Waters and Nebraska NOTHING SHE DIED FOR NOTHING and he lies about it

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I gave up chase before crash, detective says

He testifies that he followed a man on a hunch, then gave up. That man is on trial, accused in a traffic fatality.

By DAVID KARP
© St. Petersburg Times, published January 17, 2001

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TAMPA -- The chase began because of a hunch.
Detective Grady Snyder noticed a man in the parking lot at Home Depot walking quickly to his car, looking over his shoulder and fidgeting with his keys.
Although it was his day off, Snyder decided to follow the man as he drove on N Florida Avenue. A half-mile away, what started with the suspicion of a small-time theft turned into a homicide investigation.
On Tuesday, Snyder testified in the trial of George Ira Smiley, 38, who stands accused of blowing through a red light and killing a 23-year-old mother in a crash after leaving the Home Depot on July 2, 1999. He faces 10 to 15 years in prison if convicted on charges of vehicular homicide and petty theft.
Snyder said Tuesday that he did not see Smiley commit any crimes at the Home Depot. But he was suspicious about Smiley's behavior.
"Time was of the essence," Snyder said.
Driving in an unmarked police car, Snyder followed Smiley for about a quarter mile. At one point, as Smiley sped up, Snyder said he thought his cover had been blown. He briefly turned on his flashing headlights and siren.
But then Snyder said he turned off the headlights and stopped the chase.
Moments later, witnesses said, Smiley crashed into two cars at Nebraska Avenue and Waters Avenue. Smiley's Chevrolet Celebrity flipped two or three times.
Mary Covarrubias, who was selling watermelons on the corner, prayed for a moment. After the crash, she could hear a baby crying in a mangled Toyota Camry. Covarrubias went over to the car, which had been tossed about 65 feet, and got the toddler out. The 16-month-old girl was not hurt.
On Tuesday, that girl, Yevgeniva, played on the floor during testimony about the crash that caused her mother's death.
Her mother, Svetlana Belyakova, who had moved to Tampa from Russia about five years ago, died an hour after the crash at Tampa General Hospital. Her family has filed a lawsuit against the Tampa Police Department.
Detective Snyder testified Tuesday that he did not see the crash but only came upon it after hearing a commotion on the police radio. He said he had turned off his headlights and turned onto a side street by that point.
"The next time I saw Mr. Smiley was when he was lying on the sidewalk," Snyder said.
Circuit Judge Ralph Stoddard has not decided whether the jury will hear about an internal affairs investigation into Snyder, which found that he lied about the crash to investigators and violated the department's chase policy. The report did not find him responsible for the crash.
Snyder told investigators that he didn't see the car speed through a red light, but the report concluded that Snyder had an unobstructed view of the crash. Snyder, a 30-year veteran of the Tampa Police Department, retired while internal affairs was investigating his conduct.
At the crash site, investigators found a garage door opener worth $49.86 from Home Depot on Smiley's overturned car. Authorities think he took the garage door opener without paying for it.
Smiley's trial is expected to end today.