A Texas man who pulled a gun on a trucker while driving through Caddo Parish in January 2018 was convicted of aggravated assault with a handgun Thursday, November 21, 2019, in Caddo District Court.
District Judge Katherine Dorroh found William Spencer Smith, 30, guilty as charged after hearing the facts of the case in proceedings in her courtroom.
The court determined that on the afternoon of January 18, 2018, Smith drove his black Mercedes in an erratic fashion west on Interstate 20 in Greenwood, swerving several times as he attempted to pass an 18-wheeler. He pulled alongside the tractor-trailer rig, and through the sunroof of his vehicle aggressively pointed a .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun at the female truck driver. The driver heard a noise she suspected was a gunshot, though there was no damage to the rig. The driver provided Greenwood police with a description of the driver and his car, including a Texas license plate number. Armed with that information, police found the vehicle and the handgun in Waskom, Texas.
Smith provided an alibi that ultimately was disproved by phone records that instead showed him to be at the place and time of the incident. He subsequently was arrested in March 2018. He waived his right to a jury trial, opting instead for a bench trial under Judge Dorroh.
Smith faces up to 10 years in prison with or without hard labor and a fine of up to $10,000 when he returns to face Dorroh for sentencing January 9, 2020.
Smith was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Trinicia Leonard and Nancy Berger-Schneider. He was defended by Jeffrey D. Sampson of Gibsland.