Dad (and county sheriff deputy) pulls knife on wife, and tries to blame her for being the aggressor; 8-year-old tells truth (Tavares, Florida)

Dad STEVEN SMITH is a deputy with the Orange County, Florida Sheriff's Office. After assaulting his wife and pulling a knife on her, he figured he could pull the old switcheroo trick and accuse the woman of being the aggressor. What he didn't count on was his very brave 8-year-old daughter standing up and telling the police the truth, even after Dad tried to yank the phone away from her while she was calling 911. Unfortunately, even though Dad has been arrested, he will still get pay while relieved of his duties. Can we give this little girl a medal?

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/lake/orl-lkorange-deputy-arrested-in-la081009aug10,0,7498732.story

Orange deputy arrested in Tavares on domestic-assault charges

Amy L. Edwards and Anthony Colarossi Sentinel Staff Writers
August 10, 2009

TAVARES — An Orange County deputy has been arrested on domestic-assault charges after an incident in which a child reported to police that her father was threatening her mother, reports show.

Deputy Steven Smith was arrested by Tavares police.

An arrest affidavit states that Tavares police responded to a residence after receiving a 911 call from a child at about 1:31 a.m. Wednesday.

Smith, 30, told police that "his wife pulled a knife on him, which was lying in the sink," the report says.

But an 8-year-old girl in the home told police that she was sleeping and then woke up an "heard my mommy screaming, 'Call 911,'" the report says.

The child said she ran to the bathroom to grab the phone and while passing the bathroom door, she saw "my daddy holding my mommy down on the bed and he was going to hit her," according to the affidavit.

The child then called 911, but said that Smith grabbed the phone from her, the report says.

"After he hung the phone up, he told her mommy that she was going to jail," the officer noted in the report.

The child said she did not see her mother holding a knife or walking toward her father with a knife.

The adult victim, Smith's wife of three years, said she could only remember Smith grabbing her, shaking her and stating, "You need to calm down," the report says. "She stated she has never seen him so angry and she was afraid that [he] was going to hit her."

Smith was then arrested for the domestic assault charge and brought to the Lake County Jail.Smith, who has been with the Orange County Sheriff's Office since 2000, is assigned to the narcotics unit.

He was relieved of duty with pay, the Sheriff's Office said. Once released from jail, he will be assigned to administrative duties pending the outcome of the criminal and an internal investigation.