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Trial set in scuffle involving councilman

A.J. Smith, his sister and two women are to be in city Municipal court on Aug. 16.

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By Jessica Heffner, Staff Writer 12:52 AM Friday, July 30, 2010

MIDDLETOWN — City Councilman A.J. Smith and the three woman facing disorderly conduct charges following a scuffle will all have their day in court Aug. 16.

Ashley Knight, 18, and Sherrell Knight, 22, agreed Thursday, July 29, to have their case continued.

One reason for the delay was because police Officer Jason Deaton, who responded to the scuffle, is recovering from injuries he suffered after he was assaulted during a traffic stop July 21, said Juliette Dame, the prosecutor in the case.

Smith, 21, the Knights and Smith’s sister, Elicia Smith, 20, are to go before Franklin Municipal Judge James Ruppert on Aug. 16 in Middletown Municipal Court. Judge Mark Wall will not hear the case because of Smith’s involvement in city government.

The disorderly conduct charges all four face stem from a July 14 incident in the 2000 block of Aaron Drive. Police responded to a report of a disturbance and found three females and a male on the ground. The male later identified himself to police as “Councilman Smith.”

According to police, the incident started with text messages between Ashley Knight and Elicia Smith. When the two met in person, Knight’s sister entered the scuffle. Elicia Smith is dating the father of Ashley Knight’s child, authorities said.

The councilman said he insisted Deaton issue each of them summons to court so his sister could get “justice” for the incident. Smith said he was only defending his sister during the scuffle.

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