Longtime Georgia sheriff dies after battle with COVID-19

SUMTER COUNTY, Ga. — A longtime Georgia sheriff has died of complications of COVID-19, family members said Wednesday.

Sumter County Sheriff Pete Smith died early Wednesday morning after serving as the sheriff in Sumter County for 16 years, his daughter wrote on Facebook.

Amy Smith Davis said that her father devoted his life to law enforcement and served on the Georgia State Patrol before becoming Sheriff.

Sheriff Smith was a good man, a dear friend, and a dedicated public servant to his community, and on behalf of all Georgians, my family and I are praying for his loved ones in this difficult time.

“He hardly ever spoke bad about anyone,” Davis wrote. “He was a passive man. He had to be to raise three strong willed daughters. He greeted all women as ma’am and was usually overly thankful for the smallest things.”

Gov. Brian Kemp also mourned the sheriff’s death, calling Smith a friend.

“Sheriff Smith was a good man, a dear friend, and a dedicated public servant to his community, and on behalf of all Georgians, my family and I are praying for his loved ones in this difficult time,” Kemp wrote on Twitter.

Local officers escorted Smith’s remains back to Sumter County this morning.

Smith was a grandfather of five.

Cox Media Group