‘Onion Field’ Killer Held on Theft, Drug Charges
A man who was sentenced to death for his role in the “Onion Field” killing of a police officer but was later paroled has been charged with theft and being under the influence of drugs, authorities said Tuesday.
Jimmy Lee Smith, 61, was arrested Sunday for allegedly stealing $35 worth of cold medicine from a Thrifty drugstore on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. A second charge that Smith was under the influence of heroin and cocaine was also filed, Deputy City Atty. William Sterling said. Each count carries a maximum sentence of a year, meaning Smith could be sentenced to two years in county prison if convicted.
Smith and Gregory Ulas Powell were convicted of kidnaping Los Angeles police officers Ian Campbell and Karl Hettinger and killing Campbell in a remote onion field near Bakersfield in 1963. Smith was discharged from Avenal state prison in November, 1990.
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