ssharpJACKSBORO, TN. (WLAF)- In court yesterday, Raymond Smith was denied a bond reduction in his child rape case.
Smith is facing 25 felony counts after Jacksboro Police investigated allegations he had been in a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old girl. He was 69 years old at the time of his arrest last year.
His bond had been set at $300,000 but his public defender, Latasha Wassom, was asking the court to reduce the bond. Smith has no prior criminal history and has ties to the community, she said.
Prosecutors were opposed to the motion arguing that 10 of the charges Smith is facing carry mandatory minimum sentences of 25 years each, to be served at 100 percent, if convincted. The remaining charges are not eligible for probation, Lindsay Cadle of the district attorney’s office said.
The $300,00 bond was “reasonable,” Cadle said.
Denying the bond reduction, Eighth Judicial Criminal Court Judge Shayne Sexton asked if the case needed to be “fast tracked.”
It was agreed the case would be reviewed Jan. 18, 2022.
Smith was charged after the Jacksboro Police Department began an investigation into a child rape case. A father told Cody Chapman, Jacksboro assistant chief of police, that his 13- year-old daughter had been in a relationship with the 69- year-old Smith
Smith allowed Chapman to search his phone. On the phone was a nude picture of the young girl, according to the arrest warrant.
In a subsequent interview, Smith allegedly confessed he “could have possibly” taken the photo of the girl. He also professed his love for the 13-year-old, the warrant said. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED 12/23/2021-6AM)