Adams Credit: Kirtland Hills PD
After landing on a plea deal in Willoughby Municipal Court, Thomas Adams dropped his excessive force lawsuit against the Kirtland Hills Police Department (see original story below.)

He pleaded guilty to physical control of a motor vehicle and disorderly conduct, lesser charges than what initially brought him into court. Adams had been pulled over on suspicion of drunken driving. During the traffic stop, a physical altercation led to Adams sustaining head injuries on the roadway.

Dash cam footage is available below.

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Originally published Jan. 11

Officer Clyde Null Jr. used excessive force when he slammed Thomas Adams’ head onto the asphalt of a Kirtland Hills roadway on Aug. 19, 2016, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court. Watch dash cam video of the incident below.

The lawsuit, first reported on by Eric Heisig at Cleveland.com, alleges that Null repeatedly slammed Adams’ head on the street, which rendered him “nearly unconscious.” His booking photo shows injuries surrounding his left eye.

Adams was reportedly driving erratically when Null pulled him over, according to Kirtland Hills police. He was charged with resisting arrest and OVI. (Adams did not provide a breath sample for BAC measurement.)

Scene has requested the contents of Null’s personnel file. We will update this story upon receipt.

As far as the lawsuit, Adams is seeking a trial. No specific amount in damages sought was cited in the civil complaint.

YouTube video

This article appears in Jan 11-17, 2017.

Eric Sandy is an award-winning Cleveland-based journalist. For a while, he was the managing editor of Scene. He now contributes jam band features every now and then.

8 replies on “Mentor Man Works Out Plea Deal, Drops Excessive Force Lawsuit Against Kirtland Hills Police: UPDATE”

  5. Someone show me exactly where he purposely slammed his head to the ground… From what I saw after watching it several times was a person resisting, a legal takedown, more resisting from a conscious person who asked “what did I do” and then him being handcuffed… When did his head hit the ground so violently in a purposeful manner that he nearly lost consciousness?? He seemed alert the entire time from video…

  7. The video isn’t entirely clear to me, but I don’t see the officer do anything egregiously wrong. This citizen was (it appears) uncooperative and resisted.

  8. The cop clearly hit the guy in the back of his head with his elbow slamming his head into the ground. The cop lost his temper and patience

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