US Man At Brother's Funeral 'Mistakenly' Arrested For 30-Year-Old Murder
A funeral for a loved one in North Carolina descended into chaos after police arrived in search of a murder suspect in a 30-year-old murder.
The cops allegedly used "excessive force" to interrupt the event and accidentally arrest the wrong man, who was mourning his brother Kabem Smith's death.
The Lee County Sheriff's Office broke in because they thought he was a wanted man connected to Rodney Cotton's 1995 murder.
The Lee County Sheriff's Office later explained on social media what led to the mix-up.
The Sheriff's Office said the investigators received "information from multiple separate sources" that a suspect wanted for a 1995 homicide would be present at the funeral of Kabem Seagal Smith, who died earlier this month.
"There was a lot of confusion, hostility, and deception," they said in a May 16 Facebook post.
Investigators were looking for Willard Smith, who they claimed had successfully evaded law enforcement for 30 years by using "several aliases, including family member's names."
According to law authorities, "multiple separate sources" said Willard Eugene Smith would attend Kabem's funeral at Liberty Chapel Church under the name Willard Partridge.
According to his obituary, Kabem Smith is survived by his five brothers: Willard Partridge Jr, Jravier Smith, Ridge Smith, Arsenio Smith, and Jordney Smith.
The sheriff's office added that "tips also indicated that he has returned to the location on previous occasions to visit family." So, the sheriff's office waited in the parking lot at the funeral to apprehend the suspect, PEOPLE reported.
At the end of the service, as mourners departed, deputies misidentified a man as Smith and arrested him. Family members reportedly began to swarm the sheriff's office cars.
Eventually, the deputies acknowledged their mistake and released him. The original suspect, Smith, is still at large.
In its online statement, the Lee County Sheriff's Office, which has not yet been able to identify the real suspect, pledged that its investigators were still confident of solving the 1995 Murder of Rodney Cotton.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
20 minutes ago
- Time of India
Four arrested for multi-lakh online investment scams
Chennai: Four men involved in large-scale investment frauds were arrested by the cyber crime police across various zones in Chennai. The north zone police arrested two men based on a complaint from Nandagopal, 38, of Korukkupet. He said that after responding to an Instagram ad, he was contacted via Telegram by a user who promised high returns on dollar investments through an e-venture. He transferred Rs 12 lakh to different accounts. When asked to pay an additional Rs 7 lakh to retrieve his investment, he realised it was a scam. Two suspects—Sitharaman, 37, and Senthilnathan, 28, from Cuddalore—were arrested. Meanwhile, west zone police arrested a man based on a complaint from Saravanan, 43, of Arumbakkam. A Facebook contact convinced him to invest in stock trading, promising high returns. He invested Rs 10 lakh in 14 transactions but was defrauded after the suspect took the money. The accused Renganathan, 26, from Srivaikundam, Thoothukudi district, was arrested. Also, the east zone police arrested one person based on a complaint from Rabbani Khan, 26, who said he was cheated of Rs 9.40 lakh in a crypto ad scam.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Man loses Rs 16L in job scam
Udupi: A job aspirant allegedly lost Rs 16 lakh after falling victim to a job scam. In a complaint, a woman of Vadderahobli village, Kundapur, stated that her son responded to a Facebook advertisement posted by an academy in Mangaluru, which claimed it could arrange an employment visa for the United Kingdom. The academy promised to secure the visa within 90 days, if her son paid Rs 16 lakh. When her son visited the office located in Kodialbail, he alleged that the accused invited him into his chamber, took an advance of Rs 2 lakh in cash, and verified his documents. The accused then made repeated phone calls demanding the remaining amount, warning that the visa would be cancelled if payment was delayed. The aspirant allegedly transferred Rs 3 lakh from the complainant's daughter's account on Oct 27, 2023, and then Rs 13 lakh on Dec 1, 2023. Despite paying the full Rs 16 lakh, the victim never received a visa. When he called, the accused switched off his phone. On March 20, 2024, the complainant visited the Mangaluru office again. The accused was present and, to regain their trust, wrote on stamp paper that he would either obtain the visa within three months or refund the money within six months, affixing the office seal and his signature. When the money was still not returned, the complainant visited again. The accused then issued an account-payee cheque for Rs 16 lakh, dated Oct 3, 2024, in Sunil's name. The cheque was presented for collection on Dec 16, 2024, and was returned marked "funds insufficient." Kundapur police have registered a case under sections 318(4) and 316(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
Police arrest six for posting hateful messages on social media
The Mangauru City Police have arrested six persons on charges of spreading hate messages on social media platforms to disturb peace in society and create unrest between communities. The police acted through the special teams constituted for the purpose. Mohammed Aslam, 23, native of NS Road, Hejmady, in Udupi district, and a resident of Saudi Arabia, had allegedly posted hateful messages on his Instagram page team_jokerzz._. A case was registered with the Mangaluru South Police, who issued a lookout circular and later arrested him, said a release from the City Police. Chetan, 20, resident of Katipalla-Surathal and Nitin Adapa, 23, resident of Chelair, had allegedly procured SIM cards in the names of Muslims and opened the team_karna_surathkal Instagram page. Chennappa alias Mutthu had allegedly posted provocative messages on the page. Mangaluru North police, who had registered a case, have arrested the two. The Mulki Police arrested Riyaz Ibrahim, a native of Arkula near Mangaluru, living in Saudi Arabia, on charges of posting provocative messages on social media. A lookout circular was issued to secure him, police said. Mulki Police also arrested Jamal Zakir, 21, a resident of Kasaba Bengre in Mangaluru on charges of posting hate-inciting messages on Troll-bengare_ro_makka Instagram page. Guruprasad, a resident of Haelyangadi, was arrested by the Mulki police on charges of posting provocative messages on his Facebook account, Guru dprasad Haleyangadi. All the arrested were charged under Section 353, statements conducing to public mischief and other relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita. The investigations were being conducted by the Cybercrime, Narcotics and Economic Offences Police of Mangaluru City under the guidance of Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy and Deputy Commissioners Siddarth Goyal and K. Ravishankar
