The mayor of a small town in southern Alabama issued a public apology to a woman who was arrested at her home after she refused to show police her identification and said that the cop who took her into custody faced discipline.
In a video on the city of Andalusia website, Mayor Earl Johnson apologized to Twyla Stallworth and announced that all charges she faced after her arrest were dropped.
Last month, Stallworth tried calling 911 to make a noise complaint against her neighbor, who was blasting loud music, according to a media release sent by Stallworth’s attorneys on March 8. The legal team said the police didn’t respond, but when she set off her car alarm to get the neighbor’s attention, that neighbor called the police on her.
Officer Grant Barton arrived at her home. Cellphone video taken by Stallworth’s son shows Barton asking Stallworth for her ID. When she refuses, he threatens to place her under arrest. The video showed Barton pushing Stallworth’s son, storming into her home, shoving her onto her couch, and forcefully cuffing her.
Alabama Code 15-5-30 states that police may stop any person in a public place if police have reasonable suspicion that that person is committing, has committed, or is about to commit a crime and may demand that person’s name, address, and an explanation of his or her actions. The statute says nothing about showing official identification.
Stallworth also showed no signs of aggression toward the officer and never appeared to be committing a crime. She only challenged his response to the situation.
“My power was taken from me. I wasn’t able to fight back,” Stallworth told NBC News. “I wasn’t able to protect my son. I felt powerless. Nobody should be treated this way.”
According to her attorneys, Stallworth was jailed for up to 15 hours and charged with obstruction, resisting arrest, and attempting to elude.
In his recorded apology, Mayor Johnson partly disputed the version of events that Stallworth’s lawyers released. The mayor said police did respond to Stallworth’s calls to police and contended that the arrest was not racially motivated.
Stallworth’s attorneys assert that police only responded to the neighbor’s complaints, not Stallworth’s. The neighbor is white and Stallworth is Black.
“In the video released by her attorney, Ms. Stallworth also claims that the police department has failed to respond to complaints she made about her neighbor. We also have reviewed internal evidence that shows the police department did respond,” Johnson said. “Ms. Stallworth has not filed a complaint with the police department, but her attorney alleges in his release that her arrest was racially motivated. We have reviewed body cam footage of the incident, and see no evidence of racism.”
Johnson also said Stallworth declined his offer to meet with her and stated that Barton has been disciplined for his actions. Atlanta Black Star reached out to the city of Andalusia to learn how Barton was penalized, but the city has yet to respond to our inquiry.
“The arresting officer has a clean record with our department, but he made a mistake in this case on February 23rd. He has been disciplined for failing in his duty to know the law,” Johnson said. “I have met with the Andalusia Police Chief and other leaders in the department. We have agreed that the entire department will receive additional training on Constitutional law, the laws of the State of Alabama, and the City of Andalusia’s ordinances so that we will not have problems like this one in the future.”
Johnson asserted that the city works to “maintain great relationships among our diverse populations.”
According to Census data from 2022, close to 8,800 people lived in the city of Andalusia at that time. Its population was also 71 percent white and 23 percent Black.
Stallworth’s attorneys confirmed to Atlanta Black Star on Tuesday, March 12, that police briefly went to the neighbor’s house who was blasting the music but did not cite them. The music stopped after the cops’ initial visit but resumed after they left, prompting Stallworth to trigger her car alarm.
