Fired Smyrna official to perform community service to avoid trial

<p>A fired Smyrna official has agreed to do community service to avoid going to trial for an alleged prank in which he placed an envelope of white powder on a co-workers desk.</p><p>Howard Smith Jr. served as city administrator for about five years, until the mayor and city council fired him for undisclosed reasons in November 2001.</p><p>Smith was scheduled to go to trial Jan. 12 in Cobb County Superior Court after being indicted by a Cobb County grand jury on felony charges of distributing a hoax device.</p><p>Smith allegedly placed an envelope containing white powder on the desk of Jay Joseph, a city human resources employee, on Oct. 9, 2001. The hoax happened around the same time anthrax scares were sweeping the nation.</p><p>Attorney Vic Reynolds has said his clients action was simply a prank.</p><p>Smith was indicted days after being fired from the city in 2001. If convicted, he faced a maximum of up to five years in prison and a $25,000 fine, according to the Cobb County District Attorneys office.</p><p>Instead of going to trial, Superior Court Judge Ken Nix approved Smith last month for acceptance into a pretrial diversion program.</p><p>District Attorney Pat Head said people enrolled in the program are supervised for a period of time and typically serve between 200 to 400 hours of community service.</p><p>Information from: Marietta Daily Journal</p>