Auburn cop pleads guilty to groping woman in patrol car
Jun 24, 2013, 5:24 PM | Updated: 6:00 pm
A former Auburn police officer has pleaded guilty to fourth-degree assault for inappropriately touching a woman while she was handcuffed in the backseat of his patrol car.
John M. Clemmons was placed on paid administrative leave following the incident, but has since resigned from the department.
Clemmons was on duty when he observed a woman drive away from the Sports Page Tavern early in the morning on Jan. 27, 2013. He followed her to her home, where he detained her on suspicion of driving under the influence.
Once in the patrol car, the woman later told police that Clemmons searched her person by reaching down her shirt and the front of her pants.
“Although he did not grope the woman’s intimate parts, he did violate department policies and procedures while searching her during the traffic stop,” according to a statement from the Auburn Police Department.
Commander Mike Hirman, a spokesperson for the agency, said Clemmons did have probable cause to contact the woman.
