Pubdate: Wed, 30 Aug 2006
Source: Charleston Daily Mail (WV)
Copyright: 2006 Charleston Daily Mail
Contact:  http://www.dailymail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/76
Author: Amelia A. Pridemore
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)

BECKLEY POLICE MOURN SLAIN OFFICER

BECKLEY -- The tightly knit Beckley Police Department's Narcotics 
Enforcement Division mourned a man its two remaining members 
considered far more than a co-worker.

Detective Charles "Chuck" Smith, 29, died Tuesday morning after being 
shot multiple times while working undercover. Two Beckley men have 
been charged with his murder.

Smith had worked in the narcotics division for three years, said 
Detective Sgt. Gant Montgomery, his immediate supervisor.

Montgomery and Detective Sgt. Dean Bailey, also of the Narcotics 
Enforcement Division, worked with Smith daily for those three years. 
The two said no one could find a more dedicated officer.

"I first met him when he was just out of the Marines, and he came to 
a drug investigation on his own time," Montgomery said. "He just had 
an interest in police work. He always had an interest in narcotics 
work when he was a uniformed officer.

"He hated drugs. He saw what drugs did to people, and he was opposed to them."

Montgomery said Smith would work on his own time because of his drive 
and dedication.

"He would just drop what he was doing to take a call from an 
informant," Bailey said.

Smith worked at a fast, aggressive pace and paid attention to detail, 
Montgomery said.

"He would throw himself into his cases -- totally into the 
investigation," Montgomery said. "You couldn't ask for a better detective."

"He loved his job -- loved everything about it," Bailey said.

Smith received three or four gunshot wounds to his torso and was 
pronounced dead at Raleigh General Hospital, State Police Capt. Scott 
Van Meter said.

Smith had been an officer with the Beckley Police Department since 
2001, said Capt. Tomi Peck, supervisor of field operations. He was a 
graduate of Independence High School and was the father of a 
2-year-old daughter.

Thomas Leftwich, 24, of South Fayette Street, and Michael Martin, 41, 
of Sour Street, were charged with first-degree murder and arraigned 
late Tuesday morning before Raleigh County Magistrate John Tanner.

Police said Leftwich told them he shot Smith with a .357 revolver 
during a crack cocaine deal arranged by Martin near Club Attraction 
on South Fayette Street about 4:30 a.m. He said he shot Smith and 
then ran from the scene.

According to the criminal complaint, Smith was working undercover 
when he arranged with Martin to buy crack cocaine. Martin called 
Leftwich to set up the deal and then told Smith they were to meet 
near the old Tink House, which is now Club Attraction.

 From there, Martin rode with Smith to the corner of South Fayette 
and Willow Lane, where the two got out of the car and spoke with 
Leftwich. When Leftwich asked who had the money to pay him, Martin 
told him Smith did, according to the complaint written by Senior 
Trooper R.A. Daniel.

Martin told police in his statement that he then saw Leftwich "reach 
something" to Smith, at which time Smith showed Leftwich his police 
badge. That's when Martin ran, and as he did, he heard three 
gunshots, according to the complaint.

Cpl. William Reynolds was in the vicinity when Smith was shot, Police 
Chief Billy Cole told the Daily Mail today. Reynolds reportedly 
radioed for help and attended to Smith on the scene.

State Police arrested Leftwich at his parents' home nearby, and 
Raleigh County sheriff's deputies apprehended Martin at another 
Beckley residence.

Although he allegedly arranged the meeting of Smith and Leftwich, 
Martin seemed surprised to be charged with murder and adamantly 
declared his innocence in magistrate court.

"I did not shoot anybody," Martin said at his arraignment. "I did not 
have a gun. I just heard a gun, and I ran. ... I ain't never owned a 
gun. I never had a gun. And I'm being charged with shooting somebody?"

Leftwich, on the other hand, sat quietly in a Marvel Comics T-shirt 
as Tanner informed him of the charge against him.

Both men indicated they had no source of income and applied to 
receive court-appointed counsel.

Bond cannot be set at the magistrate court level in a murder case. 
That matter is likely to be heard in the near future by a Raleigh 
County Circuit Court judge. Leftwich and Martin were taken to 
Southern Regional Jail following their arraignments.

Fellow narcotics officers Montgomery and Bailey said that while Smith 
was driven and dedicated, he also showed a boisterous sense of humor. 
This made the long hours the three often spent together fun.

Just a few days ago, Smith hid in some bushes in a wooded area to do 
surveillance work, Montgomery said. During the 45 minutes he was in 
the bushes, he was "bitten all over" by mosquitoes. Bailey said 45 
minutes in bushes, especially with mosquitoes, seems like hours. 
Smith just came out of the bushes laughing.

"He showed dedication -- and he was able to laugh at himself," Montgomery said.

"That's the kind of guy he was. You didn't have to ask him. He would 
volunteer to do most jobs other officers would not ask to do."

"He was the first to raise his hand and say, 'I'll go in the bushes 
and do the dirty work' -- first to raise his hand," Bailey said.

The narcotics unit is a small one, and the officers in it become 
extremely close, Montgomery and Bailey said.

"We were like brothers," Montgomery said.

"We were best friends and brothers," Bailey said. "We sometimes work 
20 hours or more a day together. You're like family."

Because they were that close, they all knew practically every aspect 
of each other's lives, Montgomery and Bailey said. The two knew how 
dedicated a father Smith was.

"He loved his little girl more than anything," Bailey said.

Montgomery and Bailey plan to carry on their efforts to eradicate 
illegal drugs from city streets in a way Smith would see fit.

Most police officers understand that at any time they can sacrifice 
their lives to keep their communities safe, Montgomery said. Smith 
understood this, and Smith, Montgomery and Bailey would even have 
conversations about it.

"He gave his life for what he loved to do. The public should know 
that we are out here every day fighting crime, protecting the public. 
He gave his life to do that.

As the department and narcotics unit tries to move on, Smith will be 
used as a model for future narcotics detectives.

"As a supervisor, I have the opportunity to train other officers that 
are young and new," Montgomery said. "I will always use Chuck Smith 
as a shining example of what a good drug officer is. He was the 
perfect example of how to conduct yourself, not only as a drug 
officer, but as a policeman. You couldn't ask for a better detective. 
He had all the qualities you would ever want."

Montgomery and Bailey hope the public will not only take note of the 
ultimate sacrifice Smith has made, but also of how all police 
officers risk their lives every day while on the job.

"Sometimes, you don't get a lot of appreciation when dealing with the 
public," Montgomery said. "It can be a thankless job. But Chuckie 
didn't care about anything else but doing his job. He did it well. 
Maybe this will open the eyes of the public about the job we do."

"And how dangerous it can be," Bailey said.

"You have people out day and night who will sacrifice themselves for 
the public, for society," Montgomery said. "The fact that we talked 
about it before and that Chuckie had talked about it before did not 
stop him. He knew there was a possibility.

"That says everything about him -- everything.

"What other sacrifice can you give?"
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman