Man charged after four prom night vehicles towed from church
By Nick Sloan
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KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KMBC) — A Jackson County man is facing felony charges after four vehicles belonging to high school students attending prom were allegedly towed without authorization from a church parking lot, according to court documents.
Allen Bloodworth is charged with several counts of stealing and forgery after a Missouri Department of Revenue investigation found the tows were conducted without proper authorization and allegedly involved fraudulent documentation.
Students from a high school were attending prom at a venue in Kansas City. Arrangements had been made with a nearby church for students to park in the church’s lot, according to a probable cause statement.
The statement redacted specific information about the school and church.
Between 9:20 p.m. and 11:25 p.m. on April 12, four vehicles, a 2010 Nissan Altima, a 2010 Toyota Prius, a 2008 Ford Taurus and a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta, were towed from the lot.
Court documents allege that Bloodworth and another individual removed the vehicles and had them taken to Private Party Impound.
Bloodworth, who said he’s innocent in the case and can prove it, told KMBC there was a misunderstanding and the venue made a mistake.
He called the charges “harassment.”
Investigators allege that Form 4669, a Missouri Department of Revenue document required for private property towing, was falsified.
The probable cause says the only full-time employee of the church was not present and did not authorize or sign any towing documentation, as required by Missouri law.
A written statement and sworn statement was provided by the employee of the church, the probable cause states.
Bloodworth appeared in court on Thursday. He will be back in court on May 29.
The case was reassigned to Judge Joel P. Fahnestock after Judge Abbie Rothermich recused herself.
Bloodworth was previously charged with 31 counts of forgery in September 2019, but charges were dropped.
Prosecutors said Bloodworth provided a voicemail recording in which Sgt. Brad Lemon, identifying himself as both a KCPD sergeant and Fraternal Order of Police president, appeared to pressure Bloodworth to release a towed vehicle.
“The clear implication was that, if Defendant refused to give Mr. Lemon the car, Mr. Lemon would use his influence in the police department and union to bring law enforcement action against Defendant,” the prosecutor’s office said.
He later filed a lawsuit against the Kansas City Police Department, alleging the department violated his rights.
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