The Gordon County Grand Jury indicted Gordon County School Board member Ricky E. Smith on 19 total counts, including seven counts of financial transaction card theft, nine counts of identity fraud and a count each of theft by taking, criminal trespass and influencing a witness this week.

Smith was arrested back on August 15, 2016 after a theft of currency and credit cards was reported from a private residence in the Red Bud community. The theft was reported on Aug. 12, 2016.

The indictments stated that between Aug. 5 and Aug. 17, 2016, Smith obtained without consent the wallet of Linda Joy Poole. Smith then used numerous debit cards without Poole’s consent.

Smith was also indicted on a count of theft by taking for taking approximately $200 in U.S. currency, along with a count of criminal trespass due to taking the wallet without authorization.

The indictment  went on to say that Smith did “knowingly use intimidation towards Linda Joy Poole, a witness, to investigator Mike Hill, a law enforcement officer, relating to the commission of a criminal offense” by contacting Poole and “Demanding that she get criminal charges dropped regarding the taking of her wallet and its contents and the unauthorized use of her financial transaction cards” in the wallet.

Smith is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday, March 30, 2017.

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A Gordon County Board of Education member has been arrested after a private citizen reported the theft of currency and financial transaction cards from a private residence in the Red Bud community in unincorporated Gordon County.

The theft is reported as having occurred on August 5th. The items were alleged to have been stolen from a purse in the home. The cards were subsequently used in a number of transactions at businesses in nearby Dalton, Georgia that same date. The victim was notified of unauthorized transactions by the credit card providers. Sheriff’s detectives and Dalton Police have acted in conjunction in this investigation. Dalton Police were able to identify the person using the credit cards as Ricky E. Smith, of Calhoun using video surveillance film.

Monday evening at approximately 7 p.m., Smith turned himself in to Sheriff’s detectives at the county jail. He has been charged with the following offenses:

  1. Theft by Taking (misdemeanor) (2 counts)
  2. Identity Fraud (2 counts)
  3.  Financial Transaction Card Theft (3 counts)

Smith is being held in the county jail pending bond proceedings. Sheriff’s detectives understand that additional charges will be filed against him by authorities in Dalton.

According to Gordon County authorities, “Mr. Smith currently serves as a member of the Gordon County Board of Education. This investigation did NOT involve allegations of misconduct as an elected member of the Board, and there have been no allegations or evidence of misuse of any public funds.”