North Carolina Police Officer is 2010's First AMW All-Star Finalist

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Police Officer Daniel Clark has been named the first weekly finalist in the 2010 America's Most Wanted All-Star Contest, sponsored by Sprint.

On the morning of Wednesday, October 7, 2009, Officer Clark and his partner responded to a holdup alarm at a local business. When they got there, they were faced not with a hold up, but with a domestic violence dispute. As they approached the business, the main suspect fled into a nearby ravine. As the assailant fled, he shot at the officers, hitting both of them. Officer Clark, who was shot twice -- including one shot to the head – quickly returned fire, stopping the suspect. Sadly, Officer Clark’s partner died.

A ten-year veteran of law enforcement, Officer Clark is widely known as a dedicated and passionate professional. He has since recovered from his injuries and returned to his police duties in Winston-Salem to keep its citizens safer.

Officer Clark is the first of eight weekly finalists to be chosen by the public in this year's AMW All-Star Contest. Any member of the public can nominate and vote for their favorite first-responder online. The nomination process is simple: Go to AMW.com to fill out a short form naming your top choice and explain what makes this person an All-Star.

Each weekly finalist will be profiled on America's Most Wanted (Saturdays, 9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT on FOX). Through online votes, the public will choose the grand-prize winner. In May, AMW Host John Walsh will present the 2010 AMW All-Star winner with a check for $10,000 at the NASCAR SPRINT Cup Series™ All-Star Challenge at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Nominations are open at AMW.com until noon (ET) on April 3, 2010. Members of the public may vote for their favorite first responder once a day, every day. Finalist voting runs through April 11^th and the grand-prize winner voting will run April 15^th-May 3^rd. Please visit amw.com/allstar for more information.