Police in Texas have dropped a misdemeanor charge against a Rodney Reese, a black man of 18, faced a charge of being a pedestrian in the roadway after he was stopped by police while he was headed home after working at Walmart. Police Said: "There’s a lot of information that we know about this case that we didn’t know at the time. Those officers didn’t know his age. They didn’t know he was 18. They didn’t know he worked at Walmart. They didn’t know where he lived," The department released bodycam footage of the incident on Friday, which said that officers responded to a welfare check after a caller reported a Black man "wearing a short-sleeve shirt and shorts" was "stumbling" as he walked down the road amid cold and icy conditions. Reese was found by officers wearing a T-shirt and pants.
Drain said the arrest wasn’t consistent with the welfare check, which was the reason officers were called out to investigate.
"They should’ve taken him home, is where he should’ve gone," he added.
Officers stated they were concerned for his welfare amid the cold weather along with the possibility that he was in "a mental crisis, delusional, or impaired," so they followed him.
"I’m on the way home. I’m straight," Reese said.
"Alright, but you’re walking in the middle of the road,"
"I understand that. My bad," Reese replied.
Officers continued to follow Reese before they stopped to tell him they were "doing an investigation."
"I don't care. I'm going home," Reese replied.
Officers then informed him that he was being detained. The arresting officer said that Reese resisted arrest, but officers chose not to charge him, according to the department.