by Malcolm Butler
Lt. John Clary, who was indicted on December 15, 2022 on the charges of Malfeasance in Office and Obstruction of Justice in connection with the death of Ronald Greene, has been cleared of the remaining charge of Obstruction of Justice when prosecutors dismissed the charge today.
The Third Judicial District Court had previously dismissed the charge of Malfeasance in Office on July 20, 2023 after a hearing.
Third Judicial District Attorney John Belton filed the Dismissal of Prosecution (Criminal Docket Number 60,600) with the Union Parish Clerk of Court’s office late this afternoon.
“We are pleased that this matter is now concluded for Lt. John Clary,” said Clary’s legal counsel Kyle Green. “John has proudly served citizens in Louisiana for over thirty-eight years with honor and dignity. Today, was the first step in restoring his dignity. John has been suspended without pay for nearly a year. I can say with certainty that he would not have made it through this difficult time without the prayers and support of his friends, family, and church family for whom he is grateful.”
The Dismissal of Prosecution read “Now into Court comes the state of Louisiana, through the undersigned District Attorney, who hereby dismisses the charges pending against the defendant in the docket number aforementioned pursuant to authority of La.C.Cr.P. Art. 691.”
Clary was the top-ranking officer from Louisiana State Police Troop F on the scene May 10, 2019, when Greene died following a vehicle pursuit outside of Monroe.
Clary faced one charge of malfeasance in office and one charge of obstruction of justice when it was alleged that he mislabeled his body-camera footage which showed parts of the scene when and where Greene perished.
Clary was accused of lying about the existence of his body-cam video to keep it from State Police investigators, who sent their file on Greene’s death to Belton in fall 2019.
A supplemental report submitted to Belton’s office in May of 2022 says Clary’s footage turned up only in March, discovered by a State Police training instructor who mentioned it to one of the investigators.
But a State Police spokesperson said in a statement that the administrative investigation ended “with a finding of Not Sustained due to insufficient evidence to prove or disprove the allegation.”
No discipline was delivered as a result of the investigation.
