Dad pleads guilty in death of 1-week-old daughter (Clinton, Iowa)

Dad DANA CLARK has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of his 1-week-old daughter. Dad was apparently drunk and abusing anti-depressants, and somehow suffocated the baby after he fell asleep on her on the couch.

http://www.qctimes.com/news/local/article_3bb6ab82-8872-11de-9ca0-001cc4c03286.html

Father pleads guilty in infant daughter's death
Dave Vickers Posted: Thursday, August 13, 2009 8:30 pm

CLINTON, Iowa - A rural Clinton County man pleaded guilty Thursday to involuntary manslaughter in the death of his one-week-old daughter.

Dana Clark, 36, initially was charged with child endangerment causing the death of a child. The original charge was a felony, while the reduced charge is an aggravated misdemeanor.

Clinton County Attorney Mike Wolf said both charges include the unintended death and reckless actions causing the death of Delilah Ann Clark, who was born Nov. 23. Clark was accused of drinking and falling asleep on the couch on top of the infant and suffocating her at the family's Delmar home on Nov. 30.

While there have been other cases involving suffocating children when falling asleep, Wolf says the involvement and choice of using alcohol is the reason charges were filed in the case.

The county attorney called it a tragic situation and believes the plea will help bring closure to the case.

Clark was sentenced to 180 days in jail with 179 days suspended and credit for one day served and he was also placed on 24 months probation, including a substance abuse evaluation and a fine of $625 and to pay attorney fees not to exceed $500.

Emergency crews were called to the home of Dana and Tonya Clark at 2157 Iowa 136 west of Delmar at 5:44 a.m. Nov. 30 to respond to a report of an infant who was unresponsive, according to court records.

Dana Clark told investigators he had fed the baby a bottle between midnight and 1 a.m., then sat down on a couch and put his feet up, eventually falling asleep on the couch with the baby, according to court records.

Tonya Clark told investigators she found her husband asleep on the couch, lying on top of the baby just before she called 911, according to court records. An alcohol test showed that Dana Clark's blood-alcohol level was between 0.162 percent and 0.202 percent at the time he fell asleep on the couch with the baby. In Iowa, the legal limit for driving while intoxicated is 0.08 percent.

A urine test also revealed that Dana Clark had an anti-depressant medication in his system for which he did not have a prescription.

Delilah Clark's death was ruled accidental, the result of asphyxia due to overlay, according to court records.

The case had been scheduled to go to trial next week.