Two New Orleans Deputies Fired After Forcing Female to Expose Herself

Two Jefferson Parish sheriff's deputies have been fired and one faces criminal charges after authorities say one of them forced a female motorist to expose herself and the other deputy did not report it.

Clyde A. Clarke, 45, of 438 Holy Cross Place, Kenner, was booked with malfeasance in office after authorities claimed he forced an unidentified 26-year-old woman to expose herself to avoid arrest on two occasions. Demond T. Ferguson, 24, 1740 Hampton Drive, Harvey, was fired by the Sheriff's Office but was not arrested.

Col. John Fortunato, a spokesman for the Sheriff's Office, said that on Saturday, Clarke and Ferguson were traveling separately when they stopped the woman and her boyfriend on Ames Boulevard. During the traffic stop, the deputies determined that both were wanted on other traffic violations and arrested only the unidentified man.

The deputies allowed the woman to leave, but not before asking her to provide personal information, including a telephone number, Fortunato said. After Clarke took her boyfriend to jail, he telephoned the woman and told her to meet him outside her home.

When Clarke met the woman, he made her move into a dimly lit area and then demanded that she raise her skirt, Fortunato said. Clarke did not touch the woman, but when she returned to her home, he told her that the next time he called, she should not be wearing underwear.

At some point, Fortunato said, Clarke called Ferguson and told him to come to the woman's home. Clarke again called the woman. However, when Ferguson realized what was happening, he told Clarke he did not want to be involved and walked away, Fortunato said. Clarke still required the woman to expose herself, Fortunato said.

The Sheriff's Office learned of the incident after the woman filed a complaint.

"If there's something that's criminal in nature (in a complaint), we immediately conduct an investigation," Sheriff Newell Normand said Thursday afternoon at a news conference in Harvey. He said Clarke's actions "constitute grounds for malfeasance."

Clarke joined the Sheriff's Office in 2004. Ferguson, who was fired for not preventing the incident and not reporting it, joined in 2006. Both men had worked at the parish correctional center before recently being assigned to patrol duties, Normand said.

Fortunato said the investigation has been turned over to the Jefferson Parish district attorney's office.