Charges in drive-by shooting expected to be upgraded|[5/24/05]
Published 12:00 am Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Madison County authorities said Monday they plan to upgrade to aggravated assault the charges against two people who own a business in Vicksburg and are accused in an early-Sunday shooting in Ridgeland.
Judith Kristie Smith, 37, 132 Pebble Beach Drive, and Thomas Randy Clark Jr., 33, 109 Hillside Circle, were initially charged with committing a drive-by shooting and released on $5,000 bond each. The new charge carries a possible 20-year prison sentence.
The woman wounded in the shooting remained in intensive care at University Medical Center in fair condition, authorities said.
Separately, Clark reported to Vicksburg police Monday that he had received a threatening message following the shooting and that his home had been burglarized. Among the items reported missing was a Glock 10mm pistol.
Authorities in Ridgeland say they have not recovered the semi-automatic weapon from Sunday’s shooting and have not said what caliber weapon was used.
Clark, who gave authorities in Madison County a Fisher Ferry Road address, told police that he returned home from working out-of-town around 11:36 p.m. and found a window had been pried open. In addition to the gun, he reported a DVD player, television, camera, DVDs and CDs missing, according to police reports.
Smith and Clark are business partners in Manicures, Martinis and Magic, 1312 Washington St., in downtown Vicksburg. They have not returned phone calls.
Smith is also a family lawyer who has been a member of the Mississippi Bar Association since 1994, according to her colleagues. She operates Smith-Miller, Boone and Associates in Jackson.
Witnesses say Smith and Clark chased down another vehicle following a minor car wreck in the parking lot of a Krystal restaurant in Ridgeland.
Susan Wiltshire, 22, of Brandon, suffered a gunshot wound that entered her left arm. Two passengers, Elizabeth Wiltshire and Joseph Turnage, both 19, were unharmed.
Gunpowder residue tests were done on both Smith and Clark to determine who fired the weapon, Ridgeland Police Lt. John Neal said.
Police have asked crime lab officials to rush the results, he said. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for June 7.