Docs: Indianapolis homicide helps police solve Carmel armed robbery

HAMILTON COUNTY, Ind. -- An Indianapolis woman is charged with armed robbery in Hamilton County after Carmel police used a tragic incident from the suspect's past to help solve that crime.




On Valentine's Day in 2020, a gun deal along Hemlock Avenue on Indy's near north side turned deadly.




On that day, 20-year-old Chad Smitherman was shot and sought help at a nearby gas station before dying a few hours later.




"I just miss him.  I miss him so much," Lisa Smitherman, Chad's mother, said in June 2020.  "There's a hole in my soul that can't be replaced."




Later that year, Lisa Smitherman took part in a peace walk, imploring other parents to set a good example for their kids.




"Just because they are grown doesn't mean they don't still need guidance from mom and dad," she said in August 2020.




Last month, Carmel police researched that history and linked Lisa Smitherman to a robbery at a Walgreens on Rangeline Road, where she allegedly walked behind the register in September and stole more than $800 in cigarettes.

Court records claim that when an employee confronted the suspect, she repeatedly said she had a gun.




Another employee also insisted the same woman had committed the same crime the week before.




After the robbery, Smitherman allegedly walked across the street to a Speedway and was driven away in a red truck.




Surveillance video helped police track down the getaway driver who said he didn't know Lisa Smitherman's full name but told officers about her tragic past. 




Although the driver couldn't remember her last name, he told police the suspect's son had been killed a few years ago near a gas station on 38th Street.




After researching information on that homicide, Carmel police were able to identify the suspect, and an employee at the Walgreens identified a picture of Lisa Smitherman as the armed thief.




"This is not a place to come and commit crimes. It's definitely not a place to come in with guns and steal stuff or rob stuff from people. We have zero tolerance for it," said Hamilton County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Josh Kocher.




Court records in Hamilton County claim the suspect confessed she had stolen the cigarettes and had a gun. but denied threatening anyone with the weapon.




Regardless of her sad past, prosecutors hope the case sends a simple message.




"We're going to catch you and we're going to prosecute you if you do this in Hamilton County," said Kocher.




In addition to armed robbery, Lisa Smitherman is also charged with theft and intimidation. Her bond at the Hamilton County jail has been set at $25,000.





via: https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/docs-indianapolis-homicide-helps-police-solve-carmel-armed-robbery/