Cedar Rapids Weather
CR Police Officer Assaulted, Arrested Men Speak OutBy Mark Geary, Reporter
CEDAR RAPIDS – Cedar Rapids police Officer Lucas Liddle is recovering at home after police say several men assaulted him this weekend.
It marks the eighteenth assault on a Cedar Rapids police officer this year. Police say that's more than normal. This assault happened as police responded to a party around 3:30 Saturday morning at 1318 K Avenue Northeast. Police say 19-year-old Jacob Boots punched Officer Liddle in the face. Liddle and Boots then fell to the ground and police say others kicked and hit the officer. Police also arrested James Young, Parker Andersen and Kenneth Reed in connection with the assault. Officer Liddle should be back at work here at the police station within in a few days. Everything started with a neighbor's noise complaint. Kenneth Reed never thought police would show up at his father's 50th birthday party. "They had me handcuffed in my house, but drug me out by my feet. That's how I got this," Reed said. Reed and his friend Parker Andersen say a neighbor complained about loud noise coming from the party. Police wanted to come inside, but no one would open the door. "They didn't show us a warrant. They didn't read us our rights or nothing. They didn't follow procedure at all,” Andersen said. Then, police say the situation intensified and Officer Liddle got punched, kicked, knocked to the ground and almost dragged inside the house. Police say the whole incident could have been avoided if someone just opened the door. "They could have gone on doing whatever they were doing inside the house. Instead, they didn't think through all the consequences and they spent the night in jail,” Sergeant Cristy Hamblin said. The two young men tell a much different story and argue police were too aggressive. "I did get a couple of knees in the back which I didn't deserve. I was being really cooperative except for not letting them in my house without a warrant,” Reed said. Andersen said, "I dropped my shoe and tried to pick it up. They slammed me to the ground and choked me out. That wasn't procedure at all." Andersen has a scar from a taser used to get him under control. Police say there's no excuse for assaulting an officer. "If you assault an officer, it's almost like you're assaulting the public as well because that's who we're representing,” Hamblin said. Despite everything that's happened, both Andersen and Reed don't have any grudges. "I don't have nothing against the officers. They're just doing their job,” Reed said. Police say they've stepped up their presence in several neighborhoods ever since Officer Tim Davis nearly died when several men attacked him back in March. Officer Davis suffered severe head injuries from the assault and is now rehabbing at St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids. The man charged with assaulting Officer Davis, 17 year-old Jose Rockiett, is due in court Tuesday morning where a judge will decide if he will be tried as an adult.  E-mail Mark Geary at Mark.Geary@kcrg.com or  follow him on Twitter.
More Good Stuff |
What's On KCRG
Most Popular >> |
Conversation Guidelines
Be Kind
Don't use abusive, offensive, threatening, racist, vulgar or sexually-oriented language.
Don't attack someone personally. Keep it civil and be responsible.
Share Knowledge
Be truthful. Share what you know and what you are passionate about.
What more do you want to learn? Keep it simple.
Stay focused
Promote lively and healthy debate. Stay on topic. Ask questions and give feedback on the story's topic.
Report Trouble
Help us maintain a quality comment section by reporting comments that are offensive. If you see a comment that is offensive, or you feel violates our guidelines, simply click on the "x" to the far right of the comment to report it.
read the full guidelines here »
Commenting will be disabled on stories dealing with the following subject matter: Violent crime, sexual abuse, Amber Alerts, Operation Quickfinds and suicides.
Most Popular >>