The twin brother of Augusta County Sheriff Donald Smith, who is facing up to 70 years in prison on charges from a Dec. 26, 2023, incident involving a stolen vehicle, a police pursuit and an attempt to ram a pursuing deputy’s vehicle, has been out on bond since July 29.
Word of the unusual-at-first-glance release of Ronald Smith, 41, of Churchville, has been circulating in the county in recent days, with suspicion that the release is the result of pressure from his obviously high-profile and influential brother.
ICYMI
- Augusta County sheriff’s brother in custody on attempted-murder charges
- Twin brother of Augusta County sheriff indicted on several felony counts in 2023 theft, pursuit
The truth is, there’s nothing conspiratorial at play here.
After a day of tracking Ronald Smith’s status, first reaching out to the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office, then Augusta County Circuit Court, the Augusta County Commonwealth’s Attorney Office and, finally, the Charlottesville Commonwealth’s Attorney Office, which is handling the case, we were able to learn, and then confirm, that Smith was released after suffering a significant and debilitating injury while in custody in Middle River Regional Jail.
From the information that we have been given and been able to confirm, there is no foul play suspected in the incident that led to the injury, which appears to have been accidental in nature.
Ronald Smith was released from jail on July 29 so that he could be transported to a hospital ICU, where he remained for several weeks, and upon release from the hospital, he was allowed to return home as he continues to get treatment for his injuries, according to sources.
Ronald Smith is next due in court on Jan. 27, 2025.
Background
Ronald Smith was indicted by an Augusta County grand jury in May on two counts of attempted malicious wounding of a law enforcement officer, single counts of destruction of property and eluding, and a misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated in the Dec. 26, 2023, incident, which involved the theft of a semi owned by his twin brother, the county sheriff, Donald Smith.
The two malicious-wounding charges were originally attempted-murder charges stemming from the incident, which began at approximately 4 p.m. on Dec. 26, 2023, with a call from the sheriff, who in a news release attributed the issues with his brother to “addiction problems.”
“I am not exempt from family issues and addiction problems,” Sheriff Smith said in a statement in the release. “I’m extremely grateful that no one was seriously hurt by my brother’s actions, and commend my deputies and the Virginia State Police for ending this situation safely.”
According to the release, the sheriff called the office around 4 p.m. on Tuesday to request assistance in getting a stolen vehicle stopped.
The stolen vehicle is a 2000 International semi-tractor with a goose neck trailer owned by the sheriff.
The sheriff attempted to stop the vehicle on Route 250 near Churchville with no success, and his brother, behind the wheel of the semi, continued for several miles on 250 before turning onto Route 262 near the City of Staunton, per the release.
Sheriff’s deputies attempted to stop the vehicle at the intersection of Route 262 and Route 11, but the vehicle continued on Route 11 all the way to the Fort Defiance area, where Ronald Smith eventually drove into the parking lots of Stewart Middle School and Clymore Elementary School, reportedly intentionally ramming a deputy’s vehicle and attempting to pin a second deputy’s vehicle between the stolen truck and trailer.
According to the release, deputies at the scene gave Ronald Smith commands to exit the vehicle, which he did not comply with, and while inside the vehicle, Smith shouldered a hay spear like a long rifle.
Deputies were able to determine that it was a piece of metal and not a firearm, and were eventually able to take him into custody.
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Chris Graham
