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PEORIA POLICE
ARREST HOMICIDE FUGITIVE, RECOVER POSSIBLE MURDER WEAPON
 On
Thursday, October 20, 2005, Peoria Detectives were contacted by
Investigators from Reno, Nevada, who advised that a fugitive
homicide suspect may be staying in Peoria.
Wanted in connection with a March 2004 homicide, Arthur “Smitty”
Smith has been eluding investigators from Reno and the F.B.I. for
over 18 months. Smith is accused of killing a man in the street over
a narcotics deal. Because Smith fled Nevada, a warrant for Unlawful
Flight for Avoiding Prosecution was issued, which pulls in federal
resources to assist with locating the fugitive. In addition to the
Nevada homicide, Smith was wanted on additional felony warrants out
of Wyoming and Washington State for drug trafficking. He is said to
have an extensive criminal history involving shootings and narcotics
violations.
An arrest team from Peoria converged on an apartment at 8885 W.
Thunderbird Road where Smith was reported to be staying. Upon
entering the apartment, officers located Smith, his girlfriend, and
the couple’s 18 month old son, and took Smith into custody without
incident.
Suspect Arthur “Smitty” Smith
Date of Birth: 04-21-1973
During the arrest, Peoria Detectives also discovered a black steel
revolver with wood grips that matches the description of the murder
weapon, which was not recovered in Reno’s initial investigation.
After the arrest, Reno detectives were contacted and they
immediately flew to Peoria to interview Smith, who was later booked
into the 4th Avenue Jail. Smith must appear before a magistrate
locally to determine his extradition to Nevada.
For questions on this release, please contact Jay Davies via pager:
602-208-9081. Thank you.
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