A man who got a temporary restraining order issued against Greeley Mayor Ed Clark for allegedly attacking his son said Wednesday the community should worry whether Clark will commit another violent act.
Monday night, Clark told Tim Stitt’s 15-year-old son to quit riding his motorbike in the Eagle Ridge subdivision park and ordered him off his bike.
When Stitt’s son refused, Clark — a former Greeley police officer — grabbed the teen, threw him to the ground and held him there with his hands behind his back before police arrived, Stitt said.
Stitt’s son was ticketed for driving without a license and will pay the penalty, Stitt said. But he wonders whether Clark — who said he was executing a citizen’s arrest — will be prosecuted.
“He is a citizen now and has no rights or privileges as a police officer,” Stitt said, adding the family is considering civil litigation.
Besides his mayoral duties, Clark is working this summer as a special investigator for the Weld County district attorney. He also is a security officer with University Schools, a charter.
In September, Clark was criticized for pulling a gun on an 18-year-old man trying to drive away from a fight at a school where Clark works.
Stitt said tensions have been high for weeks between his son and Clark over a dispute with Clark’s wife, Erin.
The mayor confronted Stitt’s son and told him “bad things are going to happen” if he didn’t stop showing disrespect to Erin Clark, Stitt said.
A hearing will be July 7 to determine whether the restraining order should be permanent.
Clark couldn’t be reached for comment Wednesday. But he told the Greeley Tribune he stopped the boy for his own safety and did not hurt him.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
