Former correctional officer denied unemployment benefits

DES MOINES – A judge has ruled that a former state correctional officer convicted of assault is not eligible for unemployment benefits.

Douglas D. Clark worked at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center at Oakdale when he was arrested in May and charged with domestic assault. The ruling said Clark reported to his supervisor he had been arrested for domestic assault against his common-law wife, also a correctional officer.

Clark was suspended from his job and later discharged. Clark ultimately pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of simple assault in the matter.

Administrative Law Judge Steven A. Wise wrote in his ruling that the harm to Clark's employer is obvious in the case, upholding a decision that Clark was disqualified from receiving benefits.

“His job duties involved supervising criminal offenders,” Wise wrote. “Furthermore, the public's image of the department could be tarnished by an officer who commits an act of violence, even if the offense is off-duty.”