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The McDonough County Sheriff said Ariel Harrison was taken advantage of by activists and now faces prison time when she could have taken a plea deal.

A Black woman who was tased multiple times at the McDonough County Jail alleges law enforcement officers used excessive force and did not offer medical treatment after she lost consciousness

Ariel Harrison, now 31, was detained at the jail after being pulled over in October 2019. Harrison faces four charges in the case, including felony aggravated fleeing, felony aggravated battery of a peace officer, resisting arrest and driving under the influence of alcohol. She believes the incident was racially motivated and the actions of law enforcement officers constitute brutality. “I see racism in it because they didn’t treat me as a human,” Harrison said. An online petition calling for justice for Harrison and for all charges to be dropped had more than 47,000 signatures as o...

The McDonough County Voice Editor's note: A previous version of this story mistakenly omitted a response from State's Attorney Matt Kwacala. His comments have been added to the story. McDONOUGH COUNTY — A resident who was arrested on March 2, held for 20 hours and then released by the State’s Attorney without any charges is alleging local police racially profiled her and her husband and violated their rights. “I will never forget this, because it was my husband’s birthday,” Magen Kelly said. Kelly, who is Black, said in interviews with the Voice that she and husband Corey Kelly, a...