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| Connell inmate pleads innocent to attempted murder |
| By thenewstribune.com - Kristin M. Kraemer |
| Published: 08/31/2011 |
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PASCO -- Two years after a Connell prisoner was nearly bludgeoned to death, the man allegedly responsible for the attack made his first court appearance Tuesday under heavy guard. Kenneth Smith, 34, was flanked by two state corrections officers while at least three others stood nearby during the Franklin County Superior Court hearing. Franklin County corrections officers also provided extra security while Smith entered an innocent plea in the June 2009 beating of Scott McDonald that has been described as a "pretty violent incident." McDonald, of Pasco, surprised doctors when he survived the attack but he lost his left eye and suffered brain damage. Smith is charged with first-degree attempted murder, with first-degree assault offered as an alternative. He would face a mandatory life sentence on the attempted murder if prosecutors can prove he is a "persistent offender" with previous convictions on two separate occasions for "a most serious offense." Smith is in custody in the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla on a 26-year sentence from Snohomish County. He was convicted of three counts of assault in 1996. Since the incident involving McDonald at Coyote Ridge Corrections Center, Smith has had serious infractions for threatening someone, fighting and assault, according to Department of Corrections officials. He is being held in the Walla Walla facility's Intensive Management Unit and will remain there while this case is pending. Read More. |
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