Friday, September 19, 2014

Charles Smith - New Details (Criminalizing the victim?)

Flyer made up by family members of Charles Smith
UPDATE:  Police Report
A 29 year old man, Charles Smith, was shot and killed by cops September 18, 2014, after he was handcuffed, arrested and placed into a police cruiser.  :
Police had arrested Smith on outstanding warrants and put him in a patrol car with his hands cuffed behind his back, GBI spokeswoman Sherry Lang said in a written statement reported by The Associated Press. Smith was able to move his hands to the front of his body and kick out a window of the patrol car, Lang said.
Charles then brandished a gun he, apparently, had hidden on his person that was not detected by police when cuffing him.  This is not as uncommon as one would think.  Police shot Smith several times - he died at the scene. Update 9/20 from Legal Insurrection:
2005-"Particularly interesting was one arrest for “interference with government property,”  in which the arrest report indicates that after being placed in a police cruiser Smith “knocking out the back windows with his head”–eerily similar to his behavior following his Thursday morning warrant arrest by Officer Jannot."
Charles Smith's mother with a T-Shirt that reads "O.G." meaning gang hierarchy 
Word is there will be video released of the arrest, but probably not the action from the back seat of the cruiser or Charles pulling a gun.  I don't believe there are "dash" cams on the driver and passenger sides of the cruisers.  The Georgia Bureau of Investigation have been called and the officer involved has been put on paid leave until after the investigation is completed.  It is not yet known what sort of warrants were outstanding for Smith, but he was in prison in 2013...as evidenced by the photos on his facebook page, where he states his occupation as "Worked at Robbery extortion and all types of fuckry".
Selfie from Prison, smoking a blunt "first thing in the morning


Charles Smith proudly taking illegal photos from his jail cell.  "Cut Throat" is not his FB, but a "friend".
Charles Smith was a repeat offended dating back to 2004 - ten years ago which would have made him 19 when his first offense was publicly recorded.  Of course we know that means there were likely more on his juvenile record.  Although his family stated to reporters yesterday that Charles' only criminal offense was "stealing a car", his offenses ranged from theft, aggravated assault, gun possession, cruelty to a child,  and cocaine possession.  His last incarceration was in 2013.  Cruelty to a child (he has four children)... this is where he loses ANY empathy I might have had for him.

These are the cases listed on the Court website -- ChathamCourts.org
  • N06B146 Magistrate Ct Good Behavior Bond dismissed 2006
  • R06H205 State Ct 2 cts obstruction, 1 ct crim. trespass, 1 ct Simple Battery, 1 ct Battery, 1 ct simple assault, dead docketed, subject in State Custody
  • R09120475 State Ct. 1 ct Obstruction, 1 ct Battery, 1 ct cruelty to children dismissed 2010
  • CR06 0148 Superior Ct 1 ct theft by receiving GP, prison, 1 ct Criminal Trespass-Nolle Prossed, 1 ct. Interference w/Govt property, Nolle Prossed
  • CR080316 Superior Ct. 1 ct carrying a concealed weapon GP 12 months to serve
  • CR09 1717 Superior Ct. 1 ct Poss of C/Substance guilty pleas 5 years prison
  • CR100088 Superior Ct. 1 ct Agg Assault Guilty Plea 5 yrs in prison, 1 ct Poss of Firearm by convicted felon Poss of Firearm in commission of a crime
His last case was July 2013 - he was on Parole when arrested yesterday:
Name: Charles Manor (aka Manner) Smith
Offense:  Aggravated Assault
Parole Begin Date:  Jul-09-2013
Parole End Date:  Oct-09-2014
Parole Office:  Savannah Impact
Parole Office Number:  912-651-4350
Charles Smith with girlfriend, Asia Jackson and their child..this is not the child connected to cruelty charges
Charles did a very violent music video, FLY FEAT MISTA DEE "I MIGHT" a short while ago.  Family members said Smith was the father of a 5-month-old, and had another child on the way.
Charles Smith - Still from music video

Still from Charles Smith music video
Among the facebook pictures belonging to Charles Smith (discovered by @TheTrialFile almost immediately after the shooting), one thing that stuck out for me was the tattoo in  his prison photo above.  "Cut Throat" is tattooed across Charles' chest.  Researching "cut throat", I found everything from a violent gang to music labels, so I'm not sure what the exact meaning is behind his.
Police Identify Cut Throat gang as Athens (Georgia) new threat:  An Athens street gang was publicly identified for the first time in a document recently filed in Clarke County Superior Court.
In an affidavit for a search warrant, an Athens-Clarke police detective identifies armed robbery suspect William Steven “Solo” Smith as affiliated with the Cut Throat Gang.
Though multiple street gangs exist in the Athens area, the Cut Throat Gang was never before publicly mentioned by police.
I also remembered another tattoo from a horrific story almost two years ago.
Man with 'cutthroat' tattoo accused of slashing teen's throat for $350 as police describe scene as like opening 'a doorway to hell' [link] A man with a distinctive 'cutthroat' tattoo on his neck has been charged today with brutally slashing a teenagers throat from ear-to-ear as he robbed him of $350.
Norristown, Pennsylvania, resident, Shakeem Carter, 20, is accused of stabbing 17-year-old Kevin Allen 20 times in the head, back, and neck with such violent force that the knife he used in the attack became bent.
After slitting Allen's throat, Carter is then said to have covered the body with cooking oil, setting him on fire in his home after breaking in to rob of him the money on February 12th.
Having a "cut throat" tattoo seems to be a favorite of criminals.
Man With "Cut Throat" Tattoo Escapes Spartanburg Home Detention:  Spartanburg Police officers and county sheriff's deputies are searching for a man who escaped from home detention.
Marcel Foster wasn't home - as ordered by a judge - when police checked his residence Wednesday. Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office deputies say they later found Foster's monitoring device had been damaged. [link
Prosecutors: ‘Distinctive tattoo’ helped police identifiy alleged killer of 66-year-old Gold Coast shop owner: A “distinctive tattoo” led police to a Champaign man who allegedly fatally shot 66-year-old Gold Coast shop owner Herbert Goode in early March in the Gage Park area.
Goode owns a warehouse in the 2300 block of West 57th Street and had just finished collecting rents from his tenants when he got into a struggle outside the building with 29-year-old Tyneil Washington about 2 p.m. May 1, said Assistant State’s Attorney Alexandra Molesky.  [link
As always, thanks to Echelon!