On August 19, 2023 , city units were dispatched to the area of Rose Street for a male, later confirmed to be John Michael Smith DOB 7/26/96, wearing a white t-shirt and black shorts carrying a long gun while walking down the street. City officers arrived in the area and upon pulling up to the stop sign at the corner of West First Street and Rose Street one of the officers looked to his right and could see a male that matched the description that was given walking by the playground where a man and his six- year-old daughter were standing. He was carrying the gun in an unsafe manner behind his neck and over his shoulders. One officer exited his patrol vehicle and attempted to give verbal commands for Mr. Smith to drop the weapon on the ground. When doing so Mr. Smith shot the gun one time at the ground by the playground and right behind a residence. The officer then drew his firearm, pointed it at Mr. Smith and began giving verbal commands for him to drop the weapon. Mr. Smith then placed the weapon on the ground and stepped away from it looking confused and claimed it discharged by accident. The officer then gave Mr. Smith verbal commands to get on the ground and put his hands out to his side to which he complied. The officer was able to get Mr. Smith into custody and was able to clear the firearm and secure it in his patrol vehicle.

Officers were called over by multiple subjects who were outside in their driveway at the time of the incident and had seen Mr. Smith walk by. They all concurred that Mr. Smith had been carrying the shotgun over his shoulders in an unsafe manner. They advised that Mr. Smith had been attempting to sell them electronics and the shotgun when he passed through. They pointed the officer in the direction of a laptop and screen which Mr. Smith had sat down on the grass at the end of their driveway. 

While checking the electronics for serial numbers, officers observed labels on both stating they were property of a local insurance company. Police went to the insurance company to check on the business and located 3 additional Acer screens and 2 portable tables at the rear of the business at the wood-line. A check of the building revealed that the rear door had been kicked in and the store was in disarray where Mr. Smith had entered the building with intent to commit theft. The building was clear of any other subjects. 

The owner of the business was notified and came out to the business. When police asked the owner if there had been any firearms inside the business that could have been stolen, he was able to describe the shotgun that Mr. Smith had been in possession of.  The owner stated that the business was still missing a 42″ LG TV and 3 Limited Edition Beer Steins which were made in Germany.  

After arriving at intake an officer advised Mr. Smith of his Miranda Rights. He signed a waiver form and agreed to speak with the officer about the incident. Mr. Smith admitted that he had committed the burglary because he was homeless and needed money. When officers asked him about where he’d left the tv, he denied having taken one. He stated that he’d carried everything out to the wood-line and that a tv would have been too heavy for him to carry around. He denied having sold it and no money or narcotics were located on his person at the time of his arrest. He was  charged with Reckless Endangerment, Burglary, and Theft of Property.

Police returned to the area around the insurance company to look again for the still missing 42″ LG TV and 3 Limited Edition Beer Steins. While officers were walking the area they observed a flash light reflecting off of a tv screen on the north side of the building. Upon further investigation, police located the 3 beer steins behind the TV.  The recovered property was taken to the police department to be returned to the insurance company.