Indianola man convicted of vehicular homicide, drag racing gets five years probation
An Indianola man avoided jail time despite being convicted in the death of 53-year-old John Schmidt during a high-speed confrontation fueled by road rage last year.
In September, a jury found Steven Clark, 33, guilty of vehicular homicide by reckless driving and drag racing in relation to an Aug. 26, 2021 crash that resulted in Schmidt's death.
During his trial, multiple witnesses from other vehicles testified they witnessed the two men engaged in dangerous high-speed maneuvers as they sped southbound on Highway 65 north of Army Post Road.
According to witnesses, Clark, in a pickup truck, and Schmidt, in a sedan, were both driving very aggressively at speeds prosecutor Jaki Livingston said reached as high as 105 mph. Both vehicles were seen to attempt to swerve at the other before the crash.
Eventually, according to one driver who was two cars back from the crash, Clark's truck veered from the left lane, behind Schmidt, into the right lane, then swerved back and connected with the rear quarter of Schmidt's car, sending the smaller sedan careening through the median and into the path of oncoming northbound traffic.
According to Livingston, both Clark and Schmidt were to blame for the incident. However, Livingston argued that Clark's recklessness warranted prison time.
"Although the State and Mr. Schmidt’s family both asked for incarceration, the Court granted him a suspended sentence," Livingston wrote in an email to the Register.
The court ordered Clark to serve five years of probation and 1,000 hours of community service, according to Livingston.
William Morris contributed reporting.
Francesca Block is a breaking news reporter at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at FBlock@registermedia.com or on Twitter at @francescablock3.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Indianola man sentenced to probation in 2021 drag racing death
