Special LMPD Unit Helps Educate Police, Solve Cases Across the Country

“We want to make sure that if an officer shoots someone or someone shoots an officer that the evidence that says what happened is preserved…
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“We want to make sure that if an officer shoots someone or someone shoots an officer that the evidence that says what happened is preserved from the moment that it starts,” said Smock. “If a bullet is lost or evidence is destroyed or compromised, then it’s not available to the criminal justice system to determine what happened.”
That’s why his team is one of the first called upon to investigate police shootings for LMPD, Jeffersontown and surrounding departments.
Jeffersontown Police Chief Rick Sanders knows firsthand how difficult a police involved shooting investigation can be. It was one of his first big cases when he became chief. In June 2007, retired Jeffersontown officer Richard Koenig shot Darren Pickerill at the Stoneybrook Kroger.
“This case is the case that he helped us a lot on and the case that without him, I don’t think we would have ever determined what really happened that day,” said Sanders.
Because of the sensitive nature of the case, Sanders says he called on the living forensics team for an objective investigation.
“Dr. Smock was able to examine every aspect of the scene and gather evidence that would have otherwise been lost. He even recreated the entire scene, providing the real story of what happened to a grand jury, police and citizens,” said Sanders. “From that they were able to determine that officer Kaenig’s statement was accurate that they both pulled up to the 4-way stop, that Mr. Pickerall pulled his weapon out, whether or not he ever intended to use it we don’t know, but he pulled the weapon on the retired officer and made some threatening gestures and then Officer Kaenig in response fired a total of eight times, striking Mr. Pickerall six.”
“By performing this sort of evaluation, we prevented someone from being falsely arrested for a crime they didn’t commit,” said Smock.
Since then, Smock has assisted with many police involved shootings. He is considered an expert in the field and travels across the country to share his knowledge.
“I have trained thousands of police officers, prosecutors, physicians, nurses from all over the world,” said Smock. “The way we can help the criminal justice system, is to make sure that all opinions are based on the forensic evidence.”
Smock also trains medical students at the University of Louisville.
He will fly to Hawaii in a few weeks to train prosecutors there.

Florence Man Indicted On Charge of Strangulation

Riggs was arrested May 30 after the incident was reported to police. According to the indictment, Riggs is accused of choking his girlfriend, physically attacking…
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Riggs was arrested May 30 after the incident was reported to police.
According to the indictment, Riggs is accused of choking his girlfriend, physically attacking her, trying to stop her from calling 911 by grabbing her cellphone and keeping her inside the residence by hitting her in the abdominal area.
The woman was pregnant at the time.
Riggs is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges at 9 a.m. Dec. 2 in Circuit Judge Gil Self’s courtroom.
Riggs is out of jail on bail of $5,000. 
Other indictments handed down during the October grand jury session:
Kyle Wayne Brown, 26, 60 Central Ave., Florence; second-degree manufacturing a controlled substance, second-degree possession of marijuana and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.
Edward Lee Garner Jr., 28, 1025 Spring Court, Florence; unlawful possession of a controlled substance.
Sarah Beth Hart, 21, 313 Nottingham Road, Florence; unlawful possession of a controlled substance and third-degree theft of property.
Rodney Shane Ivey, 23, 3412 Palm St., Florence; second-degree receiving stolen property.
Trisha Nicole Hollingsworth, 42, 3282 U.S. 43, Florence; third-degree escape, carrying a pistol without a permit or license, second-degree possession of marijuana and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.
Dylan Scott Mann, 22, Wheaton Court, Florence, first-degree possession of marijuana and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.
Michael A. Elmer, 46, 21735 Rochelle Road, Athens; failure to register as a sex offender.
Lavelle Romaro Harrison, 29, 1271 Hermitage Drive, Apt. C7, Florence; four counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance.
Cody Wade McCoy, 18, 95 Old Brompton Lane, Killen; third-degree escape.
Oscar Lee Williams, 67, 2405 14th Ave., Sheffield; unlawful distribution of a controlled substance.
Eric Jerome Vaughn, 51, 122 E. Duncan Ave., Florence; third-degree burglary, second-degree theft of property, third-degree theft of property, second-degree receiving stolen property and third-degree receiving stolen property.
Oscar Stevens Woods Jr., 31, 907 Kinnard St., Florence; second-degree assault, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, attempting to elude and resisting arrest.
Horace Mearl White III, 23, 7790 Lauderdale 259, Florence; third-degree assault and driving while under the influence.
Nathan Garrett Petree, 41, 421 W. Lee Ave., Florence; domestic violence strangulation/suffocation, domestic third-degree assault and domestic violence third-degree harassment.
Stephanie Michelle Todd, 37, 555 Bo Howard Road, Toney; second-degree unlawful possession of a forged instrument, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, giving false name to law enforcement and illegal possession of a credit card.
Ryan Colby Stegall, 23, 326 Cypress Mill Road, Florence; second-degree theft of property and fraudulent use of a credit card.
Trenton G. Teele, 37, 275 Lauderdale 323, Killen; unlawful possession of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia and attempting to elude.
Brandon Wayne Crakaal, 18, 185 Crockett Circle, Florence; unlawful possession of a controlled substance.
Jamie Wayne Olive, 40, 8542 Lauderdale 7, Florence; second-degree manufacturing a controlled substance and attempting to commit a controlled substance crime.
Donald William Hill, 42, 1224 E. Limestone St., Florence; unlawful possession of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, second-degree possession of marijuana, driving under the influence and various traffic citations.
Calli Brogan Johnson, 23, 510 N. Broadway St., Florence; unlawful possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.
Britni Leshea Rich, 23, 2314 Norwood Boulevard, Florence; unlawful possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.
Timothy Laneal Thompson, 39, 2259 Shade Ave., Florence; unlawful possession of a controlled substance.
Marcell Dianne Berry, 50, 513 Pine St., Florence; unlawful possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.
Sydney Sierra Perkins, 18, 2249 Maple Ave., Florence; third-degree robbery, disorderly conduct and third-degree assault.
Andrea Joyce Ashley, 34, 202 Bellmeade Ave., Florence; unlawful possession of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia and second-degree possession of marijuana.
Kendall Rideout Woods, 27, 41 Lauderdale 300, Florence; chemical endangerment of a child and public intoxication.
Justin Ray Caldwell, 32, 402 E. Tennessee St., Florence; unlawful possession of a controlled substance.
Richardo Renard Hogan, 53, 2274 Maple Ave., Florence; first-degree assault.
Justin O’Brian Sanders, 22, 3201 Dudley Ave., Florence; second-degree receiving stolen property.
Marquis Devon McCray, 22, 34 E. Eighth St., Sheffield; third-degree and second-degree theft of property.
Darnell Lamont Gilbert, 23, 1807 E. Sixth Ave., Sheffield; third-degree burglary and second-degree theft of property.
Thomas Eugene Behel Jr., 26, 301 Howell St., Florence; third-degree burglary, first-degree theft of property and first-degree receiving stolen property.
Mary Lynn Baskins, 27, 214 Trade St., Florence; third-degree burglary, first-degree theft of property and first-degree receiving stolen property.
Tacvares Lamar Cheatom, 26, 917 Wildwood Road, Decatur; disarming a law enforcement officer (taking a taser), unlawful possession of burglar tools, second-degree criminal mischief and third-degree theft of property.
Todd McGee Lacey, 23, 69, Harold Drive, Decatur; unlawful possession of burglar tools, third-degree theft of property and second-degree criminal mischief.
Emily Jean Glover, 21, 1066 Lauderdale 73, Killen; fraudulent use of a credit card, second-degree theft of property and third-degree theft of property.

Special LMPD Unit Catches Attention of Law Enforcement Across Country

Dr. Bill Smock has spent the last 21 years as the physician for Louisville Metro Police, but now he’s leading a first-of-its-kind unit in the…
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Dr. Bill Smock has spent the last 21 years as the physician for Louisville Metro Police, but now he’s leading a first-of-its-kind unit in the country called living forensics.
“Domestic violence cases, strangulation, shootings, officer-involved shootings and sometimes work with the traffic department to determine who’s the driver and who’s the passenger in a complex motor vehicle collision,” said Smock.
Smock said they are getting anywhere from eight to 15 cases per month.
Smock and three nurse examiners make up the full-time team. They assist LMPD, Jeffersontown and other local departments and prosecutors in solving violent crimes such as the recent Fern Creek High School shooting in which the victims survive.
“We want to document the state of the wounds, the physical characteristics before they’re altered by medical care,” said Smock.
A bulk of the cases focus on strangulations related to domestic violence cases, but sometimes key evidence is not visible and living forensics can reveal the unseen and explain exactly what happened.
“We can insert this in their mouth or in the back of their throat and look down into the throat to see if there are petechial hemorrhages, which are blood vessels that would rupture when someone is strangled,” said Smock.
Smock says he has a 100 percent conviction rate in strangulation cases in which living forensics was used to gather evidence. Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Christi Foster prosecutes felony domestic violence cases. She says the living forensics program has improved the quality of cases and led to more convictions than ever before.
“The lethality risks associated with strangulation are huge, and what we’re finally seeing is a coordinated community response to treating these cases as seriously as they should be,” said Foster.
Louisville’s living forensics program is not only clearing court cases here in the area, it’s also being used to teach forensic officials across the country, specifically cases from our area in this book that Smock helped to author.
“So we’re training doctors and nurses from all over the world to document the injuries and then render opinions based on good forensic evidence,” said Smock. “The evaluation of living victims is my passion and helping the criminal justice systems so to make sure that there is justice.”
Smock will travel to Hawaii in a couple of weeks to train prosecutors there on how to use living forensics.
Friday at 6, WLKY will examine how living forensics is changing the way police involved shootings are investigated.

Prosecutor Hosts ‘Significant Training’ for Homicide Prevention

Speakers included Marianne Hemmeter, an attorney with the office of the Attorney General of Ohio. Hemmeter has extensive experience prosecuting sexual assaults and other crimes…
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Speakers included Marianne Hemmeter, an attorney with the office of the Attorney General of Ohio. Hemmeter has extensive experience prosecuting sexual assaults and other crimes of violence across the state. She talked about a team approach to investigating and prosecuting crimes involving strangulation, investigation by law enforcement, prosecution strategies, case studies, and how to bring felony charges.
* John Radabaugh, a Detective Sergeant for the Delaware Ohio Police Department and member on the Ohio Attorney General’s Office Sexual Assault Response Training Team, talked about forensic photography. Radabaugh provided the professionals responsible for photographing victims or crime scenes an understanding of the necessary elements needed to produce photos that may be applied to legal proceedings.
Ruth Downing, a family nurse practitioner and founder of Forensic Healthcare Consulting, organized this event. Downing talked about the lethality of strangulation, the physiological effects of strangulation, the signs and symptoms of strangulation, medical evaluation, and the documentation of injuries.
A representative from the Department of Youth Services and Victim Services shared her survivor’s account on the impact of strangulation. She is a survivor of a brutal sexual assault and strangulation that brought to life what it means to be a victim of violent crime. The victim shared her severe trauma story with the attendees. The victim said, “I survived my own murder.”
Ruth Downing said that 90 percent of strangulation cases had a domestic violence history, children were present during 50 percent of the cases and 99 percent of suspects were men. Although, a woman can also strangle a man.
“Strangulation is a red flag,” according to Downing. “A woman with a history of nonfatal strangulation is seven times more likely to become a victim of homicide. Intimate partners who have been victims of attempted or actual femicide had a 45 percent history of ‘choking’ versus 10 percent of other abused women.”
Downs also said that 95 percent of the perpetrators who kill cops had a history of domestic violence and strangulation. Strangulation accounts for 10 percent of all violent deaths in the United States.
“Strangulation is devastating to a victim because the act leaves an overwhelming feeling of helplessness and vulnerability,” said Downs. “It is a haunting experience when you realize you barely survived and it is frightening to know that someone who loves you is willing to kill you. Victims retain an ever-threatening and ever present sense of evil and a constant feeling of terror, danger and doom.”
The presenters of the strangulation seminar wanted those in attendance to leave with an increased awareness of the potential lethality of strangulation in hopes of increasing victim safety, increasing offender accountability for the crimes they commit. Sharing this information with others should prevent future homicides.

Suspect Charged After Alleged Strangulation

Under Oregon law, strangulation is a class A misdemeanor. Attempted murder is a felony charge. The alleged victim was examined on the scene by medical…
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Under Oregon law, strangulation is a class A misdemeanor. Attempted murder is a felony charge.
The alleged victim was examined on the scene by medical responders. She refused to be transported to Sky Lakes Medical Center or another hospital.
Brosterhous said Potter was arrested without incident.
The suspect appeared in the Klamath County Circuit Court via video monitor Friday afternoon. Judge Dan Bunch presides over the initial appearance.
Defense attorney Allison Martin was appointed to represent Potter.
According the DA’s Office, Potter has assaulted the same victim three times over the past several years. Assistant DA Sarah Shepherd recommended a $250,000 bail bond be set.
Bunch set Potter’s bail at $500,000. The judge also stipulated that if Potter is released, he is not to have any form of contact with his alleged victim.
The next hearing in the case was scheduled for Nov. 17 at 1:30 p.m.