Newberry Standoff Ends; Child in Custody

NEWBERRY, S.C. (WOLO) — During the early afternoon hours the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office was notified that there may be a wanted man from Colorado hiding in a residence off SC Hwy. 395 near the Saluda County line. Deputies arrived at the home to find a man looking at them through a window. When he was challenged, he ran through the house. One of the deputies also heard a second set of foot steps that seemed to be lighter than the first. As the Deputies were gaining more information on the suspect, they found a stolen truck out of Colorado that had been freshly spray painted. Authorities in Colorado verified that SHANNON JOSEPH SMITH, 44, of Colorado was indeed wanted for several charges including a failure to appear for sentencing in a weapons charge. He was also a convicted sex offender with a 54 page record for various offenses. The Sheriff’s Office Critical Incident Response Team responded and secured the area while investigators began to gather further intelligence. A negotiator began repeated efforts to contact Smith. Investigators were able to locate the renter of the residence at a job site some 30 miles away. It was determined that Smith was her ex husband and had shown up in Newberry County to see their daughter. He established a room at a Newberry Motel some 15 miles away. During the day Friday, he was able to convince a care giver to allow him access to their four year old daughter. He apparently went to the ex wife’s home some time during the day and remained there while the ex wife and a companion were working at a construction site. Upon arriving on the scene, the ex wife told law enforcement that Smith had a lengthy record and was not friendly toward law enforcement. She also advised that she feared for her child’s life due to her ex facing prison time for the various crimes. After more than three hours of trying to contact Smith, Sheriff Lee Foster contacted SLED for additional resources. Upon arrival additional negotiators attempted to contact Smith. After there was no contact and there were no sounds of life coming from the house, a joint decision was made to make entry into the house. An entry team of SLED SWAT agents backed by Newberry County Sheriff’s Office CIRT members gained entry into the double wide manufacture house and began methodically searching the residence. Smith was found locked inside a shower with his four year old estranged daughter. The team gained access to the daughter and removed her from the residence and took Smith into custody after a brief struggle. The child was immediately taken to an awaiting team of Newberry County EMS paramedics. It was determined that she had no injuries other than emotional trauma, but was transported to Newberry County Memorial Hospital for observation accompanied by the child’s mother and a Victim Advocate of the Sheriff’s Office. Colorado is expected to request extradition of Smith to face his charges there. In addition, Newberry County has charged Smith with being a fugitive from justice, possession of a stolen motor vehicle and failure to notify or register as a sex offender. Investigators will be reviewing divorce documents to determine if kidnapping charges will be appropriate. Smith is housed in the Newberry County Detention Center. “We were offered a miracle six days before Christmas to find that little girl alive and uninjured.” Assisting in the investigation in addition to Newberry County Sheriff and SLED were Saluda County Sheriff, SC Department of Natural Resources, SC Highway Patrol, Prosperity Fire Department and Newberry County EMS