Council chairman’s wife faces DUI charge in New Year’s Day crash
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Smith arrest
Smith arrest
Lake City Police Department
Rita F. Smith
LAKE CITY — The wife of Florence County Council Chairman K.G. Rusty Smith has been charged in connection with an alcohol-related crash that happened New Year’s Day, Lake City Police Department reports show.
Rita F. Smith, 53, of 150 Double R Lane, Lake City, is charged with driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident, according to police reports.
Neither Rita nor Rusty Smith could be reached for comment Tuesday.
Police were called to a two-vehicle collision on East Main Street about 7 p.m. Jan. 1, reports show. Smith’s vehicle, which struck a 17-year-old Lake City woman’s car, had been moved to her residence by the time police arrived and she was taken to her house by her husband.
Police said Rita Smith was driving down East Main Street and hit another vehicle as she tried to turn into her Double R Lane driveway.
Witnesses said the driver failed to yield the right of way and when they checked on her, they smelled alcohol and she could barely stand up, according to the incident report.
Police arrested Rita Smith at her home and took her to the detention center in Effingham for a Datamaster breath alcohol test. She was taken to the county jail initially because the Lake City Police Department’s Datamaster is inoperable, Lake City Police Chief Billy Brown said.
The suspect told police she’d had two glasses of wine and two glasses of champagne to drink throughout the course of the day, according to video footage of the arrest.
Datamaster breath alcohol test results showed the suspect’s blood alcohol concentration at .2 percent. A person is considered too drunk to drive at .08 percent by state law.
Rita Smith was taken back to the Lake City Police Department, where she was booked and spent the night in a jail cell before being released on two $2,000 personal recognizance bonds.
Suspects in cases investigated by the Lake City Police Department are regularly booked at the police department rather than at the Florence County Detention Center in Effingham if they are cooperative, nonviolent adults, Brown said.
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Reader Reactions
they both done wrong no matter who they are,if it had of been 1 of your kids[the ones who are siding with the smiths}how would you feel then? i cant imagine anything happening to my 2 kids and grand much less anyone else in my family.the t.v. station is only publishing what is to be known to the public,scnow also.i dont think the smith’s would like it either if it had been their 2 kids who got hit ,they would have felt the same way.and if not something’s wrong…
i dont understand why so many people are blaming the paper or scnow outlets for their coverage of this incident. For starters I am sick of people making excuses about how good the Smith’s are. Thats not relevent, what is a fact is that she broke the law by drinking and driving. A figure of community herself with her work with the festival and being married to chairman of county council comes the publicity of the good and the bad. The laws that i have to follow is the same laws they have to follow.
It is amazing the amount of effort TV-13 and the Morning News have put in to this. These are the only “news” outlets to even mention this DUI. Can someone explain why so much coverage with the Media General entities?
I would suggest a boycott of the Media General advertisers, however, as bad as things are now no one would notice.
WOW!!!!! It is sad to know that you guys focus on someone getting a DUI just because who she is married too!
This is why Lake City and FLorence County is gone down hill,(it’s elected officials)has shown where if you support someone other than who gets elected, you will pay the ultimate price.
For Example, when was the last time you saw clips from Jane Doe or John published all over the news!!! How many other DUI’s happened that night.
Thank God I left Florence County because you have taken a mother and publicly humilated her and family just because of who she is married to and someone has a personal vendetta against her husband.
It is very funny how this is SO HIGHLY PUBLICIZED!!!!!! and irionic how this arrest is related more so to (Rusty) than to his wife.
So to close, she may have used poor judgement and drove home that night….That was Wrong (thank God no one got hurt), but it seems like the headlines of the local news are more focused on pointing fingers at county officals than the real issues that need to be addressed.
We are all human, we all make mistakes and everyone has to pay the price for the mistakes that they made.
Sincerely,
A Parent
Lisa, your comments could in no way or shape offend me. I could personally care less what you think or how you feel. I just wondered, because someone else made reference to your stupid and slack remarks. That’s all!
Impartial: I love the south .. I’m from the south.
I’m sorry (not really) if my truthful comments that hit close to home offend you.
I’m here to stay!
Lisa, nothing against you personally, but you must live a miserable life because you never have nothing nice to say. I have read your comments on several articles and if you don’t like the South, move back to whatever rock you climbed out from under.
Thank god no one got seriously hurted. Mrs. Smith let this be a lesson to you not to drink and drive, no matter how much you had to drink never get behind the wheel to drive. You and your husband was wrong for leaving the scene of a crime. You both no it was wrong to do now you cause another charge against you. Mr. Smith as a city council you should have stand your ground as a council and do what was right. How can we look up to you as doing right, when you trying to cover up wrongful doing. Thank God he will never let the wrong be right. God is a man of righteous. He will separate the right from the wrong. If the people in office that feel they are so high among the rest of us feel they can talk to someone or pay a little money to clear their name or family name you better mine it will be coming back to haunt you later. We all should be judge by the same law no matter who you are. To Mrs. Rita Smith and Husband think twice next time.
I am really surprised that this story is a week old and it made the headlines over a double murder on the news tonight. Rita made a mistake, as everyone I know has. I don’t agree with drinking and driving and I do believe in fair treatment of all. However, when the news reports themselves that they are going to her home for comments, is that fair? Does everyone that get charged with a crime get that “fair” treatment? Is it fair that it is being implied that she left the scene of the accident and went home when the accident happened in her driveway? I agree - everyone, even politicians wives deserve fair treatment.
She left the scene of an accident b/c she knew she was drunk. I commend this LCPD officer; I agree he did an excellent & professional job. I too hope he does not lose his job. If he does, I would sue that no good town of Lake City & Florence County!!
It’s about time Rusty & some of his “good ole boys” get what’s coming to them. He will certainly try to get this charge dropped on his wife but I hope us citizens can somehow make sure that does not happen. Rusty, his family & friends have gotten away with too much for too long at the expense of this county & our taxpayers dollars. If you remember his daddy (KG Smith) stole lots of money from the Florence County Treasurer’s office while he was the treasurer. I hope he get arrested too. I agree to call SLED in, it a GREAT idea!!!!!!!!
The citizens of Lower Florence County need to get Rusty off the County Council ASAP. Sorry Rita but you’re married to a scumbag!!!!!!
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