SANDUSKY, OHIO - There is more to the story.
That's the word from Lynne Gast King, municipal prosecutor for the city of Sandusky, Ohio, as she sat in a chair reflecting on the Frank Clark case.
The Seahawks drafted the former University of Michigan defensive end last week and were roundly criticized for taking a chance on a man once accused of domestic assault at a Sandusky hotel.
"There were things that occurred that were not reported that night," said King, who had originally charged Clark back in November with assaulting his then-girlfriend. "In talking with her, I really had a sense that it was not what we originally thought it was."
King says she agreed to a plea deal to reduce the charges to disorderly conduct, after she says the alleged victim came to her and admitted to also being aggressive in the room at the Maui Sands Resort and Water Park. King says the deal came after Clark's attorney pressed for an outcome prior to the NFL Draft.
The Seahawks have been criticized, on a local and national level, after GM John Schneider suggested the franchise had done an internal investigation into the incident and felt comfortable selecting Clark.
King and others close to the case say the Seahawks never contacted them.
"They did not reach out to us at all," said Stephanie Burkhart, the clerk at the Maui Sands that night.
She responded to the room after a neighbor complaint, and said she found the alleged victim bloodied and bruised. Clark, she said, was aggressive and shouted at her, "Don't you know who I am?"
She said about the incident Wednesday, "That's something I will never forget...That's a big deal, big deal. You can't forget something like that."
Perkins Township Police Chief Ken Klamar says his officers were convinced that a violent act did occur, but that the alleged victim did not cooperate or want to press charges. That led to Clark's arrest.
"If there are signs that there has been an act of physical violence, and that victim in that incident does not want to file, the officer must file, is that was happened in this case, that is what happened," said Klamar.
He said the department had been contacted by an NFL representative, based in Cleveland, prior to the combine, but that no one from the Seahawks had reached out. However, he said Wednesday he did not believe it was that big of a deal.
Neither does King, who says she's not a football fan, but is a big believer in the woman at the center of the case.
"I really like her, she's a neat young lady," said King. "Do not call her a victim. She does not want to be called a victim. She said I'm absolutely not a victim."
