EDWARDSVILLE - A motorist originally pulled over for a turn signal violation has filed suit against three Glen Carbon police officers.
Mark Pearson, from Missouri, was cited for obstructing a police officer, driving without insurance, and carrying a concealed weapon following the stop in September last year.
But, according to the suit, all charges were thrown out at the direction of the Madison County State's Attorney, Tom Gibbons.
In his suit filed Feb. 20 in Madison County Circuit Court, Pearson is asking that the actions of the three Glen Carbon officers, named in the suit as Alex Hawthorne, Gerard Spratt, and James Murray, be ruled unconstitutional.
The Record was unable to make contact with the defendants prior to publication.
Pearson claims that he was wrongly stopped in the first place by one of the officers after he merged onto Interstate 270 from Illinois Route 159 because motorists do not need to use the turn signal when merging.
The other officers then arrived on the scene, and all three "proceeded to badger" him, according to the suit. He was then placed under arrest for obstructing a police officer after he refused to identify himself.
It is the plaintiff's argument that he did not physically resist and that "a conviction cannot stand for obstructing a police officer by merely failing to identify oneself."
Pearson also seeks video and audio recorded from the interaction, which he claimed led to the officers becoming agitated.
Further, the plaintiff says he did not consent to any search of himself or his vehicle. Yet he was cited for carrying a concealed weapon for which he had a valid Missouri permit, according to the suit.
On the driving without insurance charge, Pearson says he was covered on the day he was pulled over.
The plaintiff claims he suffered "great embarrassment and humiliation" as a result of the interaction.
He is seeking more than 1 cent from the defendants and a ruling that their actions was unconstitutional.
Pearson is represented by Peter J. Maag of the Maag Law Firm in Wood River.
Madison County Circuit Court case number 2020-L- 219.