Drug charges against aspiring actor Alvin Harper were dismissed Friday after bodycam showed New Rochelle police lieutenant Sean Kane appearing to plant evidence.
Harper, now residing in Denver, criticized Lt. Kane in court following the dismissal of the case by a New Rochelle city judge at the request of the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, as reported by the Journal News.
“I feel defeated — before Officer Kane planted those drugs on me I was a very upbeat, happy person,” said Harper, 45, who is also a celebrity fitness trainer.
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“I’m just a mere shell of myself,” he continued. “I can’t sleep at night. This has destroyed me. What if I would have never had this video? Who would’ve believed me?”
Harper was arrested last month after police approached his Cadillac Escalade, flagged in an outdated stolen car report from Mount Vernon, which Harper had filed himself. The report claimed a family member had taken the SUV without permission, but Harper had since recovered it.
On May 29, Kane approached the car on Main Street outside the Bracey Houses. When he arrived, Harper fled, as shown by Kane’s bodycam footage, according to the Journal News. Kane reportedly chased Harper into a parking garage, but his bodycam footage then abruptly cut to Kane driving with a small baggie in his hand.
He returned to the Bracey Houses, where Harper’s Cadillac was parked, and reactivated the bodycam’s audio, seemingly unaware that the video was still recording, according to the Journal News.
Kane exited his cruiser, approached a parked minivan, and appeared to reach under the front driver’s side tire, seemingly attempting to retrieve something, according to the report. He then returned to his car and radioed for felony drug charges.
Harper initially fled the area after the chase but was later arrested on July 10 when he went to police headquarters. Police charged Harper with third- and fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, claiming they found crack and cocaine.
The criminal complaint alleged Harper threw a plastic bag under a parked car, which Kane retrieved. Officer Maria Vasquez’s separate report stated that Kane saw Harper toss the bag.
Bodycam footage contradicted police claims that Harper threw a bag under a car, as it showed Kane in another lot, unable to see Harper at the time.
Harper believes he was targeted due to a pending notice of claim against New Rochelle for a false arrest on drug possession charges last year, which prosecutors dropped earlier this year.
The New Rochelle Police Department declined to comment. Following his recent arrest, Harper filed a complaint with New Rochelle police, alleging they planted the drugs.
About two weeks later, Kane was suspended, and the case was referred to the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.
A DA spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday that an investigation is underway but offered no additional details.
In court on Friday, Harper informed the judge that he appeared in the Amazon Prime movie “Shadows” this year and anticipated future roles in upcoming installments.
But he lost the job following his arrest, stating, “They canned me, I’m done because I’m a drug dealer in their eyes.”
Legal Aid lawyer Sydney Stanley argued that the alleged police misconduct warranted the dismissal.
“The right outcome was reached, but there are still real human costs,” Stanley told the judge, according to the Journal News.
“This is not harmless that I have a person standing to my left whose life was negatively affected by the bringing of criminal charges,” Stanley said.
“Even though this case is dismissed, the ramifications can’t be dismissed or taken back.”
