PCSO: Davenport mayor used disabled placards belonging to deceased

DAVENPORT (FOX 13) - The mayor of Davenport was arrested for parking in handicapped parking spots and using placards belonging to two deceased people, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office announced.

Deputies arrested 60-year-old Teresa Bradley. Their investigation began in November when the agency received a tip that Bradley was parking in handicapped spots at Davenport City Hall, but wasn’t known to be handicapped or have a handicapped placard issued to her, deputies say.

According to a media release, deputies witnessed her parking in one of the designated handicapped parking spots, placing the placard on her mirror before exiting her car and removing the placard again once she returned to her car.

A search warrant was issued, deputies say, and found the two placards belonging to two different people. One who died in 2012 and another who passed away in 2015.

"I just assumed that she had some disability or whatever, and that’s the reason that she used it. I never questioned her why," Davenport City Manager Kelley Callihan told FOX 13 News.

Official records from the Polk County Tax Collector's office confirmed neither Bradley nor her husband was issued a disabled placard or handicapped license plate by the state.

"When you’re elected to public office, especially mayor, you’re expected to set the proper public example,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. "The only example she set was committing a felony and  losing the trust of the community that trusted her."

Bradley faces charges including criminal use of deceased person’s identification, unlawful use of a handicapped placard, and possession of altered or counterfeit decal. Her current employment status is not immediately clear following her arrest.