Man questions arrest after car towed in north St. Louis County
CALVERTON PARK, Mo. – A city’s tow practice, first exposed by the FOX Files, which led to them being federally sued, is back under the microscope after a man was thrown in jail following his car getting towed.
Rodney Daniel, 38, was charged with felony resisting arrest after being taken into custody by Calverton Park Police Lieutenant Sean Gibbons.
“Daniel twisted out of my grip and fled on foot,” Gibbons wrote in the affidavit.
Daniel, who is in custody at the St. Louis County Justice Center, strongly denies that claim.
“I’ll do 10 years right now if the police touched me,” Daniel said.
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Gibbons arrested Daniel after towing his car days before.
“My car started running hot, so I pulled over in a little embankment in front of someone’s house. I called someone to come and get me,” Daniel said. “I went to go get the stuff to try and get my car right; I came back, and my car was gone.”
With his title and proof of insurance in hand, Daniel went to Calverton Park City Hall to get a tow release form.
“There was a lady sitting on the lot. She said, ‘Is your name Rodney Daniel?’ I said yeah, but I didn’t think anything of it,” Daniel recalled. “She told me to come around to the front.”
Daniel had a felony stealing warrant for his arrest, something Calverton Park Police admit to knowing.
“Defendant Rodney Daniel came to Calverton City Hall and Police Department to retrieve a vehicle that had been previously towed,” Gibbons wrote in the criminal complaint. “I was aware at the time that he had felony warrants for his arrest, so I made contact with him outside the building.”
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Daniel said he’s frustrated with how the arrest went down. His car remains in the tow lot because he can’t get out of jail.
“I’m not mad because I’m locked up for the stuff and I got warrants for them; I’m not mad about that. I knew one day I’d have to answer that. I’m frustrated about losing my car,” Daniel said.
Tow records suggest that after Daniel’s car broke down, it obstructed traffic, causing a safety hazard, and/or violated posted signs.
The 38-year-old’s case is notably different than others covered by the FOX Files, in which vehicles with expired plates or temporary tags were towed from people’s private driveways. After our investigation, ArchCity Defenders filed a suit against the city.
Nonetheless, the FOX Files went to St. Louis University Law Professor Anders Walker to find out if Calverton Park crossed the line with Daniel’s arrest.
“If an individual has outstanding warrants and happens to walk into City Hall for whatever reason, he can be arrested,” Walker said. “This person already committed the crime. Catching him at City Hall is probably safer.”
A judge set Daniel’s bond at $50,000 for the resisting arrest charge. He will also answer his stealing charge. Daniel faces a couple other stealing charges in St. Louis County and Illinois.
Call it an uphill battle, or a blessing in disguise, for a man who says his drug addiction led him down the wrong path.
“I started at 22 when my best friend died. He died from painkillers,” Daniel said. “I really ain’t mad about being locked up because I’m clean. I’m just mad about (the car.) That’s all.”
The Calverton Park Police Chief told the FOX Files that his lieutenant’s bodycam was activated, and Daniel’s car was towed so quickly due to snowplows trying to put salt down.
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