Mayor Orders Cops Off His Business & Cops Leave - Was It Legal? I Like Mayor Willy Walker

HOUSTON, Mo.- The City of Houston, Missouri, is having its first Board of Alderman meeting since a viral video involving the town’s mayor and local police surfaced on social media.

That situation regarded a potential DUI investigation at a gas station, and the officer wanted to access security footage; the mayor, along with another man, denied that to the officer.

PREVIOUS STORY: Houston MO police chief responds to argument between officer and mayor
Ozarks First talked to several people who told us they were shocked when the meeting adjourned after 26 minutes. They say it usually takes hours when the aldermen get together, and tonight’s shortened meeting was filled with tension.

“We’re deeply concerned about the behavior of the mayor and a fellow coworker during this incident. We believe that all members of our community, being elected officials, must conduct themselves with integrity and respect for the law,” said Houston Alderman Don Romines.

The statement was written solely by Alderman Romines but presented as a board-unified statement that calls on Mayor Willy Walker to work with the police and expects other elected officials.

The situation stems from video surfacing from November when a police officer was investigating a possible DUI and wanted footage from a gas station Mayor Walker is a part-owner who denied the officer access to the footage.

The statement says incidents like this could erode public trust in law enforcement.

One alderman who says he agreed with the statement wished the council would have had a separate meeting to sit and watch the video before making any comment.

“Just don’t like taking a video that’s on Facebook and all the news reporters have a copy, but we have not seen a copy that’s from our actual city cop,” said Houston Alderman Kevin Stilley.

Monday night’s tension-filled meeting lasted less than 30 minutes, something unusual from speaking to community members off-camera. They say meetings typically take hours.

One alderman says the board hasn’t had the chance to watch the video footage fully, saying they’ll have to get it from local police.

Mayor Willy Walker, the center of this situation, didn’t address the statement but took issue with Romines’ statement having the board of aldermen’s name on it without other board members knowing about it.

Other aldermen say they agreed with the first message from Romines’ statement but wished there could have been a meeting beforehand and viewed the footage separately.

“I don’t disagree with anything, but I believe the council has an obligation to view the full video from Mr. Evans before we make any comments. We should be able to sit down with Mr. Evans and view it and ask questions,” said Stilley.

Mayor Walker and Ozarks First spoke off camera, and he says he’s a law-abiding citizen and says if the police officer in the video had returned with a subpoena, he would have obliged.

#PoliceEarningADonut #CopsDidGood #CopsNeedToWakeUp