The Uncle on Trial: Detective Who Swabbed the Neighbors in 2017, Full Testimony

In 2017 he was sent to swab the other names: two neighbors, and the two people with David the night before. None of it led anywhere, he says. Then the computer that came back empty. This is the entire testimony of retired Det. Steve Clinard of the Pender County Sheriff's Office, Day 5 of the Uncle on Trial in Pender County, North Carolina. David Prevatte is on trial for first-degree murder in the death of his five-year-old niece, Paitin Fields, in November 2017. Clinard retired in November 2024 after 14 years with the Sheriff's Office, 10 of them as a special victims detective, the post he took over from Det. John Leatherwood. On Nov. 13, 2017, he was sent to New Hanover Regional Medical Center for the hospital evidence kit and brought it, sealed, to Lt. Daniel Wells. He walked the family home with Wells, searched the kitchen, the yard and the woods behind the house, and found nothing of significance. A dog leash or collar in the home? "No, ma'am, I did not." The next day he left on a planned vacation, which is why Leatherwood took the lead. When he came back, Leatherwood sent him to interview and swab other names. Larry Huggins, who lived one street over, after a tip came in (State's 91): "it didn't lead to anything." Jordan Swinson, who lived a few houses down the same street (State's 92): nothing. Melissa Helms (then Melissa Brown) and Michael Hall, because they were "around the house in the immediate hours" before Paitin went to the hospital, and had been with David the evening before. Was Leatherwood looking beyond David? Clinard says he was "exploring anyone whose name popped up that needed to be looked into or investigated." On cross, Luther Johnson Britt III turned to a search warrant for records from Melissa Helms's computer. David had used it, and detectives wanted his internet searches. Did anything come back? "We did not." Huggins and Swinson were leads, he agrees, and neither one resisted the swab. On redirect the State asked why. The Sheriff's Office could not pull the data itself, so the computer went to the SBI or the FBI, he believes, and "the data ended up being corrupted." No data came back, and the agency bought Helms a new computer. Here is what I keep coming back to. The State used this detective to show jurors that investigators checked other names in 2017 and every one of them came back with nothing. The defense used him to show that the one place that might have said something about David's own searches was never read at all. Which of those two gaps matters more to this jury? David Prevatte is presumed innocent. The jury decides. KEY MOMENTS 0:00 What this video is, and a preview 0:19 Intro 1:19 Video starts: retired Det. Steve Clinard takes the stand 2:17 Who he is: 14 years with the Sheriff's Office 5:06 Why a planned vacation put Leatherwood in the lead 6:21 Nov. 13, 2017: the hospital kit and the search 8:35 A dog leash or collar in the home? 10:30 Who else did detectives look at? Larry Huggins first 12:43 Who else: Jordan Swinson, State's 92 14:39 "Exploring anyone whose name popped up" 15:10 Melissa Helms and Michael Hall: why swab them? 16:21 Cross: what happened to the computer? 17:42 Did any results come back? "We did not." 18:18 Redirect: why nothing came back 18:49 "The data ended up being corrupted" 19:13 Who did this help? 19:24 Clinard is released CASE BACKGROUND REPORT: https://justiceisaprocess.com/nc-v-da... Complete case overview including the charges, the timeline, the key players, and the legal questions this trial raises. State of North Carolina v. David Wesley Prevatte. Pender County Superior Court in Burgaw, North Carolina. Prevatte is charged with first-degree murder in the 2017 death of his five-year-old niece, along with other charges. Jury selection began on September 28, 2026. He is presumed innocent unless and until the State proves each charge beyond a reasonable doubt. LATEST ARTICLE: https://justiceisaprocess.com/desk-20... PLAYLISTS AND RESOURCES Website: https://justiceisaprocess.com/coverag... Full Trial Live Broadcasts:    • NC v. David Prevatte: Full Trial Live Broa...   No Breaks Edition:    • NC v. David Prevatte: No Breaks Edition   Trial Analysis Podcast:    • NC v. David Prevatte: Case Story Trial Pod...   Key Moments and Testimony:    • NC v. David Prevatte: Key Moments & Testimony   Commentary:    • NC v. David Prevatte: Commentary   Subscribe for Daily Coverage:    / @justiceisaprocess   FAIR USE AND EDUCATIONAL PURPOSE This content is produced under Fair Use (17 U.S.C. 107) for news reporting, criticism, and educational purposes. We provide transformative commentary on public court proceedings, advancing public understanding of the judicial process through timestamps, analysis, and educational context. #JusticeIsAProcess #DavidPrevatte #PrevatteTrial