Conner Smith officially has a clean record. In June, Smith was driving in downtown Nashville, accidentally hitting 77-year-old Dorothy Dobbins, who passed away from her injuries. Now, Smith, who was charged with a misdemeanor in the accident, has a clean record, at the request of Dobbins’ family.
Smith’s attorney, Warrick G. Robinson, shares the news of the clean record.
“This devastating accident was a profound tragedy for the family of Dot Dobbins and the larger Germantown community,” Robinson says in a statement (via People). “Over the past several months, Conner has been grateful for the opportunity to get to know Dot’s family personally and be able to voice his deep and sincere grief. While he is grateful that this legal chapter has concluded, he will continue to steadfastly lift her family up in prayer.”
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What Conner Smith Says About the Fatal Accident
Smith was not impaired at the time of the accident. After the investigation was complete, Smith shared his heartbreak on social media.
“Four weeks ago, I was involved in a tragic vehicle accident that resulted in the loss of a life,” he wrote at the time. “Not a day has gone by that I haven’t grieved, prayed, and mourned for Ms. Dobbins and her family. My heart is broken in a way I’ve never experienced, and I still struggle to fully process the weight of it all. I ask that you continue to lift the Dobbins family up in prayer by name, asking for God’s peace to surround them each day.”
“Out of respect for everyone involved and to give space for grieving, I made the decision to step away from shows these past few weeks,” he continues. “I have always found that making music and playing shows is a place of healing for me – but for this moment, it was important for me to take time away. I’m thankful to serve a God who is near to the brokenhearted, and I have leaned on Him every step of the way. Through tragedy, I have learned that God is more faithful than I could have ever known before.”
Conner Smith Returns To the Grand Ole Opry
After spending much of the summer away from the stage, Smith returned in July, performing at the Grand Ole Opry. Smith was joined by Steven Curtis Chapman, whose own daughter was accidentally killed by a family member in 2008. One day before Smith’s performance, he went to Chapman’s home.
“We sat for probably two hours at his home,” Smith recalled. “We just talked. We prayed together, and talked about the Lord. He told me about a verse that when he had experienced the greatest tragedy of his life, it kind of carried him and his family through it, and it was prophesied over his wife initially, and just over their family. And it said, ‘The God of peace soon will crush the enemy under your foot.’ And that God will give us opportunities to actually crush the enemy, and crush the devil with our actions. He’ll give us participation in that.
“This morning, I woke up, and there was a sense of weight I felt over this moment, that I was going to get to step on a stage tonight,” he continued. “And I was reading the Word. I opened it up, and I said, ‘God, what would You have me read this morning?’ I don’t always do that. Most of the time, when I do, I’ll get a random thing in my head, and it’s something about some random war with words I can’t pronounce. But this morning, I felt Romans 16. I flip open to Romans 16, and it turns out that Romans 16:20 says that, ‘The God of peace will soon crush the enemy under your foot.’ And so tonight, we pray that we would just embarrass the enemy tonight. That’s all. So I’m just gonna sing some worship for three songs.”
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Photo Credit: CMA / John Russell