“At the time that Eric was carrying his firearm and his badge, he was not working in any capacity nor had any jurisdiction at the Champaign County Fair,” Sheriff’s Office staff said.
Smith did not immediately respond to a request for comment. St. Paris is a village of about 1,800 people, 12 miles west of Urbana.
The Sheriff’s Office said they learned of the situation at 6:03 p.m. and located Smith at 6:19 p.m. in the rides/midway area of the fair. The Sheriff’s statement says Smith was told to return his gun to his car or leave the fair, but that Smith refused and said he was going to continue carrying his firearm while at the fair.
Smith was advised that it was a direct order from Champaign County Sheriff Matthew Melvin that if he “was not working as a law enforcement officer at the fair then his firearm needed to be returned to his vehicle.” The statement said he refused again.
When he was spotted a short time later continuing to openly carry his gun and badge, Smith was arrested and trespassed “for the remainder” of the fair, and transported to Tri County Regional Jail on counts of obstructing official business and criminal trespass, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Smith was first appointed St. Paris police chief in 2021. He previously served in eastern Ohio and was the Bethesda Police Department chief for three years. He resigned that Bethesda post after an Ohio Attorney General’s Office investigation of allegations that he misused criminal justice data system the Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway, according to The Intelligencer.
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