Co-worker's return after 169 days behind bars shocks California hospital's staff

A surgical technician convicted of firing a gun into an occupied car was back on the job recently at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, just days after being released from jail, despite vows by Los Angeles County officials to crack down on medical personnel with criminal records. Norris Smith, 53, had spent 169 days behind bars before pleading no contest to the felony charge Aug. 26. Smith's return to work at the hospital shocked colleagues, who said they have been concerned about his behavior since 2005, when he was suspended after threatening a doctor. He was also arrested by Long Beach police in 2004 on suspicion of assault with a firearm.