Brett McMurphy 7/23/18 5:05AM
A domestic violence civil protection order was filed against Ohio State wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator Zach Smith on Friday.
The protection order, filed by Smith’s ex-wife Courtney Smith, 33, was served at 6:10 p.m. Friday, according to a Delaware (Ohio) County police spokesperson.
The order continues a history of domestic violence allegations against Zach Smith.
In 2009, when he was a University of Florida assistant, he was arrested for aggravated battery on a pregnant victim, according to a Gainesville Police Department report. Courtney Smith was 8-10 weeks pregnant at the time.
That alleged assault occurred on June 21, 2009 – the Smith’s one-year wedding anniversary. Courtney Smith, however, ultimately decided not to press charges.
On Wednesday, Zach Smith, 34, also was charged with a misdemeanor charge of criminal trespassing, according to an arrest report from Delaware Municipal Court. The criminal trespassing charge was for dropping their son off at his ex-wife’s house – and not at a pre-arranged public place – which was a violation of an earlier criminal trespass warning. That warning was provided to him on Dec. 19, 2017, according to the criminal complaint.
Ohio State issued a statement Monday on Smith, who is the grandson of former Buckeyes coach Earle Bruce.
"We are not going to comment at this time on the situation regarding Zach Smith. This is a personnel matter and we don’t typically discuss such matters publicly. We are continuing to monitor."
Smith has been part of Urban Meyer’s staffs for 11 seasons – at Florida from 2005-09 and at Ohio State from 2012-17. Between those stints, he was an assistant at Marshall in 2010 and Temple in 2011. Marshall was coached by Doc Holliday, a former UF assistant under Meyer, and Temple was coached by Steve Addazio, another former UF assistant under Meyer.
The domestic violence civil protection order served to Zach Smith on Friday is for five years, unless reversed by a judge in an Aug. 3 hearing, a City of Delaware police spokesperson said. The protection order issued Friday prohibits Zach Smith from getting within 500 feet of his ex-wife.
The ruling states: “the court finds that (Courtney Smith) is in immediate and present danger of domestic violence and for good cause the following temporary orders are necessary to protect the persons named (Courtney Smith and her children Cameron, 8, and Quinn, 6) in this order from domestic violence.”
The Smiths were divorced on Sept. 1, 2016.
On June 21, 2009, according to a Gainesville (Fla.) Police Incident report, Courtney, then 24, stated her husband Zach, then 25, “picked her up by grabbing her T-shirt and threw her against the bedroom wall located upstairs in their apartment.”
Courtney told officers Zach arrived at the residence “with an unknown female co-worker that he was partying with” and Courtney “refused to have the unknown female, who Zach kept referring to as ‘baby,’ spend the night at their residence.”
Courtney stated “a verbal argument took place over the female and questions of infidelity arose. Courtney stated Zach was intoxicated and she took the female to her house. … Courtney stated when she returned to her residence, a heated argument ensued in the upstairs bedroom. Courtney stated she tried to get Zach out of her bed, which he refused and then forcefully grabbed her.”
The report said “Zach advised (officers) he works for UF Florida Gators as an assistant coach for the football team. Zach stated that he brought the female (co-worker) home because she was upset from breaking up with her boyfriend. … Zach stated that Courtney yelled at him and denied picking her up and throwing her into a wall. Zach had a visible red mark on his right bicep that he claimed was a result of breaking up a fight downtown at a club.
“(The officers) observed that Courtney’s shirt had been stretched just above her right breast. Courtney’s account of the incident was consistent with the redness to Zach’s right bicep because she advised that she attempted to hit him while he was picking her up.
“From the statements made on scene, (the officers) determined Zach was the primary aggressor.” He was then handcuffed and arrested.
Eight days later, Courtney decided not to press charges, according to the report.
The criminal trespassing case against Zach Smith on Wednesday was continued for a final pretrial hearing, according to Zach Smith’s attorney.
Bradley Koffel, Zach’s attorney, told the Columbus Dispatch last week that Zach was “just beside himself” after the trespassing violation. “He didn’t do anything illegal and now it’s coming out that he’s some sort of wife-beater, trespasser, whatever.”
Smith is the only remaining assistant from Meyer’s first staff after Meyer took over at Ohio State in 2012.
