Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Informer gets 36 months in spite of tips

CARSON CITY - If crime doesn't pay, Terrence D. Smith might tell you neither does telling police about it.

Smith pleaded guilty to trafficking in cocaine and conspiring to transport a prostitute. District Judge Jackie Glass sentenced him in January to up to 36 months in prison.

Smith appealed to the state Supreme Court, saying Glass didn't take into account what he did for police. He said he gave police good tips on cases in California and Nevada, including information on a plot to kill a corrections officer at the Clark County Detention Center.

But last week the Supreme Court said Smith received benefits in his sentencing - three additional felony counts were dismissed. The court also noted that under the deal, prosecutors did not seek to have him charged as a habitual offender - he had four previous felony convictions - that would have given him a longer sentence.

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