UPDATE: July 26 at 6:56 p.m.
According to police documents, the incident involved two separate encounters with Smoot on Friday. Initially, officers responded at approximately 4:08 p.m. to a call from 911 Dispatch requesting EMS to check on Smoot at the hotel on Alamo Drive in London. During this first encounter, officers found Smoot sitting in the hallway of a hotel, appearing to have a medical issue.
The document reads, “while officers were still on scene they advised they could smell the odor of alcoholic beverage emitting from his person, bloodshot and glassy eyes, slurred speech, and unsteady on his feet when standing and walking.”
Later that same evening, at approximately 7:28 PM, an officer observed Smoot operating a 2016 Dodge Charger at Waco Drive in London. The officer made a traffic stop based on a previous complaint. During this stop, officers noted "the odor of alcoholic beverage emitting from his person, bloodshot and glassy eyes, slurred speech, and unsteady gait."
Field sobriety tests were conducted, showing signs of impairment. After initially requesting a standard field sobriety test, Smoot refused a breathalyzer.
Following a 20-minute observation period and time to contact an attorney, he agreed to take an intoxilyzer test, but reportedly refused to attempt to contact an attorney. The test results showed a blood alcohol content of 0.247.
Smoot was taken to the Laurel County Correctional Center.
Original Story:
Laurel County Public Schools says that its police chief is no longer employed by the school district following his arrest for driving under the influence.
In a statement posted to social media on Saturday, the school system announced that Chief Dan Smoot was arrested by the London Police Department on Friday for "operating a motor vehicle under the influence."
School officials confirmed that Smoot was not on duty at the time of the incident.
The district terminated Smoot's employment effective July 26, 2025, just one day after his arrest.
No information has been released regarding who will replace Smoot as the district's police chief.
