On Thursday, Jan. 7, at approximately 9:20 a.m., Sergeant Boatwright, with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office Drug Task Force observed a subject driving a vehicle on Range Street and was aware that the subject’s driver’s license privilege had been revoked.
Madison County Sheriff Ben Stewart reports that Sgt. Boatwright conducted a traffic stop on the subject identified as David Smithie, 37, of Madison, who admitted that he was aware that his driving privilege had been revoked. Smithie was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Madison County Jail.
Simultaneously, Deputy Rosenberg was working on a burglary complaint on County Road 360 regarding batteries that had been stolen from an excavator as Staff Sergeant Rich Klein with the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Unit received information regarding Smithie just recently conducting a transaction at Madison Metal. Deputy Rosenberg continued his investigation and identified and confirmed that Smithie did conduct a transaction at Madison Metal involving the batteries that had been taken from the excavator. Staff Sergeant Klein and Deputy Rosenberg met with Smithie at the Madison County Jail to discuss his involvement with the batteries. Smithie confirmed that he did sell the batteries but he did not take the batteries from the excavator. Deputy Rosenberg collected additional physical evidence at the scene to further confirm that Smithie was involved in the crime and Smithie was additionally charged.
Along with charges due to his involvement with the theft of the excavator batteries, Smithie is facing charges of driving while license suspended, burglary of vehicle, grand theft and dealing in stolen property.