Thomas Glen Smith, 50, of Hamilton, Texas, sold off nearly forty firearms stolen from the very evidence room he was hired to protect. The former Ellis County Sheriff’s Office employee was sentenced yesterday to 40 months in federal prison after admitting to trafficking weapons seized by law enforcement—guns meant to be destroyed or locked away forever.
Smith worked alongside Philip Gary Slaughter, 42, in reorganizing the ECSO Evidence Room, giving both men unrestricted access to hundreds of confiscated firearms. On November 18, 2015, Slaughter obtained a court order authorizing the destruction of excess weapons. But instead of melting them down, the duo kept dozens—some later pawned at local shops across Ellis County.
Between November and December 2015, Smith and Slaughter moved fast. They hocked firearms at multiple pawn stores and used personal Facebook accounts to broker private sales. None of the weapons were supposed to leave county custody. Each sale was a betrayal of public trust and a direct violation of federal law.
Slaughter, cooperating in a separate but linked case, pleaded guilty and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater to 15 months in prison. Smith faced steeper consequences after pleading guilty in August 2017 to one count of possession or sale of stolen firearms. Judge Jane J. Boyle handed down the 40-month sentence in a packed Dallas courtroom.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Texas Department of Public Safety—Texas Ranger Division led the investigation, unraveling a scheme hidden in plain sight. Evidence showed Smith and Slaughter exploited chaos in the evidence room to siphon off guns like contractors clearing debris—except they were dealing death, not debris.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kate Rumsey, Joseph Magliolo, and Errin Martin prosecuted the case. The conviction sends a hard message: when law enforcement turns criminal, the sentence hits harder. Smith now has plenty of time to reflect—behind federal bars.
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