DETROIT, MICHIGAN: The lifeless body of two-year-old Wynter Cole Smith was tragically discovered on Wednesday, July 5, in an overgrown alley near Marcus and Erwin avenues in Detroit. The discovery followed the arrest of Rashad Maleek Trice, a 26-year-old man with a violent criminal history, who stands accused of abducting the toddler and sexually assaulting her mother. Trice now faces multiple charges in Macomb County for offenses committed during a subsequent encounter with law enforcement.
Court records reviewed by The Detroit News revealed that Trice had a troubled past, marred by incidents of domestic violence, assault, and obstructing police across several Michigan counties. His run-ins with the law spanned Clinton, Ingham, Livingston, Monroe, and Wayne counties, encompassing a wide range of offenses.
Who is Rashad Maleek Trice?
Trice's criminal record dates back to May 23, 2021, when he was initially sentenced to 224 days in jail for domestic violence and attempted resisting, assaulting, or obstructing a police officer in Monroe County. Just a week later, on May 31, 2021, Trice was arrested in Clinton County for obstructing police. He was sentenced for attempted assaulting, resisting, and obstructing police, receiving a year-long jail term for that offense.
In August 2021, Trice faced charges of assault and obstruction by Michigan State Police in Livingston County. Court records indicate that Trice admitted guilt, confessing to fleeing from two police officers in a motor vehicle, assaulting two officers with a motor vehicle, resisting and obstructing two officers, and operating a motor vehicle without a license. For these crimes, Trice was sentenced to two years of probation in January 2022, pleading guilty to six counts related to the incident.
However, Trice was arrested again, this time by Lansing police, less than three months later for fleeing police and misdemeanor assault. He served a 93-day jail sentence in April 2022 for that offense. In Ingham County, he was charged with sexually and physically assaulting his ex-girlfriend in her Lansing apartment, stealing her car, and kidnapping their 2-year-old daughter, Wynter.
Demand for stricter measures
The investigation into Wynter's abduction and subsequent murder remains ongoing, leaving open the possibility of additional charges against Trice. Currently, he is being held at the county jail in Mason. Records from the Michigan Department of Corrections indicate that Trice was supposed to be on probation until January 27, 2024. However, on Wednesday, July 5, Livingston County Circuit Court Chief Judge Michael Hatty signed a probation violation order just hours before Wynter's lifeless body was discovered in Detroit.
The devastating loss has prompted Wynter's family to call for stricter measures against repeat offenders. In a statement released on Thursday, July 6, they urged "the State Legislature and Governor Whitmer to consider legislation that further ensures that multiple violent offenders remain in jail or prison as they are tragically a threat to all of us." Former assistant police chief Steve Dolunt also expressed his dismay. "He took one of the things she loved more than life, her child. He took her child. That's hatred," he told CBS Detroit.
Repeated offenses and leniency
In addition to his violent offenses, Trice also faced numerous issues as a motorist. According to Secretary of State records obtained by The Detroit News, Trice's non-commercial driver's license had been revoked due to two or more felony convictions within seven years. His license had previously been suspended multiple times. Former Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee criticized the justice system's handling of Trice's repeated offenses, saying, "When you have a history like he has, he needs to be incarcerated until there is a meaningful intervention."
The failures of the justice system have raised serious concerns about public safety. "The justice system failed her, failed the child. And I don't know what he said to the judge for them to say don't do it again. I'm tired of this don't do it again. Don't do it again. They are doing it again!" Dolunt said. Trice is scheduled to appear in court for a pre-trial conference on Thursday, July 13, as authorities continue their investigation.
