UPDATED 9/16/2022, 8:28 p.m. ET: Reality TV star Riley Christian has joined the defense team of Clifford Owensby.
“We are going into mediation hoping to engage in meaningful negotiations toward resolution to obtain justice for Mr. Owensby,” said Christian, who won the seventh season of Bachelor in Paradise. “These officers need to be held accountable for their egregious behavior not only for Mr. Owensby’s sake, but for the sake of all other individuals with disabilities who encounter police officers in the future.”
Christian is the managing partner at Christian Law, P.C., an NYC-based firm that specializes in entertainment, sports, and family law. The 32-year-old is presenting Owensby alongside attorneys James R. Willis and Clarissa A. Smith. The defense is seeking compensatory damages, emotional distress, medical expenses, impairment of quality of life, as well as pain and suffering.
See the original story below.
Disturbing body camera footage of a Dayton, Ohio police officer pulling a paraplegic man from his car has resulted in the launch of an investigation.
In the footage from last month, per the Dayton Daily News, Clifford Owensby was pulled from his car, pinned to the ground, and then handcuffed before he was placed in a police cruiser. Owensby is paraplegic, which means he cannot use his legs, and said that he was injured during the ordeal. “I feel like they don’t even respect me as a citizen,” Owensby said.
While some of the encounter was recorded by a bystander, the body camera footage has painted a clearer picture. The initial reason for the stop, as the police have claimed, was due to concerns over the tint on one of the car’s windows. After a child was in the back of the car, but not in a car seat, the approaching officer asked Owensby to step out of the vehicle.
“I’m paraplegic. I got help getting in,” he said. “Well, I’ll help you get out,” the officer in the clip replied. “Well, I don’t think that’s going to happen, sir,” Owensby said. The officer then told him that due to his criminal history, they would get a K-9 unit to sniff the vehicle. The two went back and forth for a bit, and eventually Owensbyu called a family member to come assist.
“Here’s the thing, I’m going to pull you out and then I’ll call a white shirt,” the officer said just as he proceeded to pull Owensby from the vehicle as he yelled for help.
Following the release of the footage, Dayton Police announced that there will be an investigation into the situation.
“The investigation will include the review of any policies and training when encountering these situations. Detectives from the Professional Standards Bureau have already interviewed the driver in the video,” said a spokesperson for the department. “We ask the public to please be patient while all of the facts are gathered so we may have a clear understanding of what occurred and why in order to make informed decisions and continue to improve services.”
The results of the investigation are expected to be publicly released. Police indicated that the stop was part of an ongoing drug investigation, and while no drugs or firearms were recovered from the vehicle, police claim $22,450 in cash was recovered. “There is a current and active investigation concerning the money,” the police said.
“I’m hoping for some kind of disciplinary action and furthermore, I wish that this doesn’t happen to no one else,” said Owensby. “This is unacceptable. We’re supposed to have officers out here to serve and protect and when we lose faith in them doing that, who do we turn to?”
