Sacramento County Sheriff's Deputy Arrested On Drug Charges

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - A 23-year veteran of the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department was arrested on drug charges Wednesday morning.

Deputy Kelly Curran Smith, 43, was charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance, obtaining a controlled substance by fraud or deceit, and unlawful use of personal identifying information of another. Smith was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail and released after posting bail.

According to court documents, Smith befriended a 90-year-old Rancho Cordova man and used his name to obtain a generic form of Vicodin several times at a Gold River pharmacy. The man's family members got suspicious and tipped off the sheriff's department.

Smith reportedly confessed to investigators but said the drugs were for her father who has cancer.

Smith is assigned to the Rancho Cordova Police Department, which contracts with the sheriff's department for services.

Sheriff's investigators on March 31 learned of alleged misconduct by Smith, according to department spokesman Deputy Jason Ramos. An investigation was immediately initiated and Smith was placed on administrative leave. Further investigation resulted in the charges that Smith was arrested for Wednesday, he said.

"Maintaining the public trust is paramount to the Sheriff's Department," Sheriff Scott Jones said in a prepared statement. "Any alleged violation of that trust is something that the Sheriff's Department will aggressively investigate and take appropriate action."

Both the administrative and criminal investigations into these allegations are ongoing.

Smith is scheduled to be in court May 16.