A Hot Springs man who fled the scene of a wreck last year while carrying his 3-year-old daughter, falling on top of her at one point, and leaving his 2-year-old son home alone, pleaded guilty to felony charges Monday.
George Alan Smith, 43, who had remained in custody since his arrest Nov. 23, 2018, in lieu of $5,000 bond, pleaded guilty in Garland County Circuit Court to two counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a minor and was sentenced to five years' probation on each count, to run concurrently, and ordered to pay $870 in court costs, fines and fees.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on Nov. 23, shortly after 2:30 p.m., Hot Springs police Sgt. LeeAnn Zaner responded to a two-vehicle wreck at Malvern Avenue and Huntleigh Drive and saw a red Ford Ranger in the inside lane with heavy rear-end damage and a green Dodge Caravan with heavy front-end damage blocking the outside lane.
One witness said the Caravan driver had fled the scene and another man, later identified as Smith, had attempted to flee the scene while holding a small female child, later identified as his 3-year-old daughter. In the process of fleeing, he fell and landed on top of his daughter on Malvern.
A second witness stated she came upon the wreck and only saw one man, identified as Smith, running across the roadway with a toddler in his arms. She said she saw him fall and land on top of the girl, causing "a large bump" to her forehead.
The driver of the Ranger said he didn't see anyone else in the vehicle other than Smith and the child. He said he saw a green minivan speeding toward him while he was stopped for traffic and he "pumped his brakes" multiple times to no avail. The van impacted the rear of his truck at full speed and he looked up to see Smith running away with a small child.
Smith denied being the driver of the vehicle, even though the vehicle was found to belong to him. He said "a guy picked him up at the gas station down the road" because it was raining. He said he didn't know the guy's name, except "Ronald." He said his daughter was in the back of the van and flew up and hit the back of his seat when the wreck happened.
Zaner noted there was no car seat in the vehicle. Smith denied running with his child and claimed the unknown male driver had started running with his child and he chased him down and got her back.
Smith and his daughter were transported by LifeNet to CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs where the daughter was treated for bruising and a hematoma on her forehead.
A couple who said they were the girl's grandparents came to the emergency room and asked about their 2-year-old grandson. They stated their daughter, the children's mother, worked at a local restaurant and when the children were not at daycare Smith was supposed to be watching them. Smith claimed his son was with a baby sitter on Carson Street.
A short time later, the mother of the children arrived who stated she had just got off work and when she walked into her residence she found her son alone in the living room with no one else at home. She said Smith told her earlier in the day he was at the house with both children.
She told police the car seats for the children were in her truck. She said they had just purchased the Caravan a week earlier and did not have it licensed or insured.
Smith was arrested at the hospital and later told police he began drinking around 6 a.m. that day and consumed a pint and a half of vodka. He said some friends of his came over and one friend, Ronald, drove him to the restaurant so he could see if the children's mother was "really working."
He said on the way back Ronald rear-ended another vehicle and then ran from the scene with Smith's daughter. He said he chased after him and got his daughter back. He claimed the bump on her head was from the wreck and that Ronald's girlfriend was baby-sitting his son when he and Ronald left the house.