Brook Park police officer facing felony charges in alleged Columbia Twp. burglary

A Brook Park police officer is in the Lorain County Jail, charged with several felonies and multiple misdemeanors following an incident Wednesday morning in Columbia Township. Frankie Smith, 28, of Brook Park, was being held on $242,500 bond on charges of burglary, improper handling of firearms in a motor vehicle and theft, all felonies, plus misdemeanor charges of DUI, criminal damaging and unlawful restraint, according to the Lorain County Sheriff's Office. He was booked just before 4 a.m. Wednesday, according to jail records, and arraigned in Elyria Municipal Court later that day. Smith's attorney could not immediately be reached for comment. Sheriff Jack Hall confirmed Smith's arrest and said his office had been in contact with the Brook Park Police Department in Cuyahoga County. Hall said an investigation is being conducted by his Detective Bureau. According to an incident report obtained by The Chronicle-Telegram through a public records request, four Lorain County deputies responded to the 24000 block of Forestview Drive in Columbia Township just after midnight Wednesday for a report that Smith had broken into a woman's home. The report described the woman as Smith's girlfriend. Elyria Municipal Court records said a deputy stopped Smith's white 2024 Dodge Ram 1500 on Forestview Drive, which is off Boone Road. He allegedly had a gun in the car, according to his charges. Smith also allegedly stole a silver HP laptop worth $2,000 during the incident, according to report. In a news release provided to The Chronicle on Thursday, Brook Park Police Chief Edward Powers wrote that he was made aware of Smith's arrest Wednesday after "an incident in another jurisdiction." "The incident is under investigation and still developing," Powers wrote. The Chronicle made a public records request for Smith's personnel file to Powers and other Brook Park officials. Smith got his bachelor's degree from the University of Akron and attended the Lorain County Community College police academy, according to his public LinkedIn profile and Facebook posts. While at the LCCC Police Academy in 2020, Smith received the Kenny Velez Top Athlete Award. The award is named for Velez, 48, of Lorain, a state trooper killed in the line of duty when he was hit and killed by a vehicle on Interstate 90 in 2016. Contact Dave O'Brien at 440-329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.