Hunter
03/10/21
A man who sat in federal prison for months waiting for a judge to hear his case only to have it dismissed because of police actions is suing the City of Iowa City and Johnson County.
The incident occurred in December 2019 when police say they got a tip from a county prosecutor that a man looked like he had something heavy like a gun in his pocket as he was walking near the Waterfront Drive HyVee. The man, identified a Chris Kelly of Chicago, was walking from the store to his aunt’s house when an Iowa City police officer waved him across the street and then pulled him over for jaywalking.
During the incident, Kelly was tackled, tased and handcuffed. Police allegedly found a gun and a small amount of marijuana and Kelley was charged for being a felon in possession of a handgun. When he finally appeared in front of federal judge Stephanie Rose, she threw the evidence out, accusing the officer of stopping someone for “walking while black.”
KCRG TV reports that Kelly’s lawsuit against the city, county and police accuses them of unlawful stop and seizure, excessive force, racial profiling, and unlawful imprisonment, among other counts.
Both the City and the Police Department refused comment, citing ongoing litigation.