A 31-year-old South Jordan man hired to provide full-time care for an autistic adult has been charged with felony abuse of a vulnerable adult after prosecutors say he crashed his vehicle while drunk, seriously injuring the man he was paid to protect. Easton Scott Clark was charged in 4th District Court on Tuesday with aggravated abuse of a vulnerable adult, a second-degree felony, along with negligently operating a vehicle resulting in injury and DUI.
According to charging documents, Clark was driving on July 3 in Saratoga Springs with a man identified in court records as TJ in the front passenger seat when he lost control of the vehicle after taking a curve too quickly, striking a curb and a pole. As reported by KSL News, other drivers described Clark as speeding, swerving, and tailgating before he lost control. Clark told investigators someone had swerved in front of him and caused the crash, per the charging documents.
TJ, who has autism and requires 24/7 care, was trapped inside the vehicle after the crash and had to be flown by helicopter to a hospital. He sustained fractures to his right tibia and fibula and was anticipated to require surgery, the outlet's report states. Clark is TJ's full-time paid caretaker, according to the charges.
Toxicology Results Nearly Quadruple the Legal Limit
Police reportedly found several open bottles of alcohol inside the vehicle, and Clark admitted to drinking alcohol in the vehicle before the crash, according to the charges. A toxicology test showed his blood-alcohol level at 0.195%, nearly four times Utah's legal limit.
Utah became the first state in the nation to lower its per se blood-alcohol limit from 0.08% to 0.05% under House Bill 155 in December 2018, according to the Utah Highway Safety Office. Clark's tested level also stood well above the statewide average: DUI arrests in Utah during State Fiscal Year 2025 involved an average blood-alcohol concentration of 0.14%, per the Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice. State traffic data from 2020 through 2024 shows alcohol-related crashes were 15.1 times more likely to result in a fatality than other crash types, contributing to 274 deaths across 4,408 recorded incidents statewide.
Why the Charge Carries Extra Weight
Prosecutors elevated the case using Utah's vulnerable adult protection law because TJ depended on Clark for round-the-clock care. Utah Code § 76-5-111 defines a caretaker as anyone entrusted with responsibility for a vulnerable adult's care, food, shelter or supervision for pay, under contract, or in a position of trust, according to the statute. That designation is what allows aggravated abuse of a vulnerable adult to be charged as a second-degree felony, carrying a potential prison sentence of 1 to 15 years and a fine of up to $10,000 under Utah Code §§ 76-3-203 and 76-3-301.
The third-degree felony charge for negligently operating a vehicle resulting in injury carries a potential prison term of 0 to 5 years and a fine of up to $5,000. The DUI charge, a Class A misdemeanor, carries a maximum penalty of 364 days in county jail and a $2,500 fine, according to Utah Courts sentencing guidelines.
Separately, Utah Code § 76-5-111.1 requires anyone who has reason to believe a vulnerable adult has been abused, neglected or exploited to immediately report it to Adult Protective Services or law enforcement. The Utah Department of Health and Human Services also requires paid caregivers with direct access to vulnerable clients to clear a fingerprint-supported background check through the Direct Access Clearance System before employment. It remains unclear whether Clark was employed through a state-funded Medicaid waiver program or a private home care agency, and whether background check protocols were completed before he was hired to care for TJ.
A Fast-Growing Corner of Utah County
The crash happened in Saratoga Springs, a Utah County city that has been absorbing rapid suburban growth. The city led all Utah municipalities in population expansion in 2025, adding 4,682 residents as development accelerated across northern Utah County, Hoodline has previously reported. TJ's current medical prognosis following his anticipated surgery has not been publicly detailed.
