Man pleads not guilty to involuntary manslaughter
Published 11:12 pm Saturday, December 11, 2010
Dennis Clark, 38, of Ironton, pled not guilty to one count of first-degree involuntary manslaughter on Friday afternoon in Lawrence County Common Pleas Court.
Clark is accused of causing the death of Eddie Thibodaux, who died from injuries sustained during a fight at the Marlow Grill on Nov. 11. Clark was previously charged with murder, but a grand jury lowered the charges on Thursday.
If convicted, Clark faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and up to a $20,000 fine.
A cash bond of $250,000 was set despite the request of Clark’s attorney, Warren Morford, for a lesser amount. Morford contended that Clark was not a flight risk because of ties to his children, a 3-week-old son and a 16-year-old daughter.
Clark’s sister, Sheila Clark, 39, was present during the arraignment to support her brother. She was accompanied by her other brother, Arnold Clark, her son, Brandon, and a family friend.
She said of Clark’s current state of mind, “(He’s) doing the best he can at this point.”
Clark’s sister maintains her brother’s innocence and says he didn’t act alone and should not take all the blame, if any, for Thibodaux’s death.
“I feel that there’s a whole lot more investigation that needs to go on,” Sheila said. “In my heart, I don’t feel he has the heart to be accused of something like this.
“I feel he’s innocent, as everyone is, until proven guilty. I feel that they need really do some investigation on this incident that occurred, for his sake, and justice to be served completely, because there were more involved than just my brother at this time.”
Sheila said that Clark had been undergoing physical therapy for his leg at the time of the incident at the bar and also that he and Thibodaux got along well together.
“The word on the street is that Eddie was stomped to death. I feel that my brother, with his condition, did not do too much damage to him at all,” she said. “That yes, he may have struck him in self-defense, I do feel that. He would have never have done that and he’s not capable. He can’t put full weight on his leg yet.”
Sheila also said that her heart, as well as Clark’s, goes out to the Thibodaux family.
“If I was financially able, I would love to help them as well,” she said. “I’m sorry to all of them. Eddie and then five days later Josie, his mother passed away. My heart breaks for Paula, his sister, very much so. And the daughters of Eddie. I really, really hate it for them so bad and Dennis feels the same way.”
Clark is scheduled to appear back in court for a pretrial hearing at 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 22.