Retired Columbiana County deputy pleads to 14 theft charges

LISBON — A former undercover officer for the Columbiana County Sheriff’s Office has pleaded guilty to 14 theft charges.

Tom Smith, 49, of Lisbon, could face up to a year in prison as part of the plea agreement made this morning in county common pleas court.

Smith was charged with taking cocaine that had been seized as evidence in 1988, along with a .22-caliber pistol that was also evidence.

He could also spend as little as six months in the Eastern Ohio Corrections Center, which is a half-way house.

Smith’s lawyer, Dominic Frank, said that Smith could have faced up to 21 years on all the charges.

Smith retired in 2006 after 30 years in law enforcement.

Sentencing was set for 1 p.m. July 9.