowner. “He would water their flowers, it’s probably my fault,” he says. Later in the video, Jennings’ wife arrives and provides the officer with his ID. “He’s telling us it’s wrong and all, but at this point he’s already collected the charge,” the officer tells her. “Once we arrest him we can’t get him out,” says the officer. He was arrested for “Interference with Government Business,” but the charges were later dropped, according to a police statement from June 1, 2022. Police responded to a 911 call about a “suspicious” car parked at the residence and a person “not identified by the caller,” Childersburg Police Chief Richard McClelland said in the statement. The caller stated that her neighbors who lived at the residence were out of town and advised that the suspicious person may be inside the residence, according to a statement from the police chief. In an email to CNN on Tuesday, an attorney for the city said the audio of the 911 call provides “vital” information about the incident. CNN has requested a copy of the transcript of that call. “This video makes it clear that these officers decided they were going to arrest Pastor Jennings less than five minutes after the pull over and then tried to rewrite the story by claiming he hadn’t identified himself when that was the first thing he did.” , attorney Harry Daniels said. he said in a press release last week. Midway through the video, officers can be heard discussing the charges against Jennings. “We’re here to investigate a call and he wouldn’t give us his name, or anything,” says an officer. “He told me he was trying to call the owner, but I still need his name,” she says. “The 911 recording of the call and the officer’s body camera footage were reviewed and interviews were conducted with the officers involved as part of my own investigation into the incident,” McClelland said in the statement. “As a result of my investigation, I have recommended to the City of Childersburg Municipal Judge that the warrant be dismissed with prejudice,” McClelland said.


title: “Black Pastor Arrested While Watering Neighbor S Flowers Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-26” author: “Scott Snider”


Police body camera footage from May and released last week shows an officer approaching the man, Michael Jennings, who tells the officer he was asked to water the flowers while a neighbor is gone. In the video that has since gone viral, Jennings, of Childersburg, Ala., is asked by the officer what he is doing at home and whose car is in the driveway. He says it’s the neighbor’s vehicle and identifies himself as “Pastor Jennings” without being asked. Jennings tells the officer, “I’m supposed to be here. I’m Pastor Jennings. I live across the street.” An officer replies, “Are you Pastor Jennings?” And he answers: “Yes, I take care of their house while they are away, I take care of their flowers.” The officer then asks Jennings for ID and Jennings says he won’t give the officer any ID. Less than a minute and a half later, as Jennings tries to make a call on his phone, officers handcuff him, the body camera video shows. Officers in the video later speak with the neighbor who called 911, who has not been named. “They’re friends, and they went out of town today, so he could be watering their flowers, and it could be totally normal,” he tells the officers about Jennings and the homeowner. “He would water their flowers, it’s probably my fault,” he says. Later in the video, Jennings’ wife arrives and provides the officer with his ID. “He’s telling us it’s wrong and all, but at this point he’s already collected the charge,” the officer tells her. “Once we arrest him we can’t get him out,” says the officer. He was arrested for “Interference with Government Business,” but the charges were later dropped, according to a police statement from June 1, 2022. Police responded to a 911 call about a “suspicious” car parked at the residence and a person “not identified by the caller,” Childersburg Police Chief Richard McClelland said in the statement. The caller stated that her neighbors who lived at the residence were out of town and advised that the suspicious person may be inside the residence, according to a statement from the police chief. In an email to CNN on Tuesday, an attorney for the city said the audio of the 911 call provides “vital” information about the incident. CNN has requested a copy of the transcript of that call. “This video makes it clear that these officers decided they were going to arrest Pastor Jennings less than five minutes after the pull over and then tried to rewrite the story by claiming he hadn’t identified himself when that was the first thing he did.” , attorney Harry Daniels said. he said in a press release last week. Midway through the video, officers can be heard discussing the charges against Jennings. “We’re here to investigate a call and he wouldn’t give us his name, or anything,” says an officer. “He told me he was trying to call the owner, but I still need his name,” she says. “The 911 recording of the call and the officer’s body camera footage were reviewed and interviews were conducted with the officers involved as part of my own investigation into the incident,” McClelland said in the statement. “As a result of my investigation, I have recommended to the City of Childersburg Municipal Judge that the warrant be dismissed with prejudice,” McClelland said.


title: “Black Pastor Arrested While Watering Neighbor S Flowers Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-01” author: “Christine Reeves”


Police body camera footage from May and released last week shows an officer approaching the man, Michael Jennings, who tells the officer he was asked to water the flowers while a neighbor is gone. In the video that has since gone viral, Jennings, of Childersburg, Ala., is asked by the officer what he is doing at home and whose car is in the driveway. He says it’s the neighbor’s vehicle and identifies himself as “Pastor Jennings” without being asked. Jennings tells the officer, “I’m supposed to be here. I’m Pastor Jennings. I live across the street.” An officer replies, “Are you Pastor Jennings?” And he answers: “Yes, I take care of their house while they are away, I take care of their flowers.” The officer then asks Jennings for ID and Jennings says he won’t give the officer any ID. Less than a minute and a half later, as Jennings tries to make a call on his phone, officers handcuff him, the body camera video shows. Officers in the video later speak with the neighbor who called 911, who has not been named. “They’re friends, and they went out of town today, so he could be watering their flowers, and it could be totally normal,” he tells the officers about Jennings and the homeowner. “He would water their flowers, it’s probably my fault,” he says. Later in the video, Jennings’ wife arrives and provides the officer with his ID. “He’s telling us it’s wrong and all, but at this point he’s already collected the charge,” the officer tells her. “Once we arrest him we can’t get him out,” says the officer. He was arrested for “Interference with Government Business,” but the charges were later dropped, according to a police statement from June 1, 2022. Police responded to a 911 call about a “suspicious” car parked at the residence and a person “not identified by the caller,” Childersburg Police Chief Richard McClelland said in the statement. The caller stated that her neighbors who lived at the residence were out of town and advised that the suspicious person may be inside the residence, according to a statement from the police chief. In an email to CNN on Tuesday, an attorney for the city said the audio of the 911 call provides “vital” information about the incident. CNN has requested a copy of the transcript of that call. “This video makes it clear that these officers decided they were going to arrest Pastor Jennings less than five minutes after the pull over and then tried to rewrite the story by claiming he hadn’t identified himself when that was the first thing he did.” , attorney Harry Daniels said. he said in a press release last week. Midway through the video, officers can be heard discussing the charges against Jennings. “We’re here to investigate a call and he wouldn’t give us his name, or anything,” says an officer. “He told me he was trying to call the owner, but I still need his name,” she says. “The 911 recording of the call and the officer’s body camera footage were reviewed and interviews were conducted with the officers involved as part of my own investigation into the incident,” McClelland said in the statement. “As a result of my investigation, I have recommended to the City of Childersburg Municipal Judge that the warrant be dismissed with prejudice,” McClelland said.


title: “Black Pastor Arrested While Watering Neighbor S Flowers Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-03” author: “Barbara Davenport”


Police body camera footage from May and released last week shows an officer approaching the man, Michael Jennings, who tells the officer he was asked to water the flowers while a neighbor is gone. In the video that has since gone viral, Jennings, of Childersburg, Ala., is asked by the officer what he is doing at home and whose car is in the driveway. He says it’s the neighbor’s vehicle and identifies himself as “Pastor Jennings” without being asked. Jennings tells the officer, “I’m supposed to be here. I’m Pastor Jennings. I live across the street.” An officer replies, “Are you Pastor Jennings?” And he answers: “Yes, I take care of their house while they are away, I take care of their flowers.” The officer then asks Jennings for ID and Jennings says he won’t give the officer any ID. Less than a minute and a half later, as Jennings tries to make a call on his phone, officers handcuff him, the body camera video shows. Officers in the video later speak with the neighbor who called 911, who has not been named. “They’re friends, and they went out of town today, so he could be watering their flowers, and it could be totally normal,” he tells the officers about Jennings and the homeowner. “He would water their flowers, it’s probably my fault,” he says. Later in the video, Jennings’ wife arrives and provides the officer with his ID. “He’s telling us it’s wrong and all, but at this point he’s already collected the charge,” the officer tells her. “Once we arrest him we can’t get him out,” says the officer. He was arrested for “Interference with Government Business,” but the charges were later dropped, according to a police statement from June 1, 2022. Police responded to a 911 call about a “suspicious” car parked at the residence and a person “not identified by the caller,” Childersburg Police Chief Richard McClelland said in the statement. The caller stated that her neighbors who lived at the residence were out of town and advised that the suspicious person may be inside the residence, according to a statement from the police chief. In an email to CNN on Tuesday, an attorney for the city said the audio of the 911 call provides “vital” information about the incident. CNN has requested a copy of the transcript of that call. “This video makes it clear that these officers decided they were going to arrest Pastor Jennings less than five minutes after the pull over and then tried to rewrite the story by claiming he hadn’t identified himself when that was the first thing he did.” , attorney Harry Daniels said. he said in a press release last week. Midway through the video, officers can be heard discussing the charges against Jennings. “We’re here to investigate a call and he wouldn’t give us his name, or anything,” says an officer. “He told me he was trying to call the owner, but I still need his name,” she says. “The 911 recording of the call and the officer’s body camera footage were reviewed and interviews were conducted with the officers involved as part of my own investigation into the incident,” McClelland said in the statement. “As a result of my investigation, I have recommended to the City of Childersburg Municipal Judge that the warrant be dismissed with prejudice,” McClelland said.