State drops charges against ranking officer in Ronald Greene death
Leader file photo
Louisiana State Police Lt. John Clary, right, directs disaster relief operations in the morning hours after the April 25, 2019 tornado that plowed through Ruston. Clary faced charges of obstruction of justice and malfeasance in office in an alleged cover-up of the beating death of Ronald Greene that took place just days after this photo was taken. But on Tuesday prosecutors dropped the last charge against Clary.
Prosecutors have dropped the remaining criminal charge against Louisiana State Police Lt. John Clary, the ranking officer at the scene of the in-custody death of Black motorist Ronald Greene in May 2019.
District Attorney John Belton filed a document Tuesday in Union Parish dismissing the single obstruction of justice count that remained against Clary.
In a statement issued Tuesday afternoon, Belton said he reached his decision to the charge after discussing the matter with Greene’s family.
“Mr. Clary has and will continue to cooperate with the state and testify truthfully in this matter,” Belton said.
Belton declined further comment.
Clary, of Ruston, was one of five law enforcement officers indicted by a Union Parish Grand Jury in December 2022 in connection with Greene’s death. Greene died after officers repeatedly beat, tased and held him face down on a rural Union Parish roadway.
Clary had been tentatively scheduled for trial on Feb. 26.
Now only two of the original defendants remain: former LSP Master Trooper Kory York and Union Parish Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Harpin. Clary’s alleged cooperation with the state appears to mean he will now testify against York and Harpin.
York is charged with negligent homicide and malfeasance in office. Harpin is charged with three counts of malfeasance in office.
In October, 3rd District Judge Thomas Rogers refused to throw out the charges against York. York is appealing Rogers’ decision. No trial date has been set being the appellate court’s decision.
Harpin is scheduled for trial March 25.
Clary was accused of withholding his body camera footage that appears to show York and others brutalizing Greene. The video was not in the investigative file LSP sent Belton in the fall of 2019.
Supposedly, the video was discovered later.
An LSP internal investigation into Clary’s alleged misconduct resulted in no disciplinary action and ended in the summer of 2021 with a finding of “not sustained.”
Clary was originally charged with one count of malfeasance in office and one count of obstruction of justice. The malfeasance charge was dropped in July.
Greene, 49, ran from an attempted traffic stop in Monroe and led troopers on a high-speed chase that ended in Union Parish. He crashed his car into a small tree, but body camera video from the first officers on scene appear to show two troopers charging Greene’s small SUV before he could get out.
State police originally told Greene’s family he died of injuries sustained in the crash. But two years later, the Associated Press obtained and published body camera video showing officers tasing Greene several times, beating him and dragging him by ankle shackles.
Some of the officers continued to hold him down after he was subdued and as he could be heard moaning and seeming to ask for mercy.
