An eastern Kentucky constable with an arrest history dating back nearly 30 years has been charged with assaulting his ex-wife.
Kentucky State Police arrested 67-year-old Owsley County Constable Carl Smith Sunday night after he was accused of assaulting his former wife because she had not cleaned the dishes.
Smith’s ex-wife and two children have been living with Smith due to the recently cold weather, according to a report by the Herald-Leader.
He was charged with fourth-degree assault and lodged in the Three Forks Regional Jail. He has since been released.
The responding trooper observed a bruise and scratch on the victim’s arm. The newspaper reports that “she received the scratch when she fell, but the bruise was from three days earlier when Carl Smith grabbed her arm and squeezed, according to the citation.”
The victim told police she had been in a “violent relationship” with Smith for several years, and told him “since Carl became constable his levels of anger and violence have grown,” according to the arrest citation.
Court records show that Smith was charged with fourth-degree assault in 2012 and 2010, but the charges were dismissed. In 2008, he pled guilty to illegal hunting and was fined $100 plus $153 in court costs.
Court records reflect a charge against him in 1992 of receiving stolen property, a felony, but he pled guilty to an amended misdemeanor charge and was sentenced to a year in prison, probated for two years.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
