Father, daughter accused of dealing drugs to high school student in Fraser

FRASER, Mich. – A father and his 18-year-old daughter are accused of selling drugs to at least one student at Fraser High School.

Martin Smith and his daughter Caitlin Smith were arraigned in 39th District Court Tuesday morning on felony charges of delivering marijuana.

Investigators believe Caitlin offered a sale and then called her father to bring the drugs. Martin then allegedly picked up his daughter and a friend from school.

“The father picked up the two and didn’t want to do the drug deal on the school site, so they drove to a nearby 7-11,” Fraser Police Lieutenant Mike Pettyes said. “He sold the drugs and then drove them back to the school.”

The incident occurred Feb. 9. Someone from the school saw what was happening and notified a school resource officer.

Both turned themselves into Fraser Police when asked.

However, Fraser investigators said Caitlin has been on their radar for a while, allegedly offering marijuana for $10 per joint to classmates.

“We were all dumbfounded, from the staff to the detective that handled the case," Pettyes said. “A father is really going to get his child from school to do a drug deal? We were all flabbergasted.”

In court, Judge Joseph F. Boedeker asked for Fraser Detective Lisa Pettyes’ thoughts on bond.

“Due to the fact that they’re delivering drugs to students at the high school, I’m going to ask for a high cash bond, no trespassing (at Fraser High School) and drug testing,” she responded.

Judge Boedeker granted her request, ordering a $50,000 bond for Martin Smith and $10,000 for Caitlin Smith.  He also granted the no trespassing and drug testing requests.

Caitlin Smith is no longer a student at Fraser High School, telling the Judge, “I’m doing online credit recovery.”

After their arraignments, defense attorney James Sullivan said it was too early to comment on the case.

Caitlin Smith was released from jail Tuesday afternoon after her family posted 10% of her bond. Martin Smith is still in custody.

Both are scheduled to be back in court on March 9.

If found guilty each could spend up to four years in prison.


About the Author:

Nick joined the Local 4 team in February of 2015. Prior to that he spent 6 years in Sacramento covering a long list of big stories including wildfires and earthquakes. Raised in Sterling Heights, he is no stranger to the deep history and pride Detroit has to offer.