PLANO, Texas (AP) — A misdemeanor charge has been dropped against a Black man who was arrested last week for walking home on a street during a snowstorm in Texas.
Eighteen-year-old Rodney Reese was arrested on Feb. 16 in Plano and charged with being a pedestrian in the roadway.
Plano police say officers were performing a wellness check on Reese after they received a call about a Black man seen stumbling on the snowy roadway clad in a short-sleeved shirt.
On Friday, Police posted body camera footage on Facebook that shows officers following Reese for about two minutes before arresting him.
The bodycam footage showed officers repeatedly asking Reese where he is going and if he was OK. Reese replied that he is fine and he is on his way home.
Reese told KDFW that he was walking home from Walmart, where he works. Reese said he didn't need their help, so that's why he didn’t stop for them, The Associated Press reported.
Plano Police Chief Ed Drain told KDFW-TV that the charge was dropped because the arrest wasn't consistent with what officers were called to investigate.
Drain says the arrest wasn't racially motivated but Reese disagrees.