Dad accepts plea deal in crash that killed son in Cheyenne Wyoming

A Sparta man pleaded guilty Nov. 6 to charges of manslaughter and assault in the November 2012 death of his 3-year-old son.
John C. Clark, 34, pleaded guilty to one charge of involuntary manslaughter and four counts of second-degree felony assault.
The plea agreement that defense attorney Morris Mettler struck with Christian County Associate Prosecuting Attorney Kristen Tuohy allowed misdemeanor charges of third-degree assault and failure to drive on the right half of the roadway to be dismissed.
Kohen N. Clark, 3, died at the scene of a three-vehicle crash on Missouri 14 near Cheyenne Road between Ozark and Nixa on Nov. 13, 2012.Kohen was riding in the back seat of a 2007 Toyota that Clark was driving with Kohen’s mother, Katelynn Melton, 23, riding in the front seat.According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report, Clark’s eastbound Toyota slid across the center line into the path of a westbound 2005 Ford Explorer. A Chevrolet Impala struck the Explorer after the initial collision.In addition to Kohen Clark’s death, four people involved in the crash were injured, not including John Clark.Highway Patrol Corp. Shane Rowe arrived at the scene at 4:50 p.m., approximately eight minutes after the crash.“I personally observed Mr. Clark stumbling around. As I spoke with Mr. Clark, I detected a strong odor of an intoxicating beverage emitting from him. I also noticed that his speech was slurred and he spoke slow,” Rowe wrote in his accident report.According to Rowe, Clark refused sobriety tests.“Mr. Clark said he couldn’t remember how the crash occurred,” Rowe wrote.Rowe attempted to ask Clark if he had been drinking.“When asked about alcohol consumption, he said he had two beers at lunch,” Rowe wrote.Clark reportedly refused to submit to a blood test at a Springfield hospital. Rowe seized a sample under exigent circumstances, meaning the Highway Patrol had no warrant with which to search Clark or obtain his blood.