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Prosecutor announces indictment of MSHP trooper in towing company corruption scheme

Published: May 18, 2026 at 11:33 AM EDT|Updated: 21 hours ago

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper was charged with several felonies in connection with a towing corruption scheme, the Jackson County prosecutor announced on Monday morning.

Melesa Johnson stated that Charles “Nate” Bradley used his position as a state trooper to help towing companies profit from towing and storing stolen vehicles without proper law enforcement involvement, preventing proper evidence collection and investigation.

10 counts of tampering with physical evidence
Acceding to corruption by a public servant
Stealing ($25,000 or more)
First-degree property damage

Prosecutors alleged that Bradley accepted gifts in exchange for violating his duty as a trooper. The indictment stated that Bradley intentionally delayed recovery of stolen vehicles and allowed someone to recover stolen vehicles on behalf of law enforcement.

He was charged with retaining a stolen necklace valued at $25,000 or more, and concealing the necklace to impair a burglary investigation.

Court documents accused Bradley of damaging a 2017 Alfa Romeo by removing valve stems or puncturing tires.

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Bradley surrendered to law enforcement on Friday, May 15, and bonded out shortly after.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol told KCTV5 that Bradley had been assigned to the Division of Drug and Crime Control as a criminal investigator for MSHP Troop A.

Bradley, a veteran with MSHP since 1997, was placed on unpaid leave on May 5.

Kansas City attorney John Picerno said Bradley’s involvement in cases raises questions about past investigations.

“Any case that he’s involved in, dating back a number of years now, is going to be looked at with a fine-toothed comb and gone over,” Picerno said. “And certainly, if he’s a central key witness and his credibility was, let’s say, for instance, in most cases, if it’s a one witness case, potentially, and his credibility was the central factor in that kind of a case, then any convictions that came from those convictions are going to be looked at very hard.

“And I know that people are going to be attempting to set aside those convictions.”

Bradley has served with the Missouri State Highway Patrol since 1997 and was a lead investigator for predatory towing cases. He spoke to KCTV5 in 2025 about predatory towing issues in Kansas City.

“A badge is a symbol of responsibility and public trust. And when that trust is betrayed, there must be accountability,” Johnson said.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol said it is cooperating with the investigation. KCTV5 contacted Bradley directly for comment but did not hear back by Monday’s news deadline.

Editor’s Note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated.