On May 7, 2019, Nathan Smith, age 19, of Hurlock, Maryland, was convicted of use of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence and second degree assault in the Worcester County Circuit Court. He was sentenced by the Honorable Brian D. Shockley to serve a mandatory minimum of 5 years’ incarceration at the Division of Correction for the firearm offense, and sentenced to serve 10 years’ incarceration for the assault charge, with all but time served suspended. He is to be on supervised probation upon his release from prison.
The charges stem from an incident that occurred in the parking lot of Walmart in Pocomoke City, Maryland on November 19, 2018. Smith met the victim in the parking lot to conduct a drug deal. The victim got into a vehicle with Smith, at which point an altercation ensued leading to Smith pulling out a gun and shooting the victim in the leg, causing non-life threatening injuries. As the victim was able to exit the vehicle and limp away, eye witnesses reported that Smith drove the vehicle directly at the victim in an attempt to run him over. The victim escaped by ducking behind a tractor trailer parked in the parking lot. Police reviewed video surveillance and spoke with witnesses and were eventually able to identify Smith as the suspect. A photo lineup was shown to the victim, who positively identified Smith as the shooter.
Worcester County State’s Attorney Kris Heiser applauded the efforts of the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation, a combined investigative unit comprised of the Maryland State Police, Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, Pocomoke City Police Department and Berlin Police Department. She also thanked Det. Clarke for his thorough investigation, and praised Assistant State’s Attorney Jared Monteiro who prosecuted the case.
