Democratic Party supporter detained, says it was politically motivated

An Evansville man was taken into custody by police during the Fall Festival parade on Saturday night, and he is speaking out, saying it was politically motivated.

Now, the Evansville Police Department is investigating.

Alex Jarvis says he was sitting on the back of the Democratic party's float when he was approached by an Evansville Police Officer. Jarvis says the officer put handcuffs on him, and put him in the back of a squad car to take him downtown.

The charge for Jarvis was a warrant for a minor traffic violation.

Jarvis says, "It was a complete shock. None of us knew this was going to happen. It was done for political motivation."

He says it was a political move made within his own party, and one in front of thousands of people to embarrass those who don't fully support the Democratic mayoral candidate.

Jarvis says, "In my opinion, it boils down to a perceived list of slights, grievances, and crimes that have been committed against Rick Davis."

It's no secret that there's a rift among some in the party between those who support and don't support Rick Davis. Jarvis, who is a Democrat, believes it was a Davis supporter who sought him out and called police.

According to police records, Sgt. Rick Hubbard, who sources say is very close to the Davis campaign, called for a squad car to possibly take Jarvis to jail.

Jarvis says he was detained in the back of the car for about 15 minutes while those attending the parade watched.

EPD officials say seeking someone out for a minor traffic violation is not typical.

EPD PIO Karen Kajmowicz says, "You know, was this the best time to take care of it? Maybe not and that's why the officers made the decision to cut him loose."

Jarvis says, "This is using police resources for political gain in a time of limited resources, and it's embarrassing."

Police say the bottom line is a warrant is a warrant and they investigate them all. Sgt. Rick Hubbard is on vacation this week, but he'll likely be questioned about this once he returns.

14 News spoke with Rick Davis and he says he was not involved. In fact, he says he was not at the festival when this happened, and says this is not how he runs his campaign.

We'll keep you updated on this story.

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