The attorney for embattled police officer Charles Starks has a filed a motion of contempt against the Little Rock mayor and police chief because they have refused to reissue him his badge, gun and credentials in spite of being ordered to reinstate him as a full-time employee.
Starks, 32, was fired last year after fatally shooting a vehicle theft suspect in Little Rock last February. Starks appealed the decision and a judge reinstated him earlier this month.
Instead, the city placed Starks on a "relieved of duty" status, which means it would not be giving him back his agency-issued badge and gun, according to the motion.
Robert Newcomb, Starks' attorney, said such a status is traditionally used for police officers facing significant disciplinary action, including termination.
"That's already been done," he said. "They lost."
Newcomb said Starks would "like to be put back to work" in some capacity, even if that means not returning to patrol.
"If they don't want to put him back on the street, there are a number of other jobs in the police department for him to do," Newcomb said.
On Thursday, Pulaski County Circuit Judge Timothy Fox, the judge who ordered that the city reinstate Starks, issued an order stating that Starks and the city must come together to decide on the amount of back pay he would receive by the close of business next Friday. Starks was fired 2 1/2 months after the shooting.
Starks was fired, not on the grounds of use of force, but because he had violated department policy about confronting suspects in moving vehicles.
The family of the victim, Bradley Blackshire, 30, is suing Starks and the city.
Check back for updates and read Saturday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.