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LUPD officers gave testimony April 5 regarding a man they arrested with an arsenal of assorted weapons
A Jefferson County judge increased an inmate's bond from roughly $4,000 to almost $200,000 in an April 5 hearing regarding the fired Lamar University employee arrested on campus last week with an arsenal of assorted weapons.
Hearing testimony from an FBI agent, Lamar University officers and a Nederland police officer, Judge Terrence Holmes increased the bond for Mark Edward Smith, 63, who was charged with four misdemeanors including DWI, unlawfully carrying a firearm, resisting arrest and failure to identify. Smith's bond was initially set at $4,400, low enough for prosecutors to fear for his release.
Lead prosecutor Raymond Shearer asked Judge Holmes to increase Smith's bond to $25,000 for each charge, noting Smith's family claimed to have no intention of bailing him out. However, Shearer argued a change of heart and a couple hundred dollars would result in Smith's release, when, prosecutors allege, he could presumably have a second chance to harm someone.
Apparently disagreeing with the defense's claim that the prosecution and testifying officers failed to offer a scintilla of evidence to the claims that Smith is a danger to the community, Judge Holmes decided to up the bond on each charge to $50,000.
From the original story:
Following his termination, a former Lamar University maintenance worker returned to campus with an assortment of arms and ammunition. The man was arrested without injury, but not before asking Lamar Police to shoot him.
Mark Edward Smith, 63, had served the university as an HVAC controls mechanic from 2016 until his termination last week. According to the probable cause affidavit release by the Jefferson County DA, just after 9 p.m. March 29, an LU officer was on duty in a parking lot when she observed a white man, later identified as Smith, lean out of his car to ask if she had kids.
After her requested assistance arrived, the officers approached Smith and asked for his identification. Through reportedly slurred speech, Smith told officers his name was “Will Dickem.” While incoherently talking with police, Smith began reaching toward his passenger side, where the officer noticed an assault rifle. The officers told Smith to place his hands on the steering wheel as they removed the arsenal from his truck. Upon further inspecting the vehicle, officers found five loaded handguns, two loaded AK-47 rifles, as well as a bag of loose ammunition -- all within Smith’s immediate reach.
The officers asked Smith to step out of the car, a command he ignored while “hugging” a bottle of Black Velvet liquor. Smith repeatedly pulled himself back into his truck as officers attempted to arrest him and allegedly asked to be shot.
Officers were eventually able to restrain Smith. According to officers, Smith hurled slurs at EMTs attempting to aid him, leading LUPD to transport him to the hospital for medical clearance. He was then booked into the Jefferson County Jail on a bond totaling $4,400 and appeared on the inmate roster at the time of publication. Smith was issued a trespass warning for all of Lamar University’s property and was charged with driving while intoxicated, one count of unlawfully carrying a weapon, failure to identify and resisting arrest.
Contact LUPD at (409) 880-7777 with any further information about this incident. Additionally, LUPD asks to call them if Smith is spotted on campus. LUPD is conducting a criminal investigation at this time.