Woman said Kentucky constable assaulted her because she hadn’t done their dishes
An Eastern Kentucky constable was arrested Sunday on a charge of domestic violence after he allegedly shoved his ex-wife because she hadn’t done the dishes.
A Kentucky State Police officer arrested Owsley County Constable Carl Smith, 67, on a misdemeanor charge of fourth-degree assault Sunday at 7:39 p.m., according to the citation.
Trooper Brandon Scalf said in a citation that the victim, Jessica Smith, said Carl Smith came into the house and “began cursing loudly” because she hadn’t washed the dishes, according to the citation.
The two are not married but she was living with him.
Jessica Smith said her ex-husband shoved her backwards, causing her to fall against a wall.
Scalf said he saw a small bruise and a superficial scratch on Jessica Smith’s left arm.
She told him she received the scratch when she fell, but the bruise was from three days earlier when Carl Smith grabbed her arm and squeezed, according to the citation.
Jessica Smith said she had been in a “violent relationship” with Carl Smith for several years, and told him “since Carl became constable his levels of anger and violence have grown,” Scalf said in the citation.
Jessica Smith refused to pursue an emergency protective order, the trooper said.
On Monday, Carl Smith confirmed he’d been arrested and spent the night in jail before being released Monday morning on a non-monetary bond.
Smith denied assaulting his ex-wife.
“I never laid a hand on her,” he said. “I ain’t gonna hit nary a woman.”
Smith said he’d been letting his ex-wife and two children stay with him during cold weather.
She was supposed to help around the house, but wouldn’t, Smith said, mentioning that the dishes had piled up.
“She wouldn’t do nary a thing,” he said.
Constables are elected in Kentucky and have full police powers, but are not required to undergo police training.
Some have been charged with crimes in recent years, including two constables in Pulaski County accused in federal court of planting drugs on people and taking money from them.
Those two constables have pleaded not guilty.
Court records show that a man with the same name and date of birth as Smith, the Owsley County constable, was charged with fourth-degree assault in 2012 and 2010, but the charges were dismissed.
He pleaded guilty in 2008 in an illegal hunting case and was fined $100 plus $153 in court costs.
Court records reflect a charge against him in 1992 of receiving stolen property, a felony, but he pleaded guilty to an amended misdemeanor charge and was sentenced to a year in prison, probated for two years.
This story was originally published March 15, 2021 at 3:24 PM.
