William Eric Clark, 43, of Hickory, was sentenced to serve six to nine years in prison following his conviction for habitual larceny and tampering with an anti-shoplifting device along with admission of habitual felon status during Catawba County Superior Court on Tuesday, June 16, 2026.
The Honorable Clifton H. Smith, Superior Court Judge from Catawba County, imposed terms of the active sentence after Clark entered guilty pleas.
The defendant will serve his period of incarceration in custody of the North Carolina Division of Adult Corrections.
His sentence length was enhanced by prior felony convictions for habitual larceny (July 2015 and February 2018), both in Catawba County, and possession of heroin (July 2021) in Iredell County.
Clark went into a Hickory business on three occasions between August 17 and 31, 2025, and stole multiple boxes of men’s underwear.
He had previous larceny convictions in May 2013, two in March 2014, and June 2021, all in Catawba County District Court.
Clark went into another Hickory business on October 19, 2025, where he removed the anti-theft device from a camera and roll of film. He concealed the items in his pants and passed all points of sale as he exited the building.
Justin Rogers and Jordan Hayes handled investigation of the thefts for Hickory Police Department. Assistant District Attorney Kyle Smith prosecuted the matter for the State with aid from Legal Assistant Amy Bishoff.