Sheriff David Clarke encountered Dan Black on an airplane in Dallas January of last year. Black asked if Clarke was the notorious sheriff, which Clarke explained he was. Black moved towards the back of the plane shaking his head. Clarke asked Black if he had a problem and Black shook his head no. There was no further interaction on the plane. But after the two came off the plane, Black was taken into custody by six deputies waiting at the gate for him.
Court documents released today revealed that the FBI has executed a search warrant on Clarke's Google email address dclarke.cowboy@gmail.com and the sheriff's department for text messages exchanged. The court documents allege that Clarke instructed his deputies to go after Black.
Robert Snell of the Detroit News discovered the court filings in the clerk's office Friday.
According to the search warrant, Black filed a complaint against the now-former Sheriff Clarke, claiming the department unlawfully detained him after their interaction on the plane.
Snell also posted the full affidavit from Clarke. It is now a "civil rights investigation" according to the documents.
At one time, Clarke was being considered for Homeland Security Secretary for President Donald Trump's administration.
