The Lee County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina is facing criticism after deputies disrupted a funeral earlier this month and arrested a man mourning the death of his brother, incorrectly identifying him as a homicide suspect.
The sheriff’s office issued a statement on social media attempting to explain the incident, stating that investigators had received “information from multiple separate sources” indicating that a suspect wanted for a 1995 homicide would be present at the funeral for Kabem Seagal Smith, who passed away earlier in May.
According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, investigators were searching for Willard Smith, who they say has used “several aliases, including family member’s names” to evade law enforcement for three decades. The statement noted that “One of which is the name Willard Partridge, which was listed in the obituary as a surviving brother” of Kabem Smith. The sheriff’s office added that “Tips also say that he has come back to the area on previous occasions to visit family.”
According to reports from local news outlets WRAL, WNCN, and The Sanford Herald, sheriff’s office personnel attended the funeral and waited in the parking lot. WRAL described the subsequent events in the cemetery parking lot as “chaotic.” Bystander video obtained by the outlet showed police officers moving through the crowd before taking a man they believed to be Willard Smith into custody. Family members reportedly gathered around the sheriff’s office vehicles.
The sheriff’s office alleged that family members attempted to “block” their departure from the parking lot, claiming that these individuals, moments after grieving the loss of Kabem Smith, “started banging on the hoods and rocking the patrol cars with deputies inside.” The sheriff’s office stated, “There was a lot of confusion, hostility, and deception.”
Bryant McKinney, a family friend of the man who was detained, told WRAL, “it was the most unreal thing I’ve ever seen.” Deputies eventually managed to move through the crowd of mourners and transported their “suspect” to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. It was there that investigators realized they had apprehended the wrong individual. Family members informed WRAL that the Smith brother who was detained was held at the sheriff’s office for eight hours before being released.
The obituary for Kabem Smith lists five surviving brothers: Jravier Smith, Willard Partridge Jr., Arsenio Smith, Ridge Smith, and Jordney Smith. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office, which has yet to locate the actual suspect in the 1995 homicide, stated that its investigators remain committed to solving the case. “With the persistence of our citizens and the dedication of our deputies, we intend to bring closure to the victim’s family and we are committed to the pursuit of justice,” the sheriff’s office said in its statement.
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