Det.'s firing upheld over sex with witness in deputy's murder
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas -- The termination of a former Texas detective who had sex with a key witness in a deputy's murder has been upheld, reports CBS affiliate KHOU.
Veteran investigator Sgt. Craig Clopton was fired in October 2015 from the Harris County Sheriff's Office after prosecutors said he admitted having sex with the witness in the slaying of Deputy Darren Goforth, which he was investigating. Goforth was shot 15 times outside a Chevron station in northwest Harris County Aug. 28, 2015 in an unprovoked ambush attack. Authorities later arrested Shannon Miles and charged him with capital murder.
About two weeks after the attack, according to the Houston Chronicle, prosecutors revealed a woman who witnessed the shooting had been having an affair with Goforth, who was married. Clopton, a homicide detective, was assigned to interview her after the high-profile murder, Miles' attorney Anthony Osso told the paper.
Clopton had consensual sex with the woman at her home Sept. 10, according to a disciplinary notice sent to Clopton obtained by the Chronicle.
Thursday, Clopton reportedly testified at an appeal hearing before the Harris County Sheriff's Office civil service commission, saying he was remorseful and has sought forgiveness from God and his family. He argued he wasn't on duty when he slept with the witness. His lawyers asked the panel to modify the termination to a punishment and allow him to serve out his final year with the department and retire, reports the Chronicle.
But the commission denied the request, upholding the 2015 termination.
"Sgt. Clopton's actions were unethical and inexcusable," Harris County Sheriff Ron Hickman told KHOU in 2015. "I remain committed to the first tenet of the Sheriff's Office Core Values: to merit and maintain the public's trust."
Speaking after the hearing, Clopton told reporters he had no comment other than "I've asked for forgiveness to those I needed to ask."