cop charged with burglary



LEXINGTON — Terrance Smith, a Lexington Police Department officer has been charged with burglary and trespassing while on duty.  Smith, 49, has been charged in Dawson County Court with one count of felony burglary, one count of misdemeanor trespassing and one count of misdemeanor official misconduct relating to a May 19 incident at Landmark Implements Inc. in Lexington.
Online court records outline the case against Smith:
On May 21, the Dawson County Attorney’s office was contacted by the owner of Landmark Implements about surveillance footage showing someone wearing a law enforcement uniform entering the business after hours May 19 and snooping around the area using a flashlight for nine to 10 minutes. The incident occurred at approximately 4:14 a.m.
Nothing appeared to have been stolen during this incident, but the owner said there have been thefts from the business at other times.
The State Patrol was assigned to the investigation June 6 and interviewed employees who said about $700 had been stolen from the office in May and December 2012.
The State Patrol then contacted Lexington Police Chief Tracy Wolf, who viewed the surveillance footage and identified the person in the video as Smith. Wolf said Landmark Implements is not within Lexington’s city limits, and he verified that Smith had been on duty until 7 a.m. May 19.
Wolf did not find any incident report that would explain why Smith was at the business at that hour.
During an interview with the State Patrol, Smith said the last time he’d been near the business was three to four months before the incident when he had noticed an unlocked door and identified himself to an employee. He said he did not file an incident report on the matter.
Smith admitted to entering the business and searching through it, but denied taking anything.