Former Marine pleads not guilty in bayonet stabbing

A former Marine pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges he stabbed his ex-girlfriend with a bayonet at Spring Hill Mall in West Dundee.

William R. Clark III, 21, of the 1400 block of Winaki Trail, Algonquin, was arraigned in Kane County court on charges of attempted murder, armed violence and aggravated domestic battery. He faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted of the most serious offense.

According to police, Clark went to the mall's Bath & Body Works store around 8:30 p.m. on April 7, forced his 20-year-old ex-girlfriend who worked there into the men's bathroom, and stabbed her once in the back with a 7-inch, military-issued bayonet he'd taken from his father.

At a bond hearing the next day, Clark told a judge he was discharged from the Marine Corps after experiencing suicidal thoughts and urges to "hurt myself." He said he also was unemployed and looking to get a job or go to college.

"I thought I needed help after the Marine Corps that I should have gotten," said the former private, who won a sharpshooter badge and a national defense service medal during his 10-month tenure in 2008, according to military officials.

Clark, whose next court date is July 29, remained in the county jail Thursday, and would have to post $65,000 to be released until trial. His attorney, Michael Norris, said he would not comment while the case is pending.

The victim, Roxana Acevedo of Carpentersville, underwent surgery and has since returned to work at the mall, she said. Earlier this month, she and West Dundee police honored two good samaritans who offered her aid and persuaded Clark to stay put until the authorities arrived.