Sen. Virgil Smith charged with domestic violence in shooting incident with ex-wife

Senator removed from committees, relieved of caucus duties

DETROIT – State Sen. Virgil Smith has been charged with domestic violence, felonious assault and other charges in connection with a shooting incident involving his ex-wife at his Detroit home.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced the charges Tuesday.

Smith, 35, also is charged with malicious destruction of property and felony firearm.

He was arraigned Tuesday afternoon and received a $25,000 bond (10 percent). He has posted bond and is scheduled to be back in court May 22 for a probable cause hearing.

Worthy said Smith, who represents the fourth district, allegedly fired several shots from a rifle into his ex-wife's Mercedes around 1 a.m. Sunday outside his home on Wexford Street. 

Sources said the incident stemmed from an argument between Virgil and his ex-wife when she discovered Smith's girlfriend at the home.

The ex-wife was not hurt in the shooting.

Virgil has been in police custody since Monday.

"The alleged actions of Sen. Smith cannot and will not be tolerated.  We asked for further work on the warrant and the information was received this morning. We let the facts and evidence guide our charging decision and nothing else," Worthy said.

Smith is a Democrat. He's been in the Legislature since 2003.

Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich: Smith removed, relieved of caucus responsibilities

"We are responsible for ensuring the people of Michigan, and the people of the 4th Senate District, are represented by a Senator who can serve them effectively. To that end, Senator Smith has been removed from his committees and been relieved of his caucus responsibilities, effective immediately," Ananich said in a statement Tuesday.