Nine years ago, then-Arkansas Gov. 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 tonight when informed that Clemmons was being sought for questioning in connection with 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. Huckabee, who ran for the Republican presidential nomination last year, issued a statement tonight calling the slaying of the police officers "a horrible and tragic event."
If Clemmons is found responsible, "it will be the result of a series of failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington State," Huckabee said. He added that Clemmons' release from prison had been reviewed and approved by the Arkansas parole board.
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 was staring at seven additional felony charges in 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, MORE FROM THIS SOURCE..........
Washington Department of Corrections, WA
Full Name: Maurice Clemmons... Date of Birth: 02/06/1972
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 162 LBS
Hair Color: BLACK
Eye Color: BROWN
Race: BLACK
Gender: Male
T CRIMINAL OFFENSE 1
Offense Date:
Case Number: 19891357
Offense Type: Theft/Robbery
Offense Code: 9A56040
Offense Description: THEFT 2
Conviction Place: INTERSTATE
Date Reported: T CRIMINAL OFFENSE 2
Offense Date:
Case Number: 19891357
Offense Type: Theft/Robbery
Offense Code: 9A56200
Offense Description: ROBBERY 1
Conviction Place: INTERSTATE
SOURCE OF INFORMATION
Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts, AR
Full Name: Maurice Clemmons.... Date of Birth: 02/06/1972
Height: 5''7"
Weight: 162
Hair Color: BLACK
Eye Color: BROWN
Race: BLACK
Gender: Male
T CRIMINAL OFFENSE 2
Offense Date: 04/22/2001
Case Number: 137
Offense Type: Theft/Robbery
Offense Code: 512102FB
Offense Description: ROBBERY
Date Reported: 05/31/2001
Verdict Finding: CONVICTED
Disposition Date: 09/17/2001
T CRIMINAL OFFENSE 3
Offense Date: 03/26/2001
Case Number: 1910
Offense Type: Theft/Robbery
Offense Code: 536103FB
Offense Description: THEFT OF PROPERTY
Date Reported:
Verdict Finding: NOT PROCESSED

































