William Clark sentenced to prison

(Muskogee-AP) -- A man who impersonated an Army captain at the Interstate 40 bridge collapse has been sentenced to more than five years in prison. <br><br>William James Clark of Tallapoosa, Missouri, was

Wednesday, August 27th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Muskogee-AP) -- A man who impersonated an Army captain at the Interstate 40 bridge collapse has been sentenced to more than five years in prison.

William James Clark of Tallapoosa, Missouri, was sentenced to three years in prison for impersonating a US Army officer and 70 months for possessing a firearm after a felony conviction.

The sentences are to run concurrently.

The court also ordered a three-year term of supervised release.

Clark was ordered to pay almost 11-thousand dollars in restitution to a Dodge dealership in Searcy, Arkansas, where he obtained a truck, and an Army surplus store in Fort Smith, where he obtained food and supplies.

Clark arrived at the bridge collapse minutes after a towboat pushed two barges into the bridge, sending cars and trucks into the river and killing 14 people.

He said he was an Army Special Forces captain and took charge of the recovery operation. He left after confrontations with local and state officials.