William James Clark was sentenced in August in U.S. District Court to 36 months in prison for impersonating an Army officer and to 70 months for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
After Clark left the site of the bridge collapse, he allegedly stole a pickup truck in Van Buren, Ark., and was later taken into custody in Ontario, Canada, where a rifle was found in the truck.
Clark appealed the length of the sentence to the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver. Clark, of Tallapoosa, Mo., argued that his sentence should have been reduced because he accepted responsibility for his action. He also argued he should not have been sentenced on the weapons conviction because he was in Canada when the rifle was found.
The appeals court confirmed both sentences imposed by U.S. District Court Judge James H. Payne. When sentencing Clark, Payne said Clark had the rifle in connection with another felony, interstate transport of a stolen vehicle, and said the sentence for impersonating an officer followed derogatory remarks Clark made about other officials during the bridge collapse.
Clark arrived at the scene shortly after the bridge piers collapsed after being struck by a barge. Wearing an Army uniform, Clark tried to take control of rescue operations. Webbers Falls Mayor Jewell Horne and others challenged Clark, and he left, driving on to Van Buren, Ark., where he allegedly rented, but did not pay for, motel rooms for rescuers and stole the truck.
