Long-time Columbia Daily Tribune columnist Bill Clark has been suspended indefinitely for publishing a story that says he might have been profiled and felt threatened by two deputies during a vehicle stop last month near I-70 and the Lake of the Woods exit. Boone County Sheriff Dwayne Carey has provided dash cam video that disputes Clark’s claims.
Bill Clark
“This happens all the time across the country. The problem is, most of the time we just let it slide because you think it’s a no-win. But this one for some reason really bothered me,” says Carey. “There was never a gun drawn. There was no panic. It was all calm.”
The department’s Facebook post with dash cam video disputing Clark’s claims has generated more than 27,000 hits and 1,500 shares.
“That was not the intent of any of this,” says Carey. “It was just to defend our folks
Clark, who is white, says “he can fully understand how easy it is for police to make random stops.” He references his dented car, which has about 425,000 miles and liberal bumper stickers. Clark says it probably makes him “an aging hippie with a weed habit.” He goes on to claim that the deputies were arrogant and has come to appreciate even more minorities when they speak of harassment and police arrogance.
Clark, whose work includes more than 2,600 published columns, has been with the newspaper since 1956.
Brad Tregnago of KSSZ contributed to this story.