The Chief of Police for Prince George’s County was on hand when the guilty plea was announced. He said, “I absolutely will not tolerate wrongdoing by any member of this agency. Bad cops have no place in our profession; they tarnish the good work that is being done by the rest of our employees. I am very appreciative of the hard work that the United States Attorney’s office did to ensure the swift prosecution of Mr. Eddie Smith.”
The guilty plea dates back to a June 9 event when Smith, then a uniformed PG Police Officer met with Earl Blake, 53, in PG County. Smith told Blake he had a job for him, and drove Blake, in his marked police cruiser to a local SunTrust bank located in Temple Hills.
Smith didn’t just supply the job and information. He also gave an electric grinder/saw and other materials, then told black how to break into the ATM safe. Smith left Blake to do the heavy lifting. It was a matter of Blake going through the unlocked front door at SunTrust.
An alarm went off, but because Smith stayed in the area, when the PG Fire Department responded to the alarm, it saw the police cruiser and assumed the situation was being dealt with. Smith explained to the firefighters that he check out the building, and it was secured.
It didn’t end there as the firemen smelled something burning. A firefighter spotted Earl Blake inside the building.
Blake fled through a back door, and Smith followed to make it look like he was pursuing a suspect. He came back with no Blake and no information.
Other PG officers arrested Blake, and they also found the grinder. They found a damaged ATM that contained $40,540.
Former PG Police Officer Smith will be sentenced on Oct. 18 in U.S. District Court. He faces 20 years in prison. Earl Blake also pleaded guilty and will be sentenced on Aug. 12.
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