Victim in beating is strong in spirit

Prosecutors want to try the teenagers accused in the attack as adults.

HAMILTON, Ohio (AP) — A disabled high school senior remains upbeat and strong of spirit despite a cruel beating in which she was tied up and kicked, hit with a baseball bat, had her hair cut and forced to walk barefoot in the snow, says the teacher’s aide who accompanies her to classes.

Angie Parrett said she was angry and upset to see Ashley Clark, 18, covered in bruises when she went to her home this week.

“As soon as I walked through the door, she came up to me and gave me a hug, and that’s when I knew they hadn’t broken her,” said Parrett, who helps Clark at Talawanda High School in nearby Oxford.

Clark had told her father, “I am strong. They cannot break my spirit,” Parrett said.

Prosecutors want the teenagers accused in the attack — Cheyenne Blanton, 17, and Joseph Nagle, 16 — to be tried as adults. Both are being held in held in juvenile detention, accused of delinquency counts of aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary, felonious assault, kidnapping and vandalism. A hearing has been set for April 4.

Nagle’s court-appointed attorney, Geoffrey Modderman has said it is too soon to comment in the case. Blanton’s attorney, Melanie Walls, said Friday that she didn’t want to comment on pending criminal matters.

Prosecutors said they entered Clark’s home a week ago Friday planning to steal a car. But when someone left in the car, they woke Clark and assaulted her for six to eight hours before her mother, Sheila Clark, returned, authorities said.

“We just want full justice,” Sheila Clark said Thursday, noting the outpouring of community support is helping her daughter recover. “We want to send our thanks to everyone who has shown their support to our daughter and our family.”

Gifts and donations have been pouring in, including jewelry, a prom dress and other items to replace those stolen or destroyed in the attack.

A local business has donated pink T-shirts emblazoned with a quote from Clark: “I am strong. They cannot break my spirit.” The shirts are being given to people who donate at least $5 to the Ashley Clark Spirit Fund, Parrett said.