A woman from Cushing, Oklahoma is now facing murder charges following a visit she made to the Allen Gamble Correctional Center in 2020. It took three years for the District Attorney, Erik Johnson, to realize that there was no arrest warrant for her case. Once he became aware of this, he took immediate action and had her placed behind bars.
“We have Ms. Smoot back in our jurisdiction and we will proceed with her prosecution,” stated Erik Johnson, the District Attorney for Hughes County.
On February 8, 2020, Laura Smoot visited the Allen Gamble Correctional Center, as stated in the original affidavit.
During the investigation, Smoot was interviewed by the Cushing Police, who obtained an affidavit. In the affidavit, Smoot openly confessed to smuggling methamphetamine into the prison. As a result of her admission, she is now facing charges of second-degree murder.
Unfortunately, she managed to evade arrest.
When he assumed office in January, DA Johnson discovered that no warrant had been issued for Laura Smoot.
Johnson expressed uncertainty about why the case was not filed by his predecessor or his assistants at that time.
Johnson filed an arrest warrant on January 5, 2023, according to him.
But despite the passage of 11 months, Smoot managed to elude arrest.
Johnson acknowledged that the sheriff’s department swiftly resolved the issue upon being notified. They promptly obtained a copy of the warrant and uploaded it to NCIC.
Johnson collaborated with U.S. Marshals, leading to her eventual arrest. On December 13, she was then booked into the Payne County jail.
“There’s a fresh approach in District 22, with a new district attorney and an improved system implemented. One of the key focuses is ensuring that no case slips through the cracks,” Johnson emphasized.
Laura Smoot is being transferred to Hughes County.
The connection between Smoot and the inmate who passed away in 2020, who was serving a murder sentence, remains unknown.
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