Cuyahoga County corrections officer previously accused of assaulting inmate remains in jail on extortion charges

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - A Cuyahoga County corrections officer who was previously seen on surveillance video assaulting and spraying an inmate with pepper foam did not appear in court on Monday for extortion and intimidation charges.

That’s because Idris-Farid Clark is currently in the Geauga County Jail, following allegations that he threatened former co-workers that he would release video depicting abuse of county inmates, if they refused to testify on his behalf.

Clark is being held at the Geauga County Jail as a safety measure because of the fear for retaliation, according to his attorney, who was present at Monday’s court hearing on behalf of his client.

The judge set bond at $100,000 for Clark at his arraignment.

Court documents state that Clark spoke to fellow corrections officers at the Cuyahoga County Jail and claimed he had videos “just as bad as his,” referring to the July 2018 incident where he is seen mistreating a restrained inmate.

**WARNING: The video may be difficult to watch**

Clark allegedly said he needed the officers to “testify on his behalf at trial to the lack of training we received and how the jail is ran.” He threatened to release the videos if they didn’t cooperate.

Clark’s case has been continued to a Cuyahoga County grand jury.

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