BECKLEY POLICE MOURN SLAIN OFFICER

BECKLEY -- The tightly knit Beckley Police Department's Narcotics
Enforcement Division mourned a man its two remaining members
considered far more than a co-worker.

Detective Charles "Chuck" Smith, 29, died Tuesday morning after being
shot multiple times while working undercover. Two Beckley men have
been charged with his murder.

Smith had worked in the narcotics division for three years, said
Detective Sgt. Gant Montgomery, his immediate supervisor.

Montgomery and Detective Sgt. Dean Bailey, also of the Narcotics
Enforcement Division, worked with Smith daily for those three years.
The two said no one could find a more dedicated officer.

"I first met him when he was just out of the Marines, and he came to
a drug investigation on his own time," Montgomery said. "He just had
an interest in police work. He always had an interest in narcotics
work when he was a uniformed officer.

"He hated drugs. He saw what drugs did to people, and he was opposed to them."

Montgomery said Smith would work on his own time because of his drive
and dedication.

"He would just drop what he was doing to take a call from an
informant," Bailey said.

Smith worked at a fast, aggressive pace and paid attention to detail,
Montgomery said.

"He would throw himself into his cases -- totally into the
investigation," Montgomery said. "You couldn't ask for a better detective."

"He loved his job -- loved everything about it," Bailey said.

Smith received three or four gunshot wounds to his torso and was
pronounced dead at Raleigh General Hospital, State Police Capt. Scott
Van Meter said.

Smith had been an officer with the Beckley Police Department since
2001, said Capt. Tomi Peck, supervisor of field operations. He was a
graduate of Independence High School and was the father of a
2-year-old daughter.

Thomas Leftwich, 24, of South Fayette Street, and Michael Martin, 41,
of Sour Street, were charged with first-degree murder and arraigned
late Tuesday morning before Raleigh County Magistrate John Tanner.

Police said Leftwich told them he shot Smith with a .357 revolver
during a crack cocaine deal arranged by Martin near Club Attraction
on South Fayette Street about 4:30 a.m. He said he shot Smith and
then ran from the scene.

According to the criminal complaint, Smith was working undercover
when he arranged with Martin to buy crack cocaine. Martin called
Leftwich to set up the deal and then told Smith they were to meet
near the old Tink House, which is now Club Attraction.

From there, Martin rode with Smith to the corner of South Fayette
and Willow Lane, where the two got out of the car and spoke with
Leftwich. When Leftwich asked who had the money to pay him, Martin
told him Smith did, according to the complaint written by Senior
Trooper R.A. Daniel.

Martin told police in his statement that he then saw Leftwich "reach
something" to Smith, at which time Smith showed Leftwich his police
badge. That's when Martin ran, and as he did, he heard three
gunshots, according to the complaint.

Cpl. William Reynolds was in the vicinity when Smith was shot, Police
Chief Billy Cole told the Daily Mail today. Reynolds reportedly
radioed for help and attended to Smith on the scene.

State Police arrested Leftwich at his parents' home nearby, and
Raleigh County sheriff's deputies apprehended Martin at another
Beckley residence.

Although he allegedly arranged the meeting of Smith and Leftwich,
Martin seemed surprised to be charged with murder and adamantly
declared his innocence in magistrate court.

"I did not shoot anybody," Martin said at his arraignment. "I did not
have a gun. I just heard a gun, and I ran. ... I ain't never owned a
gun. I never had a gun. And I'm being charged with shooting somebody?"

Leftwich, on the other hand, sat quietly in a Marvel Comics T-shirt
as Tanner informed him of the charge against him.

Both men indicated they had no source of income and applied to
receive court-appointed counsel.

Bond cannot be set at the magistrate court level in a murder case.
That matter is likely to be heard in the near future by a Raleigh
County Circuit Court judge. Leftwich and Martin were taken to
Southern Regional Jail following their arraignments.

Fellow narcotics officers Montgomery and Bailey said that while Smith
was driven and dedicated, he also showed a boisterous sense of humor.
This made the long hours the three often spent together fun.

Just a few days ago, Smith hid in some bushes in a wooded area to do
surveillance work, Montgomery said. During the 45 minutes he was in
the bushes, he was "bitten all over" by mosquitoes. Bailey said 45
minutes in bushes, especially with mosquitoes, seems like hours.
Smith just came out of the bushes laughing.

"He showed dedication -- and he was able to laugh at himself," Montgomery said.

"That's the kind of guy he was. You didn't have to ask him. He would
volunteer to do most jobs other officers would not ask to do."

"He was the first to raise his hand and say, 'I'll go in the bushes
and do the dirty work' -- first to raise his hand," Bailey said.

The narcotics unit is a small one, and the officers in it become
extremely close, Montgomery and Bailey said.

"We were like brothers," Montgomery said.

"We were best friends and brothers," Bailey said. "We sometimes work
20 hours or more a day together. You're like family."

Because they were that close, they all knew practically every aspect
of each other's lives, Montgomery and Bailey said. The two knew how
dedicated a father Smith was.

"He loved his little girl more than anything," Bailey said.

Montgomery and Bailey plan to carry on their efforts to eradicate
illegal drugs from city streets in a way Smith would see fit.

Most police officers understand that at any time they can sacrifice
their lives to keep their communities safe, Montgomery said. Smith
understood this, and Smith, Montgomery and Bailey would even have
conversations about it.

"He gave his life for what he loved to do. The public should know
that we are out here every day fighting crime, protecting the public.
He gave his life to do that.

As the department and narcotics unit tries to move on, Smith will be
used as a model for future narcotics detectives.

"As a supervisor, I have the opportunity to train other officers that
are young and new," Montgomery said. "I will always use Chuck Smith
as a shining example of what a good drug officer is. He was the
perfect example of how to conduct yourself, not only as a drug
officer, but as a policeman. You couldn't ask for a better detective.
He had all the qualities you would ever want."

Montgomery and Bailey hope the public will not only take note of the
ultimate sacrifice Smith has made, but also of how all police
officers risk their lives every day while on the job.

"Sometimes, you don't get a lot of appreciation when dealing with the
public," Montgomery said. "It can be a thankless job. But Chuckie
didn't care about anything else but doing his job. He did it well.
Maybe this will open the eyes of the public about the job we do."

"And how dangerous it can be," Bailey said.

"You have people out day and night who will sacrifice themselves for
the public, for society," Montgomery said. "The fact that we talked
about it before and that Chuckie had talked about it before did not
stop him. He knew there was a possibility.

"That says everything about him -- everything.

"What other sacrifice can you give?"