Clinton man jailed on sex abuse charges
May 18—CLINTON — A Clinton man is charged with six counts of sexual abuse, accused of having sexual contact with three female family members and fathering children with two of them.
Richard E. Clark, 53, is being held in the Clinton County Jail on three counts of second-degree sex abuse, three counts of third-degree sex abuse and one count of interference with official acts in connection with charges alleging he sexually abused the females over several years in Missouri and Clinton.
Clark was arrested Friday as the result of an investigation that began locally in March 2021, when the Sedalia, Missouri, Police Department contacted the Clinton Police Department in reference to Clark and a sexual abuse investigation. During the investigation, it was determined Clark had sexual contact with three female family members, court records state. In Iowa, a family member is defined as being an ancestor, descendant, brother or sister of whole or half blood, aunt, uncle, niece or nephew.
The court affidavit states Clark is accused of having sex with one of the females from 1998-2004, and that it began when the female was younger than 10 and stopped when she was 16. A second female told police Clark began sexually abusing her when she was 10 and that it continued from 2000 to about 2008, and that Clark treated her like a wife. She had a child at the age of 17, according to court records.
The third female family member said Clark began sexually abusing her when she was 11, and that he sexually abused her from 2002 to 2006, until she turned 15. She said the sexual abuse occurred at least once a month, according to court records. She became pregnant, delivering a child in 2007 when she was 16 years old.
Buccal swabs tested at the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation lab determined Clark is the father of both children.
Clark's next court appearance is a preliminary hearing set for 8:30 a.m. May 24 in Clinton County District Court, with bond set at $50,000, cash only.
In Iowa, second-degree sex abuse is a Class B felony that carries a possible prison term of up to 25 years, if convicted.
