Clark, 29, of Fort Dodge, was convicted of robbing the Fort Dodge Applebee’s, 2810 Fifth Ave. S., early in the morning on Sept. 30, 2018.

First-degree robbery is a Class B felony.

Ryan Baldridge, first assistant Webster County attorney, was satisfied with the verdict.

“Our goals were met today,” he said. “Justice has been done for the employees and victims at Applebee’s.”

Baldridge added, “The defendant was found guilty in robbery in the first degree, which is certainly a serious offense.”

He complimented the efforts of law enforcement.

“Law enforcement that was involved in the investigation of this offense, the patrol division of the Fort Dodge Police Department and the criminal investigations division of the Fort Dodge Police Department, did an excellent job investigating this case,” Baldridge said. “Without their hard work and without the cooperation of the community we wouldn’t have had as good of a case as what we did.”

He said local businesses were key to the investigation and prosecution of the case.

“In the area of Applebee’s we received a lot of surveillance video and the businesses that cooperated with law enforcement in that regard, everybody in the county attorney’s office and everybody involved with law enforcement really appreciates that cooperation,” Baldridge said. “Without that it would have been a lot more difficult to put this case on.”

Clark’s attorney, A. Joseph Wilson, of Ames, could not be reached for comment.

During closing arguments, Wilson questioned the palm print that was left by Clark on a white box at Applebee’s.

The palm print was used as evidence after the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation identified the print as being consistent with one of Clark’s.

In surveillance video of the robbery, Clark can be seen slipping on the floor of the restaurant and putting his hand on a box to stop himself from falling.

Wilson said, “If you look at the video, you’ll see the tips of the robber’s hand touched the box, not the palm.”

Later, Baldridge said, “He fell with his entire weight on that box. It’s on the box, it’s on the video.”

A blue bag similar to the one Clark was carrying was also recovered from an apartment belonging to Clark’s aunt.

“The bag, it’s blue with a black strap, just as Detective (Larry) Hedlund found it at the aunt’s house,” Baldridge said.

An admitted gang member told the jury on Thursday that he drove Clark to and from Applebee’s.

The man said that it was his gun that Clark used to commit the robbery in the early morning hours of Sept. 30, 2018.

The man told jurors that he was hanging out with Clark on the evening of Sept. 29, 2018. They spent their time drinking Hennessy, watching movies and just driving around Fort Dodge.

At one point, around 1:30 a.m. on Sept. 30, the witness said Clark asked him to drop him off in the area of Applebee’s.

The witness let Clark out on Seventh Avenue South, just a couple blocks away from Applebee’s.

Before leaving, the witness said Clark asked the man for his gun.

Miles Alcazar, the hospitality manager at Applebee’s and the robbery victim, testified earlier in the trial that he believed that was the gun used to rob him.

On Friday, Baldridge said to the jury, “Miles lived through this. He had a gun put to his head. You saw the video yourself. Miles Alcazar was scared to death and he stood right in this chair and told you that.”

He added, “It’s the defendant taking a gun, going to Applebee’s, putting a gun to Miles’ head and robbing Applebee’s.”

Clark’s sentencing has been set for March 25 at 1:30 p.m.

He is being held without bond.