16-year sentence for Minneapolis man who kicked woman in attempt to kill their unborn child

A 30-year-old Minneapolis man has been sentenced to nearly 16 years for kicking a woman in the stomach in an attempt to kill their unborn child.

Cameron O. Clark was sentenced in Hennepin County District Court last week in connection with the attack on the woman at a north Minneapolis apartment complex on April 16.

Jurors convicted Clark last month on second-degree attempted murder of an unborn child and first-degree aggravated robbery. With credit for time in jail since his arrest, Clark will serve about 10 years of his term in prison and the balance on supervised release.

An accomplice in the assault, 37-year-old Tanisha A. Dunn, of Minneapolis, has agreed to plead guilty to aiding and abetting second-degree attempted murder of an unborn child. The plea agreement includes a 12 ½-year cap on her sentence. Dunn's sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 5.

According to the charges against Clark, he "constantly pressured [the woman] to have an abortion. He would also make threats about having people jump her to make her lose the baby."

The woman told police that she went to meet with Clark at her apartment and then Dunn sprayed her with a chemical irritant, the charges read. Clark used a Taser on the victim, and then he and Dunn began beating the woman, who was six months pregnant, targeting her abdomen.

Clark's criminal history includes three convictions for domestic violence and one for theft. Dunn has been convicted more than a dozen times for theft, four times for drug crimes and once for assault.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482