Donald Blaine Smith,[2] born on September 18,1947[3] in Danbury,Connecticut,grew up in the Putnam County town of Patterson,New York.[1] Smith married Jane Powell (born 1951) on June 24,1972,at the Holy Trinity Church in Pawling,New York;she died of breast cancer on December 6,2015. Smith has two children (Christopher and Cherilynne)[4] and,as of December2017[update],nine grandchildren.[1] That same year,records showed that Smith owned multiple properties in New York,Florida,and Virginia with a summative value of US$1.149 million (equivalent to about $1.474M in 2024).[5]
Robert D. Thoubboron was elected as the Putnam County,New Yorksheriff in 1985,but by 2001,he and his office were embroiled in controversies including abuse of civil and political rights,drunkenlaw enforcement officers,and retaliatory abuse of power.[8] Smith,then the deputy county executive for Putnam County (since 1999),[1] had no law-enforcement experience. Despite this,he secured the endorsement of the Democratic,Conservative,Independence,and Green parties[8] before defeating Thoubboron in the 2001 Putnam County Republican Partyprimary election. With the single-purpose platform of "bring[ing] integrity back to the Sheriff's Department leadership,"[9] Smith received 62% of votes to Thoubboron's 38%.[10] Instead of conceding however,Thoubboron ran against Smith again in the general election under the banner of "Safe County",a political party created solely for the incumbent sheriff;[9] on November 11,2001,Smith defeated Thoubboron again,this time with 76% of the vote.[11]
Elected as the 54th sheriff of Putnam County,[12] Smith took office on January 1,2002. According to the Putnam County Sheriff's Department biography of Smith,during the sheriff's tenure he has focused his efforts on community policing,"increasing the intensity of the war on drugs," and promoting "drivers’safety programs and safety belt usage". Smith's biography also said that his leadership is responsible for the expansion of school resource officers in Putnam County middle and high schools.[1]
By 2017,Smith's county salary was $142,818(equivalent to $183,205 in 2024).[5] Running that year for his fifth term as sheriff,Smith lost to Robert L. Langley Jr. by 341 votes. After 16 years as sheriff,Smith stepped down as Langley was sworn-in on December 29,2017.[15]
Adam Levy served as the Putnam County,New Yorkdistrict attorney (DA) from 2007–2015,and his relationship with Smith quickly befouled when each began arguing with the other over "perceived intrusions into each man's respective county agency." By January 2013,Smith had begun writing to New York and United States federallaw enforcement agencies about Levy's alleged interference.[7]
Alexandru Hossu was a Romanian in the United States on a years-expired travel visa. A friend and personal trainer to Levy,Hossu was arrested by the Putnam County Sheriff's Department on March 20,2013,and charged with raping a 12-year-old girl. Levy claimed the arrest was a political stunt by Smith in an effort to embarrass the district attorney;the sheriff's office issued press releases declaring Levy's address as Hossu's,though the latter "had not stayed there for months." Smith responded by saying that Levy was interfering with the investigation and that "Levy,'or someone acting at his direction,' had even tipped off Hossu and coached him on what to say during a monitored call with the alleged rape victim prior to the arrest."[7]
DA Levy contributed $30,000 to his friend's defense,and Hossu's lawyer was Levy's brother-in-law. Levy denied interfering in the criminal investigation nor knowing Hossu's visa status at the time of the arrest. Smith released a retraction "in which he apologized and acknowledged statements he made about Levy were 'untrue.'" In June 2017,Levy's defamationlawsuit against Smith was settled with the sheriff agreeing to drop his own lawsuit against Levy and pay $150,000(equivalent to $192,418 in 2024).[7] Of that amount,Smith paid $25,000 while Putnam County paid the rest. In late 2019,Hossu's lawsuit against Smith and the county was finalized:the government's insurer paid the man $500,000(equivalent to $614,929 in 2024),while the county itself owed half as much.[20]
↑Taliaferro, Lanning (December 31, 2017). "2018 Ushers In New Era At Putnam County Sheriff's Office". Southeast-Brewster Patch. Patch.com. Archived from the original on January 1, 2018. Retrieved January 22, 2018. A new leadership team headed by Robert L. Langley Jr. took the reins Friday after a swearing-in ceremony at the historic courthouse.
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