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Crawford accused of illicit contact Ex-police chief jailed for allegedly contacting victim By JIM DAVIS Former Gold Hill Police Chief David Crawford improperly had contact with the man he was convicted of beating, Jackson County probation officers allege. Crawford, 41, of Gold Hill, was lodged in the Jackson County Jail Tuesday and ordered held without bail Wednesday on a charge of violating the conditions of his release from jail, said Abe Huntley, deputy director of Jackson County Community Corrections. "We just wanted him to know that that type of behavior isn't allowed while he's under probation," Huntley said. Probation officers accused Crawford of having contact with Chris Brooks, a dirt biker Crawford was convicted of beating up. At a hearing Wednesday afternoon, Crawford denied that he had any contact with Brooks. Jackson County Judge Ray White ordered probation officers to present their case at a hearing next week. Brooks is suing Crawford and the city of Gold Hill for $500,000 in damages, alleging that city officials ignored numerous brutality complaints about Crawford. The lawsuit, which was filed on Sept. 27, alleges that Crawford kicked Brooks and jumped on his back after a chase Jan. 2 along the railroad tracks near town, then punched him in the side and dragged him by the handcuffs. Brooks also alleges that Crawford threatened to take him to jail if he failed to "keep quiet about what happened." Crawford resigned from the Gold Hill Police Department after he was convicted of three misdemeanors stemming from the Brooks incident and an unrelated off-duty traffic dispute in 1996. He was sentenced to 20 days in jail, and served nine before being released early because of overcrowding at the jail. Jackson County Deputy District Attorney Matthew Chancellor did not release details of Crawford's latest arrest and the allegations of his contact with Brooks. Huntley said Crawford has been ordered not to have contact with Brooks, Brooks' family or their home or to have anyone else have contact with Brooks. "Contact" does not necessarily mean physical contact, but can include phone messages or letters, Huntley said. "We take all those conditions -- when there's a victim involved -- very seriously," Huntley said. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA