Tyler Smith, center, reacts on hearing the "not guilty" verdict in his trial at the Grant County Courthouse on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. Also pictured are his defense attorneys, Andrew and Andrea Coit.

CANYON CITY — Tyler Smith was found not guilty of all charges on Thursday, Nov. 3, in Grant County Circuit Court after the jury had deliberated for just over one hour.

Smith, a former Grant County sheriff’s deputy, faced felony charges of attempted rape, attempted sex abuse and fourth-degree assault pertaining to events alleged to have occurred in August of 2018. He was arrested in September 2019 and fired from his job three months later.

The 12-person jury heard closing arguments throughout the morning and early afternoon before entering deliberations at just after 2 p.m. By 3:10, the jurors announced that they had reached their verdict.

The jury has heard days of witness testimony over the course of the trial, including former Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer.

The defense case largely relied on an argument that a conspiracy between the former sheriff and other law enforcement officials sought to discredit the defendant by facilitating the case and charges against him, working directly with the alleged victim. Palmer and other officials have denied the conspiracy allegations.

Both sides in their closing arguments stressed the importance of the credibility of the principal witnesses, Tyler Smith and his alleged victim.

“These two people were alone in a room together. This case comes down to credibility and who is telling the truth,” Kimberly said. “You can believe eyewitness testimony, and the victim is an eyewitness. There is no need for a stack of evidence.”

In final arguments for the prosecution, Oregon Senior Assistant Attorney General Jayme Kimberly said that in what boils down to a he said/she said case, just because two people say different things does not create the reasonable doubt needed to acquit the defendant. Rather, she argued, the jury has the power to decide who is telling the truth and to convict based on that judgment.

Closing arguments for the defense were presented by Andrew Coit.

Coit also focused on the credibility of the main witnesses, attacking the testimony of the alleged victim, pointing to her failure to make eye contact with the jury and questioning the sincerity of her tears during her taped statements to investigators.

Both sides attempted to take inconsistencies in testimony and turn them into indictments of the credibility of the principal witnesses, Smith and the alleged victim.

Both sides attempted to show that the other side’s main witness had motivation to lie; the prosecution pointed to Smith’s pending whistleblower lawsuit against Grant County as financial motivation to put himself at the center of an alleged conspiracy, and the defense tried to make the case that both the victim and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office had reasons to “make Tyler Smith go away.”

After both sides presented their closing arguments, the prosecution was given a brief rebuttal, which it used to question the defense’s characterization of the alleged victim as an “informant,” noting times she had refused to provide evidence against the defendant when asked.

Silent and nervous waiting turned instantly to an emotional outpouring of relief among those gathered in support of Smith when the verdict was announced. Smith embraced his attorneys, Andrew and Andrea Coit, then made his way to the gallery to share tearful embraces with his friends and family.

“The jury did the right thing. This was a long and hard battle,” said Andrew Coit following the verdict. “We fought and fought and fought, and justice finally prevailed.”

“I’ve waited three years for this nightmare to be done with, and it’s done,” a tearful Smith said. “They took my children and people tried to take my credibility, and I had friends and family here who backed me the entire way.” Smith added he wanted to thank Haley Olson, his girlfriend, for being his rock and for always being there for him.