Charges Against Frank Clark Dropped/Reduced
From Adam Schefter:
Charges of assault and domestic violence against former Michigan DE Frank Clark have been dropped and reduced to "disorderly conduct." It's the lowest misdemeanor and teams have taken notice. Clark has had eight visits with NFL teams and other private workouts, even with charges against him pending. Some teams looking for a pass rusher are intrigued with Clark.
April 10th, 2015 at 12:41 PM ^
1) Being charged doesn't mean you're actually guilty of anything.
2) Having charges dropped or reduced doesn't mean you AREN'T actually guilty of something.
April 10th, 2015 at 12:45 PM ^
Perfect distillation of how the US legal system works.
April 10th, 2015 at 12:51 PM ^
I'm going to sue the Bar that certified him. Then I'm going to sue the Bars from the past 4 states he's traveled through.
April 11th, 2015 at 10:51 AM ^
the US legal system works. And we're flexible on the requirement that the other party is wrong.
April 10th, 2015 at 12:55 PM ^
I think that teams will be more interested in him, however, not because this speaks to his guilt or innocence but because it suggests that he won't have the proverbial "cloud over his head."
April 10th, 2015 at 12:55 PM ^
Good luck to Frank Clark.
April 10th, 2015 at 12:57 PM ^
Only because I got you a plea deal.
April 10th, 2015 at 12:59 PM ^
Being found guilty of something doesn't mean you actually did something. Actually doing something doesn't mean you will be found guilty.
having charges dropped or reduced DOES mean that one is not guilty of them. The legal system is the only objective legally recognized method for determining guilt or innocence in this country. A person either did the crime, as defined by the legal system, or they did not, as defined by the legal system. To say that one is not-guilty but guilty at the same time disregards the only method in place of determining guilt, strips the word of any meaning within the confines of its defined existence, and renders the conversation mute.
You can't eat you cake and spit it out all over the floor, too, if you get my drift.
Not guilty does not mean innocent. It mearly means that a jury of your peers or judge does not have enough evidence or has enough reasonable doubt to provide a not guilty plea.
This can be a result of a lot of things, such as damning evidence that is thrown out due to how it was obtained.
If someone commits murder, and is found not guilty in court, it does not mean that they are innocent.
not guilty DOES mean innocent. As in, innocent is the opposite of guilty, meaning a person who is not guilty is by definition, ding ding ding, you got it, innocent!! You see, the criminal justice system sets the burden of proof, there is no objective "truth" outside of the parameters defined by the system. If there was, people could and would be tried again when the "wrong" result was reached the first time. That is not how it works. The system determines the truth.
You can be treated by the law as "not guilty" and still be guilty of having committed that crime.
Try this experiment some time: walk into a convenience store and steal something, like a Tootsie Roll or a pack of gum. Then, after your perfect crime is complete, ask yourself two questions: am I guilty of petty larceny? And will I ever be convicted of petty larceny?
There is absolutely objective truth in the system. These are statutory crimes, with specific statutory elements. If you meet the elements, you are guilty of having committed that crime. You took the chattel of another with the intent to permenantly deprive the owner of that chattel. That's larceny, whether the court ever says so, or whether the store owner ever even knows.
And I have no idea how Double Jeopardy plays into this at all. The restriction on being tried twice is a Constitutional protection, not a logical protection. There is no logical reason a court couldn't try you for the same event twice, other than it being a dickish thing to do.
you "have no idea how Double Jeopardy plays..."?
Here's a sample:
Alex: That's wrong, Mr. Connery.
was listening to the dan lebatard sp radio show(i know shoot me,horrible show) yesterday and some are getting nervous hernandez going to walk. i guess some text messages were not allowed in as evidence because of the boston case. i think he was implicated in the double murder boston case as well. if he was found not guilty would the patriots have to honor his contract? he had just signed a big one i believe. the jury has deliberated 4 days already.
Not guilty does not mean innocent.
Not guilty means we can't conclude you did it. It doesn't mean we're sure you didn't do it.
This isn't really that complicated.
the case in the press. Their side comes out in court. Prosecuters use the press in high profile cases to show they are doing their job. The defense presents their case at trial which in this case never happened. Yet he's convicted by the MGoBlog court.
The one thing that is clear, unless you were in the room with them, is that it was a bad situation and there were no winners coming out of that night.
Ahhh... "Chaos is a pit"?
is a ladder, and only the ladder is real.
You're right!
But if this was a sparty player we're taking about instead of Michigan, the thread would be 300 comments of "you're guilty" and "Frank is killing our sister".
Comon man... Ray Rice knocked his wife out cold. He's not guilty of anything in a court.
I dislike the Nancy Grace court of public opinion as much as the next person. But in this case...April 10th, 2015 at 12:44 PM ^
I look forward to a reasoned and thoughtful discussion of this news below.
But yeah, by all accounts something bad happened in that hotel room, though it looks like we'll never really know. Let's hope that if Clark does get a chance in the NFL he takes full advantage of it and realize just how lucky he has been given his various transgressions.
April 10th, 2015 at 12:45 PM ^
I'm sure things will get interesting here. Didn't want to post anything above except the facts of what happened and call it a day.
April 10th, 2015 at 12:48 PM ^
Maybe we should also hope that the toddler who ran for help yelling "Frank's killing my sister!!!" also recovers from the incident. Or the woman he was beating herself. Remarkable how wearing a Michigan uniform will allow Michigan fans to forgive a man for beating on a woman. I doubt she'll forget it, no matter how many teams look Clark's way.
That's true of any team...college and pro. We are a culture of winning, entertainment, and popularity that if those things become threatened, we are willing to look the other way.
April 10th, 2015 at 12:45 PM ^
The prosecutor must have found something about the situation that limits Mr. Clark's culpability. Domestic Violence charges are not reduced to disorderly conduct all that often.
DV cases are often resolved through MCL 769.4a which is a type of of deferred sentence resulting in a dismissal assuming the Defendant does well on probation. I'm curious as to why the case wasn't resloved in this matter. It might be because Frank Clark had already received HYTA treatment in Circuit Court for the theft. I've been a criminal prosecutor for 10 years and there aren't more difficult cases to prove than domestic violence cases.
Wasn't this an Ohio case?
April 10th, 2015 at 12:48 PM ^
and leads a productive life after his inconceivably difficult upbringing. That's all for me on this one.
April 10th, 2015 at 12:53 PM ^
Little kids running down a hotel hallway yelling "Frank's killing our sister!" seem to indicate there was something bad here. That's the only image I can think of here, no matter what actually ends up on his criminal record.
This isn't something for anyone to celebrate, and the idea that "NFL teams have taken notice," as if they were waiting outside Frank's door for the charges to be reduced, is kind of sickening.
I thought my Dad was hurting my mom. He wasn't. It was something else.
Did he breaks lamps and her face like Frank Clark? Gotta love upvoted domestic violence jokes.
Yes, what we heard about the situation sounded pretty bad for Clark. However, domestic violence cases are pretty easy to prosecute and win these days, even without the cooperation of the victim. In Michigan at least it's usually a guilty plea, probation, fines, and court ordered therapy / classes. If probation is completed successfully the charges are dismissed.
Unless the prosecutor is a big Michigan fan, there must have been a good reason for him/her to lower the charges.
April 10th, 2015 at 12:59 PM ^
Don't worry Frank, I'll be your new girlfriend.
What about us?
MeanJoe you can be my side hoe
April 10th, 2015 at 12:59 PM ^
I thought he'd make a roster either way.
You're getting negged but I thought the same thing...
Just like Ray Rice's wife "came around" after getting laid out.
I'm no law expert but I'm quite sure that once the cops are called and someone is arrested the "victim" can't just drop the charges. Again though, I'm not an expert.
I am also no criminal law expert, but if girlfriend's testimony was a big part of the case, and now girlfriend changes her story, the prosecution will have to argue that she was telling the truth right after the incident but is lying now. It would definitely make it harder to prove the case, which could allow her to effectively "drop" the case.
good luck to frank and to his gf. hope they work their issues out.
