Lance Smith

Name:
Smith, Lance R

Date of Booking:
10/17/2025

Reason(s) For Booking:
Criminal Trespass (Family Violence) – Damage of $500 or less

Battery- Family Violence (1st offense) MISD

Aggravated Assault (Family Violence)

Officer’s Narrative:
[Please note: The following is a direct transcription from the official initial incident report. The Georgia Gazette does not fix any spelling or grammatical errors that may exist. Any changes or redactions made by our staff are placed inside brackets. Some errors may exist. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The topics discussed may be sensitive to some readers. Discretion is advised.]

On October 16, 2025, at approximately 2256 hours, I responded code one, non-emergency, to [200 BLOCK] Lynn Road for a Domestic Dispute. Before my arrival, I was informed by dispatch that the caller, [WITNESS #1], stated that his mother, [VICTIM #1], and her fiancé, Lance Smith, were arguing and Lance had struck [VICTIM #1], and they were still fighting.

Upon my arrival, I observed Lance, who walked off the porch and to the back of a blue pick-up truck. Lance, very clearly, had been drinking and was highly intoxicated. Lance was observed having staggered footsteps and having to hold on to the vehicle for balance. I approached Lance and formally introduced myself. Not happy with the presence, Lance was blurting out statements such as “Fu*k you.”, while flipping me the bird, or stating, “Fu*k you, Pigs.”

I asked Lance what was going on tonight between him and [VICTIM #1]. Lance just stated that he and [VICTIM #1] were having a marital argument about household bills and other financial issues. While making small talk with Lance, I kept circling back to the same questions, such as what had happened tonight and whether anything physical had occurred before my arrival or earlier in the day. Lance kept denying any physicality between him and [VICTIM #1] but stated that they had been arguing.

Meanwhile, Deputy Bazinet had contacted [VICTIM #1] on the porch while I spoke with Lance. Lance kept looking back at [VICTIM #1] and Deputy Bazinet, making statements about how close they were while talking. I reassured Lance that everything was fine, explaining that we were discussing the reason for our visit to their residence. Not listening to me, Lance turned around and proceeded to walk towards Deputy Bazinet and [VICTIM #1].

Immediately, with a stern voice, I began calling Lance to stay down off the porch with me, all the while getting the attention of Deputy Bazinet. Due to Lance’s behavior and attempted advance towards Deputy Bazinet, while he had his back turned, I instructed Lance to place his hands behind his back, while grabbing his left wrist and attempting to put it behind his back. Lance was not compliant with my commands.

Deputy Bazinet then stepped off the porch and assisted me in placing Lance into handcuffs. Lance was cuffed in a standing position; the handcuffs were checked for proper fit and double locked. I immediately informed dispatch that I had one male detained. Almost immediately after, Deputy Bazinet informed Lance that he was now under arrest for Battery Family Violence. While instructing Lance to walk to my vehicle, he would not move. It was at this time that Deputy Bazinet and I each grabbed an arm of Lance’s and escorted him to my patrol vehicle.

Incident to arrest, Lance was asked if he had anything on his person that was going to poke, stick, or stab me. Lance replied with yes and informed me that he had a pocketknife in his right front pocket. Lance was then searched for contraband and the weapons he claimed to have. No contraband was found, and the pocketknives were retrieved. Lance was placed into the back of my patrol vehicle and secured with a seatbelt.

Deputy Bazinet then informed me of his conversation with [VICTIM #1], sharing her statement and his findings. [VICTIM #1] was found to have marks on her elbow indicative of a fall, as well as red marks around her neck, consistent with Lance’s hand. When questioned about Lance grabbing her by the throat, [VICTIM #1] stated that they both had been drinking, and he didn’t mean to. It was also learned that [VICTIM #1] had been shoved to the ground and struck on the left side of the face with a closed fist.

I then spoke with [WITNESS #1] (son of [VICTIM #1]). [WITNESS #1] stated that, before our arrival, he had heard [VICTIM #1] and Lance arguing from his bedroom. He came out of his bedroom as his mother was coming inside. Lance was out in the front pasture, screaming and yelling. While [VICTIM #1] went to the bathroom, [WITNESS #1] walked outside to find Lance still in the front pasture, screaming. [WITNESS #1], not wanting to be around [VICTIM #1] and Lance, turned back, went inside, and attempted to leave. Lance then came inside, yelling in [VICTIM #1]’s face. This is when [VICTIM #1] pushed Lance into a chair to calm Lance.

Lance then got up from the chair and shoved [VICTIM #1] to the ground, and with a closed fist, struck the left side of [VICTIM #1]’s face. [WITNESS #1] then stated that this is the point where he ran out of the house, went to the neighbors, and called 911. [VICTIM #1] denied wanting to fill out a witness statement. [WITNESS #1] agreed to write out a witness statement.

[WITNESS #1]’s witness statement stated that at the beginning of the argument, he told them three times to stop. Lance then got in [WITNESS #1]’s face and said, “What are you going to do about it?” It was at this point, according to [WITNESS #1]’s witness statement, that [VICTIM #1] got in between them to stop Lance. It was at this time that Lance shoved [VICTIM #1] to the ground, and [WITNESS #1] ran off the porch to call 911.

Shortly thereafter, Lance was informed of his charges. [VICTIM #1] was provided with a family violence pamphlet attached with a case number and was informed and instructed on how to file for a Temporary Protective Order (T.P.O). [VICTIM #1] was also informed about the women’s shelter and their crisis hotline in case she needed additional help.

Lance was then transported to the Barrow County Detention Center. While en route to the detention center, Lance continued with his foul remarks and claimed to have our jobs because we did not Mirandize him. Lance further stated that he was well educated in his rights and that I needed to pull the car over and read him his Miranda rights.

After a short trip to the jail, Lance was turned over to the detention staff, where he was semi-compliant with the detention officer’s and deputies’ orders. After Lance was searched, I informed him of the last time of his charges, to which he again began to complain that he was not Mirandized.

A victim notification form was completed, and the detention staff turned it over. Before the shift and after the transport of Lance, I searched the back seat of my patrol car, finding no weapons or contraband.

The following warrants will be obtained for Lance Smith:
O.C.G.A. 16-5-21 Aggravated Assault (Strangulation) – A person commits the offense of aggravated assault when he or she assaults: With any object, device, or instrument which, when used offensively against a person, is likely to or actually does result in strangulation.

To wit: Lance Smith grabbed with his hand the neck of [VICTIM #1] in an attempt to strangle her during a physical altercation.

O.C.G.A. 16-5-23.1 Battery (Family Violence) – A person commits the offense of battery when he or she intentionally causes substantial physical harm or visible bodily harm to another.

To wit: Lance Smith knowingly and willfully left red marks on the neck of [VICTIM #1] and scrapes on her elbow.

O.C.G.A 16-7-21 Criminal Trespass (Family Violence) – A person commits the offense of criminal trespass when he or she intentionally damages any property of another without consent of that other person and the damage thereto is $500.00 or less or knowingly and maliciously interferes with the possession or use of the property of another person without consent of that person.

To wit: Lance Smith did knowingly and willfully break a flowerpot on the front porch during the physical altercation between him and [VICTIM #1].

[End of Narrative]