Woman who helped nab suspect set to mend life
By MICHELLE HISKEY, S.A. REID
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/16/05
The third day of Ashley Smith's dramatically changed life brought the promise of at least part of the $60,000 offered for what she did Saturday: lead law enforcement to the capture of Brian G. Nichols, who allegedly shot four people, held her hostage at her apartment in Duluth then let her go.
Gov. Sonny Perdue has asked the state's Office of Personnel and Budget to cut a $10,000 check for Smith.
Ashley Smith, who struggled as widowed mom and gave up temporary custody of her daughter, makes a brief statement Tuesday in Augusta. Her family says a five-figure reward would help her regain custody of her child.
The governor also suggested that other law enforcement agencies and organizations that made pledges to the reward fund follow the state's lead.
"I think Ashley Smith has earned the money. She did exactly what we asked people to do," Perdue said Tuesday at a Capitol news conference. "She absolutely deserves it, and we're ready to pay up now."
The Marshal Service has offered $20,000.
The FBI hasn't said if or when the agency might dole out the $25,000 the FBI pledged, or whether they think Smith should get it. And the Georgia Sheriff's Association, which promised $5,000, is waiting for advice from Fulton Sheriff Myron Freeman.
Norman Hylton, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service, said his agency is working with the other contributors on a possible joint presentation to Smith.
"We're trying to present it as soon as we can," Hylton said. "We're trying to get all the entities together. We're ready to go."
Smith, who called 911 after her release to tell police where Nichols was, has put off interviews, letting Smith's aunt, Kim Rogers, speak for her.
A five-figure windfall, Rogers said Tuesday, would be a boon for Smith, 26, a high school graduate and widowed mom who gave up temporary custody of her young daughter Paige two years ago to Rogers. Paige is 5 now and goes to pre-kindergarten in the Augusta area while her mother lived in Duluth, worked as a waitress and attended school to become a medical assistant.
"We agreed that would end when Ashley got on her feet and got her life where she wanted it," Rogers said. Before being taken hostage, Smith's family "would joke with her, 'You're getting closer, you're getting closer' " to rejoining her daughter, Rogers said.
The arrangement to care for Smith's daughter had nothing to do with Smith's criminal record of mostly petty crimes from age 16 to 25, Rogers said. Having custody of Paige helped Rogers and her husband enroll Paige in school and seek medical care for her if necessary.
"That's just the way this family is. We got temporary custody of Paige so we could help Ashley while she gets on her feet," said Rogers, 51, the wife of a doctor. "We all step in familywise. It was not a legal battle; she signed and I signed and that was it."
Mother and daughter have spent this week together at the home of Rogers, in a gated subdivision in Martinez, just outside of Augusta. Paige stayed home from pre-kindergarten this week to be with her mom after her hostage ordeal and instant fame.
The family, Rogers said, turned off TV news reports Tuesday after Paige saw herself on a segment about their Augusta-based family.
"We explained to her that a man did some things that were bad, and your mama helped turn himself in so he wouldn't do anything else wrong," Rogers said.
The family celebrated Paige losing her first tooth Tuesday, helped her with reading phonics and tried to arrange an after-hours trip to a hair salon to get Ashley's dark roots dyed.
Keeping quiet about their dramatic story was hard for a family that describes itself as close and evangelical Christian. Rogers sees Smith's role in ending the killing spree as a divine intervention. God, the family believes, uses people even if they aren't perfect. They accept media reports of Smith's criminal background as part of the story they want the public to know.
"This is a wonderful platform for Ashley to give her testimony, that everyone is worthy of a third or fourth start," Rogers said. "Her life shows that God is forgiving and is the God of many chances, and he will be there for her. She wants to get that across, but they won't let her speak right now."
The reward would be only part of a potential jackpot for Smith. TV talk shows, book and movie proposals continued to flow in to Smith, both from evangelical Christian and secular sources, according to Jackson Spalding, her public relations firm.
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By MICHELLE HISKEY, S.A. REID
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/16/05
The third day of Ashley Smith's dramatically changed life brought the promise of at least part of the $60,000 offered for what she did Saturday: lead law enforcement to the capture of Brian G. Nichols, who allegedly shot four people, held her hostage at her apartment in Duluth then let her go.
Gov. Sonny Perdue has asked the state's Office of Personnel and Budget to cut a $10,000 check for Smith.
Ashley Smith, who struggled as widowed mom and gave up temporary custody of her daughter, makes a brief statement Tuesday in Augusta. Her family says a five-figure reward would help her regain custody of her child.
The governor also suggested that other law enforcement agencies and organizations that made pledges to the reward fund follow the state's lead.
"I think Ashley Smith has earned the money. She did exactly what we asked people to do," Perdue said Tuesday at a Capitol news conference. "She absolutely deserves it, and we're ready to pay up now."
The Marshal Service has offered $20,000.
The FBI hasn't said if or when the agency might dole out the $25,000 the FBI pledged, or whether they think Smith should get it. And the Georgia Sheriff's Association, which promised $5,000, is waiting for advice from Fulton Sheriff Myron Freeman.
Norman Hylton, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service, said his agency is working with the other contributors on a possible joint presentation to Smith.
"We're trying to present it as soon as we can," Hylton said. "We're trying to get all the entities together. We're ready to go."
Smith, who called 911 after her release to tell police where Nichols was, has put off interviews, letting Smith's aunt, Kim Rogers, speak for her.
A five-figure windfall, Rogers said Tuesday, would be a boon for Smith, 26, a high school graduate and widowed mom who gave up temporary custody of her young daughter Paige two years ago to Rogers. Paige is 5 now and goes to pre-kindergarten in the Augusta area while her mother lived in Duluth, worked as a waitress and attended school to become a medical assistant.
"We agreed that would end when Ashley got on her feet and got her life where she wanted it," Rogers said. Before being taken hostage, Smith's family "would joke with her, 'You're getting closer, you're getting closer' " to rejoining her daughter, Rogers said.
The arrangement to care for Smith's daughter had nothing to do with Smith's criminal record of mostly petty crimes from age 16 to 25, Rogers said. Having custody of Paige helped Rogers and her husband enroll Paige in school and seek medical care for her if necessary.
"That's just the way this family is. We got temporary custody of Paige so we could help Ashley while she gets on her feet," said Rogers, 51, the wife of a doctor. "We all step in familywise. It was not a legal battle; she signed and I signed and that was it."
Mother and daughter have spent this week together at the home of Rogers, in a gated subdivision in Martinez, just outside of Augusta. Paige stayed home from pre-kindergarten this week to be with her mom after her hostage ordeal and instant fame.
The family, Rogers said, turned off TV news reports Tuesday after Paige saw herself on a segment about their Augusta-based family.
"We explained to her that a man did some things that were bad, and your mama helped turn himself in so he wouldn't do anything else wrong," Rogers said.
The family celebrated Paige losing her first tooth Tuesday, helped her with reading phonics and tried to arrange an after-hours trip to a hair salon to get Ashley's dark roots dyed.
Keeping quiet about their dramatic story was hard for a family that describes itself as close and evangelical Christian. Rogers sees Smith's role in ending the killing spree as a divine intervention. God, the family believes, uses people even if they aren't perfect. They accept media reports of Smith's criminal background as part of the story they want the public to know.
"This is a wonderful platform for Ashley to give her testimony, that everyone is worthy of a third or fourth start," Rogers said. "Her life shows that God is forgiving and is the God of many chances, and he will be there for her. She wants to get that across, but they won't let her speak right now."
The reward would be only part of a potential jackpot for Smith. TV talk shows, book and movie proposals continued to flow in to Smith, both from evangelical Christian and secular sources, according to Jackson Spalding, her public relations firm.
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