Laura Smoot, from Cushing, is currently facing murder charges following her 2020 visit to the Allen Gamble Correctional Center, resulting in her arrest three years later. District Attorney Erik Johnson took action upon discovering the absence of an arrest warrant in her case earlier this year.
Erik Johnson, the District Attorney for Hughes County, stated that they have Ms. Smoot back in their jurisdiction and they will prosecute her. According to the original affidavit, it was stated that Laura Smoot had visited the Allen Gamble Correctional Center (formerly Davis Correctional Facility) on February 8, 2020.
Surveillance footage revealed Smoot passing an item to inmate Peter Gloria, who swallowed it. An hour later, Gloria was found unresponsive and pronounced dead at the hospital.
The affidavit states that Cushing Police interviewed Smoot, and she admitted to bringing methamphetamine into the prison, leading to the filing of second-degree murder charges. However, she was never formally arrested.
DA Johnson, upon taking office in January, noticed the absence of a warrant for Laura Smoot. He expressed uncertainty about why the case was never filed by his predecessor or assistants at that time. Consequently, on January 5, 2023, he filed an arrest warrant.
Despite 11 months passing without her arrest, Johnson collaborated with the sheriff’s department to rectify the situation, promptly uploading a copy of the warrant to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC).
Working with U.S. Marshals, Johnson facilitated her eventual arrest. Laura Smoot was booked into the Payne County jail on December 13. Johnson emphasized the implementation of new systems in District 22, ensuring cases do not slip through the cracks.
Laura Smoot is slated to be transferred to Hughes County. The nature of the relationship between Smoot and the inmate who died in 2020, serving time for murder, remains unknown.
Source: https://kfor.com/news/local/oklahoma-woman-arrested-three-years-after-deadly-prison-visit/