Out on bond, slaying suspect Shawn Smoot arrested on DUI charge

April 23--Accused murderer Shawn Smoot's 13 months of freedom, bankrolled by his parents, may soon be coming to an end following a late-night arrest Monday for DUI.

Smoot, nabbed in McMinn County after a deputy spotted him making a U-turn on U.S. Highway 11, has also been charged with resisting arrest and violation of the implied consent law for refusing to take a field sobriety test.

Charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death in October 2011 of 23-year-old Powell resident Brooke Nicole Morris, Smoot was released from Roane County Jail in March 2013 on a $250,000 cash bond posted by his parents.

"One of the conditions of his bond was not to consume alcohol," Assistant District Attorney General Bill Reedy said. He said Smoot's arrest for DUI "is a big problem."

As a result, the state will seek to revoke Smoot's bond, which was posted by his parents, District Attorney General Russell Johnson said.

Several weeks ago, Smoot was allowed to relocate to Ocoee, Tenn., after he reportedly lost a job in the Knoxville area, Reedy said. He had moved in with a friend in a bid to find employment in the Cleveland, Tenn., area, the prosecutor said. "He thought his chances to get a job there were markedly better," Reedy said.

When Smoot was stopped shortly before midnight Monday, McMinn County Deputy Doug Benton reported Smoot appeared confused, was slurring his speech and there was a strong odor of alcohol emanating from him and his vehicle. There were "several empty liquor bottles" in the vehicle, the deputy stated in his incident report.

The deputy reported that Smoot became combative, drew up his feet "as to kick at me," and slid along the back seat of the police cruiser while the officer said he was trying to retrieve car keys from Smoot's pocket, which ripped open during the struggle.

Smoot, 42, remains in the McMinn County Jail.

A former Knoxville insurance executive, Smoot quickly became the primary suspect in the shooting death of his former paramour and employee, whose body was found on a rural Roane County road on Oct. 15, 2011.

The couple's romantic relationship had turned tumultuous several months before, with Morris at one point swearing out an order of protection after one allegedly violent episode.

Smoot was indicted for first-degree murder in June 2012 but he didn't show up for his arraignment in Roane County Criminal Court on June 25 and was ordered arrested. He was found the next evening in Pearl River County, Miss., driving a Toyota pickup that contained a loaded shotgun and camping gear.

While he was out on bond, Smoot was required to report weekly to the probation officer in Roane County, Reedy said. That requirement was still in effect since his move to Ocoee, he said.

Motions in Smoot's trial are scheduled on July 7, and his murder trial is slated to begin July 30. Knoxville attorney Tom Slaughter has been hired to represent him, Johnson said.

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