PEORIA It was an unlikely situation, this friendship between Dan Block and Dustin Diamond.
Block is a Rockford-area resident, a married father of four who owns a firm that specializes in low-cost automobile insurance.
Diamond was an actor of national note, mostly for his portrayal of Samuel Screech Powers in the 1980s-90s teen-geared television series Saved by the Bell.
More unlikely, perhaps, was that their friendship fortified in Peoria, where both men once shared a temporary residence while in town for work.
Peoria appeared to be a bit of a refuge for Diamond, whose past included a sex tape and a prison stint after he was accused of stabbing someone at a Wisconsin bar. His Saved by the Bell role brought him fame but also typecast him.