Clay county disciplines 4 deputies after wrongful arrest

The Clay County Sheriff's office is disciplining four Deputies for their role in the wrongful arrst of a local woman.

An internal investigation reveals Detective Mark Maertz was made aware of the incorrect identification of Ashley Chiasson in Fall of last year. She has the same name and general apperance of another woman with the same name.

The department says Detective Mark Maertz, Sgt. Robert Curry, Det. William Roberts and Lt. Dan Mahla will all be suspended effective immediately without pay and demoted to patrol duty. The Sheriff's office says they were made aware of the mistake on June 5th of this year.

Clay County says to ensure the public's confidence in their organization they are adding an extra layer of review to all arrests. Also, deputies and detectives will now have a six-part checklist to compete prior to submission for a supervisor's review.