SAN ANGELO, TX – A Christoval man who was accused of molesting children was given ten years deferred adjudication Wednesday after taking a plea deal from the District Attorney’s Office.
According to court documents, on Apr. 7, Michael James Smith, 36, pleaded guilty to indecency with a child by sexual contact. The Second Degree Felony plea deal will place him on ten years deferred adjudication probation.
The original indictment, which occurred in July 2019, accused Smith of three other charges; continuous sexual abuse of a child under fourteen year’s of age and two counts of indecency with a child by exposure. Here is the original article: 34-Year-Old Indicted for Continuously Molesting a Child for Years.
Prosecutor Ashley Knight claims that the abuse occurred between Aug. 2014 and Sep. 2016. In the evidence presented to a Tom Green County grand jury Knight claimed that Smith not only touched the child but made the child touch him inappropriately. He was also accused of exposing himself to the child.
Smith was previously charged with felony burglary of a habitation which in most cases would enhance the felony. In the plea deal, Smith’s attorney was able to get the enhancement removed from the charge.
During Smith’s ten year deferred adjudication probation he must pay a $1,500 fine, pay a number of other court fees, report to his probation officers monthly, cannot leave the county, has to register as a sex offender, has to take sex offender classes and much more.
At this time Smith is still be held in the Tom Green County Detention Facility. He has been in there since Oct. 10.
