Desmond Robinson was expected to be arraigned Saturday, Aug. 18 at 34th District Court in Romulus.
WESTLAND, MI — A 47-year-old Detroit man has been charged in connection with a fatal hit-and-run that killed a Wayne County sheriff’s deputy.
Desmond Robinson was charged by Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy with reckless driving causing death, failure to stop at an injury accident scene causing death and tampering with evidence. He was expected to be arraigned Saturday, Aug. 18 at 34th District Court in Romulus.
Robinson is charged in connection with the Tuesday crash that killed Sgt. Lee Smith, 55, of the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office.
Around 10:10 a.m. Aug. 14, Smith was off-duty and jogging on Hines Drive and Middlebelt Road in Westland. Robinson is accused of fatally hitting Smith with his SUV and driving away from the scene at a high rate of speed. Smith was pronounced dead at the scene.
Westland police arrested Robinson on Thursday, Aug. 16 in Garden City.
«By all accounts, Sgt. Smith was a dedicated, passionate, and skilled member of law enforcement who was going to retire soon,» Worthy said in a statement. «In the blink of an eye, the alleged actions of this defendant destroyed the lives of his family, friends, fellow officers, and the many others he had yet to positively influence.»
Smith was six months away from retirement and had served 26 years with the department, Wayne County Executive Warren Evans said in a statement Aug. 14. He also had one adult son and had a «storied» career with the office — having worked with the Special Response Team and was assigned to Mounted Patrol Unit at the time of his death, said Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon.
