LACIE SILVA
Editor
Labor Day festivities were interrupted after tensions rose and community concerns were addressed at the Whitwell city meeting.
On September 2, at approximately 8:12 a.m., Whitwell Police responded to reports of reckless driving during the Labor Day parade festivities on Highway 28. Officers were dispatched after complaints about vehicles performing “tailspins,” “donuts,” and “burnouts” near families, including children, gathered to watch the parade.
Officer Anna Simmons, who was assisting from another department and not equipped with a body camera, arrived at the scene. She observed a crowd of approximately 20 people and witnessed a vehicle spinning tires before driving off. Officer Simmons addressed the crowd, and during this interaction, Robert Labron Bryant, 49, of Whitwell, began verbally confronting her, using profanities and refusing to comply with her commands. Simmons attempted to detain Bryant for disorderly conduct, and when he resisted, she placed him under arrest for both disorderly conduct and resisting stop/frisk/halt/arrest. Bryant continued to shout insults and resist throughout the arrest.
During the incident, an unidentified woman approached Officer Simmons, claiming she was trying to calm Bryant down, but Simmons pushed her away for safety reasons. Additional officers, including Chief David Boyd, arrived on the scene to assist. Bryant was taken into custody and transported to the jail, where he continued to verbally abuse officers and made threats of legal action.
At the recent Whitwell board of Mayor and Commissioners meeting, Christy Frizzles praised the Labor Day parade but raised concerns about a police response to a disturbance involving reckless driving. She felt officers responded too quickly, endangering children, and expressed frustration at being blocked from commenting on the police department’s Facebook page. Frizzles also advised that others had told her they had been blocked from commenting on the page as well.
Chief Boyd addressed the board and Frizzles in response by explaining the circumstances of the initial incident and that Officer Simmons could not be reached, leading to concerns for her safety. Chief Boyd advised that he then responded to the scene and explained that he was unable to use the side roads with the ongoing line up of the parade festivities. He assured the public that officers are trained for such situations and clarified that their maximum speed during the response was 40 to 45 miles per hour. Furthermore, Chief Boyd detailed that annually all officers are required to go through the Emergency Vehicle Operations Course (EVOC). Chief Boyd finalized his explanation that, in situations where an officer is in immediate danger, the response would typically involve significantly higher speeds, but this would not be appropriate in the context of a parade with children present.
Robert Bryant is scheduled to appear in court on October 2, at the Marion County Courthouse to face charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
