Affidavit: Spavinaw Police Chief Admitted Touching Girls; Town Meeting Canceled

According to the affidavit, one of the girls told investigators Gregory began touching her when she was in third grade and the abuse has continued for seven years.

Friday, July 25th 2014, 2:09 pm

By: News On 6

Affidavit: Spavinaw Police Chief Admitted Touching Girls; Town Meeting Canceled

News On 6 has obtained a Mayes County affidavit that details child sex abuse allegations against a small-town police chief.

As we reported on Thursday, Spavinaw Police Chief Clarence Gregory Sr., 75, was arrested on complaints of lewd molestation of two girls under 16 years old. On Friday, he was released from the Mayes County jail on $100,000 bond and the condition he have no contact with the alleged victims, court records show.

7/24/2014 Related Story: Spavinaw Police Chief Arrested On Lewd Molestation Complaints

According to a probable cause affidavit, one of the girls told investigators Gregory began touching her when she was in third grade and the abuse has continued for seven years. A younger girl reportedly said she had been molested by Gregory for three years.

The girls said the touching occurred about every two weeks over that time period.

Gregory gave a voluntary statement claiming he touched the girls “because he was trying to instruct them on what not to let boys do to them,” the affidavit says. Gregory also reportedly told investigators he most recently touched the girls three weeks ago, but he only had been doing it approximately two years.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation says Gregory didn't randomly pick his victims, but they are girls he knows.

His next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 14 at 9:30 a.m.

According to the Spavinaw vice mayor, Johnny Gifford, Gregory has been the town’s police chief for a year. It has put the city in a bind, he says, because Gregory is the only paid officer. The other two are volunteers.

Gregory also previously served on the school district's board of education, and a person who answered the phone there yesterday said he hasn't been on the school board "for a few years." Spavinaw residents say he had been a youth basketball coach in years past.

An emergency town meeting was scheduled for Friday night, but it now has been canceled. Gifford said the city's attorney has asked the town to hold off on making any decisions regarding law enforcement. City leaders were supposed to decide during the meeting if they would name one of the reserve officers as interim chief or start contracting services with the Mayes County Sheriff's Office.

For now, Gifford said, the two reserve officers will continue patrolling as normal.