By Tracie Sullivan
A 37-year-old Cedar City resident was sentenced to prison Monday following a jury trial last month where he was convicted on charges of burglary and property damage.
Joshua Jacob Clark was sentenced to the Utah State Prison for one to 15 years after an 8-member jury found him guilty of burglary of a dwelling, a second-degree felony, and property damage or destruction, a class B misdemeanor.
According to the court records, the charges stemmed from an incident on July 19, 2023, when Cedar City Police responded to reports of a potential home invasion.
Clark was found to have forcibly entered the home by damaging a window frame, subsequently entering the residence. Once inside he took off his clothes and defecated, the affidavit stated.
“It was discovered that the suspect broke into a home by ripping a frame out of a window where the swamp cooler was placed, causing damage to the window and the window frame,” the arresting officer wrote in the court records. “He then entered the home and proceeded to strip naked and defecate in the house. He left his soiled underwear in the home.”
Despite commands to leave, Clark remained until forcibly removed by one of the residents.
The prosecution team, led by David Hill, successfully argued during trial for Clark’s conviction, presenting testimony from various individuals involved in the case, including residents, law enforcement officials, and medical professionals.
During sentencing the Iron County Attorney’s Office pointed to Clark’s prevision convictions that included burglary arguing he now poses a threat to the community.
“This defendant has had multiple prior burglary convictions and opportunities for rehabilitation in Northern Utah,” Dotson said. “With this current conviction, the criminal justice system needed to use incapacitation and imprisonment to protect the community.”
In response to the sentencing, Dotson expressed appreciation for the efforts of law enforcement and his prosecution team in ensuring justice for the victims.
“I’m really grateful for everyone involved in this case that helped bring it to a successful outcome,” he said. “Our community is safer today and the victims have received justice because of law enforcement’s efforts and the prosecutor, David Hill, who was able to get a conviction at trial.”