Editor’s note: This story contains graphic descriptions of alleged crimes that some readers may find disturbing.
A Clark County corrections deputy accused of sexual misconduct involving a female inmate told a judge Thursday morning that he’s “ready to be a man about what happened.”
Christopher A. North, 29, of Vancouver made his first appearance in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of indecent liberties with forcible compulsion and second-degree custodial sexual misconduct.
North allegedly locked the inmate, who was transported from Cowlitz County and was on her way to Clackamas County, Ore., in a changing room at the Clark County Jail and masturbated on her, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in support of the allegations.
The alleged incident took place about 4 a.m. July 11, but the woman didn’t report it until she arrived in Clackamas County, the court document states. Detectives with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office investigated, and North voluntarily turned himself in Wednesday evening after consulting with an attorney in Tacoma.
North, who has been employed as a corrections deputy at the jail since January 2015, was brought out separately from the other inmates. He is being housed in Skamania County, according to Skamania’s jail roster.
Sheriff’s office spokesman Sgt. Fred Neiman said North was placed on paid administrative leave July 13.
“We believe this is an egregious abuse of authority,” Deputy Prosecutor Patrick Robinson told the court. He added that there was no way for the inmate to escape the situation and that she was only at the jail for a brief time.
North has some local, juvenile criminal history, Robinson said, including a 2004 conviction for being a minor in possession and fourth-degree assault. He went through a diversion program, however, and the convictions were wiped from his record, he said.
North said he already hired his own attorney: Carrie Fulton-Brown with Beckwith Law in Tacoma. She was not present Thursday morning, however.
“I would just like to say that I am a zero threat to anybody,” North told the judge as his bail was addressed. He also said that he’s been dealt a hard hand, and he’s “ready to be a man about what happened.”
Judge Scott Collier cautioned North to watch what he says on the record.
North went on to say that he knows he has “underlying issues” from serving with the U.S. Marine Corps., and is seeking treatment through Veterans Affairs.
“I want to be home with my family,” he said.
Collier set bail at $50,000 and scheduled North’s arraignment for Aug. 10.
Changing room
According to the affidavit, the inmate arrived at the Clark County Jail on July 10 and stayed overnight. She was sent from her cell to change into her “street clothes” before being transported to Clackamas County. She was put in a changing room, where her clothes were.
The room has an inmate entry door and another door — with a small, built-in door, similar to a dutch door — leading to the jail property room. The upper half of the door is used for passing property to inmates. There are no cameras in either room, court records state.
After being instructed to change, North closed the inmate door and went to the property room, where he opened the smaller door and watched the woman, who was unclothed from the waist up, the affidavit said.
North then closed the door and opened it a few minutes later when she was done changing. He told her she would be held in the changing room until transport was ready because the normal holding cell was full. The woman was locked in the room for about two hours, according to the court document.
While waiting, North struck up conversation through the door about tattoos he saw on the woman while she was changing. He lifted up his shirt and showed the tattoos on his upper left arm, as well as his full back tattoo. He then told the woman he was going to masturbate when he got home from work, court records show.
The woman said she was caught off-guard by the comment and that North was staring at her funny. She said she then noticed the zipper on his pants was undone, and she told him. North put his finger to his lips, as if signaling her to be quiet, and began masturbating. He entered the changing room, approached the woman and pressed his body against her. She was unable to escape his grasp while he masturbated on her, the affidavit states.
She later told detectives she didn’t feel comfortable talking to anyone at the jail about the incident and was concerned there could be repercussions for reporting it, the court document said.
When interviewed by detectives, North denied having any physical or sexual contact with the woman. However, when told her clothing — which had visible stains, suspected to be semen — had been seized as evidence and swabbed for DNA, he changed his story, according to the affidavit.
North said he stole the woman’s pants from her property bag, took them to his personal vehicle parked outside the jail, and masturbated on them twice during his lunch break. He then had the pants returned to the woman’s property bag, he said, and was unsure if they had been cleaned, the court document states.
Robinson said during North’s hearing that the woman is no longer in custody and her identity is being withheld.
“I take this extremely seriously,” Sheriff Chuck Atkins said in a news release Wednesday. “I will not allow this type of misconduct to take place in my jail.”
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone who may have information related to the case should contact the Clark County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit at 877-274-6311 or 360-397-2120.
