Tennessee State Highway Report Confirms Crash Did Not Kill Woman Who Died In Flaming Car

Associated Press / SFGate

[RCW2001]

Tennessee State Highway report confirms crash did not kill woman who died in flaming car
WOODY BAIRD, Associated Press Writer
Tuesday, March 5, 2002
©2002 Associated Press

URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2002/03/05/national2227EST0835.DTL

(03-05) 19:27 PST MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) --

A state Highway Patrol report released Tuesday confirmed a driver's license examiner charged in a bogus license scheme was not killed by the impact of her car ramming into a utility pole last month.

Investigators are still awaiting a coroner's report on the cause of Katherine Smith's death. Smith, 49, was found Feb. 10 burned beyond recognition in her car about 20 miles from her Memphis residence.

Witnesses told the FBI that the car was ablaze before it crashed into a utility pole. Smith had been scheduled to appear in court the following day on charges she helped five Middle Eastern men get licenses illegally.

Tennessee Highway Patrol Capt. Jimmy Erwin said an investigation determined Smith was traveling just over 20 mph, which he called a survivable crash. He did not to speculate on the cause of the fire.

Erwin said the few pieces of her clothes recovered from the car showed traces of gasoline.

"This was not a traffic fatality," Erwin said.

Memphis FBI spokesman George Bolds said Tuesday that the cause of the fire remains undetermined.

"We know she was alive but not necessarily conscious after the impact with the pole. She did breathe in superheated gases from the fire," Bolds said.

Smith was arrested five days before her death along with the five Middle Eastern men. She was accused of taking payoffs for helping them get driver's licenses without proper documentation.

Smith had been released on her own recognizance. The other suspects are being held without bond and were behind bars when Smith died.

The men are charged under federal law with illegally trying to produce identification documents.

©2002 Associated Press  

[Frohickey]

Curious. Sounds like there is another cell operating in Tennessee that didn't like this woman.

[2right]

"Smith had been released on her own recognizance".

They ultimate irony would be if the rhymin revruns would come out and say that if they kept this crimal behind bars she would still be alive today.

[paul in cape]

Quick, get the CSI people!

[SamKeck]

This was not a traffic fatality," Erwin said.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

[Shermy]

Ping.

Here's my template. Any suggested additions gladly accepted.

Feb. 7

Six Charged in Tenn. License Plot [Courtesy of the Tennessee DemocRAT Party]

Feb. 8 (for comedic relief)

Dri ver license fraud case here is a rare incident, state says

Feb. 11

WOMAN ARRESTED FOR AIDING ARABS IN DRIVER'S LICENSE SCAM PRESUMED DEAD

Tennessee finds a cost to easing driver's license rules Some other states, airlines no longer accept (Boston Globe)

Feb. 12

Feds fear license examiner is dead - Memphis Woman's co-defendants tied to 9/11, judge told

Feb. 13:

Body in car identified as license examiner - Update on Memphis, Tennesse License Examiner

Feb. 14

TENN DRIVER LICENSE SCANDAL: FLAMING DEATH NO ACCIDENT, FBI SAYS

TENN DRIVER LICENSE SCANDAL: FLAMING DEATH NO ACCIDENT, FBI SAYS (II)

Flaming death no accident, FBI says - Gasoline found on clothes of license examiner

Feb. 15

New York Times (with Pics of car) F.B.I. Says Arson Killed Woman Accused in License Scheme

Sm ith led low-impact life until arrest, fiery end (Not a thread)

Images of the burned car owned by Katherine Smith * alternate title: How Arabs Kill Witnesses

FBI Agent: Arson Killed Key Suspect (driver's license examiner accused of supplying terrorists)

Feb.16

License suspect had WTC repair pass, but Port Authority did its own work [Tennessee License Scandal]

TE NN DRIVER LICENSE SCANDAL: FLAMING DEATH NO ACCIDENT, FBI SAYS

***FBI checking 5 in illegal-license cases for possible al-Qaida links

Feb. 18:

Mourners remember the good deeds of license examiner, not how she died

Feb. 20

State Immigrant I.D. Llicense for Disaster, Foes Say [Tennessee License Scandal - Business as Usual]

Terror in Tennessee? (Front Page magazine)

Feb. 22

Terroris m expert [Steven Emerson] monitors the Mid-South (WMC-TV Memphis 2/23)

Feb. 24:

Caution: Driver license rule-makers at work

*TN License Scandals

Pics of License Scam suspects

Color Pics of Suspects

Other Stories

I-70 Traffic Stop Turns Up $300K In Cash, Undocumented Jordanian (Al Qaida Operative?) [2/22 Utah]

Licenses for undocumented aliens steer legislators both ways - Driving: INS official says passage of bill would make deportation more difficult; proponents say it would give sense of identity (Kansas 2/20)

Immigrant Licenses Debated ( ILLEGAL ALIENS... AGAIN )[Kansas 2/20]

***Grass roots, politicians differ on immigration (2/14 plus Grover Norquist Barf Alert)

FBI investigating ‘‘mass destruction’’ inquiry (2/21 Somali asks U. of Memphis professor for weapons advice

GAO Report Finds “Pervasive and Serious Problem”” with Immigration Benefit Fraud Terrorists and Drug Dealers Manipulating Benefits Application Process To Carry Out Criminal Activities

Man on FBI watch list spotted (2/23 Iraqi, with Saddam Connections, in truck with OK lic. Plates, Picking up chemicals in Michigan. Egads!) Santa Paula Mayor's Wife Target of Probe (Calif. -Selling Drivers Licenses to Illegals)

Phony IDs, Real Danger (CBS 2/26)

NJ Man Charged in Bogus ID Ring Linked to 9/11 Hijackers Driver's Licenses To Be Easier For Foreigners (New Mex. 2/28)

And don’t forget the stories about the Doctor who “fell” off a Memphis bridge!

[Jen]

Take a deep breath and hold it. Exhale slowly!
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A wonderful place you have been to or want to go to: You are there now. Take a deep breath and hold it. Exhale slowly!
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You are now pledging money per month, and it feels so good.
You decide to increase your monthly pledge. Take a deep breath and hold it. Exhale slowly!
Pledging money to Free Republic is like breathing in slowly and exhaling slowly!


Now click here, make your donation and you will feel so warm and comfortable!

[cactmh]

Nothing to see here. This is totally unrelated. Move along.

[GailA]

btt

[Fred Mertz]

FReepers knew this the day the accident was reported. She was offed by whoever she went to meet that night.

[Free the USA]

fyi

[Victoria Delsoul]

Erwin said the few pieces of her clothes recovered from the car showed traces of gasoline. "This was not a traffic fatality," Erwin said.

Nope. She was murdered.

Thanks for the links.

[RANGERAIRBORNE]

Probably correct. I have no doubt that she deserved to die (painfully) for her treason- but DAMN! It would have nice to find out who ELSE she had sold these fake licenses to!!!

[razorback-bert]

They should be able to check all the licenses, she issued.

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for the ping! You may need a Cray computer just to store the data on this case.

This should be a loud and clear warning to all Black Muslems and others who have supported the Islamic terrorists here in America!

They will kill you and fry you and barbeque you when you are no longer useful or could be a problem!

Clovis, you need to get this in a letter to the editor or out in the al Fuqra or Jihad in America Community in your area. Those people could be the next natural spontaneous combustion targets. They should be running to the FBI and telling all to save their a$$es!

[Inge_CAV]

Thanks for the ping!

BTTT!

[aristeides]

Wouldn't 20 mph be an unusually slow speed on this kind of road? Anybody have any ideas on why she would have been driving so slow?

[knighthawk]

Check this out!

[Inge_CAV]

"Wouldn't 20 mph be an unusually slow speed on this kind of road? Anybody have any ideas on why she would have been driving so slow?"

I agree, 20mph is slow on this highway. She was probably driving the normal speed, 55mph on a two lane highway, until the inside of her car ignited.

[Lion's Cub]

Wouldn't 20 mph be an unusually slow speed on this kind of road? Anybody have any ideas on why she would have been driving so slow?

According to earlier stories, she went through a ditch. Body in car identified as license examiner - Update on Memphis, Tennesse License Examine