OCEAN CITY – An Ocean City woman is in custody this week
after allegedly stabbing her boyfriend in their downtown apartment two times in
as many days.
Sherri Dawn Clark, 45,
of Ocean City, was arrested last Friday after
admitting stabbing her boyfriend, identified as Sean Edward Clarkson, in the
chest the night before. Clarkson called the police after Clark allegedly
stabbed him in the foot the day after the initial incident, although Clark has denied the second stabbing.
Shortly before 11 p.m.
last Friday, OCPD Pfc. Edward Newcomb was dispatched to the Burgundy Inn on 12th Street
for a reported stabbing. Upon arrival, the officer interviewed Clarkson, who
was lying on a couch bleeding from the foot. Clarkson told police his
girlfriend, Clark, had stabbed him in the foot earlier in the evening, but had
stabbed him in the chest the night before.
The victim told police
he had been arguing with Clark the night
before, Thursday, January 31, when she went into the kitchen and returned with
a steak knife and stabbed him in the chest while he was lying down. The victim
also told police Clark had bit him in the face during the initial altercation
and the officer observed evidence of a bite mark on the right side of
Clarkson’s face and neck.
Clark then left the apartment, but returned early the
next morning. The victim went to work all day, but returned to the apartment in
the evening to find Clark in the apartment
with others. The couple got into another argument during which Clark allegedly grabbed a knife from behind a pillow and
slashed at Clarkson again, this time missing his chest but hitting him in the
foot.
According to Clarkson’s
statement, Clark allegedly said during the
second argument, “I will kill you.” When asked if Clark
made any other statements to him during the altercation, the victim told police
Clark allegedly said, “I will kill you,” and “you are dead.” When asked if he
was in fear for his safety during the altercation, the victim told police,
“This time, yes. I am a man but I am scared.”
The officer followed the
ambulance to AGH where Clarkson was treated for a one-and-a-half inch-wide
laceration on his chest and a half-inch wide cut on his foot. At the time,
Newcomb asked Clarkson if he wanted to press charges against Clark
and he said yes.
OCPD officers then went
back to the apartment to continue the investigation when they heard a cell
phone ring. The cell phone was located between a mattress and box spring and an
acquaintance in the apartment told police it belonged to the victim. There were
10 missed calls on the phone, the last of which was traced to a pay phone on
the Boardwalk at 2nd Street.
Police responded to the
area where the pay phone was located and found Clark.
When questioned by police, Clark said she had
not stabbed Clarkson in the foot that night, stating he had cut it on a bed
frame during their argument. She did, however, admit stabbing Clarkson in the
chest during their argument the night before.
Clark told police during her initial interview, “I cut
him across his chest,” and that it was “like a slash thing,” according to
police reports. When asked about the cut on Clarkson’s foot, Clark
told police, “I would admit to that if I did it, but he cut it on the bed.”
Clark also told police
she had been assaulted by Clark during both
arguments on each night. When asked if she had any injuries from the
altercation, Clark told police she had bruises
on her arms and legs from being kicked by Clarkson and later pulled up her pants
legs and sleeves to show the officer her injuries.
Clark was ultimately arrested and charged with first-
and second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and deadly weapon with intent
to injure. She is being held on a $30,000 bond while awaiting a preliminary
hearing scheduled for Feb. 27 in District Court.