A convict who has been named a “person of interest” in the slaying of Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was sent back to prison Friday for 151 days for violating parole in an unrelated case.
Willie Clark, 23, was detained by Denver police Jan. 5 for allegedly violating terms of his parole for aggravated motor vehicle theft. At the time, police said they wanted to talk to him about the Williams case.
Police Chief Gerry Whitman later called Clark a person of interest in the Williams case, although he has not officially been named a suspect. Police sources have said they don’t believe Clark killed Williams.
Friday, parole hearing officer Celeste Cdebaca sentenced Clark to 180 days in prison, but gave him 29 days of credit for time served since his arrest on Jan. 5, said Tim Hand, assistant director of the state Division of Adult Parole.
“It was a foregone conclusion he was going to go in (to prison),” said Clark’s attorney, Michael Andre. “They (Denver police) have an interest in keeping him in custody while the investigation (of Williams’ murder) is going on.”
Cdebaca stated that Williams was guilty of three technical violations of his parole – that he wasn’t living at his grandmother’s house, where he had said he would be living; he hadn’t paid restitution; and he hadn’t made five $10 monthly payments to his parole account.
State Department of Corrections spokeswoman Alison Morgan said Clark will be sent to the Denver Reception and Diagnostic Center and then he will be taken to a suitable prison based on an evaluation.
Williams was fatally shot in the neck as he rode early New Year’s Day in a stretch limousine shortly after leaving a downtown nightclub.
Andre has declined to say whether Clark is cooperating with police in the Williams investigation.
Staff writer Kirk Mitchell can be reached at 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com.
