POUGHKEEPSIE – A man sentenced to 44 years in prison for several crimes has had part of his sentence vacated after winning an appeal of his 2014 conviction in Dutchess County Court. The defendant, Carl Clark Jr., is currently in prison for multiple convictions.
On February 26, 2013, Clark led police on a chase up Route 9 during morning rush traffic, at speeds in excess of 100 mph. The chase occurred after a domestic dispute with his girlfriend. It ended when he struck the City of Poughkeepsie Police vehicle operated by Officer Phillip Rutulante, causing injuries to the 17-year veteran officer. That incident resulted in Clark being charged with nearly two dozen crimes.
Clark was convicted of 18 different charges including assault, burglary, and strangling his girlfriend. There were four counts of assault in his conviction and Clark’s appeal convinced the court that one of the counts of assault did not meet the requirements necessary for conviction. According to a decision by the Appellate Division of State Supreme Court, “The People failed to present legally sufficient evidence to sustain his conviction of assault 2 under count 2 of the indictment.”
The Appellate Court, in its December 23 ruling, vacated the conviction of one count of assault and vacated the sentence imposed on that conviction. Clark is not eligible for parole until August of 2030.
