A Northeast Kingdom man was charged with attempted murder after allegedly striking a friend with his vehicle while “doing donuts” in a parking lot Wednesday night, and then driving for 25 miles before dumping his critically injured friend down a ravine into a creek.
Parker Clark, 20, of Craftsbury pleaded not guilty Thursday to attempted second-degree murder, drunken driving and gross negligent operation of a vehicle with serious bodily injury resulting.
If convicted of the attempted murder charge alone, Clark faces up to life in prison.
Judge Lisa Warren granted a request by Orleans County State’s Attorney Jennifer Barrett to hold Clark without bail until a further hearing.
Tyler Friend, 19, of Craftsbury, who was injured in the event, was flown by helicopter to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, where police said he was in critical condition Thursday afternoon.
Lydia Newcomb, a court-appointed lawyer representing Clark, asked during the hearing Thursday that her client be released to the custody of a family member, citing Clark’s youth and lack of criminal record.
Vermont State Police said Clark called around 9:50 p.m. Wednesday, reporting that he was in Craftsbury and he had hit and injured another person with his truck.
When police arrived at the cornfield off South Albany Road, they said, the truck Clark reported he was driving, a 1998 Dodge Ram, was at the back of the field and facing the woodline.
Clark told police that he had hit Friend while “doing donuts” in the truck in the parking lot of the boat launch on Beach Road in Greensboro at about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to an affidavit filed by Trooper Logan Miller.
He said he thought Friend was in the truck at the time, the affidavit stated.
Clark said he put Friend in the truck and was planning to take him to the hospital himself, Miller wrote. He told police he tried to drive somewhere that he knew he had cell service, which is why he said he ended up driving into the field on South Albany Road.
“It should be noted the closest hospital to Greensboro would have been Copley Hospital in the Town of Morristown, VT, which is approximately 30 minutes from the boat launch where the incident occurred,” Miller wrote. “Clark drove 25 minutes in the opposite direction of Copley Hospital to Craftsbury.”
In a later interview at the state police barracks in Derby, Clark reported he had started drinking alcohol at about 6 p.m. Wednesday, according to the affidavit.
Clark told police about driving roughly 25 miles to the field in Craftsbury with Friend in the truck after striking him at the boat launch, Miller wrote in the affidavit.
“Clark stated Friend was no longer conscious and or responsive,” Miller wrote. “Clark advised he was too impaired to know what to do and brought him down to the ravine and left him there.”
Clark said he then went back to his truck and tried to drive away but got stuck in the mud, according to the trooper’s affidavit.
“Clark then realizes that he and Friend are friends and goes back to get him and goes to call for help,” Miller wrote.
When they arrived on scene, police found Friend unconscious in the cornfield. It isn’t clear where Clark was on the property when police arrived.
A breath test taken at about 12:30 a.m. Thursday showed that Clark had a blood-alcohol level of 0.119, which is higher than the 0.08 level that is proof of intoxication in Vermont, according to court records.
