York County man guilty of child porn. Now free because he served 1,457 days in jail
A York County man who distributed child porn over the Internet has been sentenced to four years in prison and must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, officials said.
But because David Corey Clark has spent four years in the York County jail since being arrested, he won’t spend any more time behind bars. After 1,457 days, Clark was released Thursday around 9 a.m., York County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Trent Faris said.
Clark, 32, pleaded guilty Wednesday in York County criminal court to two counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of minors and five counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of minors, according to court records and the S.C. Attorney General’s Office.
Clark admitted possessing and sharing child pornography, said Robert Kittle, spokesman for the S.C. attorney general’s office.
Second-degree sexual exploitation involves distribution of child porn online, and third-degree covers possession of child pornography, South Carolina law states.
South Carolina Circuit Court Judge Thomas Hughston Jr. sentenced Clark to 10 years in prison, with six of those years suspended on service of four years of prison time, records show. York County jail and court records show Clark never posted bail after he was arrested in October 2016.
Because Clark had been in jail since his arrest, he will not have to spend any more time incarcerated. He was given credit for the four years of time served, officials said.
The sentence from Hughston also included five years probation, and Clark must register with law enforcement as a sex offender for the rest of his life, court documents show. Clark also must register on the South Carolina child abuse law enforcement list, according to Hughston’s sentence.
Clark’s probation began immediately, Kittle said.
If Clark violates probation, he could be forced to serve the remainder of the 10-year prison sentence, documents show.
Clark, of Catawba in eastern York County, was arrested in 2016 by a task force from the York County Sheriff’s Office, Rock Hill Police Department, and state agents from the attorney general’s office.
The Internet Crimes Against Children task force investigates and prosecutes cases where children are victims.
This story was originally published October 22, 2020 at 12:34 PM.
