![]() ![]() He said he went to the police department at 1:15 P.M on Sunday to speak with Officer Smith, but he was not yet on duty. He also assisted in fulfillment of the Open Records Request.ĪllOnGeorgia emailed Mayor Clifton with a request for comment on the incident and heĬlifton told AllOnGeorgia that Councilwoman Crume-Blackshear did contact him on the evening of the incident and Clifton acknowledged that he told her he would find out what was going on. Reidsville_Incident Report 08.12.18_Smith_CliftonĬhief Wilds was not asked by AllOnGeorgia to comment on this matter, but he is aware of the incidents and signed off on the reports filed by Smith. The report is below, along with the body camera footage of the exchange, which totals 4:00 minutes. Officer Smith filed a report on the exchange with Clifton and says he perceived that Mayor Clifton was ‘insinuating that they wanted me to make the case go away.’ The report is filed as an Incident Report for ‘Influencing a Witness’ – O.C. Smith is heard on camera telling Clifton that he is a mandatory reporter with the state and cannot choose to do nothing with regard to the case.Ĭlifton then tells Smith that he needs to speak to Stacey, referring to the Chief of Police, before he ‘files a report before a judge.’ The pair exchange more details of the case and Smith said he felt the incident was a “mistake, not a case of child abuse.” Smith said ‘no.’ Clifton goes on to explain circumstances surrounding the incident on Saturday and said he was contacted by Councilwoman Carolyn Crume-Blackshear who said the family doesn’t want to go to court over what Clifton refers to as “the missing child” incident.Ĭlifton is seen on camera making hand motions while speaking of the desires of Councilwoman Carolyn Blackshear and what should happen with the case. Clifton asks Smith, who in uniform with a body camera, if ‘Ricky’ told him what Clifton wanted to speak to him about. Reidsville_Incident Report 08.11.18_Smith Clifton talks to Officer Smith the next dayĬlifton and Officer Smith are shown in the EnMark gas station on Highway 280 in Reidsville. The body camera footage from the initial incident is available at the bottom of this article. You can review the police report and narrative below. The case will be heard in Reidsville Municipal Court before Municipal Court Judge DuAnn Davis. ![]() DFCS was not contacted because the officer, in his discretion, determined that it was not a child abuse case and that the well-being of the child was not in danger. Smith said his ‘number one priority’ was the child. Reckless conduct, under Georgia law, is defined as “a person who causes bodily harm to or endangers the bodily safety of another person by consciously disregarding a substantial and unjustifiable risk that his act or omission will cause harm or endanger the safety of the other person and the disregard constitutes a gross deviation from the standard of care which a reasonable person would exercise in the situation is guilty of a misdemeanor.” Smith said he would prefer that a judge hear everyone’s statements and decide. Officer Smith is heard on the body camera telling the parties involved that he chose to issue the misdemeanor citation because the child was involved and he was not comfortable ‘doing nothing’ due to the liability that would be left on him if he did. The details of the incident are below, but ultimately, the father was charged with reckless conduct. The child’s Godmother arrived on the scene with Officer Smith and the child and informed Officer Smith that she was the daughter of Councilwoman Carolyn Crume-Blackshear. Smith spoke with people in the neighborhood to identify the parents of the child. According to the report, upon arrival on the scene, the child told Smith she was lost. The narrative attached to a police report from an incident on Augreveals that Officer Smith responded to a call that a child was ‘walking and crying’ in the street and the complainant was concerned that the child was lost. ![]() The body camera footage and relevant documentation were obtained through an Open Records Request which was filed by AllOnGeorgia on Monday, Augafter a citizen expressed concern that the incident report was ‘going to disappear.’ The Reidsville Police Department, with the assistance of city attorney DuAnn Davis, was compliant in fulfilling the request with all pertinent documentation and in a timely manner.
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