2 Perryville teens accused of beating, robbing man

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Two Perryville teens accused of beating a man in his home and robbing him of $170 face possible penalties of life in prison.

David J. Claywell, 18, and Shawn M. York, 17, were charged Tuesday with a single count each of first-degree robbery for the Sunday beating of a man in his apartment. Under questioning from police, York and Claywell gave differing accounts that accused each other of being the main assailant, according to a sworn statement from Perryville police detective Direk Hunt filed with the charges.

Both Claywell and York are being held on $100,000 cash-only bonds.

According to the statement from Hunt, the victim first met Claywell when Claywell, accompanied by his son, offered him a ride to Wal-Mart. Later in the day, near 6:30 p.m., Claywell returned with York and the two began assaulting the victim, stealing his money and cellular telephone.

When officers arrived at the scene, the victim had facial cuts and head injuries, including a broken nose, a broken jaw and another bone in his face. His cuts required several stitches, Hunt wrote.

The victim was admitted to Perry County Memorial Hospital for treatment. He was still hospitalized when York and Claywell were arrested Tuesday.

Under questioning, Claywell at first denied any involvement, then said he struck the victim after seeing him "doing something to his child," Hunt wrote. Claywell said he removed his child from the scene, and York continued the assault and stole the money.

York, under questioning, said Claywell called him for help and, when he got into Claywell's car, he was told they shouldn't leave any fingerprints and gave York a pair of white gloves while Claywell put on latex gloves, Hunt wrote in his statement.

When they arrived at the victim's apartment, York told investigators, Claywell said they were going to rob the victim and gave instructions on the assault. "York states he told Dave that he wasn't going to hit the old man and that is when Dave began hitting the old man and hit him about eight times and that Dave told him to go through the old man's pockets."

York told investigators he did as he was told, gave the money to Claywell and refused to accept any share of the loot, Hunt wrote.

York took Hunt and Sgt. Danny Ray Marler to the spot where they disposed of the gloves, Hunt wrote. Both sets of gloves were recovered, and the latex gloves still had blood on them.

York and Claywell face penalties of 10 to 30 years or life in prison if convicted of the original charge, which also requires that they serve 85 percent of any prison sentence before being released.

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126