Maurice Clemmons, man wanted for questioning, has long criminal history
By Seattle Times staff
Maurice
Clemmons, the 37-year-old Tacoma man being sought for questioning in
the killing of four Lakewood police officers this morning, has a long
criminal record punctuated by violence, erratic behavior and concerns
about his mental health.
Nine years ago, then-Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee granted
clemency to Clemmons, commuting his lengthy prison sentence over the
protests of prosecutors.
"This is the day I've been dreading for a long time," Larry Jegley,
prosecuting attorney for Arkansas' Pulaski County said Sunday night
when informed that Clemmons was being sought in connection to the
killings.
Clemmons' criminal history includes at least five felony convictions
in Arkansas and at least eight felony charges in Washington. The record
also stands out for the number of times he has been released from
custody despite questions about the danger he posed.
Clemmons had been in jail in Pierce County for the past several months on a pending charge of second-degree rape of a child.
He was released from custody just six days ago, even though he was
wanted on a fugitive warrant out of Arkansas and was staring at eight
felony charges in all out of Washington state.
Clemmons posted $15,000 with a Chehalis company called Jail Sucks
Bail Bonds. The bondsman, in turn, put up $150,000, securing Clemmons'
release on the pending child-rape charge.
Clemmons lives in Tacoma, where he has run a landscaping and
power-washing business out of his house, according to a police
interview with his wife earlier this year.
He was married, but the relationship was tumultuous, with accounts
of his unpredictable behavior leading to at least two confrontations
with police earlier this year.
During the confrontation in May, Clemmons punched a sheriff's deputy
in the face, according to court records. As part of that incident, he
was charged with seven counts of assault and malicious mischief.
In another instance, Clemmons was accused of gathering his wife and
young relatives around at 3 or 4 in the morning and having them all
undress. He told them that families need to "be naked for at least 5
minutes on Sunday," a Pierce County sheriff's report says.
"The whole time Clemmons kept saying things like trust him, the
world is going to end soon, and that he was Jesus," the report says.
As part of the child-rape investigation, the sheriff's office
interviewed Clemmons' sister in May. She told them that "Maurice is not
in his right mind and did not know how he could react when contacted by
Law Enforcement," a sheriff's report says.
"She stated that he was saying that the secret service was coming to
get him because he had written a letter to the President. She stated
his behavior has become unpredictable and erratic. She suspects he is
having a mental breakdown," the report says.
Deputies also interviewed other family members. They reported that
Clemmons had been saying he could fly and that he expected President
Obama to visit to "confirm that he is Messiah in the flesh."
Prosecutors in Pierce County were sufficiently concerned about
Clemmons' mental health that they asked to have him evaluated at
Western State Hospital. Earlier this month, on Nov. 6, a psychologist
concluded that Clemmons was competent to stand trial on the child-rape
and other felony charges, according to court records.
Clemmons moved Washington in 2004, after being released from prison
in Arkansas, state Department of Corrections records indicate. That
would mean he had gone five years or so before landing in serious
trouble with authorities here, according to a review of his criminal
record.
Clemmons started Sea-Wash Pressure Washing Landscaping with his
wife, Nicole Smith, in October 2005. The license for the business
expired last month.
Long history of trouble in Arkansas
News accounts out of Arkansas offer a confusing — and, at times,
conflicting — description of Clemmons' criminal history and prison time.
In 1990, Clemmons, then 18, was sentenced in Arkansas to 60 years in
prison for burglary and theft of property, according to a news account.
Newspaper stories describe a series of disturbing incidents involving
Clemmons while he was being tried in Arkansas on various charges.
During one trial, Clemmons was shackled in leg irons and seated next
to a uniformed officer. The presiding judge ordered the extra security
because he felt Clemmons had threatened him, court records show.
Another time, Clemmons hid a hinge in his sock, and was accused of
intending to use it as a weapon. Yet another time, Clemmons took a lock
from a holding cell, and threw it toward the bailiff. He missed and
instead hit Clemmons' mother, who had come to bring him street clothes,
according to records and published reports.
On another occasion, Clemmons had reached for a guard's pistol during transport to the courtroom.
When Clemmons received the 60-year sentence, he was already serving
48 years on five felony convictions and facing up to 95 more years on
charges of robbery, theft of property and possessing a handgun on
school property. Records from Clemmons' sentencing described him as
5-foot-7 and 108 pounds. The crimes were committed when he was 17.
Clemmons served 11 years before being released.
News accounts say Huckabee then commuted Clemmons' sentence, citing Clemmons' young age at the time the crimes were committed.
But Clemmons remained on parole — and soon after landed in trouble
again. In March 2001, he was accused of violating his parole by
committing aggravated robbery and theft, according to a story in the
Arkansas Democrat-Gazzette.
He was returned to prison on a parole violation. But in what appears
to have been a mistake, Clemmons was not actually served with the
arrest warrants until leaving prison three years later. As a result,
Clemmons' attorney argued that the charges should be dismissed because
too much time had passed. Prosecutors dropped the charges.
It appears that Clemmons remained in trouble with Arkansas
authorities even after moving away. This year, while Clemmons was
living in Washington, a warrant was issued for his arrest, accusing him
of being a fugitive from Arkansas.
Slain Lakewood police officers are identified
By Seattle Times staff
Sgt.
Mark Renninger and Officers Ronald Owens, Tina Griswold and Greg
Richards were identified as the Lakewood Police officers killed this
morning in the coffee shop in Parkland.
Renninger, 39, with 13 years of law-enforcement experience, is survived by his wife and three children.
Owen, 37, who spent 12 years in law enforcement, is survived by a former wife and a daughter.
Griswold, 40, a 14-year veteran officer, is survived by her husband and two children.
Richards, 42, who had eight years of law-enforcement experience, is survived by his wife and three children.
