Orange Beach keeps police bodycam of a domestic-violence call to the mayor's office secret
On Labor Day 2024 a bartender called 911 reporting a shirtless man on a patio at Orange Beach's Coastal Resources building grabbing a woman by the hair and hitting her. Leaked audio published in August 2025 shows officers were met by Mayor Tony Kennon, who said the office was his and his wife was inside; officers left without contacting the reported victim, and the audio stops abruptly. Kennon denies hitting his wife. The city refused to release the body-camera footage, calling it investigative material, which led to a federal lawsuit by resident C.C. Dixon-Moreno. In 2026 three council members filed an Alabama Ethics Commission complaint that, per coverage, alleges Kennon threatened them when they suggested releasing the footage. Kennon, reelected in August 2025, says the information was taken out of context. The commission has not announced a ruling.
The audio ends shortly after, potentially signaling that the body camera was turned off.
I think it is so important that the public understands that it has nothing to do with what's on the video.
It seems like there are people who are trying to destroy us from within.
Denies hitting his wife; says complaint information was "taken completely out of context" and he asked for footage release.
Says the footage is protected under the state Public Records Act and denies the lawsuit's allegations.
No outcome recorded yet.