Feb 2024. Blues Vol 40 No. 2

AROUND THE COUNTRY
MARS HILL, N.C.
North Carolina Police Chief Jon Clark was fired after
soliciting nude photos from the wife of a subordinate.
MARS HILL, N.C. – Jon Clark
is the former chief of the Mars
Hill Police Department in North
Carolina. He was originally
suspended without pay Sept.
20, 2023, before being terminated
later in October for multiple
allegations of misconduct,
including soliciting nude photos
from the wife of a subordinate,
according to reports.
Clark had been with the small
agency since 2016 and spent
two years in the position of
police chief. When allegations
of misconduct became known
last year, the town hired U.S.
Investigative Security Services
based in Huntersville, to conduct
the investigation, Citizen Times
reported.
The third-party investigation
sustained multiple allegations
of misconduct, to include soliciting
nude photos from the wife
of a subordinate, mishandling
firearms in his office, insubordination,
and misuse of a town-issued
car, according to Clark’s
termination letter obtained by
The News-Record & Sentinel.
Town Manager Nathan Bennett
listed several reasons for Clark’s
termination in the letter dated
Oct. 16, 2023, according to the
Citizen Times.
The first was for engaging in
inappropriate actions toward the
wife of then-Capt. Chad Wilson,
who was later named to be
Clark’s replacement as chief of
police, effective Jan. 1.
“Your conduct in attempting to
pursue a romantic relationship
with the wife of one of your officers
is reprehensible,” Bennett
noted in the letter of termination.
“To actively solicit that relationship
is unforgivable and
put your entire Department and
the Town of Mars Hill at risk. To
have attempted that relationship
showed great lack of judgment,
and could have resulted in a
situation where you would have
been publicly embarrassed and
embarrassed this Town.”
When commenting on the
termination, Bennett said, “There
was never a picture shared, but
he asked two different times.”
The town manager also confirmed
that Wilson approached
him with screenshot evidence
after the ex-chief sought the
photos via SnapChat, Citizen
Times reported.
“The next day, I called Jon up
here to suspend him pending an
investigation, and I present him
those things, and he admits to
me, ‘Yes, I sent those,’” Bennett
said.
On the day the article was
originally published, Jan. 8, Clark
was employed by the Madison
County Sheriff’s Office, where
he served as a school resource
officer at Madison Early College
High School, according to the
Citizen Times.
It is unclear whether Clark
remains employed by the Madison
County Sheriff’s Office since
media calls to Sheriff Buddy
Harwood went unanswered.
38 The Blues - February ‘24