A black man accused of acting suspicious and harassing a West Des Moines police officer has been found not guilty of criminal wrongdoing by a Polk County jury.

Keilon Clarmone Hill, 24, was acquitted of misdemeanor harassment of a public official Monday, according to his lawyer, Gina Messamer. The charge came after Hill, who is from Louisiana, was stopped and questioned by West Des Moines police while canvassing for David Young's congressional campaign in October. The exchange was caught on camera.

Clinton Ray, the officer who arrested Hill, testified Monday that he never found evidence that a crime had occurred outside of the alleged harassment. Ray was cleared of any wrongdoing by his department.

"I just am generally disappointed about how the criminal justice system treated Mr. Hill," Messamer said. "He was treated like a criminal for absolutely no reason, to the point where he had to come back from Louisiana to defend himself in this case."

Having to book a flight and hotel room to prove his innocence was inconvenient, but being vindicated felt good, Hill said. He planned to leave Iowa Tuesday evening.

Messamer said the swiftness of the jurors' decision was indicative of a straightforward case.

"I think the fact that the jury came back in 15 minutes just shows that he never should have been charged in the first place," she said.

The five-minute encounter Oct. 29, 2018, in the 5700 block of Aspen Drive involving Hill, Ray and another officer was seen on body-camera footage shown in the courtroom. Ray is heard repeatedly asking Hill to stop and talk while Hill, at times using profanity, refuses and asks what crime he is committing.

► Finney: There probably was racial bias, before the cameras rolled

Prosecutors argued that Hill prevented police from doing their job by being defensive when approached and by walking away from officers who were talking to him.

“The inquiry doesn’t end when someone simply walks away," assistant Polk County Attorney Thomas Tolbert told the jury, adding that Hill took more than a few steps away from officers. "If someone’s under investigation, the investigation is furthered until it’s cleared, it’s concluded.”

The encounter took place after an Aspen Drive resident called the police to report a suspicious person. Hill was arrested after declining to identify himself to responding officers.

“Harassment of a public official, the title is misleading … don’t focus on the title," Tolbert said. "Focus on the elements: Willfully preventing Officer Ray or attempting to prevent Officer Ray from exercising duty.

"After watching the video, we know that based on the facts of this case, that is what happened."

Tolbert said Hill's refusal to answer questions prevented officers from investigating a possible crime. Hill, holding fliers and dressed in a jacket and khaki pants, repeatedly asks why he was being stopped and what law he was breaking.

Ray's only audible explanation for the interaction was that Hill was thought to be a "suspicious person."

Hill said after the verdict that those types of nonspecific calls should be vetted more before police respond.

"I would have some serious doubts about whether this would happen to a white person," Messamer said when asked if race played a role in Hill's detainment. She said that both men could have handled the situation differently, but that what Hill did was not criminal and that the officer is trained to de-escalate situations.

Hill said he believes his skin color played a role. West Des Moines authorities declined to comment about the verdict.

A master's student with an undergraduate degree in politics, Hill was campaigning for then-U.S. Rep. David Young as part of a contract with “Defending Main Street,” a Republican political action committee based in Washington, D.C.

The organization did contact police about Hill's involvement, the attorneys said in testimony, but Hill said he has not heard from anyone with the PAC or police department.

West Des Moines Police Department conducted a review of the incident and determined its officers acted appropriately.

"That was really just a charge they stuck me with because they didn't like my attitude," Hill said. "If they're not going to reach out to me and (say), 'You know what, we messed up, it was a mistake,' I'm not going to beg them."

The advocacy group Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement also said Hill was racially profiled. The organization in November released video Hill filmed of the incident on his cellphone.

Because of the interaction, Hill said he doesn't plan to return to Iowa. But he noted that encounters like these between black people and police are not unique to Iowa: "It's something that needs to be addressed on a national scale."

Messamer put it another way during closing arguments Monday.

“It’s not law enforcement’s job, it’s not their duty, to teach people a lesson or teach them respect for law enforcement," she said. "That’s where we get ego playing in and maybe Officer Ray thought Keilon should jump when he said ‘jump,’ and Mr. Hill didn’t.

"Asserting your right to be left alone, that is not a crime.”

Follow the Register on Facebook and Twitter for more news. Tyler Davis can be contacted at 515-284-8378, tjdavis@dmreg.com or on Twitter @TDavisDMR.