ROCKINGHAM — Investigators have charged a homeless man for allegedly selling meth earlier in the year.
According to an arrest warrant, 57-year-old Michael Ray Smith Jr. sold an unspecified quantity of meth to a confidential informant for the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office on Feb. 22.
The warrant — charging Smith with one felony count each of selling methamphetamine, delivering methamphetamine and possession of methamphetamine — was issued on May 6.
Smith was arrested Nov. 22 and booked into the Richmond County Jail, where he is being held on a $10,000 secured bond. He is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 4.
It does not appear that Smith has any other pending charges, however, records with the N.C. Department of Adult Correction show he has a criminal record going back four decades.
Smith was first convicted as a teenager in 1984 of larceny and second-degree burglary. While serving his sentence, Smith escaped from prison and was convicted of that in Hoke County. He served one month shy of nine years behind bars.
Records show Smith has been convicted of driving while impaired on multiple occasions: 1996; 2001; 2003; 2013; 2014.
Other prior criminal convictions include:
1995 - breaking and entering
2001 - larceny, resisting a public officer
2006 - communicating threats
2010 - simple assault
All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
