'I was really stuck in my front yard': Reidsville man says police falsely linked him to reckless driving, via Flock camera; How he says a fast-food receipt proved his innocence

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Updated: 7:31 PM EDT Sep 3, 2026

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Editorial Standards ⓘ

Erin Burnett

Reporter

A Reidsville man says a late-night trip to Wendy’s for a strawberry lemonade ended with police detaining him in his driveway after he says a license plate camera flagged his car in connection with reckless driving.

On the evening of Aug. 20, 2026, Amadeus Purcell said he went to the Wendy's off of Freeway Drive for a strawberry lemonade.

Purcell says he pulled into his driveway off of Amos Street less than an hour later, when he noticed a car pull up behind him.

"I look in my mirror, and I just see a cop car on the street," said Amadeus Purcell.

Purcell said the officer had no lights or sirens on.

When Purcell got out of the car, he said the officer accused him of driving 100 mph on Scale Street.

"He says, 'I have you on camera. I have enough to arrest you right now and seize your car,'" Purcell said.

Purcell recounted that the officer showed him an image of a car from a Flock camera.

"Immediately, I’m just like, that doesn’t show me going 100 miles per hour; it doesn’t show anything that you are saying," Purcell said.

Purcell said the situation escalated quickly, with multiple police cars arriving on his street.

"Within a minute, the whole street is filled with cop cars. People are not able to get up or down the street, and it all happened very quickly," Purcell said.

Ring camera footage from Purcell’s home shows at least four Reidsville police cars parked along Amos Street as officers searched his tires.

"They were telling me, 'The wires on your car are showing, so it has to be you.' They were touching the hood, saying, 'The car is still hot, it’s gotta be you,'" Purcell recounted.

That's when Purcell said he remembered he had his Wendy’s receipt in his cup holder.

"I asked one of the officers to just grab it for me. And from that receipt, he was able to see there was no way that I was at that street at the exact same time," Purcell said.

Purcell said the officers began to reconsider their claims after seeing the receipt.

"They started rolling back, saying, 'There was no way that this was the same guy, that the car we were looking for had diagonal headlights, yours were square.' Just small things that I wish they had realized before coming to my home," Purcell said.

WXII 12 Investigates drove the exact route Purcell took to Wendy’s and found one Flock camera located at the corner of Lawndale and Freeway Drive.

On Aug. 23, WXII-12 reached out to the Reidsville Police Department for a comment.

A representative from the department declined to provide additional details about the incident, stating, "The inquiry you referenced involves an ongoing investigation. At this time, no additional information about the incident will be released."

Purcell and his lawyer say they filed a complaint with the Department of Justice.

On Aug. 28, Purcell received a statement back from the State of North Carolina's division stating, "Your request for assistance falls more appropriately within the authority of that agency, as this is a criminal issue."

Purcell said he wants Flock cameras banned in Rockingham County.

"I’m really looking for hopefully no Flock cameras in this community. I just don’t think an apology would do much in this situation now," Purcell said.

Purcell has created a petition, which has garnered more than 400 signatures, calling for changes to the use of Flock cameras.

County Commissioner Houston Barrow responded to the petition, stating that state lawmakers control how Flock cameras are used on state roads, such as Freeway Drive.

WXII 12 Investigates has also reached out to the police department for more details about the investigation and has submitted a public records request for information about the department’s Flock policy and data logs from Aug. 20.

A response is still pending.

As Purcell waits for answers, he said he's trying not to live on the edge.

"I just want to know why," he said. "I can't live like that; I don't think anyone can. Just having to know that's a possibility, it's kind of scary."

But he said he will never not request a receipt at any store ever again.