Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com
Published - Saturday, May 10, 2008
Man gets 10 years for attack on elderly women
A La Crosse man who groped and battered two elderly women in their homes in separate attacks last fall likely will spend the rest of his life either in prison or under supervision, a judge said Friday.
Robert E. Clark, 63, of 1131 Shorewood Drive, was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison followed by 15 years of extended supervision after pleading guilty in March to two counts of second-degree sexual assault.
Although the victims and prosecutor sought separate prison terms for the two attacks, La Crosse County Circuit Judge Elliott Levine said the women should get some satisfaction knowing Clark will be 98 before he is free from state supervision.
Already in ailing health from Parkinson’s disease and other disorders, Clark likely will not reach that age and may not survive the initial prison term, Levine noted.
Clark was convicted of fondling and beating an elderly woman in a home on the 1300 block of Park Avenue on Sept. 12, and committing the same offense against another woman in a home on the 4200 block of Cliffside Drive on Oct. 7.
In both cases, Clark targeted vulnerable women — both in their early 70s — and talked his way into their homes, then grabbed their breasts, and punched and choked them when they tried to fight back before fleeing.
Both women had physical and emotional injuries, with one losing several teeth in the attack, La Crosse County District Attorney Tim Gruenke said.
In arguing for 15 years in prison on each count, Gruenke accused Clark of faking his medical problems to get a lighter sentence.
“He wasn’t too weak to attack these women,” Gruenke said. “At that time, he didn’t need a cane. He could walk just fine. He could drive himself.”
Defense attorney John Brinckman requested Clark receive a short prison sentence and then be placed under supervision for the rest of his life.
This will be Clark’s second stint in prison. In 1976, he served time for trying to abduct a woman from a La Crosse street. After his release in 1979, Clark made sexual advances toward a 9-year-old girl, Levine said.
Dan Springer can be reached at dspringer@lacrossetribune.com or (608) 791-8269.
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