SPD Chief releases video of Rose Sanders’ arrest, comments on incident
Published 9:15 pm Thursday, July 19, 2018
Selma Police Chief Spencer Collier released the body camera footage of the arrest of Sen. Hank Sanders’ wife, Rose, after she was found allegedly stealing campaign signs from private property.
Rose Sanders was arrested Monday night around 6:25 p.m. after an investigator in an unmarked car followed her after seeing her pick up multiple campaign signs.
Rose Sanders claimed she had witnessed Selma city government workers removing Jimmy Nunn’s campaign signs and leaving those of his opponent, Nicholas Switzer.
Rose Sanders and Hank Sanders both claim the removal of Nunn’s signs was racially motivated since Nunn is African American and Switzer is white, with the intention to keep an African American from winning the office of Dallas County Probate Judge.
Nunn handily defeated Switzer in the runoff election Tuesday.
At a press conference Thursday, Collier showed body camera footage captured by police who made contact with Rose Sanders.
“It is not on the video, but there were already two contacts with Mrs. Sanders,” Collier said. “The investigator pulled alongside of her and asked her to do the Godly thing, and her response was ‘go to Hell,’ and she ran a red light.
“Our investigator then conducted a traffic stop,” Collier said. “She stopped, but got out and started coming towards him. When she saw him get his body camera, she went back to her vehicle and sped away.”
The report released by Collier detailing the incident with Rose Sanders, who also goes by Faya Rose Toure, which ultimately resulted in her arrest, is consistent with Collier’s remarks.
“Detective McGuire observed Faya Rose Toure at the corner of Broad Street and Minter Avenue in front of the Tabernacle Baptist Church pulling up a campaign sign of Switzer, and placed the sign inside her vehicle,” according to reports. “McGuire could not turn around at the time because of traffic, and lost sight of the gold Toyota van.”
The incident report states that McGuire then went to Nunn’s headquarters located in the 100 block of Broad Street, and spoke with Nunn about what he had observed.
After speaking with Nunn, McGuire said he found Rose at the corner of Alabama Avenue and Broad Street where he made first contact with her.
“I pulled beside her to explain that she needed to stop moving campaign signs, and that she needed to do the Godly thing and take the sign back … Faya Rose Toure stated to me that I should go to hell and drove off and ran the light at Broad Street and Alabama Avenue.”
McGuire also talks about conducting a traffic stop, and Rose running back to her vehicle and speeding away.
McGuire wrote that he activated his siren and called a 10-100 on the radio.
“Toure took police on a chase north on Broad Street with speeds up to 50 miles per hour,” according to reports.
The footage shows Rose Sanders handing her 11-year-old granddaughter her cell phone telling her to “record everything.”
At one point, Rose Sanders told the child to call Nunn’s headquarters.
The video also shows a bystander that was in support of Rose taking the grandchild to the headquarters.
The second video showed Rose Sanders being processed at the Selma City Police Department where she was allowed to speak to her husband, who, according to Hank Sanders, was also serving as her attorney.
When asked if she was going to post the $2,000 bail for fourth-degree theft and eluding police, Rose Sanders said “no.”
“I ain’t bailing out,” she said on video. “If the white folks want me in jail. I’ll go to jail.”
Rose Sanders made bail Wednesday, according to records at the Dallas County Jail.
Collier said that he had received numerous complaints prior to this incident about Rose Sanders taking signs.
“We are getting complaints on both sides,” Collier said. “For several weeks, I have received numerous pictures and videos from citizens about Mrs. Sanders stealing signs. That is a misdemeanor. In Alabama, there are only a few exceptions where you can make a warrantless arrest on a misdemeanor: leaving the scene of an accident, domestic violence and in some occasions shoplifting.
“As I have gotten these complaints, I have responded that an officer could not make an arrest on a misdemeanor if they have not observed it themselves,” Collier said. “It would be up to the complainant to come sign the warrant, and in all of those circumstances nobody ever came forward to sign the warrant. That is state statute.”
Collier said Rose Sanders will be issued a court date.
“This would generally fall to the jurisdiction of Selma City Court,” Collier said. “Given some of the accusations, I will have to confer with my boss, and give a recommendation that the Attorney General’s office to handle this prosecution and they have that authority whether it is a misdemeanor or a felony. This is because there have been allegations this is a scheme by the city.”