'Reprehensible': Judge says convicted child rapist's crimes 'might be worse than murder'

May 23—Just before ordering Jimmy Harold Clark, 62, to serve a maximum 40 years in prison at 100% for Clark's December conviction for rape of a child, Judge Wesley Bray had some words for the defendant.

"This is a very sad situation we have to deal with because of very selfish sexual desires ... it is reprehensible, might be worse than murder ... I don't know what greater injury could have been done, then to kill her," Bray lamented before issuing his decision.

Years of pent-up mental toll welled-up deep within and spilled out across the courtroom as the young victim was allowed to freely express her feelings in the hushed courtroom.

In her victim impact statement the victim told Clark, "Because of you, I am afraid all the time and I always feel like I am in trouble. Remember when I told on you for touching me and I got in trouble for it?

"I tried to tell twice. They made me apologize to you and made me hug you because they didn't believe me. You let me apologize to you for your perverse acts. I was just a kid. You got away with it then and so you continued on to bigger things with me."

Assistant District Attorney Philip Hatch argued enhancing factors the state believed justified a maximum sentence including age of the victim, injuries mental and physical inflicted on the victim, the crime was committed to gratify the defendant's desire for pleasure or excitement and the defendant was an authoritative figure.

Hatch and Assistant DA Allison Null prosecuted the case.

Defense attorney Michael Giaimo of Cookeville argued the court should consider the defendant's age, family and work history and lack of criminal history in deciding sentence.

Tennessee Department of Corrections Officer Courtney Gelinas prepared the pre-sentence and Strong-R report to be used by law in setting sentence. Gelinas and former sheriff's investigator, David Bowman, were the only witnesses called to testify.

The report recapped the state's case and testimony during the trial. Gelinas' report did not include a version of Clark's version of the events leading to his conviction. It notes Clark is a high school graduate who retired from Flower's Bakery in 2018 after working there for 32 years.

Bowman's testimony was a recap of evidence and testimony during the trial and he noted the sexual assault of the victim took place years before the date of the child rape for which Clark was convicted.

This set the stage for the victim to give an impact statement for the court to consider. Parts of her statement are not being used publicly to protect her identity.

"Most young people enjoy going out with friends, and like to dream about the person they will marry some day. Some people dream about what their first time will be like ... You stole my dreams and replaced them with nightmares.

"Because of you, I question if I deserve to be loved by anyone. I have very low self esteem and I question everyone's intentions toward me which makes it very difficult to build trust with anyone. I have a terrible time expressing my feelings because I second-guess the way I feel about everyone and everything. If I can't trust my feelings, how can I be truly intimate with anyone? I can't. Because of you.

"Since the verdict, I've had some well meaning people say I should be happy now that the trial is over and that I should be able to move forward. I wish people could understand how I feel. It's a roller coaster of emotions. If I had to pinpoint a few feelings I would say angry, anxious, relieved, sad, sick, shock, numb. .. But happy? What even is that?

"What I really feel is tired. You have stolen 15 years of my life from me; 10-11 years of abuse and another three spent battling for justice. I've spent my 20s in and out of the courthouse waiting for justice, testifying, and waiting some more. I'm tired of requesting off work to go to depositions and trial prep. I'm tired of carrying around the guilt and shame of wondering if this was somehow my fault and did I deserve it because I allowed myself to trust you as a child. I'm so very tired of feeling the pain that comes with the memories of what you did to me over and over again.

"I struggled a lot with my faith in Christ because you knew Christ was important to me as a child and you told me this is what He wanted for us. I was 5, 6, 7 — too young to understand that this was not what He would want. By the time I was old enough to understand what was happening, I was so ashamed. You caused me to question Christ, and then to question myself. Why me? Is this who I am? Does this define who I will be?

"You have forever altered my mental state; I have mood swings triggered by things that I can't explain or comprehend at times. Things will be going fine and then from seemingly out of nowhere, I go into a state of panic.

"I find myself wondering sometimes who I would be if this had not happened to me. What could I have become if you had not stifled down my potential and replaced it with fear and pain? I mourn the loss of the version of me that I will never know. I will never know her because of the grooming and raping you did to me over the years. You've forever changed me, and not in a good way."

Clark was convicted on one count, the only incident provable by date and time it took place. That charge hinged on the victim's memory of receiving a special Easter dress and photo time stamp setting the first time she wore the dress.

Clark then rose to give the court his elocution statement, turning to the family from the podium and saying, "I'm sorry. Forgive me for what I've done to you and forgive me for what I have done to my family."

Bray then proceeded his pronouncement of sentence, the lowest sentence allowed (25 years) would probably be a life sentence, considering Clark's age.

"There is never any resolution ... it's a horrible situation."

Clark has been in Tennessee Department of Correction custody since his conviction and will be returned to state custody.

Bray set a July 9 hearing date on motions for a new trial, which could be followed by an appeal for a new trial.

Michael Moser may be reached at mmoser@crossville-chronicle.com