Smith
Formal charges were filed Monday against two men in connection to the death of a state trooper from Franklin.
Eddie P. Jones Jr., 18, of Sikeston, Missouri, is charged with murder, resisting law enforcement with a vehicle resulting in death as a Level 2 felony and auto theft as a Level 6 felony. He was allegedly driving the stolen 2016 Chevrolet Traverse that fatally struck Indiana State Trooper Aaron Smith, 33, during a police pursuit in Hendricks County last week.
Jones’ passenger, DeMareon L. Curry, 19, also from Sikeston, has been charged with auto theft and resisting law enforcement, both Level 6 felonies, according to online court records.
Both Jones and Curry appeared in court Monday for initial hearings on the charges. Hendricks County Prosecutor Loren Delp asked for Jones to be remanded to the Hendricks County Jail pending trial, which was granted by the court, Delp’s office said in a news release.
State police say the 15-year-old found in the car was listed as a missing person from Missouri, and was expected to be turned over to Missouri authorities on Thursday. She is not facing charges from the incident.
Court documents unsealed Monday detail what led up to Smith’s death, including how the car was stolen and what the driver said in the aftermath.
The car
Six days before the deadly incident, Jones, Curry and the 15-year-old girl were at Jones’ mother’s home in Sikeston, Missouri. When Jones’ mother fell asleep, he allegedly took her keys and left in her SUV with Curry and the girl, according to court documents filed in Hendricks County Circuit Court.
When Jones’ mother called about her car being gone, the three decided to go to St. Louis, where they slept in the car for a few days. Jones worked for a food delivery app to make money before deciding to travel to meet a friend of Curry’s in Bloomington, the affidavit shows.
They then went to Indianapolis, arriving on June 26, and stayed in the parking lot of a hotel. At this point, the SUV was reported stolen from Missouri.
State troopers first found the SUV at a gas station on the 4000 block of Kentucky Avenue in Indianapolis after receiving a FLOCK camera notification. A trooper ordered the occupants to place their hands out of the window of the car, according to court documents.
The occupants initially complied, but as the trooper was waiting for backup, the SUV backed into the trooper’s car before feeling the scene. It also struck another car in the parking lot, court documents say.
Jones later told police that he initially wanted to surrender, but Curry allegedly told him to flee. He allegedly said he then gave into “peer pressure” and decided to flee police, court documents show.
Police also say Jones said he was trying to get to the interstate because Curry allegedly believed troopers would stop the pursuit at that point.
The pursuit
The SUV first went south on Kentucky Avenue before turning onto northbound Ronald Reagan Parkway and crossing over into Hendricks County. Eventually, the SUV did a U-turn and began to head south on the parkway, according to court documents.
At this point, Smith, a five-year ISP veteran, positioned his patrol car on the ramp from the parkway to Interstate 70 westbound. He tried to de-escalate the pursuit by deploying stop sticks on the vehicle, which was traveling at a high rate of speed.
However, the vehicle veered right, striking Smith and launching him into the air. He was pushed off the road and came to a rest at the bottom of a nearby embankment. The stolen SUV also went down the embankment, court documents say.
Emergency medical aid was rendered to Smith at the scene. He was rushed to Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis, where he died.
Jones later told police his glasses had slid off his face during the u-turn, impairing his vision. Curry then allegedly gave him directions on where to go, according to court documents.
Prosecutors say Jones said that he saw Smith from about 100 yards away and applied his brakes, but he lost control and struck Smith.
A review of both dash cam and traffic camera footage shows that prior to striking Smith, the SUV was originally in the far left lane of Ronald Reagan Parkway with no obstacles in its path. Smith is seen moving from the far right emergency lane to the right turn lane of southbound Ronald Reagan Parkway with stop sticks in his hand. There were “almost two complete lanes” of travel separating Smith and the SUV at this time, court documents show.
At the moment Smith throws stop sticks in the SUV’s path, it veers to the right toward Smith, crossing multiple lanes of traffic and striking him, court documents show.
The 15-year-old girl in the car later told investigators that they saw both Smith and his car before he was struck.
Smith remembered
Smith, who lived in Franklin, was a 2008 graduate of Whiteland Community High School. He is survived by his wife Megan, a teacher at the Clark-Pleasant Early Learning Center.
Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter said Smith was a ‘shining star’ for ISP. In April, Smith was presented with two lifesaving awards by Carter for his actions during two incidents in 2022.
For the first, Smith and trooper Hunter McCord helped a woman who was shot in her car on Interstate 70 in Indianapolis on Oct. 22, 2022. He received the second award for helping a man who was shot on Nov. 16, 2022.
On Monday, Franklin officials were expected to briefly pause the city’s Firecracker Festival to honor Smith’s life. There will be an intermission during the concert on Monday where a moment of silence and briefs remarks by ISP Superintendent Carter was expected to take place, an official said.
Smith’s funeral is set for Friday when family members, friends, community members, Indiana State Police Troopers as well as police officers and other first responders from across the state and country will gather to memorialize and celebrate his life. He will receive police and military honors, as he was also a sergeant in the Indiana National Guard, according to ISP.
Following the funeral at Emmanuel Church in Greenwood, a police procession will escort Smith to Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis. The procession route has not yet been announced, but community members are encouraged to line the procession route to honor the service and sacrifice of Smith, according to ISP.
A visitation is set to take place on Thursday, with the funeral, procession and burial set for Friday. Online condolences can be sent to the family at www.swartzmortuary.com.
HONORING SMITH
Here’s a look at the funeral arrangements for Trooper Aaron Smith:
Visitation
When: Thursday from 2 to 8 p.m.
Where: Emmanuel Church, 1640 W. Stones Crossing Road, Greenwood
Funeral
When: Friday at 11 a.m.
Where: Emmanuel Church, Greenwood
Procession
When: Friday following the funeral
Where: Route to be announced
Burial
When: Friday following the procession
Where: Crown Hill Cemetery — Heroes of Public Safety Area, 700 W. 38th St., Indianapolis.
HOW TO HELP
An official memorial fund for Trooper Aaron Smith has been established to benefit his family at Indiana Members Credit Union. The fund is listed under “Aaron Smith Memorial Fund.”
Anyone can make a donation by stopping in the nearest IMCU branch, or by calling 800-556-9268. Branch locations can be found online at imcu.com/connect/locations.
Local branches include:
- Franklin: 1073 W. Jefferson St.
- Center Grove: 1604 S. State Road 135
- Greenwood: 1115 N. Madison Avenue
Donations can also be made through the Indiana Fallen Heroes Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization at paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=67UJVY86UNWZA.
To help with the funeral and other final expenses, contributions can be made directly to the Indiana Fallen Heroes Foundation at: Indiana Fallen Heroes Foundation, Inc., 1710 S. 10th St., Noblesville, IN 46060.
