Man pleads guilty to family‑violence battery, judge imposes probation and family‑violence intervention program

Adrian Bernard Clark pleaded guilty Feb. 4 to battery (family violence) and criminal trespass in a domestic incident that victims and police described to the court. Judge Tammy Long Hayward accepted the plea, imposed 12 months of probation, ordered 40 hours of community service, enrollment in the Family Violence Intervention Program, payment of $20 restitution, suspended fines, and ordered no violent or harassing contact with the victim, Kimberly Clark.

The state read a factual basis alleging that on Dec. 19, 2024, Clayton County officers responded to an address in Jonesboro and determined the defendant had struck the victim in the throat and engaged in conduct that placed her in fear, and that he intentionally damaged a bowl belonging to the victim. The state’s negotiated recommendation included concurrent probationary terms, suspended fines, and restitution; the victim, Kimberly Clark, appeared and provided a victim‑impact statement describing fear of future harm and the family’s ongoing divorce and housing dispute.

Defense counsel (Mr. Lynch) urged the court to consider mitigating circumstances including the defendant’s role as a caretaker for his elderly mother and the family’s housing dispute. Judge Hayward stressed the Family Violence Intervention Program’s importance and instructed Clark to begin immediately, warning that missing more than three classes could force a restart of the program. Clark was reminded that failure to report for probation could lead to re-arrest.

Why it matters: The plea resolves a family‑violence case with conditions intended to reduce future risk through supervised probation and mandated intervention programming. The victim’s presence and statement informed the court’s considerations and the no‑contact order.

(Transcript: factual basis, victim statement and sentencing colloquy, Feb. 4, 2025.)