ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. – Bodycam video reveals the actions of bounty hunters from Louisiana who’ve been convicted for kidnapping a woman from a St. Peters, Missouri, home.
“They are not police officers!” you can hear the woman yell as one bounty hunter says to another, “I told you she was going to be a problem. Why don’t you tase her?”
The woman had misdemeanor warrants in a domestic case and was being dragged through a Sullivan, Missouri, convenience store.
As the woman yells out in pain, a bounty hunter tells her, “Then get up. I’m not going to say it again. You’re under arrest. Get up.”
“You’re not a police officer!” the woman shouts.
A bounty hunter answers, “I don’t need to be a cop to arrest you.”
FOX 2 News is protecting the woman’s identity because federal prosecutors identified her as a victim. Two bounty hunters, wearing black shirts that said “agent,” have been convicted for kidnapping because of their actions.
A St. Peters resident called police after the bounty hunters allegedly pushed their way into their home, dragged the victim out of a bed where she was sleeping, handcuffed her, shackled her feet, and put her in an SUV before driving off.
“She seemed very afraid on the phone,” Sgt. Melissa Doss, St. Peters Police Department, said, adding that their investigating officer quickly discovered the bounty hunters were not licensed in Missouri.
“There’s licensing that’s there for a reason to not only protect the bail bondsmen and the companies they’re working for, but it’s also to protect the people – our citizens.”
An officer warned in a phone call that the bounty hunters should return the woman to St. Peters.
“You realize by taking her out of state, you’re also committing another felony for kidnapping,” the officer said.
Instead of returning the victim, the bounty hunters dropped her off in a Mississippi jail, where authorities released her because they didn’t have any charges against her.
Both bounty hunters were eventually convicted for kidnapping. Wayne Lozier, 46, was sentenced last month to three years in prison; time he’d already served at that point. His partner, Jody Sullivan, had previously been sentenced to five years of probation.
FOX 2 News was unable to reach either defendant for a comment. The phone number for their business, Bayou Boyz, is disconnected.
