Clark files lawsuit against county officers

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March 21, 2007

Federal suit accuses authorities of battery

BY BRIAN L. HUCHEL The Commercial-News Wed Mar 21, 2007, 09:14 PM CDT

DANVILLE — A federal lawsuit accuses county law enforcement of injuring a former NBA player while he was in custody last year.

Deputy Michael Hartshorn and two officers from the Public Safety Building jail are accused of battering Arian “Keon” Clark, 31, of the 300 block of Poland Road, after he was arrested in August for driving after his license was suspended.

Clark’s counsel, Champaign attorney Brian King, said the lawsuit was filed at the federal level because the allegations deal with a violation of his client’s constitutional rights.

The lawsuit contends Clark was battered by the officers during his processing at the county jail. King said his client suffered injuries as a result of the incident, including cuts on his wrists, bumps and bruises and a prior injury to Clark’s shin that was aggravated.

Michael Condon, the defense attorney representing the officers, said he plans to vigorously defend the allegations made in the lawsuit.

“We believe the lawsuit has no merit,” he added.

Several deadlines dealing with the case have been set, with a trial date scheduled for January 2008.

Clark has accumulated a number of charges since 2005, including six felony or misdemeanor cases filed against him in Vermilion County Circuit Court since the beginning of the year.

Three cases against Clark were brought up in circuit court Wednesday morning before Judge Gordon Stipp. The cases — a DUI case from 2006 and two misdemeanor cases from last month — were continued until June.

The misdemeanor cases charge Clark with disorderly conduct for filing a false police report on Feb. 7 and with resisting or obstructing a peace officer on Aug. 4.

Clark played for Danville High School and for several years in the NBA, including for the Denver Nuggets and Toronto Raptors.

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