Posted on 03/24/2005 12:36:32 PM PST by SmithL
ATLANTA - The woman who led authorities to suspected courthouse gunman Brian Nichols was presented with $70,000 in reward money Thursday.
Ashley Smith, a 26-year-old widowed mother of one, was held hostage for seven hours by Nichols at her suburban Atlanta home March 12 before he let her go. She then made the 911 call that led to his arrest.
"My life is testimony that God can use us even in the midst of tragedy and miracles do happen," she said.
She was lauded at a ceremony during which she received a fistful of reward checks from Gov. Sonny Perdue and law enforcement agencies.
Thomas Smith, head of the state sheriffs association, saluted her for "your courage, your strength and your perseverance."
The woman has said she spoke with Nichols for hours about her daughter, her husband's stabbing deaths years ago and her faith in God. She said she told Nichols that he might be destined to be caught so he could spread the word of God to fellow prisoners.
In all, she received $25,000 from the U.S. Marshals Office, $20,000 from the FBI, $10,000 from Perdue's office, $5,000 from the Georgia Sheriffs' Association, $5,000 from the Georgia Fraternal Order of Police and $5,000 from the city of Atlanta. She previously received $2,500 from the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police.
Nichols is accused of overpowering a courthouse deputy March 11, taking her gun from a lockbox and fatally shooting Superior Court Judge Rowland Barnes and his court reporter, Julie Brandau, on the day Barnes was to resume Nichols' rape trial.
Nichols also is accused of killing a sheriff's deputy outside the courthouse and a federal agent while he was on the run. He surrendered after a 26-hour manhunt.
Smith's grandfather, Dick Machovec, said the family planned to hire a financial adviser to help Smith manage the money.
"Hopefully, it's going to be used for education, it's going to be used to pay off some loans, it's going to be used to give a portion of it to the Lord," he said.
I didn't do it!
You can't prove it!
Besides, it's someone else's fault.
Well, it is only by the grace of God that my past isn't as "checkered" as Smith's.
I've grown wiser in the face of adversity, and so has she.
Smith will need a very good support system, including lawyer and financial adviser, to keep her from the predators hovering around.
Sorry to disappoint. There is so much Marxism, apostasy, manipulation, half-truths, callousness, lies and just plain BS in his books that those who substitute if for sound doctrine will be held accountable to God for deceiving his flock. Remember the Great Deception as the end times approach. This has ALL the markers.
Be like the Bereans and "search the scriptures daily" to know what is truth and what is lies.
What inspired a silly, childish comment like that?
I'm a silly, childish guy! DUH! ;-)
I guess a murdered husband qualifies as a "checkered past"?
She's putting her stuff together and this happens.
Good for her.
As it should be.
Thank you. Read the Scriptures, not Rick Warren.
I was wondering, are rewards like this taxable income?
(Yes, that is sarcasm...)
If she's smart, she'll pay the taxes, pay off her credit card debt, and use the rest as a down payment on a house.
An adviser for 70K just seems silly.
You think maybe God will deny a man Heaven because the man is guilty of believing the "marxist" doctrine of Warren? I don't think so.
What was it? I don't think I got past the blurb on the back cover.
sorry, I can't remember right now, but I had MAJOR problems with the statement. Wish I could remember.
"I'm willing to bet alot of us Freepers's pasts are more checkered than hers."
Accused? Yes. Convicted? Never. ;)
Yes, Ashley should have a financial advisor. If my middle-aged husband came into that amount of cash in one lump sum it would be gone within days, spent on Magic Beans. Most people are not good at managing money, and Ashley has a lot of time to make up for in her short life, so far.
As for "The Purpose Driven Life," I found it drivel, too. But, I sell books on the web and the moment I list that book, it sells. Go figure.
Well, then maybe my reaction to The Purpose Driven Life was a good first instinct. Is it like a cult reading? It was suggested to me by a good friend who is trying to better his life always, be a good Christian, just be a good person. I don't find my friend to be fanatical or evangelical. I find him to be a very sensible guy. BtW, he's a financial advisor, come to think of it. In Atlanta, no less.
Reward monies are exempt from federal taxes.
Without getting into a debate about whether or not Rick Warren is the Anti-Christ (there are plenty of those threads), the answer is NO.
I know Rick, and attended Saddleback for many years. We're not a cult.
Give it a rest.
You need to do some more reading. You don't think Jesus' life had a purpose?
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