Helen Fire Chief Bert Smith was indicted by the White County grand jury earlier this week on charges of reckless driving and failure to obey an authorized person directing traffic.
The charges stem from a Jan. 26 incident in which Smith allegedly failed to slow down at a traffic checkpoint set up by the White County Sheriff’s Office. Smith was responding to a 2 a.m. call on a medical emergency in Helen.
A clerk for the White County Superior Court said Smith’s arraignment date has been set for 9 a.m. on May 15.
If Smith is found guilty of reckless driving, he could lose his job because he would not be able to drive emergency vehicles.
Smith said in February that he does not intend to plead guilty because he doesn’t believe he did anything wrong.
