Former Mars Hill PD chief fired for requesting nude photos resigns from sheriff's office

MARS HILL - Jon Clark, the former Mars Hill Police Chief who was terminated in October for requesting nude photos from the wife of his then-Captain and new Chief Chad Wilson, among other things, is now out at the county sheriff's office as well.

Clark resigned from Madison County Sheriff's Office Jan. 8, hours after The News-Record published a story detailing the reasons for Clark's Oct. 16 termination from Mars Hill Police Department, which also included misusing town-issued property, including a town-issued handgun and town-issued vehicle.

Clark, 42, issued a verbal resignation to Madison County Sheriff's Office, according to Dana Fox, a detective with the county sheriff's office.

According to Fox, Sheriff Buddy Harwood hired Clark Nov. 20 to serve as a school resource officer at Madison Early College High School.

At the time of his resignation, Clark's salary was $20.83 per hour.

The News-Record & Sentinel obtained this information from Madison County Sheriff's Office after filing a public records request.

Phone calls to Harwood and Madison County Sheriff's Office went unreturned.

Shortly after 5:30 p.m. Jan. 8, the day the article first published online, Madison County Schools Superintendent Will Hoffman said Clark was no longer serving as an SRO at the school system.

Hoffman said he wished to make the distinction that Clark was and is not employed by the school system.

"We appreciate the relationship we have with the Madison County Sheriff’s Department, and we are fortunate to have SROs in each of our schools," Hoffman told The News-Record in an email.

"Our SROs are employees of the Sheriff’s Department or their respective law enforcement agencies, SROs are not school system employees. It is up to the Sheriff to hire and assign school resource officers at our schools, as well as conduct any background check prior to hiring."

Nathan Bennett is the Mars Hill town manager.

"I knew we had to get all of his equipment, so I had him come in, we go down there to handle the firearms," Bennett said. "There were firearms that were laying unsecured in the office. Most of them were not loaded, but there was ammo in the office."

Additionally, according to Bennett, Clark could not produce his own town-issued firearm, as he couldn't find it.

"He didn't have it. It took him two days to find it and bring it to me," Bennett said. "It was at home."

According to Bennett, prior to his suspension and subsequent termination, Clark was cross-sworn between Madison County Sheriff's Office and Mars Hill Police Departments.

"We issued him a firearm, and the county issued him a firearm, because he was working with both agencies," Bennett said. "He preferred the county weapon, I learned at this time, so he was carrying the county's gun, but he didn't know where he left his town gun."

The News-Record reached out to Clark for comment but did not receive a reply.

Bennett said Wilson approached the town manager after Clark reached out to Wilson's wife's on SnapChat requesting topless photos.

"There was never a picture shared, but he asked two different times," Bennett said.

Wilson told The News-Record the issue was a personal matter and he wished to not make a comment.

Bennett said the town hired U.S. Investigative Security Services, a third-party investigative services and security solutions company based in Huntersville, to perform an investigation after Wilson presented Bennett multiple pages of screenshots of the incident.

After Wilson met with Bennett, Clark was suspended Sept. 20.

"The next day, I called Jon up here to suspend him pending an investigation, and I present him those things, and he admits to me, 'Yes, I sent those,'" Bennett said.

According to the town manager, the investigation revealed four more of Clark's breaches of conduct, including insubordination to Bennett after refusing to follow his orders to not contact Wilson.

The News-Record & Sentinel requested public records from the town of Mars Hill for Clark and Wilson.

Clark was hired by the town as a Mars Hill Police Department patrol officer and started at $16 per hour.

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When he was promoted to chief, his starting salary was $50,170, and bumped up to $53,830 on Sept. 11, 2021, following a six-month probation period.

At the time of his termination, Clark was collecting a salary of $64,230 per year following a position classification/career ladder implementation, according to his personnel records.

Wilson was hired by the town in April 2005 as a patrol officer.

He was promoted to lieutenant in 2017, and later promoted to corporal in 2019.

On Feb. 15, 2019, Wilson was demoted from corporal to lieutenant for one year. In March 2021, as Clark was promoted to chief, Wilson was subsequently promoted to captain at a starting salary of $21 per hour.

In March 2023, Wilson's hourly rate jumped to $27 following a position classification/career ladder implementation.

With his promotion to chief, Wilson's current salary is $68,877, according to the town of Mars Hill's personnel records.

Johnny Casey has covered Madison County for The Citizen Times and The News-Record & Sentinel for nearly three years. He earned a first-place award in beat reporting in the 2023 North Carolina Press Association awards. He can be reached at 828-210-6074 or jcasey@newsrecordandsentinel.com.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Former Mars Hill chief terminated for seeking photos resigns from MCSO