Clarence Stower: Portrait in Cruelty

Posted on May 22, 2005 in Nipper Kettle

It’s been a while since I handed out one of my not-so-coveted Nipper Kettle Awards, but this one is begging for inclusion. Thanks to Kemayo for the spotting:

RALEIGH, North Carolina (AP) — To a dessert shop customer, the severed fingertip found in a pint of frozen custard could be worth big dollars in a potential lawsuit. To the shop worker who lost it, the value is far more than monetary.

But Clarence Stowers still has the digit, refusing to return the evidence so it could be reattached. And now it’s too late for doctors to do anything for 23-year-old Brandon Fizer.

“I’m not saying who has it, but somebody has it,” Stowers said this week in a telephone interview, refusing to let on where the fingertip is now.

Soon after Stowers found the finger in a mouthful of chocolate soft-serve he bought Sunday at Kohl’s Frozen Custard in Wilmington, he put it in his freezer at home, taking it out only occasionally to show to television cameras.

He refused to give it to the shop’s owner, and refused to give it to a doctor who was treating Fizer, who accidentally stuck his hand in a mixing machine and had his right index finger lopped off at the first knuckle.

Medical experts say an attempt to reattach a severed finger can generally be made within six hours.

But according to the shop’s management, Stowers wouldn’t give it back when he was in the store 30 minutes after the accident.

Doesn’t this sound like a wingnut? I’d like someone to check Clarence Stower’s voter registration. Bet you we find a Republican.

In any case, Brandon Fizer might be able to sue Stower. Won’t it be fun to watch the gold digger lose everything he owns because of his morbid stunt? I’m looking forward to it.

Congratulations Clarence on your fifteen minutes of pointless fame. I hope Fizer bankrupts you.