The Smithville police Department kept busy during the month of July, making several arrests including shoplifting and assault cases.
On July 3, 27-year-old Ronald Deshon Reeder of 942 Smith Road was arrested for domestic assault and aggravated burglary. Police responded to an unwanted guest and upon arrival, the officer observed Reeder leaning in a car and heard a woman inside screaming. It appeared as if Reeder was trying to pull her from the car.
Police say that the left side of the victim’s face was bleeding and she had red marks on her cheek. It appears that the victim woke up to Reeder standing in the house and she went outside to lock herself in the car to get away from him. He is under a 35,000 bond and appeared in court on July 21.
On July 6, 53-year-old Michael Lynn Vance of 639 Andrews Street was arrested for violation of an order of protection. Vance was trying to make contact with the victim through Facebook which is violation of his order. He was placed in custody.
On July 10, 29-year-old Julio Cesar Sanchez Bernardo of 247 Big Woods Road was arrested for two counts of theft of merchandise. On July 1, at approximately 9:48 p.m. Bernardo was observed on Wal-Mart surveillance stealing three TV’s and an electronic scooter.
On July 10, he was observed leaving Wal-Mart with a hover board and a scooter, which he has swapped the price label from two cheaper items and put them on the hover board and scooter.
Police say that Bernardo used the same vehicle as before and the officer was able to locate him on Anthony Avenue. The hover board and the scooter were located inside the vehicle and returned to the store. Bernardo was also cited for DL violation and financial responsibility. He is under a $7,500 bond and was in court on July 28.
On July 13, 40-year-old Melisa Elaine Edmund of 720 Big Woods Road was cited for fraudulent use of a debit card. Police allege that Edmunds did take a debit card and used it at an ATM machine to withdraw $40 of money that was not hers.
The following day, 32-year-old Wesley Aaron Thomas of 600 East Broad Street was arrested for public intoxication. Police responded to the Magnolia Inn and made contact with Thomas outside of his motel room. Authorities say that he was unsteady on his feet, had slurred speech, and smelled of an alcoholic beverage, making the officer believe he was highly intoxicated.
Thomas was advised multiple times to go inside out of the public’s view, but he kept coming out of his room in a threatening manner. For his and the public’s safety, he was taken into custody. He is under a $500 bond and he appeared in court on July 28.
On July 19, 27-year-old Michael Allen Johnson was cited for criminal trespass. Police responded to a fire call on Lincoln Street and Johnson was found on the property. He had previously trespassed from this property on February 21, 2022.
Three days later, 28-year-old Robin Amber Gifford of 509 South College Street was arrested for public intoxication. Officers responded to Walgreens in reference to a bomb threat. Officers made contact with Gifford who stating that her boyfriend was going to blow up several places.
Gifford was very fidgety and talking really fast. Upon an eye nystagmus test, she had nystagmus at 45* deviation, max deviation and had lack of smooth pursuit. For her safety, she was taken into custody without incident. She is under a $1,500 bond and is due in court on August 18.
On July 24, 41-year-old Noe R Perales Vite of 611 Ginger Drive was arrested for domestic assault. Police responded to an assault call and made contact with both parties. After speaking with both parties and viewing a video that a camera captured inside the residence, it was determined that Vite assaulted the victim by rubbing a dirty diaper in her face and punching her in the face leaving an open wound on her chin. He is under a $3,500 bond and will be in court on September 1.
Two days later, 50-year-old Marina Gae Skinner of 807 Fisher Avenue was cited for possession of drug paraphernalia. Skinner was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped for a traffic violation. Police say that Skinner did have in her possession a clear crystal pipe with residue.
On July 27, 41-year-old Jason Gary McCown of Alexandria was arrested for public intoxication. An officer observed McCown stumbling, trying to walk down East Main Street. The officer tried talking to him but he couldn’t keep his eyes open, tripped and fell several times during their interaction.
It was discovered that McCown had used drugs two days prior to this incident. Due to his and the public’s safety, he was taken into custody. He is under a $1,500 bond and will be in court on August 8.
