A man who fired several gunshots at a Guilford County sheriff's deputy who tried to arrest him two years ago faces what amounts to life in prison.
Daniel Roy Smith, 57, pleaded guilty to attempted murder and several other charges in Superior Court in Greensboro Tuesday in the assault on Cpl. J.W. Mecham on Aug. 29, 2009, near Pleasant Garden. He was sentenced to 26 to 31 years.
Smith, whose last known address was in Winston-Salem, encountered Mecham near the intersection of Pleasant Garden and Wiley Lewis roads in southern Guilford County, when the officer spotted him walking along the road about 4 a.m., got out of his patrol car and asked Smith for identification.
When Mecham checked Smith for outstanding warrants, he discovered he was wanted by federal marshals for absconding from a halfway house.
Smith lunged at Mecham with a gun in his hand when the officer told him about the warrant, according to court documents.
Smith began firing at Mecham when the officer went for his service weapon, and several rounds were exchanged. Mecham was not hit, while Smith was struck four times.
Smith pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in federal court in October 2010 and was sentenced to 21 years and 10 months in prison.
Sheriff BJ Barnes said the state sentence will take effect once Smith is released from federal prison, where he is expected to remain for another 28 years.
He is serving the balance of a sentence imposed for a bank robbery he committed, in addition to the sentence imposed last year on the firearms violation, authorities said.
Smith has an extensive criminal history, including prison stretches for bank robbery and other crimes involving guns and violent behavior.
His criminal history lists 24 aliases, seven different birth dates and three Social Security numbers, none of which are his.
Smith was previously convicted in federal court of two counts of bank robbery in 1988.
He also has an aggravated assault conviction in Ohio and his criminal record locally includes an armed robbery conviction in Guilford County in 1975 and aggravated assault in Forsyth County in 1983.
A real thug so fuck him.
