St. Clair County man files federal lawsuit against sheriff’s office alleging excessive force and civil rights violations

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A St. Clair County man has filed a federal lawsuit against the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office, alleging excessive force, false arrest, battery, and violations of his civil rights. The lawsuit stems from an incident on June 2, 2024, when Ron Harleman and his stepson got into a fight.

According to the lawsuit, the stepson threatened Harleman’s life, prompting Harleman to warn the stepson not to enter his property and stating that he would be within his rights to use lethal force to protect himself. Later that evening, Deputy Tucker and Corporal Crook from the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office arrived at Harleman’s property in Osceola, where he was driving an ATV with a pistol on his waist. The lawsuit alleges that Deputy Tucker asked Harleman to remove his pistol, to which Harleman initially refused, citing his right to carry the pistol on his own property. Subsequently, the deputy threatened to arrest Harleman if he did not comply, leading Harleman to start removing the pistol from his waist slowly. In the lawsuit, it is claimed that Deputy Tucker charged and tackled Harleman. Corporal Crook then jumped on and ripped his arms behind his back, placing him in handcuffs. The lawsuit alleges that Deputy Tucker and Corporal Crook then violently slammed Harleman into his ATV, injuring his shoulder and back, and repeatedly slammed Harleman’s face into the patrol vehicle before placing him inside.

After the incident, Harleman was placed in a patrol car without air conditioning for over an hour despite the outside temperatures exceeding 95 degrees. During this time, Harleman reportedly experienced shortness of breath and chest pains. Despite his requests for medical attention, he was taken to jail. Once at the jail, the report stated that another officer recognized the need for Harleman to receive medical attention for his chest pains and shortness of breath. An EMS was called to transport him to the hospital.

At the hospital, doctors noted that Harleman showed signs of tachycardia and elevated troponin levels, indicative of a heart attack.

The lawsuit further alleges that Harleman was not charged with any crime at the time of the incident, despite a sheriff’s office news release stating otherwise.

The lawsuit alleges that St. Clair County Sheriff Lee Hilty informed Harleman that the officers involved had not acted improperly and were not required to summon an ambulance or transport a detainee to the hospital. According to the lawsuit, Sheriff Hilty is quoted as saying that “they could have allowed Harleman to die in prison and there would be nothing he could do about it.”

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