Wanted Oklahoma Mayor Turns Himself In

Sometime Thursday morning, Haskell mayor Charlie Smith turned himself in to the Wagoner County Sheriff's Department.<br/><br/>An arrest warrant was issued Wednesday for Smith for his role in a deadly

Wednesday, October 18th 2006, 5:20 pm

By: News On 6

Sometime Thursday morning, Haskell mayor Charlie Smith turned himself in to the Wagoner County Sheriff's Department.

An arrest warrant was issued Wednesday for Smith for his role in a deadly head on collision earlier this month.

Coweta chiropractor Doctor Shawn Lee was killed in that wreck. Coweta Police and US marshals tried to arrest Smith Wednesday but he wasn't home.

The Wagoner County district attorney filed first degree manslaughter charges against Smith for his in that wreck.

News on 6 reporter Jennifer Loren has been following this story.

The Coweta Police Department asked the Federal Marshals to help bring Mayor Smith in to custody.

Coweta Police and US Marshals impatiently looked for clues as to why Mayor Charlie Smith was not home.

No clues - so they waited.

Deputy Marshal Tom Wayerski: "We were just kind of surveilling the residence to see if there was any activity. And there wasn't? No."

After hours of surveillance there was still no mayor, so there was no arrest. But investigators say this is not about the mayor.

Lt Donnie Krumsiek: "It has nothing to do with politics. It has nothing to do with anything like that. It has to do with a violation of law and the fact that people have been wronged."

Those people are a small Coweta family.

Krumsiek: "In this case a wife is without her husband and two kids are without their father. You've got an 3 year old and an eighteen month old that will grow up without their father."

Doctor Shawn Lee, a well known chiropractor in Coweta was killed on October 4th in a head-on collision just south of town.

Police say Mayor Smith caused the wreck and was visibly drunk. They say they found a liquor bottle inside his car. But because he was injured, he was released.

Now that they've finished the investigation and have a warrant police want Smith behind bars.

Krumsiek: "I do know that if we do locate him he will be booked on first degree manslaughter charges."

Monday, the Coweta Police Department recommended that the Wagoner County DA's office charge Smith with second degree murder.

The prosecutor says first degree manslaughter is the most he can be charged with.

It carries a possible sentence of four years to life in prison.