Patton | Pittman would like to congratulate partner Chris Clark on another FULL ACQUITTAL by a jury at trial. The jury of twelve was selected on Monday February 28 to try our client on charges of rape, sexual battery, and sexual battery by an authority figure. The state intended to call five witnesses to testify against our client. Four were lay or “fact” witnesses and one expert witness. The state’s expert had previously been declared an expert in Tennessee courts. However, through diligent preparation, Mr. Clark was able to convince the judge that the state’s expert lacked the specialized training and knowledge needed to testify on the intended topic. The court refused to allow the state from calling the witness to testify.

The defense did not call a single witness. Instead, Mr. Clark elicited multiple contradictory statements from the state’s witnesses. In closing, Mr. Clark used those contradictory statements to show the jury that the state had not met their burden of proof; there was reasonable doubt as to the state’s theory of the case. After four days of trial, our client was found “not guilty” on all counts. He was immediately released from bail and left the courtroom with his family who were present to support him.

Chris Clark heads our criminal defense team at Patton | Pittman. He is a former prosecutor with approximately 60 jury trials to his credit. He has obtained full acquittals in numerous cases including allegations of murder, vehicular homicide, rape, DUI, and many other charges.

If you have been charged with a crime of any kind, call our team of experienced criminal defense lawyers at 931-647-5242.