MITCHELL — A surveillance operation by the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office ended in a foot pursuit and the arrest of a wanted man on Wednesday afternoon.
Colton R. Smart, 32, of Mitchell, was taken into custody on March 11 following a chase that led officers through local residential backyards and into a nearby home.
At approximately 5:04 p.m., Lawrence County Captain Anthony Pope, along with Sergeant Compton and Officer Carter, arrived at a residence in the 900 block of South 9th Street. They were attempting to locate Smart, who was wanted on an outstanding warrant for failure to register as a sex offender.
During surveillance, Sergeant Compton spotted a male matching Smart’s description behind the residence. Upon seeing the officers, Smart fled on foot. Law enforcement briefly lost sight of the suspect, prompting Officer Carter to deploy a K-9 unit to track him.
Reports from the Mitchell Police Department indicated that the Smart was seen running between houses and eventually climbing through a window of a residence in the 540 block of South 9th Street.
Officers surrounded the second residence and attempted to make contact at the front door. During this time, Captain Pope observed an individual at a nearby window who claimed he could not come to the door. Captain Pope identified the man as Smart and reached through the open window to apprehend him.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Smart attempted to pull away and retreat further into the house. Citing Smart’s history of resisting law enforcement, Captain Pope pulled him through the window and onto the ground, where he was handcuffed.
Smart was transported to the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office and booked on the following charges of failure to register as a sex offender and interfering with public safety officials by resisting law enforcement.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This article is based on the information provided in the probable cause affidavit and does not represent a final determination of guilt or innocence.
