SOUTH BEND — Will Smith, a Democratic candidate for South Bend mayor, was arrested early today in connection with a felony theft charge issued in Miami County.
The St. Joseph County warrants division arrested Smith, 32, about 7:20 a.m. today outside his home, according to a news release from St. Joseph County Sheriff William Redman.
The arrest was made without incident, according to Redman.
Smith was taken to the St. Joseph County Jail, where he is being held for an active warrant from Miami County. The Miami County Sheriff’s Department has been notified that Smith is in custody and arrangements will be made to transport him to Miami County, the sheriff said.
A warrant had been issued for Smith’s arrest related to the alleged theft of a recreational vehicle.
Smith, whose full name is William Elliot Smith, hasn’t yet been arraigned on the charge and is being held on $5,000 bond.
An arrest warrant was issued Monday for Smith for theft of property valued between $750 and $50,000.
If he’s convicted, state law would bar Smith from holding elected office; the deadline to drop out of the May 7 primary race has already passed.
According to documents filed in Miami County Superior Court, Smith is accused of stealing a 2019 Forest River travel trailer on Jan. 27 from RV Dynasty, an RV dealer in Bunker Hill, near Grissom Air Reserve Base. The alleged incident occurred just days before Smith filed as a candidate for South Bend mayor.
Surveillance video caught a black Chevy suburban style vehicle pulling the trailer, valued at $18,700, out of the sales lot, according to a probable cause affidavit. On Feb. 22, police were informed the trailer had been located at a home in Bourbon. The owner of the home told police Smith, a longtime friend from high school, asked if he could park the trailer at the home. The friend said Smith told him he purchased the trailer in Georgia, according to court documents.
The case in Miami County isn’t the only criminal investigation involving Smith.
South Bend police confirmed last month that Smith is a suspect in an auto theft in Starke County, after his repossessed vehicle was taken from an impound lot and found two days later at his home on Whitehall Drive in South Bend.
That case, under investigation by Starke County Sheriff’s Department, hasn’t yet resulted in charges. But Smith’s friend saw media reports about the alleged auto theft, prompting him to tell police the trailer in his driveway might be stolen, according to court documents.
Smith previously refused to comment on the allegations and did not respond to a request for comment Monday.
But he previously provided a written statement to WNDU, in which he claimed that police unnecessarily intervened in a “civil matter with a repossession agent,” and claimed a repossession agent later threatened him. Smith did not address either allegation of theft in the statement.
The 32-year-old candidate formerly served on a pair of committees for the city of South Bend. A graduate of Mishawaka High School and Indiana University South Bend, Smith previously worked as an insurance agent, but now is affiliated only with his sole-proprietor business, Investment Styles LLC, where he rents out his home on the website Airbnb and works as a contractor for ride-share services.
Tribune reporter Margaret Fosmoe and Lincoln Wright contributed to this report.