NEWAYGO, Mich. — A former Newaygo County Corrections Officer is facing criminal sexual conduct charges after allegedly having a relationship with a former inmate.
According to a release from the Newaygo County Sheriff’s Department, Zachary Almon Clark, 30, had a sexual relationship with the 27-year-old Newaygo woman while she was on probation.
Investigators say the relationship between Clark and the woman was consensual and no sexual contact happened between them at the jail. However, his conduct was against the law because he was a corrections officer and knew she was on probation.
“The ex-officer in question allegedly acted outside of the ethical behavior and ‘rules of the road’ of this agency,” Newaygo County Sheriff Patrick Hedlund said in a release. “This will not be tolerated and he will now be held accountable to the system he once served.
Clark is being charged with six counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct as well as misdemeanor assault for a separate alleged incident that happened June 9 with a male inmate at the facility where Clark used to work. During that incident, Clark allegedly assaulted the inmate in a hallway in the jail.
