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Parade incident may be hate crime
By Kay Luna
.
CLINTON, Iowa --The case against a driver accused of careening into the Clinton Riverboat Days parade is taking on racial overtones with the filing of new charges in Clinton County.
.
Sixteen-year-old Corey J. Rock of Fulton, Ill., faces Class D felony charges of assault in violation of individual rights and assault while participating in a felony.
.
Clinton County District Court documents describe how Rock called another teen a race traitor after striking him with his blue Oldsmobile near the Clinton Riverboat Days grounds July 1. An affidavit claims the 17-year-old victim was taunted with racial insults because of his friendsh
p with blacks, and that Rock claimed to believe in white supremacy.
.
Rock fled from police after the hit-and-run incident, then plowed through the Riverboat Days parade route on 2nd Street before lea
ding officers in a high-
speed chase through downtown Clinton and across the Mississippi River into rural Fulton.
.
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Witnesses said Rock's car barely missed several dancers performing in the parade, then sped along the edge of the street where bystanders were gathered.
.
"'ve had a lot of people respond to the police request for information and input, Clinton County Attorney Mike Wolf said. People expressed their concerns and their emotions.
.
The teen was stopped and arrested in Whiteside County, where he was charged in juvenile court with aggravated fleeing and attempted eluding of a peace officer, driving under the influence of alcohol, reckless driving and speeding.
.
He was charged Fri
day as an adult in Clinton County.
.
The charge of assault in violation of individual rights reflects the racially motivated tone of the incident, and the second charge covers the alleged elu
ding
of police officers, speeding and driv
ing under the influence of alcohol, Wolf said.
.
Whiteside County juvenile court officials said Rock's original Illinois charges have not been dropped. Rock remains on the juvenile court schedule for his first appearance July 20.
.
The incident remains under investigation by the Clinton Police Department and the Clinton County Attorney's Office, which are asking witnesses to come forward to provide statements and videotaped footage of the incident.
.
Court records show the 17-year-old boy struck by Rock's car told police he saw the car coming toward him at 2nd Avenue South and 1st Street about 7 p.m. July 1 and recognized two of the car's four occupants.
.
The victim became fearful of the occupants in the car, because he associated them with a white
-supremacist group, court records state. The teen told police he heard the car accelerate and saw it swerve toward him.
.
The car struck the victim and briefly pinned him against a pa
rked tru
ck. When the car backed away, the victim i
mmediately reported the incident to a sheriff's reserve deputy working at Riverboat Days.
.
The teen suffered bruising, abrasions and lacerations to both legs, but police said he declined medical treatment.
.
Court records show the Oldsmobile left the scene, heading toward 2nd Avenue South and 2nd Street, where the parade was under way.
.
A spectator in the parade, Kenneth Waldorf, told police he heard the car screech as it rounded the corner, turning south onto 2nd Street. He saw the car swerving his way. To prevent being struck, he extended his arm and pushed off from the car as it passed by him. The contact left paint transfer on Waldorf's hand.
.
The car continued through the parade, leaving the route at 5th Avenue South and 2nd Street. Police st
arted chasing the car at 11th Avenue South and 4th Street.
.
Police pursued the car at speeds exceeding 25 mph over the speed limit into Whiteside County, until they forced it
to stop, c
ourt records state.
.
Rock used racial slurs t
o describe the hit-and-run victim and claimed white-supremacy beliefs during police questioning by Clinton Police Sgt. Terry St. Ores and Whiteside County Deputy Kris Schmidt, the affidavit states. Rock told the officers he didn't intend to strike the teen, but acknowledged he did strike him.
.
Rock submitted to a chemical test to determine his blood-alcohol level, which showed it was at .090. The legal limit in Illinois, where he was arrested, is .08. It also is .08 in Iowa.
.
The teen was extradited Friday from Illinois and taken to the Clinton County Jail on $50,000 bond. He posted bond and was released over the weekend, the county attorney said.
.
Usually for a Class D felony, bond is set at $9,750, Wolf said. But because the charges
are forcible felonies, the judge granted a bond amount that was a departure upward.
.
Meanwhile, Wolf is unsure he'll be able to prosecute Rock's case in Iowa because
he and his fami
ly were watching the Clinton Riverboat Days par
ade and witnessed the scene when Rock drove through the parade route July 1.
.
The county attorney said he will decide soon whether he will give the case to another attorney to handle in court.
http://www.qctimes.com/internal.php?story_...ay&c=30,1030969
Parade incident may be hate crime
By Kay Luna
.
CLINTON, Iowa --The case against a driver accused of careening into the Clinton Riverboat Days parade is taking on racial overtones with the filing of new charges in Clinton County.
.
Sixteen-year-old Corey J. Rock of Fulton, Ill., faces Class D felony charges of assault in violation of individual rights and assault while participating in a felony.
.
Clinton County District Court documents describe how Rock called another teen a race traitor after striking him with his blue Oldsmobile near the Clinton Riverboat Days grounds July 1. An affidavit claims the 17-year-old victim was taunted with racial insults because of his friendsh
p with blacks, and that Rock claimed to believe in white supremacy.
.
Rock fled from police after the hit-and-run incident, then plowed through the Riverboat Days parade route on 2nd Street before lea
ding officers in a high-
speed chase through downtown Clinton and across the Mississippi River into rural Fulton.
.
ADVERTISEMENT
Advertise Here | Advertising Directory
Witnesses said Rock's car barely missed several dancers performing in the parade, then sped along the edge of the street where bystanders were gathered.
.
"'ve had a lot of people respond to the police request for information and input, Clinton County Attorney Mike Wolf said. People expressed their concerns and their emotions.
.
The teen was stopped and arrested in Whiteside County, where he was charged in juvenile court with aggravated fleeing and attempted eluding of a peace officer, driving under the influence of alcohol, reckless driving and speeding.
.
He was charged Fri
day as an adult in Clinton County.
.
The charge of assault in violation of individual rights reflects the racially motivated tone of the incident, and the second charge covers the alleged elu
ding
of police officers, speeding and driv
ing under the influence of alcohol, Wolf said.
.
Whiteside County juvenile court officials said Rock's original Illinois charges have not been dropped. Rock remains on the juvenile court schedule for his first appearance July 20.
.
The incident remains under investigation by the Clinton Police Department and the Clinton County Attorney's Office, which are asking witnesses to come forward to provide statements and videotaped footage of the incident.
.
Court records show the 17-year-old boy struck by Rock's car told police he saw the car coming toward him at 2nd Avenue South and 1st Street about 7 p.m. July 1 and recognized two of the car's four occupants.
.
The victim became fearful of the occupants in the car, because he associated them with a white
-supremacist group, court records state. The teen told police he heard the car accelerate and saw it swerve toward him.
.
The car struck the victim and briefly pinned him against a pa
rked tru
ck. When the car backed away, the victim i
mmediately reported the incident to a sheriff's reserve deputy working at Riverboat Days.
.
The teen suffered bruising, abrasions and lacerations to both legs, but police said he declined medical treatment.
.
Court records show the Oldsmobile left the scene, heading toward 2nd Avenue South and 2nd Street, where the parade was under way.
.
A spectator in the parade, Kenneth Waldorf, told police he heard the car screech as it rounded the corner, turning south onto 2nd Street. He saw the car swerving his way. To prevent being struck, he extended his arm and pushed off from the car as it passed by him. The contact left paint transfer on Waldorf's hand.
.
The car continued through the parade, leaving the route at 5th Avenue South and 2nd Street. Police st
arted chasing the car at 11th Avenue South and 4th Street.
.
Police pursued the car at speeds exceeding 25 mph over the speed limit into Whiteside County, until they forced it
to stop, c
ourt records state.
.
Rock used racial slurs t
o describe the hit-and-run victim and claimed white-supremacy beliefs during police questioning by Clinton Police Sgt. Terry St. Ores and Whiteside County Deputy Kris Schmidt, the affidavit states. Rock told the officers he didn't intend to strike the teen, but acknowledged he did strike him.
.
Rock submitted to a chemical test to determine his blood-alcohol level, which showed it was at .090. The legal limit in Illinois, where he was arrested, is .08. It also is .08 in Iowa.
.
The teen was extradited Friday from Illinois and taken to the Clinton County Jail on $50,000 bond. He posted bond and was released over the weekend, the county attorney said.
.
Usually for a Class D felony, bond is set at $9,750, Wolf said. But because the charges
are forcible felonies, the judge granted a bond amount that was a departure upward.
.
Meanwhile, Wolf is unsure he'll be able to prosecute Rock's case in Iowa because
he and his fami
ly were watching the Clinton Riverboat Days par
ade and witnessed the scene when Rock drove through the parade route July 1.
.
The county attorney said he will decide soon whether he will give the case to another attorney to handle in court.
http://www.qctimes.com/internal.php?story_...ay&c=30,1030969
