Fern Clark, 80, was found guilty today in Lincoln County Superior Court of assault on a police officer along with two counts of violation of conditions of release stemming from a random search of her home in October 2008.
A great-grandmother of seven from Somerville, Clark reacted to the verdict much the same way as she did to each development in her May 13-14 trial: without censorship.
Clark listened to the entire trial with the assistance of a court-provided hearing device and did not appear to understand the verdict as it was delivered. As the court went into recess, however, her son, Matthew Clark, a witness in the trial, explained the verdict.
“Those sons of [expletive],” she said.
During the trial, Clark told the jury the officer in question, Deputy Todd Chilton of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Dept., attempted to rape her.
Outside the courtroom after the verdict, she made her disappointment known. “It’s pretty [expletive] good when an officer can get away with trying to fool around with an old woman.”
Clark also had a message for Assistant District Attorney Andrew Wright, who represented the state in the case.
“I’ll have something for that D.A. he isn’t looking for,” she said.
Wright’s take on the outcome was less critical. “I think the jury was correct. Anyone, no matter what their age, needs to follow the law and not assault people.”
Chilton, along with Sergeant Daniel Sceviour, conducted a random search of the Clark residence on October 30, 2008. The officers found two cats in the home, despite Clark’s bail conditions forbidding her from possessing animals after multiple earlier arrests (and, in May 2009, conviction) for Aggravated Cruelty to Animals. During the search, Clark resisted arrest and struck Chilton with a telephone.