Man who put raw chicken into heating ducts of ex-wife's home could face 18-year jail term

A 58-year-old man has been found guilty Wednesday of breaking into his ex-wife's home and causing thousands of dollars in damage. Ronald Dean Smith was convicted of second-degree burglary and criminal mischief, both felonies.

He was accused of breaking into his ex-wife’s Stapleton home in September 2010 and leaving a trail of damage that included bleach poured into the woman's baby grand piano and putting chicken parts in the heating vents of her house. He also left cleat marks on her newly refurbished wooden floors and erased her computer hard drive, according to court records.



Michelle Smith suspected her ex-husband two months later, after she said she had a strange conversation with him in which he asked her if she wanted some chicken that was about to expire. Michelle Smith also told police that someone left a laminated note on the front door in December 2009, telling mail carriers to return deliveries because the woman living there had passed away.

According to his arrest affidavit, Ronald Smith was a state lobbyist who was hosting a fundraiser for then-Mayor John Hickenlooper on the day of the vandalism, and he arrived late and stayed very briefly. Some people even joked about how little time he spent at the fundraiser, according to the affidavit. Smith faces up to 18 years in prison when he is sentenced on Nov. 18.