Local law enforcement officials, family and friends of Sgt. Larry Smith are mourning his loss.

Smith, 46, was killed Wednesday evening when his motorcycle left the roadway and struck a tree, ejecting him and his wife from the motorcycle.

Smith had been a deputy for the Covington County Sheriff’s Office for the last seven years, and previously had worked with the Lockhart Police Department and the Opp Police Department.

Sheriff Dennis Meeks said Smith was soft-spoken and easy going.

“He did his job,” he said. “He was very good with people. That’s why he was a sergeant. He was very good with the guys on his shift. Losing him leaves a big hole in our department.”

Investigator Wesley Snodgrass said he knew Smith for years.

“Larry had worked at Covington County 911 as a dispatcher and reserved with us for a while hoping to become a certified officer,” he said. “He was eventually hired by Opp PD and went to the academy while working for them. He really wanted to be a deputy and after he completed his two-year obligation with Opp, he was hired by CCSO as soon as we had an opening.

“Having worked with him already, we knew he would be a great fit,” Snodgrass said. “He always had a smile, a cup of coffee, and an easy demeanor. Larry was a solid cop and a real friend. He invested himself personally in the lives of his co-workers and he touched the lives of everyone he came in contact with. Larry was always there if you needed him. Some people just can’t be replaced and Larry was that kind of guy. He will be missed by us all.”

Sgt. Jeff Daniel said there was never a dull moment on the shift with Smith.

“When Larry worked for me before coming a sergeant, there was never a dull moment on my shift and knew that every day he came to work we were probably gonna have a foot chase with someone and normally he was right,” Daniel said. “If I ever kept him too busy so he couldn’t get his coffee, he would get a little ill, though. Larry definitely kept the coffee companies in business.”

DTF Agent Greg Jackson said that Smith was a brother in blue you wanted by your side.

“Larry was a good officer and a good man,” Jackson said. “It’s always hard to lose a fellow officer. He will be missed.”

Reserve Deputy Stacey Davis described Smith as always laughing and carrying on.

The pair rode motorcycles together as well.

On Thursday morning, local law enforcement escorted Smith’s body from Mizell Memorial Hospital to Foreman Funeral Home.

“He was an organ donor, so they had at team who came down and harvested his organs,” Meeks said. “Then we escorted the body.”

Smith is survived by his wife, Pamela Curry Smith; a daughter, Kayla Smith; and a stepson, Clayton Sawyer; his mother, Dorothy Smith; two brothers, Steve (Angie) Smith and Patrick (Anna Tindall) and his in laws Robert and Patricia Curry.

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