A routine escort inside the Orleans Justice Center ended with a deputy fired, arrested and facing felony charges after surveillance footage allegedly showed him shoving a handcuffed inmate into a metal doorframe, according to court records. The inmate crashed into the frame, hit his head and shoulder, and was later treated for blunt trauma and a collapsed lung. The deputy, identified in records as 40-year-old Clarence Clark, was terminated from the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office before his arrest, according to NOLA.
Video and affidavit describe abrupt shove
An arrest affidavit by Detective Tyrone Jones, cited by NOLA, says surveillance video from Dec. 19 shows Clark escorting the inmate inside the jail, then pushing him "abruptly and without provocation" toward a metal doorframe. The man falls hard to the floor. The affidavit and the footage, as described in the reporting, include witness accounts stating the inmate was restrained and not actively resisting when the shove happened.
Surveillance and medical records show serious injuries
Court documents say the same video later shows the inmate "appearing limp, disoriented and unable to walk without assistance" as he is moved out of the pod. Medical records reviewed by local outlets indicate he needed oxygen and was diagnosed with a collapsed lung after the encounter, according to WAFB.
OPSO says it referred the case to investigators
Jail leadership alerted the Investigative Services Bureau on Dec. 22, triggering an internal investigation that authorities say ultimately led to Clark's arrest. FOX 8 reports Clark was booked on Jan. 16 on one count of second-degree battery and one count of malfeasance in office, both felonies. WDSU notes that Clark is the fifth deputy arrested over use of force and the sixth Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office employee arrested this month.
Another set of arrests has put the jail under scrutiny
Clark's arrest comes on the heels of charges announced earlier in January against four other OPSO deputies accused of using force on a jailed man. Reporting tied to The Times-Picayune describes that Nov. 6 episode as one in which deputies allegedly dragged a shackled inmate to a secluded area of Old Parish Prison, then punched and kicked him, according to a summary by Corrections1.
Legal process ahead
Court records show Clark appeared before a magistrate judge and a bond was set. Reporting lists that bond at $7,500. As noted by NOLA, the case has now entered the court system, and Clark remains presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty.
Sheriff Susan Hutson has said the office treats misconduct allegations seriously and will cooperate with investigators, a position reported by FOX 8. The district attorney’s office is expected to review the evidence and decide whether to pursue additional charges as the investigation continues.
