Man Arrested on Murder Charges in Mariposa County
MARIPOSA – One man is dead and another is in jail after a fight, possibly over a woman, in Mariposa County over the weekend.
Jeffrey Clark
The Mariposa County Sheriff Department’s emergency dispatch center received a call just before 9 p.m. on Saturday regarding a disturbance outside a home on Rancheria Creek Road in Midpines, a mountain town 75 miles north of Fresno.
Sheriff’s deputies and emergency medical units responded to the location and found a deceased male, who was later identified as a resident of the home, 43-year-old Gordon Crisp.
Deputies arrested 51-year-old Jeffrey Clark on one charge of murder. Authorities say several people may have witnessed the crime. The suspect’s mother, who lives in an adjacent home, told media outlets that she didn’t know what happened.
According to the district attorney, one of the witnesses to the murder was a woman the two men may have been fighting over. Both men had been drinking and it appeared that Clark choked Crisp to death, officials said.
An autopsy is expected to be completed this week.
Meanwhile, Clark is being held on $1 million bail in the Mariposa County Jail. At his arraignment on Tuesday, he pleaded not guilty. A preliminary hearing is set for Dec. 18.
Authorities say both men were known to the law enforcement community.
This is the third homicide of the year in Mariposa County.
Read More:
Sierra Sun Times: Midpines Resident Arrested for Murder
KMPH: Mountain Murder, One Man Dead, One Man Arrested in Midpines
