Deputy Sheriff Odis N. Smith

Odis N. Smith

Deputy Sheriff Odis Smith was killed while assisting a McCloud constable transport a suspect he had arrested.

The constable had arrested a hitchhiker carrying a 30-30 Winchester rifle who was AWOL from an Air Force base in Kansas. The constable contacted Deputy Smith at his home to assist him in transporting the suspect to the county jail. Neither officer had noticed a .25 automatic pistol the suspect was carrying in a shoulder holster. The constable drove to Shawnee with the deputy and prisoner in the back seat with his hands handcuffed in front of him.

One mile east of Dale, on Highway 270, the suspect drew the weapon and shot Deputy Smith four times in the chest, leg, and shoulders. The constable's car left the roadway and crashed, allowing the subject to jump out. Deputy Smith got out of the wrecked police car and tried to pursue the man but collapsed in the roadway. A passing vehicle struck the deputy and dragged his body 30 feet before stopping. The subject surrendered to the constable at the scene.

The man was convicted of Deputy Smith's murder and sentenced to life in prison, but paroled after serving only 14 years. In August 2017 the man was arrested in North Carolina and charged with six counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.

Deputy Smith was survived by his wife.